Compliments of Fine

38 FINE woodwork in g The Versatile Huntboard This sideboard variation is just as comfortable in a hallway or a living room

By Garrett Hack

he huntboard is a wonderful furni- beyond the one I design for. This piece where they needed refining. After all, vi- ture form, a relaxed country cousin would be at home serving as a desk or a sual strength is just as important as actual T to the more formal and high-style display table in a foyer or hallway. strength. Once I completed the mock-up, sideboard. It’s essentially a tall serving The focus of my design is the three cen- I used it to lay out and cut the real legs, table, with drawers and doors for storage tral drawers, with flanking doors adding a as well as to lay out the cuff banding and of dinnerware. I’ve long admired the form, sense of balance. The case itself is deep mortises. Cut the legs on the and so for this year’s annual auction of the New and tall, and is engineered to withstand refine the shape with handplanes. Hampshire Masters, I decided to the weight of a collection of flatware and After cutting all of the mortises and the design and build a cherry huntboard. dinnerware. It’s also designed to withstand primary taper in the legs, install the cuff Typically, when designing furniture, my seasonal movement. banding. Although you can make your first thoughts are about form, proportion, own custom banding (see FWW #166, shape, and detail. But versatility also can Shape the legs and add the banding pp. 116-120), ready-made banding is avail- be an influence, especially for speculative In designing the legs of the huntboard, I able (www.vandykes.com, www.woodcraft work. I want potential bidders to see what used a full-size mock-up to help me .com, and www.rockler.com). Cut the they need—a sideboard in this case—but I also think my work could have many lives Start with the legs

The foot of each leg is highlighted with a cuff-banding and Upper a secondary taper 1 portion that give the piece a tapers from light, elegant appear- the base of the apron ance. After cutting to the cuff. the primary tapers on the bandsaw, miter and glue in the cuff- banding sections (1). Cut the secondary taper on all four 2 sides, staying well clear of the cuff. Secondary taper begins Refine the taper with just below a handplane. Make the cuff. guide marks just be- low the cuff (2) and assembly note at the toe of the foot, and until both The huntboard glue-up is complex. It’s easiest to start marks are gone (3). by assembling the side aprons and the legs. But glue only the front legs in place at this stage—you’ll need 3 to remove the rear legs for a later step (see p. 42).

www.FineWoodworking.com N o vembe r / d E C E M B E r 2 0 0 6 39 Stylish huntboard For a calm appearance, the primary wood is quartersawn cherry. To add interest and contrast, the door panels are flame , with African-blackwood pulls and Gabon- beading.

Panel tenon, 3⁄8 in. thick by 1⁄4 in. long Shelf, 5⁄8 in. thick by Top and bottom rear 9 in. wide, sits in 1⁄4-in.-deep . rails, 13⁄16 in. thick Partitions connect to by 31⁄8 in. wide the bottom board with sliding dovetails, 5⁄8 in. wide by 5⁄16 in. long. Back panel, 13⁄16 in. thick by 71⁄4 in. wide

Stiles, 7⁄8 in. Splines, thick by 1 3⁄16 in. thick Dividers, ⁄2 in. 11⁄16 in. wide by 1⁄2 in. thick by 2 in. wide wide, Bottom board, in their Front rail white , (see detail on grooves. 7 ⁄8 in. thick facing page) Partitions, Side panels, 3 3 Legs, 39 ⁄16 in. ⁄4 in. thick Wedge 13⁄16 in. thick long, taper from 1 by 7 ⁄4 in. 17⁄16 in. at top to Tenon, 3 wide Top and bottom 9⁄16 in. at bottom. ⁄8 in. thick by 1⁄2 in. long side rails, 13⁄16 in. thick by 31⁄8 in. Rail tenons, Bead, wide 3⁄8 in. thick Top kicker, 1 3⁄16 in. by 1 in. ⁄2 in. thick by dia. long 11⁄8 in. wide Side Stile panel Guide, 1 Spline ⁄4 in. thick by 13⁄16 in. wide Groove Tenon, 1 for bottom Bottom ⁄4 in. thick Runner, 3 board, side rail by ⁄16 in. Bottom 1⁄2 in. thick by long, fits 1⁄4 in. deep board 11⁄8 in. wide into divider. by 5⁄8 in. wide Divider Tenon, 3⁄8 in. thick 5 Tongue, ⁄8 in. by 3⁄4 in. thick by 1⁄4 in. long long, fits bottom side rail into stile. case interior 40 FINE woodwork in g Photos: Thomas McKenna Stretcher, 1⁄2 in. thick fitting by 27⁄16 in. wide by 451⁄8 in. long A critical joint 1 Bottom board ⁄8 in. The front stretcher is rabbetted and dove- tailed to the legs and Front rail side aprons to help sta- bilize the case against Bead, racking forces. Begin by 3 Spline, ⁄16 in. 3⁄16 in. dia. marking the shoulders thick by 1⁄2 in. of the with the wide case dry-assembled front rail (top). Cut the stepped rabbet using a and , then the dovetails (center). Bottom, 5⁄16 in. thick, is beveled around the edges Set the stretcher in and screwed to the back. place and scribe for the dovetail housings in the leg and apron (bottom).

