Duncan Phyfe Table
This is a copy of a table found in the Winterthur Museum. This is a tilting table and includes a locking mechanism. The mahogany was "aged" with a treatment of potassium dichromate. |
Tilt Mechanism These tables have a special lock to hold the top in place when lowered. The brass feet were particularly hard to fit as the inside of the castings were rough and irregular. |
Working from a photograph I only had a small photo to use for reference. With a single dimension you can discern to rest of the proportions. For this piece I had height and width. Most curators will allow you to copy museum pieces. All it takes is a digital camera for close-up details a cloth measuring tape and some cardboard for tracing patterns. Working from a full-scale drawing is vital for working out complex joinery and for tracing patterns. |
Post Carving It took me a while to get the carving right. I had a practice post that I did about 3-4 leaves on. The post is completely turned to the proper dimension first then the leaves are carved. Because the original photo was so small I had to use some other photo examples from different pieces to get the detail correct. About two hours per leaf. That's fellow classmate and accomplished furnituremaker Brian Miskinis in the background. |
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