Stickley question

Re: Stickley question *LINK*

Adam in Kingston

>If your doing a mission style set with lots of spindles, you can use flat sawn stock, just rotate the piece 90 degrees and you'll reveal the rays. There are a number of ways to have the rays on 4 sides of the legs. The most work is to use 4/4 1/4 sawn stock and mitre (locked or plain) 4 side together. Another way is to use 6/4 stock and veneer the the flat grain side with 1/4 sawn stock (quite a bit less work). All of the mission pieces I've made I fumed with ammonia and then finished with oil and shellac.

good luck

Adam


http://www.adamkropinski.ca

Re: Stickley question

SteveC

>I believe most of the Stickley furniture was made with white oak not red. There is a method Stickley used to miter four pieces together to make a leg that had quartersawn faces on all sides. It wasn't a straight miter nor a lock miter either. It escapes me at he moment (not enough coffee yet :-) I'm sure someone else will chime in here with it soon.

Re: Stickley question

John Hoffman

>Chris Schwarz at popular woodworking came up with a finish that used brown glaze. You may find the recipe on the Popwoodworking site. If not I can look through my old issues and find it for you.

Let me know

johnah5@yahoo.com

Re: Stickley question

CBT

>Tony, I have recently completed two A&C style tables out of QS white oak. I glued up the legs using >3/4" stock. Once dried I added 1/8" veneer to the edges and then chamfered the edges. I am please with the results. I would like to try the lock miter method. However, I don't have a router table or the proper router bit.

I used Transtint dye and shellac to finish. Great site and forum for finishing questions. I used Homestead Brown Mahogany on one table. It was a bit red. The second table I used Brown Mahogany followed by a Bartley Gel stain (walnut I think). This turned out darker than I was targeting.. I did test lots of combinations. I should have done further testing of my preferred choices on larger samples. That would have helped me further refine the colors. Hope this gives you some ideas.

CT

Re: Stickley question

Patrick Gibbons

>For the legs, I read an article in an old ShopNotes I believe on how to get that quartersawn look. WARNING! Electrons In Use Alert! Glue two pieces together that will be approx. twice the size of the desired finished leg. Annular rings should circle out like so;(). On the table saw rip at 45 degrees. The glued-up block should be perfectly square and the cut should hit exactly at the edge. Rotate and rip again the next face exactly at the edge. Put the blade back to 90 degrees and rip the other two sides to square up the leg. You will now have a leg with straight grain on all four sides.

Legs, Finish, and Some Refs

Todd Stock

>Legs can be done a number of ways. Gustav simply applied QS veneers to the plain-sawn sides of leg stock (these frequently can be seen chipping at the base of the leg on auction furniture from GS, but modern glues are better). LG&J used a lock miter that is very similar to the lock miter bit joint covered in FWW's 'In the Craftsman Style' book.

I've found that with a good tablesaw and a light touch with a very sharp smooth plane, mitered corner stock can be gotten out of 4/4 stock (use a carrier for the cuts - much less nervewracking), with a 1/32" undersize core to hold mortises. Glue-up is easier than you might think - blue painters tape and a few clamps close everything up nicely. Light trimming with a plane gets things down to final dimensions.

Both Chris Schwartz and Jeff Jewitt have published essentially the same finishing schedule, but it really only looks good on QS or very plain stock.

The finish schedule from both is essentially water-based dye followed directly with glaze (Lilly/Valspar Warm Brown), then shellac, then a topcoat if you are looking for water or alcohol resistance (good idea for an end/bedside table).

