April 20-25, 2020
Kelly Mehler
Shaker-Inspired Two Drawer Table
$1,300 (total cost including instruction and materials)
Course Description:
This Shaker-inspired table has a multitude of uses waiting to be found! This piece pairs nicely with many types of decor where its classic simplicity and enduring clean lines create visual harmony.
Kelly originally built a variation of this two-drawer white pine table for a customer in 1995. The table was based on the original piece from the Alfred Shaker community in Maine, now part of a Shaker collection in the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The original was built between 1850 and 1900 of white pine. You will have some wood choices that suit your needs and preferences.
The design of the table is clearly straightforward, and so are the broadly-applicable techniques used in the construction of your table. You will create square, tapered legs that are mortised to receive tenons on the ends of the rails. The aprons are pinned to ensure joint security. You will learn how to fit drawers with hand-cut dovetails and with solid bottoms and thumb moulding on their front edges. You will use a combination of hand tools and machine tools to fashion the unusual curve where the square part of the leg begins to taper. The techniques that you will use throughout this project will assist you in making other tables and case good pieces in your own shop.
So now let’s have some fun as you join Kelly in building this well-designed table.
Materials: cherry. Kits will be prepared and ready for students on the first day of class.