882 2
True to the Original
Original Craftsman furniture was oc-
casionally made in mahogany or fi gured
maple, but the vast majority was made
from quartersawn white oak. This method
of sawing yields more stable material than
plain sawn oak, and the distinctive rays
can be absolutely stunning. White oak is
much more of a furniture wood than red
oak, giving a smoother and more refi ned
appearance.
In addition to using this wood, I also
decided to use the same method of fi nish-
ing that was originally used, fuming the
fi nished piece with ammonia, and using
shellac followed by wax.
Tannic acid in the wood reacts with the
fumes from the ammonia, yielding a dis-
tinctive coloration in the rays and fl ecks,
as well as in the rest of the wood. Stain-
ing, glazing and dyeing can come close to
the color of an original Stickley piece, but
fuming can match it exactly.
I had to glue stock together to obtain
the widths required. Because the fi nal
color was dependant on a chemical reac-
tion, and the tannic acid content of white
oak will vary from tree to tree and board
to board, I was careful to match boards
for color as well as for fi gure. I also cut
The long mortises on the ends of the rails are cut with this tenoning jig that
rides along the table saw fence.The template locates the through mortises precisely, as well as the arched cut-
out and the location of the dado for the bottom of the case.harvey ellis bookcase
NO. ITEM DIMENSIONS (INCHES) MATERIAL COMMENTS
T W LCARCASE
❏ 1 Top^3 ⁄ 4 14 36 Oak
❏ 2 Sides^3 ⁄ 4 13 57^1 ⁄ 4 Oak
❏ 1 Bottom^3 ⁄ 4 13 31^1 ⁄ 2 Oak
❏ 1 Bottom edge trim^1 ⁄ 2 3 ⁄ 4 32 Oak
❏ 2 Arched rails^3 ⁄ 4 5 33^1 ⁄ 4 Oak 31" between tenons-
t e n o n s e x t e n d^3 ⁄ 8 "
past sides❏ 2 Face frame stiles^7 ⁄ 8 11 ⁄ 2 501 ⁄ 2 Oak
❏ 1 Face frame rail^7 ⁄ 8 11 ⁄ 8 29 Oak 28" between tenons
❏ 2 Applied pilasters^1 ⁄ 4 1 50^1 ⁄ 2 Oak
❏ 2 Capitals^7 ⁄ 8 21 ⁄ 8 11 ⁄ 8 Oak
❏ 2 Shelves^3 ⁄ 4 111 ⁄ 8 307 ⁄ 8 Oak
DOORS❏ 2 Stiles^3 ⁄ 4 21 ⁄ 2 493 ⁄ 8 Oak Door opening is
28" x 49^3 ⁄ 8 "❏ 1 Top rail^3 ⁄ 4 21 ⁄ 2 241 ⁄ 2 Oak 23" between tenons
❏ 1 Bottom rail^3 ⁄ 4 31 ⁄ 2 241 ⁄ 2 Oak 23" between tenons
❏ 2 Intermediate stiles^3 ⁄ 4 11 ⁄ 4 443 ⁄ 8 Oak 433 ⁄ 8 " between
tenons❏ 1 Intermediate rail^3 ⁄ 4 11 ⁄ 4 24 Oak 23" between tenons
❏ 3 Top lights^1 ⁄ 8 75 ⁄ 16 75 ⁄ 16 Glass
❏ 3 Lower lights^1 ⁄ 8 75 ⁄ 16 3513 ⁄ 16 Glass
❏ 18 Glass stops^1 ⁄ 4 1 ⁄ 4 75 ⁄ 16 Oak
❏ 6 Glass stops^1 ⁄ 4 1 ⁄ 4 3513 ⁄ 16 Oak
BACK❏ 2 Stiles^3 ⁄ 4 11 ⁄ 2 507 ⁄ 8 Oak
❏ 2 Rails^3 ⁄ 4 11 ⁄ 2 291 ⁄ 2 Oak 281 ⁄ 2 " between
tenons❏ 1 Mid rail^3 ⁄ 4 2 29^1 ⁄ 2 Oak 281 ⁄ 2 " between
tenons❏ 12 Back panel slats^1 ⁄ 4 47 ⁄ 8 237 ⁄ 16 Oak Shiplapped
harvey ellis bookcase
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