Mahogany Settee – Project of the Week

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Added on June 6, 2008

This week’s project comes from Shannon. He writes:
Here are a few pictures of the settee that I built for my wife. It is made of Honduran Mahogany, all with mortise and tenon joints. The cabriolet legs took some work, especially with the wings. I finished it with a blend of solar flux stains, and finished it with 3 coats of a satin poly. I had the foam custom cut, and upholstered it with my wife’s choice of fabric. It was a fun project. I did all the mortising by hand. I just bought a Leigh FMT jig, but have not used it (It sure would have come in handy for this). Keep up the good work. I look forward to seeing what you produce next.

Discussion

Craig June 6, 2008 2:02 pm

Just when I think my stuff is “coming right along” I see something like what you have crafted!

A very beautiful piece…a clean tasteful design, its elegant, and timeless. bravo! It will be in your family for generations and will never go out of style.

How long have you been a woodworker? How many hours do you have in it?

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MorningWood June 6, 2008 2:08 pm

That looks like money!

Very nice work.

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Shannon Huber June 7, 2008 7:10 am

Thanks for the compliments. I took woodworking classes in high school (25 years ago). Since then, I have tinkered on and off with woodworking. I have had small work areas in my past homes, but we are finally in a house that has enough room for a decent sized shop. I am in the process of getting it set up the way I want., so I can become more involved in my hobby.
This project has about 30-40 hours into it (give or take).

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Pheroz June 7, 2008 7:24 am

It is so beautiful, what solar lux color did you use,or can you detail the finishing.

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LordLQQK June 7, 2008 9:31 am

Yes, need more info on the finish.

Sweeeet though. Time for the Fine Arts auction.

LQQK

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Shannon Huber June 7, 2008 10:00 am

I used 5 different colors. I mixed up numerous batches until I came up with the color I was looking for. I used lots of test pieces, but in the end, it was exactly what I wanted. The primary color was medium red mahogany, with a small amount of light brown mahogany, golden fruitwood, yellow maple, and a drop of jet black.
I put on two coats of the stain, and finished it with 3 coats of poly (sanding between coats)

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Billo. June 7, 2008 4:14 pm

Very smoothe looking wings m8, Do you have any advice on carving techniques or repetetive hand cuts, (I am having difficulty repeating the same sized pieces and the shape is a little off too). how can I avoid mistakes and size difference?
(just started working with wood this year, am a boilermaker but love wood) thanks Billo.

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Shannon Huber June 7, 2008 5:52 pm

The wings were first rough cut on the band-saw, then I used a pattern maker router bit and a piece of MDF as a template on the router table to bring the wings to the final dimension. This ensured that all of the wings had the same outer dimension. After that, the wings were attached to the leg, then filed down with rasps, files, scrapers, and then finally sanded. I practiced on some pine before I worked with the mahogany (since it took a little practice to get it right). Mistakes will happen, that is why it is better to practice on the cheap stuff before you do the final work.

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camlane June 7, 2008 5:58 pm

Very nice workmanship but I believe it is an ottoman rather than a settee as it has no back or arms.

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David (runningwood) June 7, 2008 7:45 pm

Truly this is art ! Outstandng work ! I am speechless.

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Jim June 8, 2008 9:22 am

Great piece! Some detail on how you did the cabriolet legs would be great , thanks.

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Shannon Huber June 8, 2008 10:01 am

I designed the legs making sure that there was a visual line of uninterrupted wood from top to bottom to ensure stability (you must do this to ensure the leg will not break midway – if the curve is too wide, the leg can shear under pressure). I designed a template that was pleasing to the eye. I traced the pattern onto the wood, then turned the leg 90 degrees and flipped the pattern over and traced the pattern again. The cuts were made on the band-saw. After cutting the first side, I taped the cut off back on, then rotated the piece, and made the cuts on the second side. All mortise work was done before I made any cuts to the leg, The rest of the shaping was done with a combination of rasps, files, and sanding. The wings were attached after the legs were close to the final shape, then the final shaping was done, The wings and apron have tenions that are slid into the mortises on the legs. As for sanding, I found a great 3D sander at sears – cheap – less than 30 bucks (looks like an oversized norelco shaver – with 3 pivoting heads). I had to go back and forth between files and sanding to achieve the final look. In the end, there was a lot of hand sanding, but that is inevitable.

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Vic June 8, 2008 11:34 am

Nice work Shannon! The end shot, for whatever reason, reminds me of an English Bulldog. Sweet!

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Claude Stewart June 9, 2008 8:34 am

Very Nice! But I don’t see an English bulldog. I wish I did , maybe something is not working right. Claude

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Mahogany Settee – Project of the Week

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