4-Poster Bed

Since moving into our historic home, so much time has been spent on the physical structure that very little has been devoted to furnishing it (we still have a couple empty rooms).  Our bedroom has a hand-me-down dresser from a college friend that is packed full of our necessities, a solitary night stand from a recycling yard and a metal bed frame sourced from Craigslist.  Rather sparse for a modern bedroom yet my wife has been content (at least that's what I thought).

After two-plus years, my wife had enough.  Her birthday was arriving and when I asked for her preference, instead of the usual textile items, she blurts out FURNITURE!  My wife's wish for her birthday was a piece of furniture for our bedroom.  Having looked through sample sales of period furniture, she gave me a limit of $3,000 (as my wife and I share approval in our expenses, we do not make purchases without the other's approval).  She said that it was time we got something and whatever it was, it had to be for our bedroom.  

We sat there each night scouring EBay and other sites for authentic period pieces.  For decent period pieces, even at our limit, it was just a little out of reach.  Not to mention fears of potential leaded paint and, along the same lines, protecting an $8,000 dresser from a hyper toddler.  We decided to shy away from true antiques.

We moved on to our bed frame.  A year or so prior, our bed and box spring sat directly on the floor.  It was a habit from our former days of apartment living when buying furniture for a year-long rental wasn't needed.  Also, our cat loved clawing the underside of the box spring (even climbing inside).  Then, however, our cat matured and as being on the floor invited spiders crawling over us at night (ew), we purchased a basic metal frame and elevated our bed away from the arachnids.  Now, it was time to have a formal bed frame, no more low-rider beds in cahoots with spiders and manic cats.  It's time for a mommy and daddy bed.

$3,000 is a lot of money for most people (it's a lot of money for us as well).   I realize that we do not live centuries in the past, but I would like to stay true to the appearance of the past and there is an associated cost with that level of quality.  There really isn't any sense in owning an 18th century American home and filling it with modern Japanese art (like our previous owner).  In my opinion, for a home that a person owns, their furniture should compliment it.

In a prior post, I commented on D.R. Dimes.  Though beautiful furniture, their pricing was just out of reach.  So I searched online through various vendors for reproduction furniture.  I came across quite a few and many having the same prices close to D.R. Dimes or of mass produced varieties that just look too "modern" for our home.  I finally came across a furniture maker who's pricing is much less than that of D.R. Dimes, but still of a quality equal to the of the famous maker.

Out in Lancaster County, PA, is a furniture maker with an impressive inventory of reproduction pieces.  Their site, GreatWindsorChairs.com, shows off their collection of period pieces for every room of a historic home.  They are not IKEA-like furniture with particle board components.  Like with many things, authenticity and quality do not come from low-cost chains.  I ventured to their site, found their bedroom furniture and noted a little highlighted blurb about discounts being available.  I submitted a questionnaire through their site and soon received a call... that's when I met Michael Rice.

Michael was patient with me.  I was flopping back and forth with choosing between the available tiger maple or cherry wood construction (trivial:  both were the same price, another differential from D.R. Dimes).  In the end, I settled on the tiger maple with a canopy shipped to my living room.  Pricing was great.  Michael described to me that the discount applied to their current inventory only and returns were not possible.  They had a tiger maple king size canopy bed in stock at 10% off their regular pricing.  Shipping was through an outside delivery service for an extra fee.  All together, $2,990.50 was charged to my credit card.  Within two weeks, the bed was in my home and I came in under our budget.

It took roughly 2 hours to assemble as each part was nicely wrapped heavily in bubble-wrap.  Unwrapping the parts was time consuming.  Once all exposed, assembly went quickly.  It's easier with two people (per the directions), but with the other able-bodied person caring for our little one, this was a one-person job.  Besides, it was her birthday...

All the parts came wrapped in bubble wrap, held together with tape.

Each bundle was labeled making it easier to grab the right part during assembly, eliminating the guess work.

Unwrapped headboard and corner posts.  I used the bubble wrap as padding.

Bolts that secure the posts to the rails.  They came with a tool to aide in installation.

