Walnut desk/hutch - need your help!

[John Keeton]

First, let me apologize for not conforming to the high standards invoked here. I made a brief effort at Sketchup, but it just did not hold my interest long enough for it to click. So, we are dealing with a rough drafting of my next project. It wouldn't scan because of the lightness of the pencil lines, so I had to photo and crop. Sorry!

I scavenged a set of walnut legs from an antique table, and will build this piece around them – at this point entirely of walnut. The square portion of the legs is a tad over 2.75", and about 6.25".

Initially, I thought about making the door and side raised panels from curly maple, and the thought still haunts me. I just cannot seem to figure a good way to bring the maple into the bottom section. With the only maple being in the hutch portion, it seems the piece would not be harmonious.

Some of the dimensions are shown and the depth is planned at 24”. Hardware would be simple oil rubbed bronze as the piece will be in a great room within sight of the kitchen cabinets with the same knobs.

The only factor that is not subject to change is the set of legs. Everything else is subject to suggestion, outright ridicule, and constructive or destructive criticism.

Give me all ya’ got! Whadda ya’ think??

[Chris Padilla]

??? What are you doing with all the curly maple you just got (or are getting)???

Hutch looks good! Any glass planned? Is it more like a china cupboard?

[Charlie Schultz]

I like the desk part. The top/hutch seems to overpower everything because of its size (height). What if the top part were about half as tall?

[Tony Joyce]

If you make the drawer fronts out of maple and the rest of the lower part in walnut it should tie together nicely.

Tony Joyce

[Joe Chritz]

I would change the legs.



Actually the design looks really good. I agree that you could use some nice figured maple (maybe some bought at a price I drool about) for the drawer fronts and tie it in well.

Can't wait to see the final.

Joe

[Craig T. Smith]

John, I also like the looks of the design and second the idea of the maple drawer fronts. Happy Woodworking, Craig

[Paul Girouard]

I don't like the second top , the one below the doors , something about it looks odd or busy.Also the doors appear to be full overlay but the drawer fronts look like flush inset.

Could you clean that up by making the doors flush inset and getting rid of the "extended" second top , your finish end panels would then go right down onto the desk top.

There's a few ways to achieve that look.

I do like the OA size , the crown molding and the look of the legs and lower unit.

It's just that area where the exposed "upper" drawers are that throwing things off for me.

[John Keeton]

Appreciate the responses so far. Let me see if I can follow up somewhat.

Chris, I pick up the curly maple today, and other than possibly using some of it in this project, it will be stashed No glass in this one. This desk/hutch will take the place of a small and simple oak secretary with a fold down writing surface. The description sounds better than it is. The oak piece was a 1910 circa factory piece - just mediocre.

Joe, good on the legs!! I hope to be posting a gloat later today on that maple to really get you salivating.

On the curly maple drawer fronts here was my thought. With my new excursion into handcut dovetails, I really, really like the look of a walnut front with maple sides dovetailed into the walnut. What about this - make the side aprons of the table a maple raised panel in a walnut frame? The aprons are 6", so it may be a very tight fit, but might work. Then on the front apron - make the drawers smaller, and inset in the center a small maple raised panel as an accent?

On the dimension of the top, I tried to utilize the Pi formula to most of the piece as best I could. In my first sketch attached, I actually had the top shorter, but had a bunch of other stuff going on. I roughed this out during a really boring conference!! Originally wanted to use oak and walnut together, which is still appealing to me after seeing some posts on the creek with that combination.

The drawer section idea came from some other pieces I saw in my searching. I am not married to it, so it doesn't have to stay - certainly makes it easier! I am also OK with inset doors, although that certainly does not make it easier!

Keep the comments coming - much appreciated.

[Paul Girouard]

[quote=John Keeton;1044639]


I am also OK with inset doors, although that certainly does not make it easier!

/quote]


If it was easy anyone could do it!

There are ways to in fact make it easier. You could make a case with full overlay doors , with proper gaps , then use what I call a applied finish end panel.

Theses cabinet is made to look like it's flush inset , but really it's full overlay doors and drawer fronts with the scribe strip extended out and the finish end panel also extended about 7/8" beyond the cabinet case.














So although these photos where not taken to show exactly what I'm talking about I think you can get the idea of it.

Now that being said it does take away the true furniture part of the desk , so if traditional methods are the main objective this system may not fit your needs.

I've found , or I guess my market has found me , in a place where folks want some thing to "look" a certain way , few are willing to pay for hand cut dovetails , dust dividers between drawer cases , full mortised hinges that BTW are a bit%h to adjust , if not impossible to adjust. And so on.