design \Strown _ from a to completion jim. sTAckdesign your ows furniture from concept to completion JIM STACKDesign Your Own Furniture, Copyight © 2002 by Jim Stack Printed in Sir pore. All ight rier, No par ofthis ook maybe reproduc any form for by any sectonic or mechani means incng infomation storage and tical stems, with prmision in wting rom de publiher, excep by a viewer, who may got bri pasage ina reve. Published by Popular Woodworking Boks, an imprint of FAW Pubiatins ne. 4700 E, Galbesith Road, Cincinnati, Ojo, 45236, Fast eon, Visi ou Web sce c wor popularwondworkng.com for more information and resouce for woodworkers (ther fine Popular Woodworking Books are rable om yout lel bookseore co dr fom he publisher 07 06 05 o4 65438 Library of Congress Cataloging-in Publication Data Sack, Jim, 1951- ‘Dag your on FurnieFby Jim Sack.~ aed P Includes index ISBN 1558706135 (pe lk pape) ISBN 15870-6350 (pbs lle pape) 1, Farniture msking-Amsteus manuals "Tr195 673 2002 684.1 04-deat oo2nses2 ite by Jenifer Ziegler Designed by Brian Rost Production cowdinatd by Mark Grif “Techni Masraions dawn by Ji Sack READ THIS IMPORTANT SAFETY NOTICE “Te prven accidents, koe sally in mind while you work. Use dhe sly utd installed on power eeipnen: they ae fr your proseton. When ‘working on power equpmens,Kep fingers aay fom sive lads, wea safe {9 gales prevent injuries rom Hing wood chips and sawdust wear Iheagphones to protect your heaving and cosdernsaling a dust vacuum 9 ‘ede the amount of shorn sandust in your woodshop, Dore wer lose clothing sucha neckties or shies with loose seve, or jewel, such as ‘ings nels or bracelets, when working om power equipment. Tie back lng hiro prevent rom ging caught in your equipment. People who are sense to cera chemical shuld check she chemical content of any ‘rove before using it The auchor and editors who compiled this book Ihave red eo male she contents as acutate and covtect spose, Pans i Isrations,phocographs and txt have cen cacy checked. All istruce tion plan and proj shouldbe caeily ead, studied and undentood ‘before beginning construction. Du othe variability of lcl conditions, ‘onstruction materi lees et. nter the author nor Populae ‘Woodworking Books asm any responsibly fr any acide, inh, damages or the loses incurred reskin rom the material presented inthis book, Prices listed for supplies and equipment were erent atthe dine of publication and are subject o change. las shelving should have all edges pied and mus be empered. Untcrpee hs shelves may shater and ‘am cae serous hoy injury. Tempe shelves ate very song and break wl jase cramble, mining persona injury. METRIC CONVERSION CHART to convert fo amaiply by Inaba Comin 254 Centimeters Inches 04 Feet Commer 305 Commer Feet 003 Yond Mates 09 Meters Yards mn Sachs Sq. Comimeers 645 Sg. Comers Sq. oches 016 9. Fost Sa. Mees 0.0 Sq. Meer Sa. Fee 08 9. Yards Sa. Mees os Sa. Mess Sa. Yds 12 Pounds Kilogeans 04s iogeams Pounds 22 Ounces Grams 284 Grams Ounces 0.035,DEDICATION | dedicate this bok tothe artist and erafteman who lives the hearts and sous ofa of us. Not all people ‘an "even havea dese to bul things with het hands — but we all have talents and ables that we ‘can uso create new ideas, new woys of doing things andimprove upon the conditions around us about the author By Formal education, Jim Stack isa musician, specially a composer. He did the great composers: analyzad syle, harmony; mclody altura influences, and drew upon thes ee mente to frm hs own compositions. Making aliving in musica sruggle and Jim found be was not well suited ro the life of a musician. In the couse of selfsovery he found he had a talencand a desire to bea woodworker, Jim sated out managing farsiture stom tion shop and learned how vo repair peeling wood veneer, rege broken parts and refinish farnisure. Afer moving to Cincinnati and work ing for Filton years im rica and cabinet- ‘making shop, Jim opened his own woodworking shop. He then spent five and a hal years design ing and building custom cabinets an farina Jim now enjoys teaching oder the joy and sstssetion tha come with working with your hands ro create cabinesry and uric. acknowledgements Towe mach toll she frnitute designees and makers whom Ihave known and worked with cover che years. Each one taught me specific