Shaker furniture is famous for simplicity of design and mortise-and-tenon joints.
The Shakers, officially known as the United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing, are an American religious sect historically known for creating simple wood furniture. Shaker furniture uses mortises and tenons, rather than nails or screws, to hold joints together. You can build your own Shaker bench in an afternoon, assembling five pieces of wood on the mortise-and-tenon principle to make a sturdy and attractive seat. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Cut five pieces of ¾-inch lumber. Make the seat of the bench 12 inches wide by 36 inches long, the two legs each 11½ inches wide by 18¼ inches tall and the spacer 28¼ inches long by 6 inches tall.
2. Cut two tenons on either end of the spacer to a depth of 1 inch, making them each 1½ inches wide, with one adjoining the lower edge of the spacer and the other 1 inch from its upper edge. Cut two tenons of the same dimensions on the upper edge of each leg, with one tenon positioned 1¼ inches from either side of the leg. Remove the excess wood between the tenons. Cut two notches in each tenon.
3. Cut corresponding mortises with a jigsaw, making two 1½-inch-by-¾-inch holes centered in each leg, one positioned 1 inch from the new upper edge and the other 10½ inches from the bottom. Cut four mortises in the seat as well, each 4⅛ inches from the farther sides and 1½ from the nearer sides in a square formation.
4. Cut decorative curves in the legs and along the bottom edge of the spacer with a coping saw, as desired. Coat each tenon in glue and assemble the bench, fitting the mortises and tenons together. Slide one leg onto either end of the spacer and slide the seat down onto the legs. Use a mallet to tighten the joints if the tenons stick.
5. Cut 16 small wedges of wood and hammer them into the notches on each tenon, widening the tenons for a snugger fit. Saw off wedges that stick up above the surface. Sand all surfaces and apply three coats of clear finish.
Tags: each inches, each tenon, inches from, inches wide, upper edge