Final assembly of the parts.  I had to use books to support the rails during the "two-person" stage while attaching the bolts.

The partially assembled bed.  I couldn't place the canopy on top because the finials that attach the bars are too tall for our room.

Being in an old home with (plus or minus) 7-foot ceilings, a four poster bed with 7'-4" posts was not going to fit.  Discussing the height issue with Michael, I learned that the finials can be easily trimmed.  They are basically a decorative peg about 6 to 8 inches in height that support the canopy.  No screws, no bolts; just a solid piece of maple, turned on a lathe.  I measured the clearance that the finial needed for installation above the canopy.  It's simply the length of the peg from the bottom of the finial.  That distance was measured on the top of the finial.  I drilled a hole into a price of squared scrap wood to hold the finial.  I then used a miter hand saw to cut off just enough from the finials to fit our ceilings.  The final appearance is more sedate than the original form, I actually like it better.

Removing the top of the maple finial using a common hand miter saw.

A cut finial compared to it's former size.  The removed top allows just enough room for the installation and it's appearance actually looks quite attractive.

I am very pleased with the bed frame from Great Windsor Chairs.  The quality is impressive.  It is solid maple and the "tiger" finish is absolutely gorgeous.  The bed as a whole is not 100% hand-made.  It's a hybrid of machine and hand tooling.  Considering the much greater expense with a completely hand made piece (and with a toddler around), I'm OK with a hybrid approach to the construction.  Having said that, what really is quite exciting are the details that a lay-person may over look.  On the flat surfaces such as the head board and even the canopy frame are the tool marks from the hand plane used to flatten the components!  I realize that reads a bit dorky, but those "imperfections" just add to the quality of this piece.  It truly is an heirloom to pass down and money well spent.  It also satisfied my wife.  Take a look at some of the details below:

Photographing very fine details in wood is harder than I thought.  The light has to be just right to reflect the undulations for the camera lens to capture.  Above, the bottom bar of the canopy support show the marks left by the hand plane.  Simply awesome.

Finial installed a top a corner post with canopy bars.  I think it looks great!

Lamb's Ear detail of the corner post.

Bolt cover detail.  Some manufacturers offer metal covers for an added expense, these were included and pre-installed.

Rope hole detail.  For an added touch of authenticity, a large diameter rope can be added to mimic a rope bed.  

Headboard closeup.

The king size canopy bed from GreatWindsorChairs.com.  With the cost of the bed being what it was, there was no more room left in the budget for a quilted colonial blanket.

Disclaimer:  I have not been reimbursed by Great Windsor Chairs, nor by Michael, for writing this entry.  I have received a 10% discount which is readily available to any consumer when Great Windsor Chairs advertises a sale.

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Dining Room Area Rug

With our parlor currently being renovated (very slowly), and there is only one other way to get to the back of our home, our dinning room is getting quite a bit of foot traffic.  I've become concerned that our old floor is being beaten more than required.  On top of that, our toddler has been running around the room playing and wrestling.  My mind goes crazy the level of damage that can be done to these unprotected pine floors.

My wife and I have been on the lookout for rugs locally and from various other online sources.  I came across the "souvenir" shop at Colonial Williamsburg and found the Leaf Green Garden Maze area rug (seen here).  We liked the look of it and as it was designed based upon a sample from Colonial Williamsburg's archive is a major plus.  The manufacturer is Capel Rugs and is constructed of 100% Olefin.  

I know what you're thinking.  What is Olefin?  I had no idea until I looked it up.  It's a synthetically made fiber that has several advantages.  It is abrasion and fade resistant and also resists water & mold.  Hence why this rug can be used both indoors and outdoors.  Cleaning up is much easier than on a "normal" carpet but I can imagine that fluids would pass through it much more quickly than other materials.  

An important note on historic rugs.  From my understanding (which is limited), rugs were of two types in the 18th century, if used at all.  There was the braided type in ovals and circles and then there was the canvas from sails.  Sails were woven canvases of hemp or flax sheets.  Obviously, Olefin would never have been found in an 18th century home (it was invented in the 1950's).  It's woven appearance is similar to a thick canvas, like a sail.  Texture-wise, it takes some getting used to but with it having the appearance of a sail-like material, it fits well with our home's historic details.  Also, there is no pile, just a flat non-fuzzy canvas.

