Medieval and Renaissance Furniture

by Daniel Diehl

  With the unit still on its back, the feet can be set in place on the tenons on the bottom edges of the side panels. Because the feet are ¾ inch longer than the side panels, you need to place ¾-inch pieces of scrap wood under the side panels to allow the feet to slide into place. When the feet fit into place with a gentle tap, glue and peg them into place as shown in the foot–side panel–floor construction detail and side view drawings. Slide the floor boards into place so that they are flush with both the front and rear edges of the side panels. Note in the section A drawing that on the original piece, the narrower of the two floor boards is located at the front of the cabinet. Next, mark the location where the front board needs to be notched to accommodate the side and center stiles. Remove both floor boards and cut the notches into the front board. Stand the cabinet upright and place small beads of glue along the tops of the feet where the floor boards rest and along the bottom edges of the side panels. Set the floor boards into place and drill and peg to a total depth of 13/8 inches: ¾ inch through the side and 5/8 inch into the floor board, as shown in the foot– side panel–floor construction detail. As the side view illustration shows, the floor boards only have one dowel each, but you may opt to use two for added strength.

  Base Cabinet Divider Walls

  As indicated on the materials list, the divider walls are single panels of wood 11¼ inches wide by 15 inches long. It is unlikely that you will find boards of this size, so you may have to either dowel several boards together, following the instructions on page 2, or have a local mill glue them together for you. The finished divider walls should have the grain running vertically.

  Set the two cabinet divider walls into place by centering them behind the notches in the floor and bottom shelf where the front divider stiles will set. Draw a line on both sides of each divider wall on the floor and underside of the bottom shelf. Remove the divider walls. Locate the centerline of each divider wall by drawing a line halfway between the existing lines. Along these centerlines, drill ¼-inch holes, equally spaced along the 11-inch depth of the floor and shelf boards, so that two dowels can be used to secure the top and bottom of each divider wall. While drilling, press a piece of scrap wood firmly against the surface of the shelf and floor where the bit will break through to avoid splintering the surface of the wood. You should now have a total of eight dowel holes: four through the bottom shelf and four through the floor boards. Replace the divider walls and, placing the drill bit through the existing holes in the shelf and bottom boards, drill into the divider wall to a depth of 5/8 inch.

  Installing the Back Panel

  The case should now be sturdy enough to be stood upright without any danger of its shifting. With the case standing on its feet, install the back panel bottom board as shown in the illustration of the back of the bookcase. The bottom of this board should rest on top of the back edge of the feet. Before attaching this board into place, stand the back panel assembly on top of it to make certain that the top of the back panel is flush with the top of the side panels. If it is a bit too tall, the bottom board on which the back panel assembly will rest can be trimmed down; if the back assembly is a bit low, cut a new bottom board to the proper width. Then run a bead of glue along the bottom 2¾ inches of the side panels and along the rear edge of the floor board, set the bottom board in place, and nail it to the side panels and bottom boards with small finishing nails. Because this bookcase is oak, it is wise to drill a small pilot hole before nailing.

  When the bottom board is secured, set the back panel assembly back into place. You will notice that the back edges of the shelves only touch the divider stiles, leaving small gaps between the shelves and back assembly panels. Mark a line on the raised surface of the stiles, along the top edge of the top shelf only. Remove the back panel and mark a line across the face of all the back panels 13/16 inches above the line of the shelf. Trim the back panel decorative divider rails to fit across each panel so that the top edge of the divider rail rests beneath the line across the face of the panel. The proper positions of these divider rails can be clearly seen in the section B drawing. We have deliberately left them slightly too long to allow for any discrepancy in the width of the individual panels. Place a small bead of glue on the back of each decorative divider rail and set it in place. If you wish, they can be nailed into place with small headless brads after drilling pilot holes to avoid splitting the thin oak.