techniques tha ate needed o design and build Famicute appreciate the shaving of eeir knowledge, patience when I became frustrated and encouragement to ty new things learned not to be afta of trying diferent way ro design and build fursitue special thanks 1 want give special thanks to dhe fos at apular Woodworking magaine. Publier Seve Shanes, senior editors David Thiel and Chie Schware, former eior Ji Sturn contrib tors Troy Sexton and Glen Huey are some ofthe best craftmen Ine ever worked with, and chee ‘work i shown throughout this book Tye weed several photos of Rick Willams Fumitte designs, also. He is dhe best friars making carpenter I've ever met Tals borrowed a photo ofa computer desk esigped by my fader, Ken Stack He i 80 years young an has been building famine and cab net ata hobby fora let 51 ys To designer Brian Rocth and my editor Jenny eget give you thanks forall your encourage rent and grea work on this ook,| TABLE of contents | introduction to designing furniture .... ‘common woodworking terms. . suppliers... index... 6 2125 chapter one 8 design elements chapter to 18__creating a drawing chapter three 24 creating a materials list chapter four _32__sizing from a photograph chapter five __36 small shop considerationsqa chapter six putting it all together chapter seven beds, dressers, sideboards and hutches chapter eight freestanding and built-in bookcases and media centers chapter nine tables chapter ten chairs, stools and rockers chapter eleven wall and base cabinets chapter twelve desks/| INTRODUCTION zo eee teThis book is for you, the furniture and cabinetmakers who like to create with your minds and hands. Dee ere ee eas learned ths language, you'll have your own voice and can start saying what itis Pn Re ee ee ee eee) ‘cabinets’ easier to show you a photo and explain what m talking about than Pest aes er ee ee ee) ed dos and don'ts and some advice and tps.! want to encourage you to experience the joy of using the creative process to take a journey into the world of three and four-dimensional thinking. Make it @ good journey with ots of sight-seeing eee) Ce ee ee eee Ted Cer ee eee ee eee a ea eee en anette What kind of woods or other materials can be used? Whats the function of the Bee ee eed ee ee {and should be considered when designing furniture, Dn ene eee pe eee es ee ee a ee eee ee ey 9 least as important as what you are doing, so do your best and SO adesign elementsWhat are the INredients of good furniture design, and what makes one Style different from another? How can you use these design elements to build furniture for your home? © | deas are usually born out of rmuci research and observation of things around us. Inspira- tion for furniture designs can be feund everywhere. OF course, we can gare with woodworking books and magazines which are filled wich hhundreds of projects tips, tricks and new methods of working. Bue dont stop there. ‘The mall is also a greac place for ideas. Y¥es, the mall! Many stores have the latest fads and ideas for just about everything, including furniture. Display cabinets for jewelry or clothes can give you a new idea for building a sec of shelves for the bed- room. The mall storefronts are usually built with well-thought-out mouldings, tim and fasteners Another plac: o find furniture inspi- ration is television. I've seen some great furnicure on thesets of sitcoms and dra- ‘mas, And the ses of news broadeasts can be very clever, offering unique ideas for the shape of desk of chai. “Magazines, especially those created for the homeowner, offer an almost infinite variety of furniture, cabinet and room ‘The wardrobe above sa contemporary piece that has an Art Deco-influenced designs. Be sure co look atthe advertise- syle The sideboarcon page 8s inthe Arts & crafts style Both pleces have ‘ments in magazines. Some will contain a straight lines drawers with fat faces and use the wood grains to create beout- room setting that is totally unique, from fal patterns. What are the diferences between these two pieces, and what are the placement of the furniture to the style ‘he similarities? What makes these two different styles work individually? and cabinecry. Creating something unique is a tough are constantly appearing using new methods job because it seems like ics all been done of