In terms of references, Bob Lang's books are great for drawings and some construction details for faithful repros. In terms of general construction and some good designs, I'd recommend the following:

Classic Arts and Crafts Furniture You Can Build

Andy Schultz (Flared leg designs - check with the SWMBette if this is what she had in mind)

Furniture of Gustav Stickley: History, Techniques, Projects

Joseph J. Baravro, Thomas L. Mossman (A bit dated, but good info on various techniques, including fuming)

Authentic Arts and Crafts Furniture Projects

Popular Woodworking Magazine (Chris has several articles in here, plus some general finishing techniques)

Finally - American Bungalow Magazine is an excellent resource to steer your daughter toward for designs she can review/draw for you (hey - she's a journeyman architect - make her do the drawings)

Leg Blanks w/quartersawn grain

Patrick Gibbons

>The article I referred to in the post above was from Woodsmith's #147, June, 2003 pp 6-7. I believe it is a simple, elegant and long-lasting solution.

Re: Stickley question

R.J.Whelan

>Mr. Z ... I build a fair number of Mission pieces in my little business. FWIW here is what I've learned by trial and error(s):

1. QS white oak is definitely the way to go.

2. Legs made up from four pieces of 4/4 (I find a finished dimension of 5/8" to be convenient).

3. Try Minwax Jacobean stain followed by several coats of amber shellac.

Good luck with the suite ... rj

Re: Stickley question

Tony Z.

>To all of you, thanks for the suggestions. I have some homework to do before I start the project(s): Yes-bed, nightstand, dresser and who knows what else will be added.

Front end load the methods, then the planning and hopefully all will go well!

Re: Stickley question

Robin Frierson

>We have a bedroom full of Stickley furniture and I built a blanket chest to match. I found that Stickley had several different type of finishes so it depends on which one your trying to mimic.

I ended up using Walnut transtint, linseed oil, shellac to seal the oil and dye then filled the pores with a dark jacobean looking gel stain and top coated with only two thin coats of varnish. It took a bunch of scrap finishing but it matched well.

The morris chair we have has legs that have 4 pieces of QS white oak mitered and glued around a center post that is maybe 3/8sq. That way the qs show on four sides. It extends up through the arms and is beautiful.

Re: Stickley question

Wiley Horne--Glendora CA

>Hi Tony,

As Todd indicated, Jeff Jewitt recommends a finishing procedure you might want to look at. If you go to www.homesteadfinishing.com, click on 'articles', the third article in the list is about finishing Mission Oak furniture (the maple article right above it is good, too). What is particularly good about this article is that it shows specific and accurate examples of what the QS white oak will look like under different dye/glaze/finish combinations.

You can understand the finishing process best if you think of it as comprising two main steps: (1) setting the undertone or color of the wood, and (2) filling the pores. Jewitt's procedure separates these steps, so that the color/tone is set with a water-based dye; while the pore filling is done with a glaze. Shellac is used in the process as a sealer after the dye step, and as a final finish.

Now you don't have to separate the steps: you can use a stain like RJ recommends, which, because the stain has pigment in it, will set the color tone and fill the pores in the same step. However, if you want to control color and pore-filling separately, consider Jewitt's procedure.

So your key decisions are (1) color/tone--do you want the furniture to look lighter or darker; and do you want it more amber, more red, or neutral in tone? (2) pore filling--do you want heavily filled pores, or lighter filled pores? The article referenced above shows examples both ways.

When I was doing a Stickley project--a bookcase--I talked directly to Jeff Jewitt about it, and he was amazingly accessible since he doesn't know me at all. His own personal preference was that he liked a neutral tone (not reddish), and recommended using Transtint Medium Brown (which is reddish in tone) cut with a few drops of Green to bring the mix to a light neutral brown. Since that time, he has come out with a Dark Mission Brown dye which is cooler in tone, and that might work well directly.

I ended up preferring a neutral light brown tone, and pores that were lightly filled, not heavy. You might prefer the exact opposite. But the procedure that you settle on will decide whether you are going to color the wood and fill the pores in a single step (using a stain), or whether you are going to control the color and the pore-filling in separate steps.

I have managed to make this sound more complicated than it is. Jeff Jewitt's article is great because it has accurate pictures of specific results you can achieve.

Wiley

Re: Stickley question

Tony Z.

>Wiley,

Actually you simplified part of the process for me! I can remember taking a short peek at Jeff's article, as well as your method causing me to recall about twenty five years ago helping a painter finish some white oak using similar steps. Many thanks to you and actually to all who have taken the time to answer my question.

