Classic Arts and Crafts Furniture 14 Timeless Designs-2

(Bozica Vekic) #1

TABL ES & C HAIRSTABLES & CHAIRS^110707


of the breadboard to receive the splines. The last slot to cut was


in the top for the other end of the splines. This was made with a


slot-cutting bit in my hand-held router.


I made the first spline, and I used it as a pattern for the remain-


ing three. I cut the splines a little oversized on the band saw and


then fixed them to the pattern with double-sided tape. I used the


flush-trim bit in the router to make exact copies of the splines.


With a little sanding on the edges, and a few strokes of my block


plane to adjust the thickness, the splines were ready to be ebon-


ized.


The breadboard ends are held to the ends of the tabletop with


#8 x 3^1 ⁄ 2 " screws. I drilled oversized holes through the ends, and


moved the bit side to side in the two outer holes to elongate


them. With glue applied only to the middle 6" of the tongue, I


put the ends in place, temporarily inserted the splines to align the


breadboard ends and tightened the screws.


Authentic Color Uncovered


One of the most interesting discoveries I made on the Greene


and Greene Virtual Archives was a recipe for the fi nish for the


furniture from another house. I have always admired the rich,


vibrant color of the mahog-


any in original Greene and


Greene furniture, something


rarely seen in most reproduc-


tions of their work.


The formula called for


a treatment of potassium


dichromate applied "as work proceeds" followed by a "filler"


composed of four colors mixed in linseed oil. Potassium dichro-


mate is a powerful oxidizer and must be handled carefully. I wore


a respirator while mixing it and gloves while applying it. After


experimenting, I used a solution of^3 ⁄ 8 ounce of powder to a


quart of distilled water.


For the colors, I used artist’s oil colors. Chrome Yellow (3^1 ⁄ 2


parts of the formula) and Raw Umber (3 parts) were easy selec-


tions. White Lead (2^5 ⁄ 8 parts) is no longer made, so I used Tita-


nium White. The last color listed was Sylvan Green (^1 ⁄ 8 part), and


I couldn’t find an oil color with this name. Because it was a small


part of the original mixture, I took a guess and used Hooker’s


Green.


I squeezed out the colors in the proportions given on a scrap of


plywood and mixed them together with a pint of Danish oil. Fol-


lowing a recipe, I hadn’t thought about what color would be the


result. I was expecting a rich, reddish brown and was surprised to


see a shade of green I haven’t seen since my son has been out of


diapers.


I was ready to abandon the experiment because of the hor-


rendous color I had mixed, but curiosity won and I tried it on my


sample board. After wiping off the excess, I was pleased to find


a truly wonderful color and sheen on the mahogany, as shown


above. What first appeared as a mistake makes sense technically.


On a color wheel, the red from the chemical treatment and the


green from the stain are opposite each other, producing a perfect


color.


Finish Now, Assemble Later


Before I did any assembly work, I brushed on the potassium


dichromate solution and wiped each part dry. Letting the parts


dry overnight, I applied the stain I had mixed, waited about fi ve


minutes and wiped off the excess. Doing all of the color work


before assembly let me get an even coat on all the surfaces of all


the parts. This saved me from reaching in and around the legs


and rails on the assembled table base.


After letting the color coat of oil dry overnight, I assembled the


table base in stages. I first glued and clamped the four pairs of


outer and inner legs. After these had been in the clamps for an


hour, I glued the longer center rails in between each subassem-


bly, as shown at left. Finally I glued the four end rails between


the front and back assemblies to complete the base of the table.


With the table base together, I drilled^1 ⁄ 4 "-diameter holes


(^7) / 8 "
31 / 2 "
(^1) / 4 "
(^3) / 8 "
3"
(^3) / 8 " 1"
(^5) / 16 "
#8 x 3^1 / 2 "
BREADBOARD-TO-TOP CONNECTION
The breadboard end is attached to the tabletop with screws and the ebon-
ized walnut spline is glued in the slot in the table only.
Supplies
866-548-1677 | fi nishsupply.com
X Potassium dichromate
$11.60 per 1/2 pound
SCREWS
9 98-109_Greene&GreeneSideboard.indd 107 8 - 109 _Greene&GreeneSideboard.indd 107 3 3/25/13 9:57 AM/ 25 / 13 9 : 57 AM

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