construction for chairs, tables and all before. What amizes me is how new designs the other pieces of furniture we build., the ELEMENTS of DESIGN construction materials For most furiture and cabinetmakers, the material of choice s wood. But that has changed over the years New man: ‘made solid surface materials like Corian and other brands are used for counter: tops bar fronts, walls desktops, reception areas — the lists endless. These materials hhave proven themselves tobe very ‘durable and stylish, and the colors and patterns avallable are almost limites. “These materials can look exactly ke mar- ble, granite sandstone or any slid color cof your choice. When finished, they can be ‘worked to any sheen desited. If sanded ‘with ultrafine sandpaper. high-gloss finish can even be attained. High-pressure laminates have been ‘around since the late 19305 and are still used today. They also come in any pattern ‘color imaginable.These laminates are ‘especially good when used as ounter- tops. The durability is incredible-They can las for years and sometimes decades. ‘Acid-tesstant laminates ate available for laboratories. Complete rooms have been made with laminates.They can cover walls, floors and now even the furniture. But for most cabinetmakers and furni- ‘ute builders, wood is stile most re ‘warding material to work vith. As builders, ‘we can use wood forts color durability, flexibility and strength; but the wood itself always has the fnal say. The grain patterns ‘are never the same, colori never consis: tent and it expands and contracts with ‘changes inthe weather.Thereis nothing that can be done about it we work within the parameters thatthe wood sets 1 DEFINE DESIGN ELEMENTS AS all che things thae determine what a piece of furniture will look like and how it will function, Ask yourself: What materials are used? What isthe style, shape? How are the lines defined on the piece? Are there straight of curved lines on the legs or doors? Do the lines end abruptly, or do they flow into one another? Are there lots of carvings or mouldings on the piece? When we set out to make a piece of furnicure, we make a loc of choices un consciously. Certain styles of furnivure ap. peal co us, and we base our choices on. those likes and dislikes. When I 1 remember seeing lots of furniture made as growing up in che 1950s, ‘of big thick, heavy and very dark-colored ‘wood. Most of it was old, tired and falling apart, and I thought, “This is not the kind of Furniure cha I would like to hhave in my house!” As it turns out, years later I found out that it was Ares & Crafts fuacnieure, Ie is now in a revival of sors, and people love it I is easy to build and very sturdy, and the materials are reason- ably priced, Te made some Arts 8 Cras pieces chat were fun to make and looked good, but in the back of my mind I sill have that memory of when I frst encoun- tered the syle “The design elements for Ars 8 Crafts furniture are predominandy straight lines, thick legs on chairs and tables, corbels (chose bookshelf bracketlooking sup- port), dark stained wood and quarter- sawn white oak Now think about Shaker-seye fur ture. What design elements tll you ies Shaker? Ie has staighe lines, a fow lines some pecs are p urved ced, and others are seained wood: the legs on tables are Toke that crown, ‘moulding motif ie farther by giving Ieacurve Add ome ‘moulding on the face ofthe header while youteatitThsisa ookease made of poplar that had me fooled thougheittapered (either squae or turned); the woods are maple, pine, poplar, walnut, cherry and bitch; it has frame-and-panel doors, bur no omamentation and the pieces generally have a visual lightnes. A lor of the sams Jements make up both styles bus they are very different! Art Deco isa style that had worldwide appeal. Everyone had their own ideas of what the furniture should look like. Some basic design elements are common to this particular style: wood vencets, silver stainless steel, ebonized maple, real ebony and exotic-wood veneer inlays. The designs incorporated a lot of curves and stained woods. The ebony and ebonized maple were used as decoration, as well as door and drawer hardware In the 1700s and 1800s, the United States received lots of immigrants who brought their customs, languages and ‘woodworking skills with