Shaker Side Table

[Keel McDonald]

Last week during my Spring Break, I built this Shaker side table for the upcoming baby's room. I really like the Shaker style, so I decided to try to build one. I used cherry to build it, also a first for me. I think I've found a new favorite wood.

The aprons are mortised into the legs. The legs taper down from 1 1/2" at the top to 3/4" at the bottom, and they are 26 1/4" tall. The top is solid cherry glued up using biscuits and measures 14"x20". I'll have to say that it is one of the flattest table tops I've ever made. The drawer is put together using "blind" pocket holes. By that I mean that the pocket holes are on the outside of the drawer box in the front and back pieces. The back piece you will never see, and the front piece is covered by the drawer front. You'll also notice that I used wood runners for the drawers to ride on. I've never used this technique before, but I didn't want to use metal drawer glides. I thought it just didn't go with the style of the piece. The top of the table is attached to the base using figure 8's. I finished the table using 3 coats of gloss lacquer, followed by 3 coats of satin lacquer.

Critiques welcome.

[Jim Becker]

Wonderful table, Keel!!! And in the style I love, too...

[glenn bradley]

Very nice, Keel. I have a couple bedside tables on my list and enjoy seeing other's smaller tables for ideas. I really like the drawer approach. Of course, the bedside tables are for me so I should get them done sometime in 2009.

[Don Bullock]

Very well done--nicve workmanship!! I like the simplicity of Shaker designs.

[jeremy levine]

Really nice , great choices ( wood, finish , style )

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Well done Keel! I, too, enjoy looking at Shaker style furniture!

[Jason Tuinstra]

Nice job on the table. It's a classic style table that I'm sure will become a welcome addition for the babies room.

[Mike Hill]

Keel: Very nicely done and the Cherry wood looks outstanding. I have built Shaker end tables and side tables. The side table was actually my first project and I still love the Cherry and the grain. You are going to find this is something you value throughout the years.
Mike

[Von Bickley]

Keel,

Great job on the table....

[Keel McDonald]

I forgot to mention about the knob. I went to Woodcraft looking for a cherry knob. They had them, but the ones they had were very large for the table. So I decided to turn one on my lathe. It turned out much better than I expected. Now that I know how easy they are to turn, I'll never buy another one.

["Michael Hinkel"]

Very Nice, I like this style

[Mark Hudson]

Beautiful work, I especially like the cherry, and it will only get better with age.
One question: Did you order the figure 8s off the net, or are they available locally? I live pretty close by you (Lenoir City), so im assuming you use the west knox Woodcraft? How exactly do these figure 8s work?

[Keel McDonald]

Beautiful work, I especially like the cherry, and it will only get better with age.
One question: Did you order the figure 8s off the net, or are they available locally? I live pretty close by you (Lenoir City), so im assuming you use the west knox Woodcraft? How exactly do these figure 8s work?

Mark

I did purchase them from the Woodcraft in West Knoxville. They were about $4-5 for a pack of 8. I used a forstner bit to drill out a recess on top of the apron so the figure 8 would sit flush with the top of the apron. It also involved a little chisel work, not much. It only taked one screw in the top of the apron. Half of the figure 8 sits in the recess on top of the apron, and the other half hangs toward the inside of the table. When you turn the table upside down, you are then able to align the top so it is centered. No forstner bit or chiseling is necessary here, just one screw at each location. Maybe this site will help.

By the way, I did predrill before putting screws in. I hope this is the answer to your question.

[Greg Cole]

Very nice indeed. Well done. Letting the wood speak for itself, the simplicity of Shaker Style & Tradition is great for this.

Keep up the good work!

Greg

[Dan Forman]

Very nice job, and shaker is my favorite style of smaller tables. Definitely on my short to do list.

Dan