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When I fi rst started building
furniture, I learned a lot from
reproducing original Shaker and
Arts & Crafts designs. Measured
drawings were often available, so I
could learn how experts like Stick-
ley would construct a table or chair
and use these parameters for my
own versions. I read about a Stick-
ley side table that sold at auction
for over $50,000 and was in awe.
What set the table apart was
beautiful ceramic tiles made by
Greuby Faince Ceramics company,
which went out of business in 1920.
The tiles allegedly used lead in the
glazes which were richly iridescent,
but possibly poisonous in the man-
ufacturing process. The tiles used
in this project are also beautiful and
hand made, but were hand-made in
the last year.
The Small Changes
The original design had twelve
rectangular tiles and a shelf with
distinctive pegged tenons and curved
12
aprons. This design is smaller, using
only six square tiles and has the
pegged shelf tenons, with straight
aprons instead of curves. The smaller
scale is better for a wider range of
rooms and would be great as a pair,
fl anking a sofa.
Lay the Tile Out
The exact size of the top is defi ned
by the shape and size of the tile.
These handmade 4" x 4" tiles are
from a maker in Minnesota and
have a deep beautiful blue glaze, but
are slightly irregular. Before building
the top frame, it is important to
lay out and measure the tile, which
requires a template.
Rip a^1 / 8 " strips from hardboard to
make^1 / 8 " spacers for laying out the
tiles. When making thin rips, mea-
sure to the outside of a scrap piece
and line up the mark with the blade.
This method is safer than ripping
thin pieces against the fence, which
can result in dangerous kick-backs.
Arrange the tiles with the spacers
between the tiles and then trace
each tile on the plywood. Number
the tiles to coordinate with a spot on
the plywood blank. The inside of the
top frame will be^1 / 4 " larger in each
direction that the fi nal measure-
ments for the array of tiles.
Creating the Top Frame
Mill all of the lumber to thickness
and then rip to width, and cut to the
correct length. Next, cut tenons on
the top stiles. Long tenons like this
can be made in myriad ways. I chose
to lay them fl at on the tablesaw and
make multiple passes with a single
blade to remove most of the mate-
rial, and clean up the joints with a
shoulder plane.
In photo 3, an auxiliary fence is
attached to the miter gauge and a
square stop is clamped at the depth
of the shoulder, which is 3^1 / 16 " long.
The cheeks and shoulders are diff er-
ent depths, but while the stop is set,
it is wise to cut all the way around as
a fi rst step. Clean up the rest of the
3
1 To help lay out the tiles evenly, cut some simple spac-
ers to keep everything aligned. With the spacers in place
mark the position of each tile on the plywood base.
2 Because the tiles are handmade, there'll be variations,
so it’s a good idea to number the tiles and locations.
3 Use an auxilliary fence and stop block to cut my tenons
fl at on the table saw.