  Replace the back panel on the cabinet and set the top shelf trim molding on the top shelf (the proper orientation is shown in the top shelf trim molding drawing). If you do not have a set of molding cutter blades to make this trim molding, have a mill make it for you. When measuring for the trim molding, you may want to hold the back panel assembly in place with one or more strap clamps to prevent it from falling or shifting position. Approximately ¼ inch of the decorative divider rail should be exposed above the top of the trim molding. Mark the position of the top edge of the trim molding across the back panel assembly and remove the back panel from the cabinet. Run a small bead of glue along the back edge of the trim molding, replace it along the marked line, and secure it to the vertical stiles of the back panel assembly with small nails after first drilling pilot holes.

  It may have become obvious that the shelves have no support mechanism to keep them from sagging in the center. This lack of support may well account for the fact that the existing shelves are so much newer than the rest of the bookcase. To prevent your shelves from suffering a similar fate, replace the back panel and mark the locations of both the top and middle shelves on the divider stiles of the back panel assembly. Remove the back panel assembly and drill ¼-inch dowel holes through the divider stiles so that they fall in the center of the shelf width. Then run a bead of glue along the vertical length of the side panels and the divider walls, set the back panel assembly in place, and nail it to the side panels and divider walls with small finishing nails after first drilling pilot holes. If you have elected to dowel the shelves to the back panel assembly, replace the ¼-inch drill bit in the existing holes, drill ¾ inch into the shelves, and tap lengths of dowel rod into place.

  Installing the Front Stiles

  The front side stiles should set easily into place in the notches cut from the shelves. When in place, the stiles should be flush with the sides of the bookcase and should extend approximately 1/8 inch beyond the front of the shelves. When they fit satisfactorily, run beads of glue along the front edges of the side panels, set the stiles in place, and drill six pilot holes along their length so that one hole is about 1 inch from the top edge of the stile, one about 1 inch above the bottom edge, and the remaining four evenly spaced between them. Nail the stiles into place with small finishing nails, setting the heads slightly below the surface so the holes can be filled with putty.

  Repeat the procedure with the door divider stiles, which should set easily into the notches in the bottom shelf and floor board. Attach the door divider stiles in the same manner as the side stiles, but using only four small finishing nails in each, the top one driven into the shelf, the bottom one driven into the floor board, and the two remaining nails equally spaced and attaching the divider stiles to the front edge of the divider walls. Then attach the narrow end panel base trim to the base of the side panels. Note in the drawing of the side of the bookcase that this trim does not extend beyond the front edge of the stiles. We assume that this trim molding was intended only to hide the dowels attaching the floor boards to the side panels.

  Attaching the Skirt Molding

  The skirt molding that runs along the front base of the bookcase is by far the most complex piece of millwork in this project. Full details of the skirt molding are shown in the drawings. If cutting the molding seems too difficult, have a mill do it for you. Chisel out the diamond-shaped spaces in the same manner as described above for the back panel, although these diamonds are slightly farther apart. Also cut the sculpted design along the bottom edge of the skirt molding. The drawings of the skirt molding and the front view of the
bookcase show that there is a delineated center point in this design marked by a quarter circle. The design to the left of this point runs in one direction and to the right runs in the opposite direction.

  As shown in the skirt molding and skirt molding and side panel attachment detail drawings, the skirt molding stands higher than the top of the feet, and the ends of the skirt molding are notched so that the upper ends of the molding extend across the top of the feet and end flush with the outside edges of the side panels. When you cut these notches in the skirt molding, take into account that it will be attached on a 25-degree angle, so the ends that rest on top of the feet have to be cut on a corresponding angle or they will not rest properly on top of the feet.

