Greene & Greene Style Sofa Table Build Thread

[Mike Allen1010]

Have you tried doing an angled cut with a dovetail or Japanese saw for the half blind drawer fronts? Seems like an easier way to define the edge before clearing out the waste, good chisel guide as well.

The drawer bottoms are lovely, shame they won’t be visible when drawers are in use!

Thanks for the suggestion Bill. I tend to go back and forth between me technique you described, over sawing the baselines and just pairing to the layout lines with a chisel. Not sure which really works better for me. In this case I think the fit turned out okay.

[Mike Allen1010]

It all came together in a magnificent table Mike! Your pics of your work flow are invaluable, and as a fellow Neanderthal, I will use as a reference for my own work in the future. It looks like quarter sawn pine for the drawers which is best for long lasting smooth drawer action. I assume you had to glue some quarter sawn stock together to get the needed width...were you able to find quarter sawn that wide?

Good eye Mark – yes drawer sides/backs are pine that is almost quarter sawn. I picked through the pallet at the local lumberyard defined the pieces I used here. I know some people prefer harder species for drawer sides to better combat where over time. For me, as a mostly hand tool guy, I can't turn down the opportunity to plane/chisel/saw pine – just too much fun!

BTW, I loved your recent post in the projects forum about your Queen Anne chair- absolutely gorgeous detailed carving of not only the ball and claw feet but also beautiful detailing on the back! How did you bend the curved chair rail? Steam bending is something that has always seemed too intimidating to me but I would like to give it a try. Thanks for your inspiration!

[Mike Allen1010]

Wow, Mike. I believe this Sears/Hempe box will handle a 5” saw. It is yours for the cost of UPS boxing and shipping if you would like. I like my Langdon box and don’t need another.

Well Jack I don't know what to say – that's incredibly generous of you! I can't accept as a gift, but would be happy to trade you a couple restored/sharpened/tuned vintage hand saws and gladly cover cost of packaging and shipping. I'll send you a PM so we can sort details, if that works for you.

I'm constantly amazed at the generosity of the SMC community – I'm grateful to have this venue to share, learn and be inspired by each other!

Cheers, Mike

[William Fretwell]

Seems you are the only one! Lots of good photos to look at as well!

[Ben Ellenberger]

That’s really nice work!

I liked your detail shots about making the mitered corners for the door. I’ve only done that once before and found it fussy to get a good result. It’s nice to see the steps you followed.

[Jack Frederick]

Box should be there by Tues. Let me know if it will work for you.

[Phil Mueller]

Beautiful piece, Mike. Well crafted as usual. You found some really nice walnut…love working with it. Hope you are well and congrats on the new home!

[Mike Allen1010]

Beautiful piece, Mike. Well crafted as usual. You found some really nice walnut…love working with it. Hope you are well and congrats on the new home!

Phil, great hearing from you! I hope you're getting to enjoy working some walnut soon. Please look me up if you make it out to So. Cal. - you're always welcome to stay with us! However now you can't even see the guest room floor or bed because their covered with stuff I think of as Junk, but Sherrie sees as Treasures- ugggggh!

The new " empty nester" house is definitely a work in progress! I guess Sherrie understands "you can't fit 2 pounds of rice into a 1 pound bag" at some level , but getting rind of things that don't fit anymore is proving to be emotional challenge for her. I confess I don't really understand intellectually, but try to be patient and supportive -however with varying levels of success. I'm afraid a year from now we'll still have roomful's of decorations/clothes/furniture sitting in the garage. I guess I'm in the market for a backyard shed I can store some stuff in?

All the best, Mike

[Mike Allen1010]

Box should be there by Tues. Let me know if it will work for you.

Thanks a lot Jack- saws are on the way!

[Michael Bulatowicz]

Beautiful work once again, Mike.

I always appreciate the level of detail you go into in these build threads, particularly with the photo documentation. Thank you for sharing.

[Mike Allen1010]

Beautiful work once again, Mike.

I always appreciate the level of detail you go into in these build threads, particularly with the photo documentation. Thank you for sharing.

Thanks Mike, glad to know I’m not overdoing it with the pics!