Built to be used as a freestanding bar, this cherry cabinet on a stand has curved, tapered legs reminiscent of a very old design, the Klismos chair.
The three drawers are hand-dovetailed and inset from the face of the cabinet, and the cabinet floats on the base.
The base and cabinet are all built with rounded through-tenons, which have been wedged in place with walnut, a strengthening design accent. The shelf below is secured with transverse wedged tenons.
I made this out of cherry, a solid, carved seat with hand-shaped spindles and legs. The crest rail I sawed out of solid stock and shaped with spokeshaves. The arm rail is a bent lamination, which entailed creating 3/32” layers of wood and bending them around a form with glue.
These are two hand planes made here in my studio. Hand tools like these are at the heart of what I do. These particular tools are used to dimension and smooth wood and reveal its richness along the way. Rather than scratch the surface as with sandpaper, they show how translucent wood is, and enhance its depth of character.
This cabinet stands at knee height, so might live its best life on a windowsill or mantel. I made it out of cherry, dovetailing the case. The base is mortise and tenon construction; the cabinet floats above. The devil in the details here includes tiny wooden pulls, which I made, as well as the old-fashioned shelf standards inside and spring-loaded wooden door stops.
I built this to house an electric piano. The legs taper from top to bottom, and the entire lid lifts open. The carved handles provide a touch of personality to an otherwise unadorned and simple-seeming piece.
Opening the cabinet reveals the frame and panel assembly, as well as an integrated music stand.
Coffee table, oval top, 15.5” high, 24” wide and 36” long. The stretchers are lightly curved and the through tenons are cut at an angle inspired by the trim carpentry of historic Seattle homes.
Heirloom-quality joinery
Cherry bench, finished in shellac, with tapered legs raked and splayed, and a mortise and tenon base
The rails have a slight curve in them, created by hand with spokeshaves
Windsor chair joinery enables this credenza to sit low and with strength, with rake and splay to the leg assemblies. The legs are joined to battens, which are secured by pressure alone into tapered dovetail sockets in the bottom of the case. The case (the rectangle) is dovetailed together at the corners with a miter (45-degree joint) at the front, giving it a bit of a mid-century modern feel, but with more solid construction. The four sliding doors are frame and panel construction; the panel highlights a pitch-pocket filled board, which runs from one door to the next. The wiring for the television and stereo are house within, along with ample storage space
Dovetailed casework in southern yellow pine is finished with amber and blonde shellac. The shiplapped back is unfinished cedar, while the frame and panel doors are solid wood, with through tenons adding a visual element. Sliding dovetail sockets and rabbets add further function and beauty. The pulls are turned on the lathe and hand-carved.
This chest includes hand-cut dovetails; two drawers with maple pulls turned in the studio; breadboard ends on the lid, hand-forged hinges, bracket feet; and butterfly inlay.
The feet are made of brackets joined by dovetails, and are secured with traditional glue blocks on under the moulding. All joints in the piece were secured with hot animal hide glue, and it was finished with pure tung oil.
Bread board construction allows for wood movement as humidity changes; the hinges were hand-forged in Pennsylvania by a blacksmith.
A small keepsake box made of cherry and finished with wax, lined with Thai printed paper. The handle I turned in my studio.
This bathroom vanity is a solid Douglas fir frame-and-panel construction. The drawers were hand-dovetailed. The cabinet in the middle houses plumbing, and the shelves are adjustable. The door to the cabinet was fitted and hung with high-quality brass butt hinges.
Whole-number proportions were considered in the design of this cedar daybed. The frame-and-panel construction is solid wood.
Douglas fir finished in white milk paint. Joinery inspired by architectural detail of a nearby home.