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Thread: Stickley / Ellis 803 legs... Tapered or Curved?

  1. #1

    Stickley / Ellis 803 legs... Tapered or Curved?

    All,
    My current build is a TV media stand. I have taken a Stickley 803 china cabinet design and cut it in half to flank the flat screen TV.
    I have not seen an actual 803 China cabinet in person, but that's not stopping me from building one!
    After looking at the many plans and pictures on the web I have one question. Are the legs tapered with flat sides or are they a curve following the taper dimensions?
    TV Stand Rev 13 141018.jpg
    Any help is appreciated, Thanks.
    Chris

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
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    Bob Lang has measured drawings of the 803 in his book More Shop Drawings for Craftsman Furniture. The outside edge of the post has a straight section near the middle, a taper above, and a taper below. The two tapers aren't identical; the post is narrower at the bottom than the top. The post is widest somewhat above the middle, narrower at the top, and narrower yet at the bottom. Amazon has the book for $35.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
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    Ellis tapered the legs on a lot of his furniture, I believe. I don't think he used cuved legs much, if at all. I'm no expert.
    Paul

  4. #4
    There's a poorly made model of it in the 3D Warehouse. It does appear to show the legs are flat on the front and back. The leg blank is 1-3/4 in. thick by 2 in. wide by 59-1/4 in. long. The top taper in that model ends 22-1/2" from the top and the flat is 6-9/16" long. I don't know how that compares to what you've planned but I would suppose those dimensions are reasonably close.

  5. #5
    Thanks Guys,
    I have both the Bob Lang book and the Sketchup model from the warehouse. I reworked the warehouse Sketchup model & the dimensions seem pretty consistent. I can only imagine the conversation between Ellis & Stickley on this piece. 'Hey! you got chocolate in my Peanut Butter!'
    I'll be doing the mortises in a few days. I still have time to ponder this choice.
    Chris

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    Atlanta, GA
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    Quote Originally Posted by Christopher Clark View Post
    ........I can only imagine the conversation between Ellis & Stickley on this piece. 'Hey! you got chocolate in my Peanut Butter!'.
    Historical accuracy indicatesit was more along the lines of "Hey - you put water in my scotch!!".

    I did a pair or Stickely/Ellis bookcase repros, pre-electronic design era. Got teh large-scale prints from Bob.

    I forget the precice details, but there was one corner where, when you were workiig your way to it from above and from the side, the dimensions failed to match. Talked with Bob - he said "yeah - that is a recurring issue with repro items - you are bound to - sooner or later - hit a "tilt" somewhere. THat one had not come to my attention. Seems to me like an of hte possible solutionsn you suggest will work just fine."

    And - off to the races. NO issue, simply adjust on the fly to the facts on the ground.
    When I started woodworking, I didn't know squat. I have progressed in 30 years - now I do know squat.

  7. #7
    Looking for an opinion before I commit the leg mortises.
    1. I have a nice matching heartwood grain on the legs and this would emphasize the leg tapers.
    2. Or I could hide these in the back and use my the other sides which match the door frame.
    Which would look better??
    Thx, Chris
    20150101_113706.jpg 20150101_124423.jpg

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    Atlanta, GA
    Posts
    6,390
    Quote Originally Posted by Christopher Clark View Post
    Looking for an opinion before I commit the leg mortises.
    1. I have a nice matching heartwood grain on the legs and this would emphasize the leg tapers.
    2. Or I could hide these in the back and use my the other sides which match the door frame.
    Which would look better??
    Thx, Chris
    I don't think you can lose chosing between those two options.

    WIthout being there staring at it in detail, I can offer this: I would generally tend towards getting the best grain match on the most visible face[s].

    You and I would stand there and discuss grain orientation, etc. of the heatwood legs. The proles, however, would not pick up on that very easily - they will get a better general impression from well-matched grain.
    When I started woodworking, I didn't know squat. I have progressed in 30 years - now I do know squat.

  9. #9
    Thanks for the response Kent,
    I agree, subdued matching grains are more the Stickley aesthetic. I do have some friends that would notice. I'll just direct them to the back!
    Definitely adjusting on the fly on this build.
    Thx, Chris

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