them, Boston, New York, Philadelphia and Baltimore were the major creative centers for fueni tute and cabinetmakers. Their skills were passed on to others and found their way into the countryside. The furnicure be came less decorated and more practical. sbinetmakers had clients The country with basic needs and litle money, so cheir craft reflects this. The workmanship was good enough for many ofthe: pieces to Some very talented peoplein this worldan do wonderful things with theiehands and minds. This ‘sagrest example of how omamentation can change the whole lok ad feel of Queen Anne- style. The carving onthe foot snot so uncom ‘mon, but the carving st the topof hel is amazing, This lag is part of age dining table that canhave this type of adoenment and not be over- going to be located? Is there anythis e set out to make a piece of furniture, we make a lot of choices unconsciously. thinking : outside the box i One of the toughest things fora craftsman todo is design — I mean just design and ‘not think about how the piece of furniture Is going to be bul what kind ofjoinery wll work the best if the piece will actually stay together or how much the materials vill cost. Letting our minds be fee to play with {Just form and function is tough. have a brother in-law who can do that.He has no problem visualizing forms textures and function. Then when t comes to the exe: ‘ution of his ideas, Iam able to help him ‘work out the details of construction, but | do envy his ability to separate hisfee- ‘thinking from his practical“how do we build this thing” thinking survive for over 200 years! When I am going eo build a picce of furniture, whether it be a table, chair, desser or kitchen cabinet, [always start from the beginning, If tis a table, I stare with the basic concepe ofa table — four legs and a top. What happens after that is determined by several factors. Where is it in the room that could or should be marched stylewise? Does the room have lots of natural light or is ie fairly dark? Is ie a small of large room? All chese things help me determine what the table should look like. If there are ather pieces of furniture in2 the room, are they all the same style or nixed styles? Lets say the style of the room is Early American with a touch of Queen Anne, I would probably decide to make a table with cabriole legs. Maybe I'd use some vencerson the aprons. I the room naturally Ii? Ifso, a darker wood «ould be used to make the table, posibly walnut or mahogany, If the room is dark ef, a bewer wood to use would be ah or maple. These lighter woods can then be stained ta medium color. The reason for using a lighter wood in a darker room is ‘Wsisa countrysyle Queen Anne table The unusual sks atthe comers ofthetopfferexta space and for feel A dak cable in a dimly lit room 2 dlstntve ook. The legs are unadomed andre aos sight There gs canbe mae aly easy on lathe but hey stil have hat song Quen Ae lav The snp srllvorkon the aprons andthe cei grind wood give thitable a alls oun, can appear large and awkward, whereas the lighter table will appear to be just that — lighter and friend. Next isthe sie ofthe table. How ne large is the room? That will dictare what Cateboskeaeis | ‘made with removable size the table will be. sedges pecan Whar ee need to be determined? If etian spac mowed its a dining table, will it need eaves, and se rane. ifs, how many? ‘Aso wis wedged it Now isthe time to start sketching lesen ble. Every cabineumaker and furniture maker 1 have ever worked with cannoe ral with couc waving their hands around. They build things inthe air by saying igs cis Jong and hac wide and ies shaped like this. Whar inevitably happens is pencils come out and we start drawing on what- available. Many a cabinet has been designed on a scrap piece of plywood, that was then cut up to make that very cabine! I importane to stare sketching whatever itis you wll be making, as this will help you vue de projet‘ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT decisions to make when building farni ture is choosing the handles, knobs and hinges. As I will state elsewhere in this books [always told my clients to wae until their furniture or cabincery was fin- ished before choosing the hardware. I ‘once designed a cabinet around a set oF handles a client had picked out. Te