Craftsmen Side Tables
So far, all the of the projects I've posted on this blog have been small stuff. This is a build I did several years ago, but I thought it would be good to share.
It was fall semester 2013, 3 months after Ashley and I started dating. The first week of the semester was hellish because I was terribly sick with what turned out to be mono (yes, Ashley gave it to me). My doctor recommended that I drop out of all my courses so I could be on bed rest for a few weeks without trashing my GPA.
That term, I was scheduled to take a furniture-making course along with a hands-on electromechanical devices course. I love working with my hands, and I didn't have the heart to drop those two courses. The furniture-making course changed my life forever.
Walking in, I knew nothing about furniture and only the absolute basics of woodworking. Our assignment was to build an heirloom quality side table. Most students followed plans provided by the instructor or downloaded online. I had fallen in love with American craftsmen style furniture and wanted to design something myself.
Putting my recently acquired SolidWorks skills to work, I designed an American craftsmen style side table and generated a package of drawings. I decided to build one table for either side of the bed (as I was already anticipating marrying Ashley). They certainly aren't perfect, but it's hard to deny how beautiful they turned out.
The design required me to cut 108 mortise/tenon joints (8 of which were double and 8 thru), along with a smattering of other joints including dovetail, dado, and biscuit joints. Perhaps it wasn't the most efficient design, but I got really good at cutting mortise/tenon joints by hand. I also received extra credit for the difficulty of the build. My professor, Brian Blaylock, is an incredible craftsman for whom I have a ton of respect. His comments on the quality of my nightstands were some of the highest compliments I've ever received, it really meant a lot to me.
I would love to hear what you have to say about this build. Comment below or message me! If you are interested in building one yourself, the plans can be downloaded here. If there are any missing dimensions or you have questions, don't hesitate to message me.