federal drop leaf side table question

[Barry Bruner]

I would like to try and make a drop leaf side table but can not find any plans or measurements. Does anyone have any idea where I can find such a thing? The table was in a funeral home, so I did not want to get my tape measure out and start drawing it up. It is a 100 miles away, or I would ask if I could measure it at a more suitable time. I would guess that its legs was about 1 1/2" tapered legs and a 14 " drawer. I have tried trial and error before and I end up with just the error. If anyone has a book with one in it please let me know and I would be glad to order one. It was one fine looking table. Barry Bruner

[Tom Jones III]

Here are a few good books on Federal furniture:
Construction of American Furniture Treasures
ISBN 0-486-23056-2

American Furniture, the Federal Period, in the Henry Francis Du Pont Winterthur Museum
ISBN: 0764314068
A gorgeous book of federal style antiques with great information for reproducing them.

In the 18th Century Style
ISBN: 1561583979
This is one of the typical FWW type books. It has plans for a larger, simpler pembroke, like what you would use as a kitchen table. It also has a chapter on doing oval style complicated inlays. Great book, I highly recommend it.

Federal Furniture
by Michael Dunbar
ISBN: 0918804485
You can't get this new, only used. It is similar to the book above, although it covers very different wood working methods from more recent books. It also has plans for a pembroke table.

After reading these books I made this table
http://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=23338

[Steve Schoene]

Another book with several very nice Pembroke or Breakfast tables (Plates 57, 58, and 59) is Verna Cook Salomonsky Masterpieces of Furniture in Photographs and Measured Drawings. These are very nice drawings, but you do have to work out the joinery yourself.

[Barry Bruner]

Tom, that is a fine looking table, it looks real close to the table I was talking about. What is the width from side to side and front to back of the body of your table? I have one of the books you mentioned, in 18th. century style and it is a really good book. I made three tavern table a while back with no plans and they turned out pretty good but not near as good as yours did. I will probably buy one of the books you and Steve mentioned, it is cheaper than trial and error. I have never tried to do an inlay, so it might be a strange looking table. I read the article Dewey did on the inlays and as good as the article was, it still looks hard. Thanks to both of you for your help. Barry Bruner

[Steve Schoene]

The book mentioned by Tom Jones, Construction of American Furniture Treasuries, is by Lester Margon. Shows a 18th Century Pembroke table, based on an original by John Townsend. It's in one of my favorite styles, a "Chinese Chippendale" with beaded and reeded legs and moongate cross stretchers.

Margon has the basic forms OK, the over dimensions are exact, but the joinery is nothing like the original. Some of the changes make sense, but many are just arbitrary and don't make it either a better table, or all that much easier to make. I've seen the original in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts up close while I was making a reproduction. If you are interested I could detail the differences between Margon and the original.

From the couple of pieces that I researched after seeing the drawings in Margon it's clear he took many liberties, and was by no means offering measured drawings of the originals, but his interpretation of one way in which a similar looking piece could be made. He did choose some very nice pieces, and offers a good starting place, since he does provide the information on where the piece was located when he drew it. Since museums seldom sell (deaccession) pieces, they are likely still in the same institution as when he made the drawings for the 1949 edition of his book.

[Jerome Hanby]

Norm built one

[Barry Bruner]

I have a picture of a Pembroke table that is great looking but the reeds and flutes look quite a bit over my talent level. I have already cut out a set of tapered mahogeny legs so that kind of eliminates the Pembroke but I would like to know the drawer width. I think the one Norm made, was the Federal card table and the one I would like to make has two drop leaves and an oval top. The card table looks a little too complicated for my skill level. Thanks for the replies. Barry Bruner

[Tom Jones III]

What is the width from side to side and front to back of the body of your table?

Sorry for the slow response, outside of legs to outside of legs measures 27"x16".