was an interesting task, and I learned a loc about hhow hardware effects the final look, fel and function ofa piece of furniture. For example, Arts 8 Crafts furniture has its own hardware designs. The bail pulls, knobs, hinges and catches are cast metal. If you want to make your Arts & Crafts project look authentic, the choice is to go with this hardware. ‘The Shakers, likewise, designed knobs that have become famous. Inthe interst ‘of speed and economy, the Shaker crais- ‘men turned their knobs on lathes. They ‘could really crank these things out. Afier all, chey were making furnieure for an en- tire community and were selling them t0 ‘other communities 2s well ‘The purpose of handles and knobs is ‘obvious, but it became part of the trade- ‘mark of builders to make theie own door and drawer pulls or to have them made to their specifications. ‘Most things get designed by trial and ‘ertot, The Shakers wanted knobs that could be easily grasped, but they wanted them to be plain. They discovered thata smushroom-shaped knob was comfortatle ‘co the fingers, plain-looking, and that ‘when che knobs were viewed from the front they became almost invisible. ‘An example of modern day eal and ‘ecror occurs in some of the shops I've Tiss a small tuned knob setintoa cess which has boon carved witha ‘gouge. This whimsical idea was done {ust forthe fun oft, butitlooked ‘reat when twas lished, ‘Thisisa handle on afile cabinet, ike the way it look and fel. Handles made fom materials thet ‘contrast with the cabinet can bo very attractive, ‘This drawer alli: simply routed into ‘the grawer font and fingers comfortably into the cavities This a slookook that quires a tle finesse Youneeda special outer bit and confidence that you are placing ‘the pull here you want 3S‘The use of bookmatched veneers, black knobs angles on the cabinet comers which would usually be ‘square, andthe reddish stained cabinet sides al give this place an Art Deco favor. worked in over the years. We would make screw caddies that we could carry around the shop so that we would have all the screws we needed for assemblies right at ‘our side. It usually earned into a competi- tion as co who could make the fanciest ‘or strangestlooking handles for these caddies. I must aay ie brought out the creativity in us! We discovered things like, if the handle on the caddy was 00 tll, when the caddy was on the floor we ‘would always trip over the handles. This ‘would tip the caddy over, and weld have ‘The placement of knobs is ofthe ut- ‘most importance, Some folks scoff at this idea, but ifasked where they would like their knobs or handles placed, they all have different opinions. On the dresser shove, I tried several different configurar tions of knob placement. I tried one han- dle in the middle of each drawer, but chat wasn enough to balance the piece, and it conflicted with the tapered sides. I tried ‘The yellow ines dive the distance between the blue ‘centerline tothe outside comers ofthe cabinet nto ‘equal parson both sides ‘ofthe cabinet. ‘The Greene brothers were US. designers and ullders who worked inthe eaty 1900s. Their pieces included Japanese design elements. The stepbackat the top ofthe ron leg on this Bench it good example ofthe subtle but effective design ements they used. to knobs on each drawer, lined up ve cally with one another. Again, this just didnt look right. Then I came up wich the idea of lining up the knobs parallel to the tapered sides, bue chat wasn't iether, ‘because che line of the knobs did work with che enter line of the cabinet. Finally I realized tha the sides had a vanishing point somewhere above the top of the cabinet, so I divided the bottom of the cabinet inco sections, chen divided the top into sections with the same propor- tions as the bottom. This was the right vay to attach the knobs for this eabines, and it ceally wade dhe nic cone alive! Hinges are an interesting picce of hardware. They make it possible ro close off the inside of a cabinet, yet also expose thac same intetior. A very clever invenOne of the most important decis jons to be made when building furniture is choosing the handles, knobs and hinges ‘These are European hinges and hardware. On he et top to bottom is onfirmatserew.a mam steel shelf pina Zou self pin with collar and 2 L-shaped sh