The internet is full of various prices for the same exact item.  I searched and searched and found this source: Brick House Rug Center.  The shipping was free and took less than a week from their warehouse to CT.  It came wrapped in a thick plastic sleeve, but was compressed during shipping/storage and has ripples from the folds.  In time, these should flatten out.  The rug came with a cleaner from the manufacturer as well as a non-slip pad (needed as this rug is slippery on a wooden floor).

And one last bit, the coloring from the seller's site, as well as that of the manufacturer show more green tones.  The carpet I received seems much lighter being a mixture of green and white.  I'm not sure why, with exception to computer screen coloring.  Maybe there was an error in shipment/manufacturing or perhaps this is what it is.  Below is a comparison with the coloring of our pine floors.  The difference is not too far off to make us cringe but is a bit of a let down.

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Dining Room Table

Moving from an apartment under 800 square feet to a colonial that's just over 2100 square feet, we were definitely lacking furniture.  With money being what it is... scarce.... purchasing a brand new dining room set was not on the list of "Things to Do."  However, Christmas was coming and my wife wanted to have a formal style dinner, at a table (not that a coffee TABLE isn't, so I thought), with her parents present. 

I would hate to purchase a temporary set only to buy another grand set a few years later... not only is money wasted on the temporary set, but time is later wasted on getting rid of it.  Purchasing a brand new reproduction set of high quality is certainly out of the question.  Money would be better spent on other items for the home.

Our solution?  Craigslist.org.  Yep, used furniture.  We've managed to purchase and sell several things on the site:  old furniture, old car, new car, baby clothing, etc.  So, for a week, my wife and I perused the various listings finding mainly the crap other people are trying to get rid of.  I say crap because most of it is a bargain bin special:  beaten up, poor quality, or just flat out "f-ugly".  On occasion, the quality products are there, and the owners know it with their asking price reflecting it.

We came across this one set that the seller described as a Windsor Chair Set, two end chairs, four side chairs and a trestle style tavern drop leaf table.  My ears perked, I love the style of the Windsor, it reminds me of the stereotypical 18th century dining room.  I called the gentleman and arranged for a viewing.  His asking price was $1,000 (firm, he had already come down from $1,500). 

L.E. Partridge branding on the bottom of each chair.

After studying numerous pieces of furniture, both online and at a reproduction store, I feel I am able to tell the difference between hand made and everything else.  The little details of imperfection give proof of the hand of man. I couldn't help but question the owner of his claim of the set being hand made.  You really cannot trust everything you read online.  When I saw the set in person, I knew it was the Real McCoy!  The seller told me his wife's family purchased the set new sixty-four years prior.  Handcrafted circa 1958, these six chairs were made by L.E. Partridge, a reproduction chair maker from the mid-20th century in Connecticut who inspired the founder of the D.R. Dimes Company.  

Wait, D.R. Dimes saw L.E. Partridge's work and said, "I have to build that!"?  Now that's saying something.

The little details of hand made craftsmanship. 

I weighed the cost in my head.  $1,000 is a lot of money for us. So I had to be technical about it.  If we were to purchase hand made furniture from a retail store, how much would it cost us?  I know that D.R. Dimes' furniture is quite pricy at $700+ per chair, so, let's simply cut that value in half.  So, say roughly $300 a chair and six chairs brings us to $1,800.  We're already beyond the asking price and haven't even considered the table.

Handmade Windsor Chairs are expensive because of the amount of time required to construct each one.  It's really quite impressive actually.  If the reader is interested, there are several sites dedicated to just the Windsor Chair, as well as furniture companies.  Here is a four minute video for a quick artsy view on making the chair.  

Our L.E. Partridge Windsor Chair Set in our home!

In our dining room, the set is on the small size, as we could easily accommodate another two to four chairs, but for our needs at this time, it's perfect!  The table is actually not original to the set.  It's design, as mentioned previously as a trestle tavern table with drop leaf sides, makes the table quite narrow when not in use.  This feature allows the dining room table to become a side table.  The table can be placed off against the wall and the chairs surround the room, allowing for an open floor.

