Hello everyone – need advice from those that’s been around the block sort of speaking.
Got some wonderful cherry wood and want to build a coffee table in some sort of mission style but everything seems to be made from oak from what I’ve seen and read about. Think it will look stupid done in cherry?? Don’t want to get to the end of the project and wonder “what the heck was I thinking.
What do you’all think?
Replies
Cherry is fine for mission style furniture.
quartered white oak is the most popular wood for that style, but doug. fir, cherry, and some other species have been used as well.
I kind of like cherry for mission furniture. Sometimes the quartered oak figure can overwhelm the piece. With cherry, you see the furniture, not the wood.
All good points - thanks for the insight.
I wondered if oak was the wood of choice back in the Craftsman days or maybe what was abundant.Appreciate the reply,
HarleyDog
From what I remember hearing somewhere, oak became popular when the furniture manufacturers in Grand Rapids, Michigan started using it a lot after one of them discoverd ways of making it look good--fuming, filling the pores, etc. For a long time oak, though plentiful, especially in Michigan, was seen as an inferior wood. Once a few manufacturers started using it, it became more popular and others started using it--oak was cheap and plentiful. It, IMO, looks better in Mission-style furniture because Mission-style is big and blocky and the prominant grain of oak doesn't compete with design features found in, say, Queen Anne or more delicate furniture styles.
Actually mahogany was also commonly used for A&C furniture. Specially Greene and Greene.
I made a G&G "inspired" mantle use cherry with bloodwood for accents.
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A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.
Mahogany is my favorite wood. Been collecting pieces for awhile but not enough for a med. size project. Seen some pics of G&G in mahogany - awesome stuff.
Personally i'm a little sick of Oak for any furniture, I dont care what period or style. I'm just tired of looking at it.
I'd much rather go with the Cherry or Mahogany.
Dont forget pics when you're done.
Family.....They're always there when they need you.
Cherry it is - thanks for the input.
HD
H-dog
We built a house for a couple that was from New York, cant remember the town but its where Stickley is at.
There whole house had cherry Stickley furniture in it, looked pretty damn nice. I dont care for oak so seeing A&C in something other then oak was a pleasant surprise.
http://www.stickley.com/OurProducts.cfm?Collection=21stCentury
If you dont think the cherry would be suitable please let me know, I'll trade you some first class oak for all that cherry!
Doug
Thanks for the offer on the oak but I think I hear that cherry calling me now - wish it wasn't so late. Appreciate the comments very muchHD
Followed the Stickley link - great stuff - thanks again .
Something to keep in mind is that cherry develops its darker patina from sunlight (and oxygen) so if you place something on a piece of furniture, like a lamp, the wood underneath will remain lighter-colored. Until it all darkens, you might not want to park anything in a permanent spot. Alternative is to darken the wood quickly with lye...little tricky, though.WHAT THE PUCK???
For cherry if you put a coat of BLO or an oil finish on it and then set it out in direct sun light for about 6 hours you will reach about 80% (guestimate*) of final darkness.Then you can apply a finish finish.*I don't remember the exact numbers, but I made up a sample board and kept up more sections for 3 days. Then let the sample set in a window in direct sun for a couple of weeks..
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A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.
6 hours? I must have gotten a batch of slow-darkening cherry. <G>WHAT THE PUCK???
But that was out in the summer sun at "high noon"..
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A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.
I'd be afraid of the end grain splitting.WHAT THE PUCK???
Alternative is to darken the wood quickly with lye...little tricky, though.
Oven cleaner does the same thing, I assume there is lye in the oven cleaner.
I've gotten pretty good results with the oc and direct sun light, usually inside, Bills idea seams to drastic for me, not that it wont work but I dont like "high noon" sunlight on my furniture!
Doug
Seems most of us woodworkers have some oven cleaner around for 'sprucing' up our saw blades. Yes, there's lye in it, and it's safer than mixing your own, especially if you get it wrong on whether to add the lye to the water or vice versa.