  Test-fit the skirt molding on the feet in the position shown in the skirt molding and side panel attachment detail. When it fits properly, remove it. Run a small bead of glue along the front edge of the cabinet’s floor boards, replace the skirt molding, and nail it into place with six or eight small finishing nails, drilling pilot holes before nailing. You may have to place a small wedge under the skirt molding to make sure it remains in position while the glue dries. Next, drill ¼-inch holes through the sides of the feet so that they extend ¾ inch into the skirt molding. You may want to stand the cabinet on its side for this procedure, because you have to drill through the entire 23/8-inch thickness of the feet before reaching the skirt molding, and there is a good chance of running offcourse. As each hole is drilled, tap a dowel into place before turning the cabinet onto the other side to repeat the procedure.

  Attaching the Top Rail

  There are three sections to the decorative top rail. The sections on the left and right sides of the case, shown in the top rail illustration, are fully formed on both sides. The section that goes along the top edge of the back panel is only half as deep as the sections used on the side panels. Miter the left and right ends of the top rail that goes along the back panel to a length that will allow the rail to rest flush with the rear edge of the back panel and outermost edges of the side panels. Position the back top rail, drill five small pilot holes for nails along its length, run a bead of glue along the top edge of the back panel, and nail the top rail in place with small finishing nails. Set the heads of the nails slightly below the surface of the rail so the holes can be filled with putty.

  Next, measure the distance from the front edge of the cabinet to the inside edge of the miter on the back top rail. Add ½ inch to allow the side rails to extend beyond the front of the front stiles and mark this measurement on the inside face of each side rail. Beginning at this point, mark a 45-degree miter on the side rail so that the longer side of the miter cut will extend about 1½ inches back from your original mark. Cut the miter. When in position, the mitered side rail should rest against the mitered edge of the back rail, extending ½ inch beyond the front edge of the front stile and just slightly beyond the back edge of the back top rail. Attach the side rails in the same manner as the back rail and sand off the small point that extends beyond the back top rail.

  Doors

  The illustration of the top edge of the door gives the initial impression that this is a simple lap joint; this is not the case. In truth, the decorative molding around the inner edge of the door frame is integral to the frame; this can be clearly seen in the door top rail cross section and door side rail detail drawings. The door frame members are all 7/8 inch thick rather than ¾ inch, and the top rails of the doors are 2½ inches wide, while the vertical stiles and bottom rails are 2¾ inches wide. Begin by cutting the decorative molding edge on the rails and stiles for all three doors. This is a fairly simple design and can be executed on a table saw or with a bench-mounted router. When the molded edges are shaped, cut the vertical stiles to 15 inches in length, making sure they will fit easily into the opening in the face of the cabinet.

  Now cut the 3/8-inch-deep-by-¼- inch-wide mortises that will hold the door panels. These mortises are shown in the door side rail detail drawing. In the top and bottom rails, these mortises are actually rabbets and run the entire length of the rail, but on the vertical stiles, they stop 21/8 inches from each end of the board. These mortises can be cut on a table saw, but take extreme care not to allow the saw blade to run beyond the stopping point of the mortise. Excess wood at the end of the mortise can be carefully removed with a hammer and ¼-inch-wide chisel. Next, cut the mortises at the top and bottom of each vertical stile. As shown in the top edge of door, door side rail detail, and front face of door construction detail drawings, these mortises are 5/16 inch wide, 11/8 inches high, and ¾ inch deep. They should begin 3/8 inch in from each end of the stiles. There is no easy way to cut these mortises; they have to be cut with a small, sharp chisel and great care.

  When the stiles are finished, measure the exact width of each door opening in the cabinet. They may vary slightly, and the top and bottom rails will need to be cut to lengths that allow the doors to open and close easily. The finished doors should not be more than 1/8 inch smaller than the opening into which they fit. Using this size as a guide, cut the top and bottom rails to length, making sure they are exactly 3 inches shorter than the desired width of the finished door. This will allow for the tenons to be cut on each end of the rails plus the remaining width of the stiles. When the rails have been cut to length, cut a tenon on each end of all four rails. The tenons should begin 3/8 inch below the outer edge of the rail and be 5/16 inch thick and ¾ inch long. When the tenons have been cut, they should fit snugly into the mortises in the appropriate stile; however, only the first ¼ inch of the tenon will go into the mortise. To allow the tenons to seat fully into the mortises, three additional steps are necessary. If you are unfamiliar with complex joints, we suggest you try the entire procedure outlined below on scrap pieces of wood before attempting it on the actual door.