When not in use, the table and chairs can be placed along the perimeter of the room, giving plenty of space to walk through. 

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Woodworking, Part I

I wouldn't say I have a fear of loud noises, but when I hear the power come on a table saw or even the vacuum, I become paranoid.  In fact, my wife spooks me while I am vacuuming.  Putting psychology aside, I've come to appreciate the hand made creation of our home and the furnishings from it's time period; so much so that I would like to get my hands dirty, so to speak.

In a prior post, I mentioned a company called D.R. Dimes (A Lack of Furniture).  As if it weren't already apparently obvious, given a new child (our first) and a "money pit" of a home, purchasing reproduction furniture of such a high price tag will not be possible.  Instead, and I am going out on a limb here, my future plans are now to make the furniture pieces myself.  After talking with my fellow co-workers, I received that look.  We've all seen it (or given it).  The look only a sympathetic parent can give to their struggling child, "...oh isn't that nice" with an underlying meaning of "yeah, good luck with that, ha!"

My lovely wife has gone along with my new ambition.  For my birthday this past October 19, she purchased a woodworking class at the Connecticut Valley School of Woodworking.  The class was called Practical Handtool Joinery with Will Neptune.

The basis for all joinery is the ability to work to layout lines with saws, chisels and planes.  To do this, your tools must be properly prepared and sharpened.  If you are frustrated with the results you get with hand tools or doubt that you can improve the fit of machine cut joints then this is the class to improve your skills and take your woodworking to the next level.

In this class you will learn a controlled and repeatable method for sharpening edge tools that will cut end grain cleanly and accurately.  We will tune up and adjust rabbet and router planes so they can be used for accurate joinery.  Then in a series of bench work exercises, beginning with accurate layout techniques, you will learn how to work from reference surfaces to hand cut accurate joinery, usually more quickly and accurately than you could by machine.  These exercises include half laps, bridle joints on curved rails and housed tapered (sliding) dovetails.  This is a chance to practice working with chisels and planes and hand saws with one of this country's master furniture makers.  You will need certain tools - including a rabbet (shoulder) plane and a standard size router plane.  The full tool list can be seen on the school's website.  Don't let handtools continue to frustrate you - sign up today.

-From the Connecticut Valley School of Woodworking, Section 102712A description.

Prior to the class, I purchased a set of four Stanley Sweetheart Chisels, a Wood Is Good 18 oz. Mallet and thanks to my enrollment at CVSW, 10% off a Lie-Nielsen Router Plane.  As it turns out, the Lie-Nielsen company is your Mercedes of wood working tools, not very cheap, but a quality tool.

 The class was truly enjoyable.  I learned how to make the joints mentioned above.  The instructor, Will Neptune, is a fascinating teacher.  I highly recommend this class should the reader wish to travel down my path.  However, due to time restraints, not all components of the joints mentioned were completed with hand tools.  But I was really excited and convinced my wife to allow me to buy more tools while I dove into reading and watching articles/videos on making other joints.

A fully fledged dovetail joint was not apart of the class, but it was the one joint that all woodworkers aspire to master.  A dovetail is the joint most often seen on the sides drawers from 18th century furniture and the corners of boxes that often distinguishes quality from everything else.  Here's an example from Boston's Museaum of Fine Arts (from Newtonwoodworking.com).  

After the class, I purchased a dovetail kit from Woodcraft (which also gave a 10% discount due to the class) and found numerous how-to videos on youtube.  Combining them with the techniques I learned from the class, I made my first attempt at hand made dovetails:

Not perfect, but doable.  Next step is to simply make a box.  Then progress from there to eventually make a dinning room table and then reproduction windows in our home... but patience is key, stepping stones are important.

$143.56 Veritas Dovetail Kit (Woodcraft.com)

$ 93.00 Stanley Sweetheart Chisels Set of Four (Amazon.com)

$ 33.52 Wood Is Good 18 oz. Mallet (Amazon.com)

$134.00 Lie-Nielsen Toolworks' Router Plane (Lie-nielsen.com)

$ 99.00 Stanley 78 Rabbet Plane (new vintage from eBay, info on plane)

$288.21 Hand Tool Class at CVSW

$791.29 Ouch!

