The Boss has determined there is “no room in the inn” for any more furniture- my builds or otherwise. That’s why I was pleased when she mentioned that she might be interested in replacing our current Louis XIV, marble topped coffee table and end table if I could make something that would match a Greene & Greene blanket chest I built some years ago, but still using the same marble tops. Apparently the house we now live in as empty-nesters “isn’t fancy enough for Louis XIV” and she would like something “simpler”.
I can’t pretend to understand the design rationale, however was happy to accept the challenge - goodness knows I need something to build! I wasn’t originally planning on posting the build so pics/descriptions start sort of midstream the process. ”. Regardless I hope some find it interesting.
My interpretation of the Greene & Greene style for these tales is Walnut with ebony inlays and exposed through M&T joinery.
Here sawing of a slight taper to the bottom of the 2” square legs of the end table. As you can see, the through mortises that will attach side rails have already been cut. Hopefully the will be later pictures/descriptions of mortising.
Again in my interpretation, one of the characteristic elements of this design is the “cloud lift” profile on the horizontal members. Here is sawing the stop cuts and ripping the long dimensions with a jigsaw.
With the top and bottom rails for the sides completed, next up was laying out mortises for three-quarter inch wide, by half inch thick vertical dividers. For me when laying out joinery that needs to match complementary pieces, like top and bottom rails, best to clamp them together and marked simultaneously. I’m very bad at math.
Here is sawing the vertical edges of half open mortises.
Through tenons of the horizontal rails are the 3/16” proud of the legs. Here is rasps/filing bevel’s for these exposed surfaces. Limits of these bevels were laid out via dry assembly and marking adjacent surfaces.
With half blind mortises on top and bottom rails completed, sides of table are assembled and vertical pieces glued in place.