Drawer fronts, 5⁄8 in. thick, with 1⁄8-in.-dia. bead on Sides, top and bottom edges 3⁄8 in. thick

1 52 ⁄2 in. 181⁄4 in.

46 in. 157⁄8 in.

3 in. 31⁄8 in.

3 1 3 ⁄8 in. 12 ⁄8 in. 5 11 ⁄8 in. 71⁄4 in.

41⁄4 in. 31⁄8 in.

40 in. 13⁄8 in. 13 in. 21⁄4 in. 111⁄2 in. 18 in. Taper begins 133⁄4 in. from Cuff, 5 431⁄8 in. top of leg. ⁄8 in. wide

FineWoodworking.com 7⁄8 in. sq. In a video tour, Hack explores the construction and 41⁄2 in. design considerations of his huntboard. Plus: an audio slide show of cutting tapered sliding dovetails. 9⁄16 in. sq.

Drawings: Bob La Pointe N o vembe r / d E C E M B E r 2 0 0 6 41 Glue up the case in stages

Attach the front rail to the bottom. Glue Glue the drawer stiles and dividers to the Slide in the interior partitions from the the spline into the bottom board, then add front rail. Assemble the stiles and dividers, back. Glue will help the tapered pins slide. the front rail. Be sure all of the joinery lines then fit them into the front rail as a unit. the partitions, then let the glue dry up before clamping. before going any further.

Attach the case to the rear assembly. After gluing the front legs and side aprons to the case, slide the shelf into position, and drop the carcase into place.

42 FINE woodwork in g dadoes that house the banding using ei- ther a or hand (for more on this process, see FWW #180, p. 106). Each section of banding is mitered using a 45° guide block and ; the block also is used to miter the door beading (see top right photo, p. 45). After the banding is glued in place, level the sections with a , then plane a tapered toe from the cuff to the floor (see photos, p. 39).

Assemble the side and rear aprons One of the most challenging aspects of this design is planning for the inevitable seasonal movement of the 131⁄2-in.-wide aprons. Cherry boards that wide will move significantly, increasing the potential for cracking the case, opening a gap where they meet the top, and pinching a drawer or a door. A simple and attractive solution is to make each apron in three parts: a top and bottom rail and a center panel, joined with cherry splines but no glue. The tenons of the rails are glued into the legs, while the stub ten- ons of the panel float in their mortises. As a decorative element, and to disguise small gaps that will open during the dry win- ter months, I cut beads in the center panel where it meets the rails (see bottom side rail detail, p. 40). The most accurate way to cut the tenons and shoulders on the three parts of each apron is to dry-assemble them with the splines and cut them all at once, hold- Add the top stretcher and kickers ing the pieces together with masking tape. Clean up the shoulders with a shoulder With the case upright on the floor, install the stretcher. This is tricky because plane, then take apart the assembly and you have to glue in the kickers for the top 1 trim the center panel tenons down to ⁄4 in. drawer at the same time. The stiles of long. Now, cut the miters and haunches in the drawer frame are tenoned into the the longer tenons of the rails. Finally, cut stretcher. Drive wedges into the tenons, then a groove in the bottom rail to accept the screw the stretcher to the interior partitions. tongue of the bottom board.