Tony Z.

Re: Stickley question

Todd Stock

>Tony:

Much better description by Wiley of the finishing process than I could have done - thanks!

I tried the Transfast (I think) Dark Mission Brown and found it very cool and dark indeed. Wanted something with a warmer color.

After roughly 20 trial cards (save those QSWO scraps), I ended up with a maxed out coat of Transfast Early American Maple with just a bit of straight green to cool it a bit, Lilly warm brown glaze, and 4 coats of super blonde shellac. Two coats of lacquer on the desk top, and the whole thing waxed with Briwax Medium brown.

The shot is about spot on for daylight color - hope it helps - pretty much warm/dark to go with a leather chair, with more green and less red getting you closer to the brown/brown tone common in the style.

Another option would have been a warm dye and a cooler glaze, like Van Dyke Brown. Maybe next piece.

Todd

Rockers, too?

Pam Niedermayer - Austin, TX

>Would you do this for rockers, too? Seems like you'd need something in the center of the leg for a tenon.

Pam

Re: Stickley question

Bob Lang

>If you (or she) definitely want oak, you won't be sorry if you go with white rather than red. Don't be afraid to go with another species-Stickley's designs look good in just about any wood. Originals were made in mahogany and curly and birds-eye maple as well as quarter sawn white oak. I'm trying to get around to doing some pieces in a combination of ebonized walnut and curly maple.

ditto on what others have said about Jeff Jewitt's finish recipe, although you might consider fuming. If you do fume be careful, and if the wood doesn't all come from the same log, you'll likely need to do some toning. Fuming will tend to tone down the flecks of the quartersawn oak, rather than make them "pop".

I prefer to just miter the legs-if you veneer either a thick piece of stock or a lamination there can be problems with wood movement cracking the veneer. My second book, "More Shop Drawings for Craftsman Furniture" has a chapter on different ways to make the legs.

Bob Lang

Re: Rockers, too?

R.J.Whelan

>Pam ... I've only built one Mission rocker and the legs were 8/4 white oak - for exactly the reason you stated ... rj

Re: Rockers, too?

Pam Niedermayer - Austin, TX

>Thanks, RJ, thought maybe I'd missed some boat or other.

Pam

Re: Stickley question

Don Thompson, Cutler Ridge, South of Miami FL

>Hello Bob,

I have all of your Craftsman books, and I think that they are great references. Do you have any more planned?

Don

Re: Rockers, too?

Todd Stock

>I use a slightly undersized (1/32" or less) core for the legs, giving me plenty of beef for mortises of tenons such as those found on a Morris or bottom of rocker legs. The core makes glueup easier as well by providing a stop when cross-clamping the legs.

After dry-fitting the four faces, I measure, mill, and fit the core, then use tape and standard clamps to glue up. Even through tenons look pretty nice if the core end grain pattern and ring spacing is close to the faces (use QS cutoffs from the face board is a good way to get there).

Re: Stickley question

Bob Lang

>Thanks for the kind words Don,

Someime this fall we'll be publishing a book of the Harvey Ellis (along with some others of the period) inlay patterns, along with drawings of the original Stickley hardware.

Bob Lang

Re: Rockers, too?

Pam Niedermayer - Austin, TX

>Thanks, Todd. I might just give this a try. My first impression is that it is inherently fallible trying to get a precise matchup with 5 pieces; but I guess it can be done. Now on the regular chairs, you don't really need a full length core.

Pam

Re: Rockers, too?

Todd Stock

>Try it - the trick is to dry assemble the faces, then measure and mill the insert. If you use the same set-up for the faces, the cores end up about the same size. I then dry fit the cores to ensure that they slide freely, but are not sloppy.

Sounds harder than it is, and really does not require that many clamps.

Thanks, will do.

Pam Niedermayer - Austin, TX

>

Re: Stickley question

randy

>Bob:

Will the new book contain any "how to" inlay instructionals ?

Randy