  First, make a 45-degree cut across the decorative edge molding on the rails to form a miter joint. This miter cut can be seen in the front face of door construction detail. Next, make a corresponding miter cut through the decorative molding on the stiles. The highest point of this cut should fall 2 inches below the top end of the stile and 2¾ inches above the bottom end of the stile, and the cut should end at the point where the decorative molding meets the flat face of the stile. Draw a line from the highest point of the miter cut (at the point where the decorative molding meets the flat face of the stile) to the end of the stile. This line, which continues along the edge of the decorative molding to the edge of the door, is shown in the front face of door construction detail drawing. Remove the excess strip of wood, which should be 2 inches long and ½ inch wide, from the front face of the stile. Do not remove a corresponding area on the back of the stile. Finally, from the back of each rail, remove a ½-inch-wide-by-¼-inch-thick strip of wood immediately behind the location of the tenon. The resulting offset in the back of the stile is shown in the top edge of door drawing. At this point, the frame of the doors should fit smoothly and fully together with a light tap of a mallet or the palm of your hand.

  When the door frame fits together and you are satisfied that it will fit easily into the opening in the cabinet, the edges of the door panels can be worked down to fit snugly into the frame. All wood should be removed from the back face of these panels, leaving the side with the carving work undisturbed. Note in the door top rail cross section drawing that the edges of the finished panels should be ¼ inch thick so that they fit snugly into the frame. The panels of the original bookcase were planed by hand, but you may opt to cut the edges to the appropriate width on a table saw, and then carefully remove the remaining shim of wood and work the shoulder to a gentle angle with a sharp chisel.

  Drop beads of glue into the mortise holes before inserting the tenons. Assemble the frame around the panel, making certain it is square, and drill ¼-inch dowel holes as shown in the front face of door construction detail and top edge of door drawings. Tap a dowel into place from the back of the door, leaving about ¼ inch standing above the surface of the back. This can be
trimmed off and sanded smooth when the glue is dry.

  Door Latch

  The original knob and possible latch mechanism disappeared from the bookcase long ago and have been replaced with a nineteenth-century lockset, leaving the doors to be opened only with a key that does double duty as a handle. To provide something more historically appropriate, we have adapted a typical knob-latch combination used throughout the Renaissance. This is shown in the drawing of the doorknob and latch. Into the center of the back of a simple wooden knob, which can be turned on a lathe or purchased at a hardware store, drill a 3/8- inch-deep, ¼-inch-diameter hole and insert a 2¾-inch-long piece of ¼-inch dowel into the hole after applying a drop of glue into the hole. When the glue is dry, make a mark on the exposed dowel 15/16 inch behind the knob. From this point to the end of the dowel, carefully whittle or file the dowel square.

  Next, make a latch plate as shown in the knob and latch drawing, and carefully cut a corresponding ¼-inchsquare hole into the large end of the latch plate. Drill a hole just slightly larger than ¼ inch in diameter through the door stile on the appropriate side of the door. This hole should be located about 8 inches above the bottom of the door and centered in the stile. Insert the dowel through the door so that the knob is on the front face of the door. Apply a drop of glue to the squared end of the dowel and tap the latch plate into place. Make sure no glue touches the door stile.

  While the doorknob-latch mechanism will keep the door from falling open, there is nothing except the hinge to keep it from closing beyond the face of the surrounding stile. To prevent this, we suggest mounting a small stop block on the stile just below the bottom edge of the latch. This not only will keep the door from being closed too far, but also will prevent the latch from falling downward and allowing the door to fall open.