Thread: Making a Campaign Table...

Originally Posted by Woodwould

Unless you have a particular penchant for camp furniture, there are much more useful, cheap and, more importantly, currently available furniture books on the market.

I'm beginning to think that finding this book at a reasonable price is becoming a quest!

Originally Posted by waveink

So Woodwould, for those of us whose library is smaller than yours (probably everyone in the forum by the sounds of past posts!), I would love to know what would be your recommendations for the best (most useful, illustrative, instructional or enjoyable) five or ten books that we should be keeping an eye out for, and putting on our wish (Christmas) lists.

Hard questions first, hmmm. Much would depend on your preferences such as style, timber (Oak, Walnut or mahogany), provincial/London, the permutations are virtually endless.

This is a list of books I refer to regularly; I'm sure you can find ten in the list that would pique your interest or taste.

Originally Posted by Blue-deviled

I'm beginning to think that finding this book at a reasonable price is becoming a quest!

I might sell my copy. Based on your research, how much would you offer me?

Originally Posted by Woodwould

Hard questions first, hmmm. Much would depend on your preferences such as style, timber (Oak, Walnut or mahogany), provincial/London, the permutations are virtually endless.

This is a list of books I refer to regularly; I'm sure you can find ten in the list that would pique your interest or taste.

Thank you - an enticing list to be sure!

The table is a very simple affair consisting of a hinged top, a front frame rail, two hinging gates and four moulded legs.

The top is basically a wide board made up by rub-jointing four pieces of Padauk together with horse sauce. Once dry, I squared the board up and stuck a thumbnail moulding around its periphery.

The table top glued-up and moulded.

Widespread chatoyance was evident even in its raw state. I wanted to see what the top might look like polished, so I brushed a coat of oil over it. The quilting and ripple figure just isn't appreciable from these images – it's stunning!

Slathered in oil… now what do I do with it!

A very popular decoration for chair, sofa and table legs in the late eighteenth century was 'frog's-back' moulding. As its name suggests, the profile is evocative of a frog's back and was used on the two external faces of both straight and tapered square legs. The internal corners of straight legs were canted to reduce the visible bulk of the leg when viewed obliquely.

Mahogany side table with frog's-back moulded and canted legs, c.1770.

Close-up of the frog's-back moulding.

I touched up a half-width frog's-back cutter and set about the legs with a stout scratchstock, moulding the two adjacent edges first and then the outer edges.

Completed leg moulding.

Once the moulding had been stuck, I bevelled the inside corners of the legs. There are only four mortice joints in this table which didn't take long to chop out. The front rail/gates are made from the same stuff as the top and again, didn't take long to form the tennons in. With the application of a little horse sauce, the whole thing went together and was set aside to dry.

I'd better go and oil the rest of the table now too.

Great looking top there Woodwould.

I was just thinking about old style furniture today for some reason - I think the thoughts were inspired by the skirting boards in a house I'm renovating.

We tend to forge that tha whining buzz of the electric router was not a thing that bothered the old crafstmen. Despite this they were able to produce quite intricate profiles with hand tools, as you have so capably demonstrated.


i suppose all thes fellows wound up with very strong thumbs>

Originally Posted by artme

i suppose all thes fellows wound up with very strong thumbs>

Also useful to steer the the 'unpromising boy' who along with gettting the glue ready before work, would be hitched to the front of the large moulding planes!

Originally Posted by Woodwould

I might sell my copy. Based on your research, how much would you offer me?

I'd happily double or so the original price. However, my idea of reasonable isn't the $450+ that many plonkers of second-hand books are angling for!

Originally Posted by Blue-deviled

Also useful to steer the the 'unpromising boy' who along with gettting the glue ready before work, would be hitched to the front of the large moulding planes!

The 'moulding plane boy' was usually the local farmer's 6' 9", eighteen stone, thirteen year old lad who would be sent for when Oak cornices were required.

Originally Posted by Blue-deviled

I'd happily double or so the original price. However, my idea of reasonable isn't the $450+ that many plonkers of second-hand books are angling for!

If you keep your hands in your pockets, you can have a look at mine and I'll turn the pages for you.

Hi WW, another lovely piece coming along nicely. You are so productive these days I'm starting to feel lazy seeing you turn out so much work. It's all that detail you put in that takes the extra time too. Lovely to watch.

Originally Posted by Claw Hama

Hi WW, another lovely piece coming along nicely. You are so productive these days I'm starting to feel lazy seeing you turn out so much work. It's all that detail you put in that takes the extra time too. Lovely to watch.

Thanks Claw. It's a public service I like to provide which keeps me off the street corners where I'd only be a public nuisance.

Originally Posted by Blue-deviled

I'd happily double or so the original price.

Hi Blue-deviled, Your generosity could only be exceeded by your good looks Back in 2001 it sold for $45 US. Makes me wish I bought a few of them

Originally Posted by Woodwould

If you keep your hands in your pockets, you can have a look at mine and I'll turn the pages for you.

It's a deal! May I make the beeping noise that the 'read-along' children's books issue when I'm ready for the pages to be turned?