Thorsen House Side Table A small project that’s big on details. ’ve always appreciated the look of furniture designed by architects Charles and Henry IGreene. Though often equated with the Arts & Crafts movement at the beginning of the 20th century, their furniture designs reflect an Asian influence that softens the often hard lines of Arts & Crafts furniture. While looking for a piece to build, I was talking with Robert W. Lang, senior editor for Popular Woodworking and author of the just-published “Shop Drawings for Greene & Greene Furni- ture” (Fox Chapel). He suggested adapting a small side table originally made for the Thorsen House in Berkeley, Calif. The cutouts on the aprons quickly won me over, but I did make a couple modifications that lightened the look of the table. Rather than a full-width shelf captured between two straight stretchers, I opted to make the stretcher with a top-and-bottom cloudlift design and make the shelf only half the width of the original. I also added some 1⁄16" quirk details to the corners of the legs and the edges of the aprons, stretch- ers and the shelf. These “rabbets” add a simple shadow line to a very pleasant design. Start With the Lumber Selecting your lumber for this table is an impor- tant step. Because it’s such a small piece, wild grain will dramatically change the overall appearance. You want to look for mahogany Photo by Al ParrishAl by Photo that is as straight grained as possible. This by David Thiel David is the executive editor for Popular Woodworking Books. He can be reached at 513-531-2690 ext. 1255 or [email protected]. 36 POPULAR WOODWORKING February 2007 A 3⁄8"mortising chisel makes quick work of the apron mortises on each leg. The cloudlifts are subtle curves, not radii. Make a template (bottom) of the One of the stretcher mortises is visible on the leg at the bottom of the photo. curve you like, then transfer that curve to your aprons and stretchers. will become even more critical legs, paying careful attention to if you’re bookmatching the top the location for the lower stretch- piece. And because of the high ers. There are only two stretchers cost of mahogany, I definitely rec- and they will require mortises on ommend bookmatching. It allows only one inside face of each leg. you to buy 8/4 material and resaw Orient the legs so those faces are for the top, aprons and stretch- on the inside. ers, while still allowing enough The mortises for the aprons are thickness to yield the legs and 7⁄8" deep and 41⁄2" long. They are breadboards. centered on the legs and start 3⁄4" Start by selecting the best wood down from the top of the legs. The for the top piece. Pay careful atten- two apron mortises will intersect The tenons are created on tion to the grain orientation as one another in the leg, so be care- the saw by first defining the piece is almost square and it’s ful while cutting the second mor- the shoulders both on the thickness (top) and then easy to get the direction reversed, tise to avoid damaging the rather the width (bottom) of each which will yield a funny-looking thin interior corner left by the two tenon. I then simply made top. Resaw the top pieces, then mortises. The stretcher mortises repeat cuts on the tenon, surface and join the two boards, are 3⁄4" long and start 51⁄8" up from nibbling away the waste. trimming to allow the best grain the bottom of the legs. match possible. Now glue the While you’re at the mortiser, two (hopefully no more) pieces lay out and cut the 7⁄8"-deep mor- together to form the top. tises in the breadboard ends. The While the glue is drying, select middle mortise is 43⁄4" long and the next-best sections of your centered on each breadboard. The wood for the aprons and stretchers. two outer mortises are 21⁄4" long Resaw the necessary pieces from and start 13⁄8" in from each end. your 8/4 material to yield the bal- All the breadboard mortises are ance of your pieces. Then surface, centered in the thickness of the plane and saw the stock to final breadboards. thickness, width and length. Remove the top from the clamps and trim it to finished Mortise & Tenon Joinery size. I used the table saw to cut The joinery for the table