Federal Sideboard

This is a Federal sideboard c. 1800 - the design was taken from a small six legged table at the Winterthur Museum - mahogany, satinwood, ebony, brass - as I like to have curved surfaces when appropriate, this project began with the making of the six legs - each of the two side pieces are made from three pieces of wood - the top and bottom of each segment are sugar pine covered with crotch mahogany veneer and a strip of satinwood on top and bottom - the central section is mahogany - it was difficult to make the mortise and tenon joints and this had to be laid out carefully to connect with the legs - the center section was made and the pattern laid out and cut and then carved for more realism - the four side panels took two years to make - the central long section was made in similar fashion and required a lot of patient work - many months were spent cutting out the pattern and carving the details - the legs feature satinwood stringing and flower inlay, designed by my wife - the design length is smaller on each leg - ebony banding was applied with satinwood stringing near the leg base for interest - the legs are solid pieces of figured mahogany, the front selected for maximum interest - brass castings with a fruit motif were made and applied on the front two legs - the top is a solid 5 quarter one piece of mahogany from a 400 year old tree and purchased from a well know Chester County, Pa cabinetmaker many years ago - the fretwork patterns were laid onto the individual pieces that make up the gallery rail and cut out and finished - the sides of the end sections are carved on both sides - the fretwork rests on a base mahogany piece - the center section and sides can be separated and the top can be removed for easier moving - the mahogany "columns" are topped with purchased brass castings - the finish is traditional shellac with many initial coatings to fill the pores and flat sanded before the final coats are applied - much time was spent on to top to obtain a mirror final finish - no was was used - overall dimensions are length - 78 inches, width - 25 inches, height - 36 inches