The Lutyens Desk

Finished the interior structure and the base stretchers today .. 2 19
If you blow it up, you can see where we left extra stock where the curved stretchers join the side stretchers. We'll cut that curve and sand it to a point just before we glue up ...

Inspiration photo
Long post coming here .... Lots of stuff working up to this one. It's a desk based loosely on a design By Edwin Lutyens, a British Architect who worked from the 1890's into the 1940. And, whoa, was he prolific. There is a great book by Elizabeth Wilhide on his life and work ... Amazing dude. So, we took a big desk in a castle he designed and chopped out the center section, redesigned the palette and the turnings a bit, and we're having at it. It's going to be a good one ... Lots of challenging techniques too ... Click the photos to enlarge them

The finished elevation

The desk as it is today ... 2/18

Leg stock pregrooved for moldings

Rouhging out the legs with the Vega Duplicator ... chips are FLYING !

The CAD files for the stretchers

which were cut on the cnc

So they fit real nice

We mortised the legs and the lower stretcher structure on the Multi Router ...

More later

Update on The Lutyens Desk

Well, we wrapped it up on Friday. The client came to town and approved our pull design in natural cherry rather than the burl we proposed originally. It was the perfect choice as the burl pull looked 'mushy' against the burl veneer of the drawer faces. The polished cherry stands out without drawing too much attention, the perfect thing that hardware should do. This was a very interesting adaptation of a famous designer's design; we kept the original classic concept yet the client was able to add her vision to the process and in my opinion improve on the original shown at the bottom of the original post.

The finished desk

Close up of the corner showing the bubinga/walnut edge detail and drawer borders, as well as the fine leg turnings, pulls and finish by Will.

Since this desk will be used in a home office, the center drawer is given over to a keyboard flip down and mouse nest.

3/8/09 After being distracted for a bit by the Big Walnut Slabs and the new doors in the posts below, we got back on track on the desk this week. Will finished the small drawers Friday but we still have to work out the flip down front for the center keyboard drawer and build the shelf for the computer cpu to sit on. Also, as yet, the base is not glued up, awaiting final approval of the details, which we received today. The edge inlay on the top is complete and the top is ready for final sanding and finishing. It's looking like it's going to be another good one .... Click the photos to enlarge them ...

Installing the bubinga and walnut edge inlay with masking tape, our favorite handy clamp. First we put the bubinga on flush and then routed an 1/8 x 1/8" rabbet for the walnut. The walnut is long grain over the length of the top and cut across the width of the board on the ends to allow it to expand and contract with the top. Check the original post for more detail and background.

The finished edge inlay

Ice Out and Other Updates

Mr. and Mrs. Mallard Return from the South
This year spring is arriving in a new (to me) progression. We had robins back in the beginning of February. Saw my first pussy willow last Sunday in the swamp downtown and yesterday, the ducks showed up in our pond before the ice was even totally out. We usually have a 'first ducks of the year" dollar pool in the shop but we generally don't even think of putting up ouor choices until the second half of the month. For the last 10 years , the winner has been around the first of the month. Anyway, the light is great, the time change is great and while it's still COLD ! ... spring is on it's way. Kit saw a redwing blackbird this week and also had an unusual siting of a flock of whitesided cross bills, a Canadian bird not normally seen this far South.

Busy here this week ... too busy to write much ... Below is a quick update on our current projects and I'll write more later this weekend (maybe) ... It's pretty nice and spring like here ... Good to be outside ...Click the photos to enlarge them ...

Progress on the Federal Style Doors is good. All the production kinks have been worked out and they should all come together pretty quickly next week. Fussy but incredibly challenging work. I'm actually doing them myself as I couldn't elegantly sum up the process for anyone else to understand and they were all busy on other stuff anyway. I'm enjoying the mental and physical work of being back in the shop for a change. I think Will will help me finish them next week as, except for the the turned wood knobs, he's finished the construction of the Lutyens Style desk.

The face of the center drawer flips down for a keyboard... the curving base parts came out great..

We have pretty much resolved the design and budget issues for the railing that goes with the Tansu style stairway and that should get underway probably early next week as Trevor is making good progress on defining the case below ...

Sam and Jim installed the last section of the handrail project he's been working on... looks good

All for now ....