Fit the front rail and stretcher housings, then rout and chop them out. When the aprons have been fitted, it’s time Finally, cut the mortises for the two kickers to cut, shape, and fit the bottom front rail. of the top drawer into the back edge of Also, cut the slot in the rail for the spline the stretcher. Also, cut the mortises for the that connects it to the bottom board, and knife hinges in the stretcher and the bot- scratch the bead along the bottom edge. tom front rail (for more on installing knife The front stretcher is dovetailed into the hinges, see FWW #152, pp. 108-110). top of the front legs, and into the top of both side aprons just behind the legs (see Thick stock and solid joinery photos, p. 41). For accuracy, dry-assemble create a stiff structure the case and place the rail in position. With a huntboard, it’s possible that many Lay out the location of the shoulders and heavy items will be stored in the drawers dovetails, and then cut them. Place the and compartments. To make the case quite rail back in position, mark the dovetail stiff and sturdy, the bottom board and the www.FineWoodworking.com N o vembe r / d E C E M B E r 2 0 0 6 43 Doors feature contrasting beading

Jig creates perfect bead stock. The is a piece of 1⁄2-in.-thick with two fences spaced the width of a block plane. The plane rides on identical shims, ensuring uniform thickness. A brad in front of the beading holds it in place.

Center stile, 7⁄8 in. wide Top rail and outside top are thick, and strong joinery in the face stiles, 13⁄8 in. wide Panel, frame and interior partitions helps tie the 1⁄2 in. thick top and bottom together. The face frame and the drawer runners and dividers are joined with mortises and tenons while the interior partitions connect to the bottom board with sliding tapered dovetails (the slots and pins are wider at the back and narrower toward the front). Tapered dovetails ease assembly but still provide a strong mechanical joint. To cut the dovetail slots in the bottom board, dry-fit the face-frame assembly and the bottom rail. Connect the bottom board with the spline and mark out the dovetail-slot locations. Remove the bottom Frame board and cut the slots. Clamp a to stock, the board and remove most of the waste 3 ⁄4 in. 5 thick with a straight bit. Then finish with a ⁄8-in. dovetail bit. Taper the slot by shifting one end of the fence over by about 1⁄16 in. and then running the dovetail bit through the cut again. Use a router table when cutting the dove- Bottom rail, tail pins in the partitions. Be sure to leave 21⁄8 in. wide the partitions long for now, as trial and error is the only way to set the pin cut for , Panel groove, a perfect sliding fit. I use a side rabbeting 11⁄4 in. wide 1⁄4 in. deep plane to taper the pins to fit, though you by 1⁄4 in. wide also could use a paring chisel.

Tenons, 3⁄8 in. thick by 1 in. long Build doors and drawers after glue-up Beading, 3⁄32 in. When all the partitions have been cut and thick by 5⁄16 in. 1 fitted, dry-assemble the piece, then lay out wide Rabbet, ⁄8 in. deep Wood peg by 1⁄4 in. long and cut the slots in the partition and side

44 FINE woodwork in g Glue the beading to the frame. The beading should be proud of the outside of the frame. Use plenty of clamps and a caul to ensure a Simple jig for perfect miters. Clamp a 45° guide block to the frame mem- good bond. bers and chop the beading to length.

Cutter apron for the shelf that’s tucked behind one door. Also, lay out and cut all the mor- tises for the buttons that secure the top, as well as the mortises in the rear apron for the two top-drawer kickers. Once you’re sure everything is fitting nicely, get ready for the glue-up. There are a lot of pieces to put together here, so to make the job easier, assemble Cutter the case in steps (see photos, pp. 42-43). fence After the case is glued up, cut the top to final dimensions, shape the underbeveled Scratch the bead. Run a edge, and secure it in place with buttons simple scratch stock along the and screws. beading. You’re done when the Finally, after building the doors (see cutter just starts to bite into the photos and drawings, this spread), as- frame. sembling the drawers, and turning and installing the knobs, the piece is ready for finishing.

Cut the panel Nothing beats the dazzle of shellac grooves, then as- To bring out the rich color of the cherry, semble the door. I started with a light coat of oil/. Cutting the grooves Once dry, I padded on many layers of after the beading orange shellac (1-lb. cut) using a clean is applied ensures cotton rubber, rubbing it out between a flush fit between coats with 0000 steel wool. A final “ghost- panel and beading. Trim the horns after ing” with a rag with just vapors of alco- the glue dries. hol leaves a beautifully smooth finish. A topcoat of wax is the final and renewable protective finish. M

Garrett Hack is a contributing editor. Past articles and full-size plans are available at FineWoodworking.com. www.FineWoodworking.com N o vembe r / d E C E M B E r 2 0 0 6 45