Yeah, "high noon" and fine furniture just don't seem a natural pairing to me, either. I did my best at outdoor art fairs to keep my work as shaded as possible, but some damage went with the territory even at that. WHAT THE PUCK???
I bought this figured maple Hepplewhite stand at an auction, it was painted silver and blue, really nice I tell ya!
The top was so warped that I didnt believe that I could do anything with it. I took it off and did the old lay it in the sun on wet grass trick. Forgot about it for about three hours in the hot part of the day, came outside and there it was, warped the other way - but worse! I played around with it for a few days before I got it back to flat but I really watch things when I put them in the sun now.
It had the cracks in the top before my screw up but luckily for me they didnt seam to get any worse, didnt break at any of them.
Soon as I got it flat I Frenchy'd both sides with the hope that it'd stay flat, been that way for 15 years now so I think I'm out of the woods. Probably helps that its old growth wood.
Doug
Edited 9/17/2008 10:13 pm ET by DougU
I've used a lot of figured maple, but nothing quite like that. Very interesting and a nice save. I've been watering my PT boards to keep them FLAT while i build another hoophouse next to the first one. Water and wood...such a delicate dance...WHAT THE PUCK???
Manlius is the town you were thinking of, yes?Did they have the mission style in cherry? Or was it the new stuff (21st Century collection)? Don't often see the mission style in cherry, but I bet it would really shine.'Man who say it cannot be done should not interrupt man doing it' ~ Chinese proverb
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Manlius
That doesnt ring a bell, for some reason I was thinking it was Syracuse, is that possible for some of Stickley? Now I'm having a blank moment?
I believe all of it was 21st century. They had some cool reproduction furniture that was made by Stickley, like a pair of really cool federal Hepplewhite sideboards, Cherry and some real nice inlay. At first glance I thought they were period but after looking at them closer I realized that they were just well done repros.
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Here is a couple pictures of the desk and credenza that I believe belonged to one of the Stickleys themselves. hell for all I know they were made of popular, so damn dark! Furniture by Stickley, coffered ceilings by Doug!
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The other pic is of the federal sideboard, not a real good picture but not your typical Stickley either.
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Then I found another pic of a house that we did right after this one(above) and they also had some cherry Stickley in their basement. This was all new, saw it come in on the furniture truck. Damn, who left that lamp there, that dont fit the decor! Also furniture by Stickley, lally column wraps by Doug.
Doug
Edited 9/17/2008 9:41 pm ET by DougU
Manlius is just outside of Syracuse as I recall. Not sure if the initial Stickley shop was there, or just close by; the new one is there.Interesting Federal piece. I've seen some of their inlay work, but never like that. I poked around the Stickley site and it looks like they are offering more in cherry than they used to.We've got an original Stickley recliner at my parents, and I'll say this, it's one of the most comfortable chairs you'd want to spend time in. Just kind of melt into it. Nice spot to park with some coffee and a good book.Nice looking ceilings by you as usual!Best,
Steve'Man who say it cannot be done should not interrupt man doing it' ~ Chinese proverb
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Steve
I have a brother down in Tulsa, OK, he used to collect early period furniture and folk art. One day he took it all to Ohio and sold it and is now in the process of reproducing Stickley furniture for their house.
I think if I was to dump all my antiques I'd probably follow suit.
I think its no wonder that the Arts and Crafts/Mission furnitue became so popular. After that damn overdone stuff from the Eastlake/Rococo/Victorian era things needed to be simpled down somewhat!
I'll give ya a $100 for that recliner that you have at your parents. DONT answer now, think about it for a while!
Doug
doug,your woodworking kinda overshadows the furniture,thats some great stuff,clg and the basement project.larry
if a man speaks in the forest,and there's not a woman to hear him,is he still wrong?
Edited 9/17/2008 10:17 pm by alwaysoverbudget