Jim Shapiro

This is a Seymour style worktable, as detailed in Robert Mussey’s, The Furniture Masterpieces of John and Thomas Seymour. Entries 80 and 81.  I also used Michael Patrick Wheeler’s article in the 2017 issue of APF.  The drawer and panel veneers are oak crotch.  I did a fair bit of research to see whether these were most often book-matched, wrapped in a single direction or wrapped around the piece in opposite directions.  I found that it was done in each way on different pieces, and ultimately settled on book-matched as a more refined look, in my view.  The pilasters are also crotch oak, just using one side of the crotch pattern and mirrored from side to side. 

I made the various bandings of Brazilian and Ceylon satinwoods, holly, ebony and walnut.  I used Ceylon satnwood for the cockbeading, and mahogany for the legs and rails.  The top’s three main veneers are redwood burl, ribbon stripe Ceylon satinwood and rosewood, with Brazilian satinwood and pink ivory stringing separating them.  The secondary wood is monterey pine which I was lucky to get from an old tree felled in the Presidio of San Francisco.  It’s a bit like southern yellow pine, but of course we cannot get that species here on the west coast.  The finish is padded shellac, with the top french polished.  Joinery is as expected, mortice and tenon, dovetails etc.  Hardware is from Ball and Ball and Whitechapel.