This amazing dining table and chair set comes from Fred Walters of Iowa City, IA. I just love the “masculine” elegance of Stickley-influenced design.

The story does have a cool twist to it. The wood for the chairs is door casing from a south east Iowa farmhouse. A friend of mine had this 1905 farm house and it had a pile of extra door casing in the barn. When he sold the farm, he had me load up the door casing and take it home. I have moved it twice and finally found a good use for it. I threw in a pic of the wood, there were 2 coats of paint over the old varnish but there was some nice quartersawn white oak under it. The wood is probably close to 200 years old depending how old the tree was when it was made into millwork.

The design for the chairs is my interpretation of a Stickley chair that I found and liked. The table is the same design and the stair railing I built for my new house, I added a couple of those pics too. The table is 42″ x 96″ and the base is 22″ x 72″. The legs are 4″ square using rabbets to make quartersawn face on all 4 sides. The stretchers for the table are 1″ stock and everything is mortise and tenon joints. The chairs are 18″ square and 18″ seat height. The backs are 48″ tall and 2 degree recline. The back has about 3/4″ of curve to it. The chairs are all built with mortise and tenon joints also. The seat is upholstered with a 2″ hi density foam and vinyl. I have made tables in the past but this is the first time I have built chairs.

The finish schedule is as follows:
Sand to 220 grit. Apply 1 coat of General Finishes Industrial Wiping Stain Special Walnut Color (Available from Jeff Jewitt). Sand to 400 grit – this knocks down the grain and lightens the rays. Apply 2nd coat of General Finishes Industrial Wiping Stain Special Walnut Color. Apply 1 coat of General Finishes Pre Cat 181 Urethane with HVLP conversion gun. Sand to 400 grit. Apply 2nd coat of General Finishes Pre Cat 181. Sand with 0000 steel wool. Apply final coat of General Finishes Pre Cat 181 Urethane.

If you are interested in learning more about Greene & Greene history and techniques, you have to check out Darrell’s book. You can pick it up directly on his website and he’ll even autograph it for you!

This week’s project is submitted by Chris. Let’s check it out and see what he has to say:

“I’ve been watching your videos for the last few months, and find them very enjoyable. I watched Part 1 of the gadget station last night, and what you’re working on is very much like a project I built for myself earlier in the spring.”

“Back in the old days, Stickley built a desk called the #706. It’s a small secretary-type desk, and the top of it is basically a gadget station with a drop down door for a laptop (like your first station, but this one has a better way for supporting the door). For somebody who wants a gadget station but also needs a small desk for a laptop, it’s perfect. That’s what I use mine for.”

“The desk itself was built entirely with hand tools…vintage panel and back saws, hand planes (most vintage, but a few new Lie-Nielsen and Veritas planes), and chisels (short chisels are Ashley Isles, long chisels are mostly vintage). The top and bottom shelf are attached to the sides using hand cut wedged through-mortises. The back is ship lapped pine boards. The door utilized haunched mortise-and-tenon joinery with floating solid panels. I will admit to using a random orbit sander to get the inside of the door perfectly level though, but I did get it pretty close with just hand planes. :) I finished the desk with shellac….something like 18 coats padded on.”

“It’s built with clear pine…I’m a total hand tool person so quartersawn oak was not going to happen (original Stickleys in QS oak looks AMAZING though). One pic is when it was brand new and one is with the adjustable shelving system I built for it. Devices that need charging sit in the middle (iPod, cellphone, etc.), and the side shelving is wide enough to accommodate CD/DVD storage. When not in use, the laptop stands on edge and leans back against the shelves….it tilts backwards slightly so it won’t fall out.”

“You’ll see that the door’s pivot location is about 1/4 from the bottom, so the shelf in the desk actually supports the door when it’s open (better than using mechanical supports). Overall, I’m really happy with it….maybe somebody else watching the videos might find the design to their liking as well, or maybe this will give you a little inspiration or something.”