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So given my two engineering challenges (constructing the basic elements & designing the assembly/teardown structure), my design breakthrough came when I discovered IKEA had come out with a new Trofast shelf unit. One that had the size and relative proportions ideal for the central element of a 15th c. dresser.
Very conveniently, the shelf units that were supplied as alternatives to the plastic storage totes are exactly the right size to serve as doors, saving me from having to cut and finish something to shape.
The planned understructure requires a design compromise from the original inspiration. For the lower shelf itself, I picked up another glued-pine shelf board like the one I use on top of the tower units in my current set-up. It’s strong, solid, and lightweight and will stand up to having hardware attached.
But the legs in all the 15-16th c. dressers are uniformly plain rectangular columns.
And the easiest way to achieve strong, stable, easily-removable legs is to use a commercially available screw-in leg and metal top-plate set-up. (Specific leg style is not the one I’m using.)
But these items all involve some version of turned decoration or similar shapes because -- duh! -- why would you want to use this method to make a table with plain square-column legs? And here’s my compromise. Turned joinery is certainly common in my target era. Bebb’s Welsh furniture book has numerous examples from as early as the 15th century of turned table legs and a style of elaborately decoratively turned chairs. But the earliest I can find an example of a turned column as a decorative element on a dresser is the early 17th century.
And the earliest I can find a turned leg in the position I want to use it is the end of the 17th century.
Given the vagaries of survival, I don’t feel entirely inappropriate using the commercially available turned legs for my purpose, but it’s definitely a divergence from my target model. The plan, then, is to fasten the leg top-plates to the underside of the Trofast cabinet with relatively short legs attached. (I’d have to look it up on my order but I believe it was the 15” style.) The lower shelf will also have top-plates attached to the underside corners with short ball-style feet attached. (It probably wouldn’t be a packing problem to leave the feet permanently attached, but for structural reasons it will be stronger to use the same screw-on style.) To stabilize the box portion when set onto the lower shelf, I plan to insert small pegs into the bottom of the legs that will sit in holes drilled into the shelf. Set up both parts independently then set the top unit on top of the shelf and into the holes.
A bit of kitchen cabinet hardware supplies hinges for the doors that will be invisible when the doors are closed and won’t get in the way of access to the storage totes. The only remaining engineering problem is the canopied backing piece with shelves. And that will take another post.
Very conveniently, the shelf units that were supplied as alternatives to the plastic storage totes are exactly the right size to serve as doors, saving me from having to cut and finish something to shape.
The planned understructure requires a design compromise from the original inspiration. For the lower shelf itself, I picked up another glued-pine shelf board like the one I use on top of the tower units in my current set-up. It’s strong, solid, and lightweight and will stand up to having hardware attached.
But the legs in all the 15-16th c. dressers are uniformly plain rectangular columns.
And the easiest way to achieve strong, stable, easily-removable legs is to use a commercially available screw-in leg and metal top-plate set-up. (Specific leg style is not the one I’m using.)
But these items all involve some version of turned decoration or similar shapes because -- duh! -- why would you want to use this method to make a table with plain square-column legs? And here’s my compromise. Turned joinery is certainly common in my target era. Bebb’s Welsh furniture book has numerous examples from as early as the 15th century of turned table legs and a style of elaborately decoratively turned chairs. But the earliest I can find an example of a turned column as a decorative element on a dresser is the early 17th century.
And the earliest I can find a turned leg in the position I want to use it is the end of the 17th century.
Given the vagaries of survival, I don’t feel entirely inappropriate using the commercially available turned legs for my purpose, but it’s definitely a divergence from my target model. The plan, then, is to fasten the leg top-plates to the underside of the Trofast cabinet with relatively short legs attached. (I’d have to look it up on my order but I believe it was the 15” style.) The lower shelf will also have top-plates attached to the underside corners with short ball-style feet attached. (It probably wouldn’t be a packing problem to leave the feet permanently attached, but for structural reasons it will be stronger to use the same screw-on style.) To stabilize the box portion when set onto the lower shelf, I plan to insert small pegs into the bottom of the legs that will sit in holes drilled into the shelf. Set up both parts independently then set the top unit on top of the shelf and into the holes.
A bit of kitchen cabinet hardware supplies hinges for the doors that will be invisible when the doors are closed and won’t get in the way of access to the storage totes. The only remaining engineering problem is the canopied backing piece with shelves. And that will take another post.