should the tenons on all the pieces, but start at your mortiser. I chose a you may choose to use a router. In 3 ⁄8" mortising chisel for all the fact, I was a little lazy on the saw To avoid too much filing and sanding, cut as close as you can on the band saw. mortises on this piece. Mark the and opted to leave the 1⁄8" blade I cut in close to the line around the curves first (left), then come back and use locations of the mortises on the in rather than switch to a dado the cutting edge of the blade to nibble away the waste up to the line (right). popularwoodworking.com 37 to run the tenons. There’s also a my tenon achieves a fit that is too Cloudlifts & Quirks the transition more subtle. I made little logic behind my laziness. By snug, I’m able to come back with With the tenons cut it’s time to a few test pieces before I was satis- making repeat cuts on the cheek a rabbeting plane and trim the add some of the details. Each of the fied with the curve, then used that of the tenon my blade leaves slight tenon to fit. Miter the ends of the aprons and the two stretchers have test piece to mark the cloudlift ridges on the surface. If test fitting tenons to fit the legs. what have been coined “cloud- transitions on the actual pieces. lift” designs. This shaped offset is With your pieces marked, head formed on the lower edge of each to the band saw and make your c apron and on both the top and cloudlift cuts. Use a file and sand- bottom of the two stretchers. The paper to clean up the shapes on offset is a simple 1⁄4". The location all the pieces. c of the offsets can be determined To add a little trick for the eye I from the scaled patterns for the cut a 1⁄16" rabbet (or quirk) on the c aprons and stretchers. The tran- long edges of the legs on the table sition itself isn’t a simple radius, saw (see picture at right), and also though you could do it that way if on the four long edges of the small you prefer. Rather, the transition shelf. To add the same detail to can be drawn using 1⁄4" radii, but the lower edge of the aprons and c should then be softened to make all the edges of the stretchers, I THORSEN HOUSE SIDE TABLE NO. ITEm DIMENSIONS (INCHES) mATERIAl COmmENts c T W L ❏ 1 Top 3⁄4 163⁄4 151⁄2 Mahogany 3⁄4" TBE c ❏ 2 Breadboard ends 1 11⁄2 17 Mahogany 3 3 1 3 ❏ 4 Aprons ⁄4 5 ⁄4 12 ⁄4 Mahogany ⁄4" TBE c c c c ❏ 4 Legs 11⁄4 11⁄4 211⁄2 Mahogany c c c ❏ 2 Stretchers 3⁄4 11⁄4 121⁄4 Mahogany 3⁄4" TBE ❏ 1 Shelf 1⁄2 5 111⁄4 Mahogany c ❏ 32 Pegs 3⁄8 3⁄8 1⁄4 Ebony Plan TBE = tenon both ends c c c c c c c c c c c Elevation Profile FavoriteIllustrationsJaneMary by 38 POPULAR WOODWORKING February 2007 The quirk detail set up a trim router with a bear- Assembly is created on the ing guide and a straight bit. The Finish sand all the pieces of the legs using the guide allows the bit to follow the table base and assemble the frame. table saw. Essen- cloudlifts without difficulty. Start with the sides that have the tially, you’re stretchers. Then glue the last two creating a 1⁄16" 1 Patterns & Ebony aprons between the two frames. x ⁄16" rabbet on each corner of Before assembly, use your scrollsaw Before gluing up the top, use a 1⁄8"- the leg. or fretsaw to cut out the patterns radius router bit to soften the long on the aprons. Enlarge the scaled edges of the top and all the edges patterns to full size (or download of the breadboard pieces. Finally, the full-size patterns from Maga- glue on the breadboards. Screw zine Extras our web site), then the shelf in place through two The bearing attach them to the aprons using holes in the stretchers that will guide shown on adhesive spray. Cut the patterns receive the ebony pegs. this trim router and then use sandpaper and small The pegs are next (see photo allows the bit to files to clean them up. below). I used ebony, but you could follow the curves One last step is to make the also use walnut. of the cloudlifts. square holes for the ebony accent I attached the top by using my You could also install a bearing- pegs. I again used my 3⁄8" mortis- biscuit jointer to cut slots on the guided bit in a ing chisel to make these 3⁄8"-deep inside of the aprons to match the router table to holes.