Latest project, Greene and Greene hall table

[mlzettl]

Here's a few photos of my latest project, a hall table in a classic Greene and Greene style. This piece is part of a small collection that I am doing for a show in February. Each piece will be G & G inspired. This is the most classic piece, with the hallmark elements typical of their furniture.


Primary wood is makore, and the plugs and splines are ebony. Pegged mortise and tenons were used throughout. The breadboard ends are attached with a tongue/tenon, screwed in with 3" screws with allowance for the outside screws to move or flex with seasonal expansion and contraction of the top. The finish is multiple coats of shellac, buffed out with a fine abrasive pad, then waxed with Renaissance Paste Wax.

OK, enough fooling around, on to the next piece!

Matt

[Gofor]

Excellent craftsmanship, exquisite dovetails, and beautiful grain matching on the drawer fronts. I strive for such talent.

Go

[DaveO]

Originally Posted by mlzettl

Dave,

That's a good question about the drawers. I think that one can overdo the G & G features by trying to include everything in one piece. If you look carefully at their work, all of their signature features are not included in every piece. In this table, I wanted something that wasn't so busy looking, so I didn't use the proud box joints. It's certainly a good question, though, and I wouldn't argue with someone who wanted to include them.


Matt I would definitely agree with you on over-doing the G&G details. They were known to have one particular detail and carry that theme throughout the whole room.
Despite the amount of work, rounding over etc. their exposed joinery takes I still think that the proud box joints are easier than hand cut dovetails, but maybe because I have never been able to cut a good DT by hand
I made a similar table a while back. It's a cross between Craftsman and G&G. I used the box joints on the drawer but didn't leave them proud. In hindsight I wish I had because it's such a cool feature.




I would respectfully disagree that they are easier to do than the dovetails. There is a lot of detailed hand work involved to make those look right, and I guess I'm just more adept at the dovetails.

Thanks for your comments.

Matt

Dave

[mlzettl]

Dave, that's a very interesting table, well done! The G & G features are obvious, and the use of the quartersawn oak with the ray fleck figure is classic Craftsman. Thanks for posting that picture.

I like to hear from folks with a passion for the Greenes. I've been a big fan of theirs since the mid '80's.

Matt

[DaveO]

Originally Posted by mlzettl

Dave, that's a very interesting table, well done! The G & G features are obvious, and the use of the quartersawn oak with the ray fleck figure is classic Craftsman. Thanks for posting that picture.

I like to hear from folks with a passion for the Greenes. I've been a big fan of theirs since the mid '80's.

Matt

G&G styled furniture is by far my most favorite. There are tons of resources available on the Web. Some of my favorite sites are -
http://furnituremaker.com/
http://www.usc.edu/dept/architecture/greeneandgreene/
http://www.gamblehouse.org/
http://www.sonic.net/~mityam/greenes/
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/eres.../avery/greene/


Their joinery is over the top. Every piece is tooled to the finest perfection. It's hard to believe that most of the work was done by hand. The level of detail is unsurpassed.

Dave

[scsmith42]

Two gorgeous tables.

Matt and Dave, thanks for the inspiration!

Scott

[Tarhead]

Highly recommend going to Pasadena, CA if you get the chance. Here's my travelog:
http://www.ncwoodworker.net/forums/f...ghlight=gamble

[mlzettl]

Mark,

I'm dying to do that tour on the details of the joinery, etc. I bleive that one or two of the Greene's other ultimate bungalows may be open for visitors. The three hour tour is held on specific dates and is $75.00 for the three hour tour, I believe. For a woodworker, that is an amazing bargain.

California, here I come!

Matt

[mlzettl]

Mark,

I forgot to mention that the unusual detail in the miter that is in the drawing from one of links that you provided is a variation on the keyed scarf joint that was used in some of the architectural elements in the Gamble House. I'm sure that you noticed this as well. I've never actually seen any photos of that joint in an actual piece that was built. Just another reason to visit in person.

The USC photo archive of the Greenes' work is an invaluble resource, and I was fortunate to find that a while back.

Finally, I noticed that DaveO mentioned John and Peter Hall in your thread. I'm glad that he pointed out the fact that without them, we probably wouldn't be enjoying this furniture today. They were not only craftsman, but true artisans.

Matt

[Travis Porter]

Very impressive! I checked out your gallery and especially liked the sideboard. I have never heard of makore. Is it easy to work? How much does it run a board foot?

[PChristy]

That is a nice looking piece Matt- great job