The Lost Stickley Table
A one-of-a-kind table reappears after
100 years.
M
ost original Gustav Stickley furniture can be easily identifi ed
by model number. This was, after all, factory-made furniture
and pieces were designed to be made in multiples. When you come
across an antique, you can look it up in an old catalog to identif y it.
However, the only known example of this small table appeared at a
Sotheby’s auction in late 2004.
This uncataloged piece was likely a prototype, never put into fac-
tory production. What makes it unique is the front and back splay of
the legs. It’s this slight angle that gives this table more character than
s traight-legged ver sions that were mass produced. It ’s also the likely
reason this piece never got beyond the prototype stage.
This table features many of the Stickley design element s that
appear in other pieces. There isn’t much material in it, but there is a
good deal of labor-intensive, head-scratching joinery involved. This
probably made it too expensive to be marketed at a reasonable price,
but that does make it a great project on which to practice and develop
joinery skills.
The anonymous cabinetmaker who built this prototype lived when
it was a great time to be a woodworker. Hand-tool skills had not yet
been forgotten, and machinery was in use to make life in the shop
easier.
As I planned how I would make this piece, I realized it made sense
to do some of the work with machine methods, while on other parts it
would be quicker and easier to make some joint s by hand.
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