776 6
narrower pieces and is weak near the opening at the top.
The lower shelf is worked the same way, but it is trickier to fit
both tenons at the same time. Each round of fitting and trimming
requires some detective work to find out exactly what is keeping
the joint from going home. When all the tenons have been fit, the
shelves should fit snug and square.
Mortises, Take Two
I lay out the secondary mortises by marking the outside of
the upright on the tenon. Then I set my combination square
to leave a^5 ⁄ 8 " opening when marked from each side. Then I
make a mark^9 ⁄ 16 " away from the upright, parallel to the first
mark.
The mortise is initially cut at^5 ⁄ 8 " square, with the inner edge
set^1 ⁄ 16 " behind the outer face of the upright. This ensures
that the wedge holds the joint tight, no matter what kind of
swelling or shrinking may take place over time. The mortise
can be cut with one pass of a^5 ⁄ 8 " hollow-mortise chisel, or
four passes with a^3 ⁄ 8 " chisel.
Cut a piece of scrap to match the height of the shoulder so
that the tenon isn’t hanging in space at the mortise machine.
Set the fence of the machine to the exposed outer end of the
mortise and make the cuts. Reset the fence to cut the back
Ease in. Bevel both the ends of the tenons and the edges of the mortises
for fi tting.Off the top. The pencil marks indicate the high spots. Remove them with a
fl oat, then test the fi t again.Shop Drawings for Craftsman Furniture
In 2001, my fi rst book, "Shop Draw-
ings for Craftsman Furniture," was
published by Cambium Press (now Fox
Chapel). I had been a fan of Gustav
Stickley designs since the start of my
woodworking career, and I was tired of
seeing misguided interpretations and
watered-down imitations of this won-
derful furniture presented as authentic.
My idea was to show detailed drawings of original pieces, along
with text pertinent to making good reproductions, and a brief
history of those who made the originals. That book was a success,
and it was followed by "More Shop Drawings for Craftsman Fur-
niture" and "Shop Drawings for Craftsman Inlays and Hardware"
(both from Fox Chapel).
Those three books are now combined in a new, single
edition titled "Great Book of Shop Drawings for Craftsman
Furniture" (Fox Chapel). The new book contains all of the
drawings for 57 different pieces of furniture from the original
books, drawings for authentic hardware and the inlay designs
produced for Gustav Stickley by Harvey Ellis. The introductory
text has been combined and updated and there are many
new photos of both vintage pieces and the steps for making
reproductions.
If you’re among the many woodworkers who enjoy this
style of American furniture, this is a comprehensive resource
for understanding these designs, and building pieces of your
own.
Back it up. A thin piece of scrap under the tenon provides support when
making the second mortise.7 70-77_StickleyBookRack.indd 76 0 - 77 _StickleyBookRack.indd 76 3/25/13 9:57 AM 3 / 25 / 13 9 : 57 AM