I'd better stop buying tools for the time being and make something for my wife.

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A Lack of Furniture

While we had plenty of "stuff" in our apartment, now we are definitely lacking furniture.  Our 763 SF apartment had one bedroom, a living room, a dining area and of course a kitchen and bathroom.  It was plenty of room for the two of us.  We had a hideous couch that we had to move several times and also across the country.  My wife got it off of craigslist a few years ago paying $20 and we sold it for $200 just before we moved!  We sold it so that we could lighten our load as well as the fact that a white vinyl sectional couch doesn't really match the decor of an 18th century colonial.  At the time, we did not realize how much volume that couch made up of our now tiny (in retrospect) apartment.

Our antique home has just over 2,200 SF with a formal living room, family room, formal dining room, three bedrooms, a sitting room, a three season porch.... you get the idea.  Plenty of rooms and no furniture.  So, the wife and I needed to supplement our vacant volume with more "stuff".  First things first.  A couch!

We do not have a dining table aside from a small "table for two" that we found for free.  Our old apartment complex had a freebie stash that people used when they wanted to dump furniture.  Yes yes, we "dumpster dove" for it, but so what?  You can't beat free!  Getting to the point, we currently eat on our coffee table and (ironically) have no couch.  So the couch hunting began.

We went to your usual big name furniture warehouses and were not impressed, while also being overloaded with colors, styles and sizes (not to mentioned the vulture salesperson with the greasy slicked back hair).  We traveled up to an hour to see these stores and we scoured craigslist (which was filled with retail advertisements).  Then, after our move, my wife looked up a New England based furniture store called Puritan Furniture.  They had a branch just a mile from our new home.  We stopped in with an hour left before they closed and saw this couch.  This is Ashley Furniture's Signature Design Dallas Chocolate Sofa and Love Seat (that's a mouthful).  It's the appropriate look.  Not ultra modern, but not overly dated.  It has a couple of touches from yester-year, but sleek enough for an updated look.  Those slightly old fashioned touches were button holed dimples.  The buttons aren't there but the dimples make for a nice touch.  Oh, and the accent pillows were included.  Total price for the love seat and couch was $1,015.62, delivered.  We were using our plastic moving boxes as seating... our bums are much happier now.

For the future... 

I am in love with my wife.  Ok, with that being said, I also love D.R. Dimes.  They make reproduction furniture using the same methods as those "back in the day".  Absolutley gorgeous!  We went to a reproduction showroom and came across this tiger maple table along with eight chairs surrounding it.  All hand made right here in the USA.  There was a price tag hanging from the corner and I was thinking for a hand made piece, this price seemed quite reasonable, cheap in fact.  Almost to good to be true.  Oh, wait, I said it....

I go up to the salesman, a nice man who also sells his hand-made furniture in the store, and asked him about the price.  The conversation went something like this:

"Excuse me, is this the price for the whole set?"

"Ahhh, no Sir ...dramatic pause... that's just the table," with an obvious look on his face.

Well, well, the price calculated was in the $10,000 range for the table and eight chairs!  Each chair was around $800.

But the piece of furniture that we have yet to own and need is a bed frame and is of course absolutely gorgeous at D.R. Dimes.  A canopy bed made in tiger maple in king size will run you.... well, us... a hair over $3,800, shipped and assembled in your home.  Each post is hand cut to be narrower at the top than the bottom.  No lathe work here... everything is hand made with hand tools!  Furniture like this is passed down through the generations, much like our home.  Unfortunately, we need generations of wealth to furnish this home exclusively with D.R. Dime's products.  Oh, and the dresser in the background (actually called a highboy) is in excess of $10,000.  A decorative desk (not show but called a secretary), $18,000. Remember that you truly are getting what you pay for, high quality products that last for generations.  We keep telling ourselves that in time, we'll save up and furnish our home bit by bit, perhaps not with D.R. Dimes, but similar.

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