Is there anyway I can get some plans for building a couple of stickley designs. it seems I have to go to the showroom with tape measure in hand and risk being shown the door. I’m looking to make end table 89-2804 and magazine rack 89-1008. This is for personal use and not resale. Any help would be appreciated.
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Replies
There are many places online offering Stickley plans. As to the specific plans that you are looking for ......?
Lots of books out there. Lots of articles. If it hasn't been done before there are reprints of original Stickley catalogs. Making your own plans from photos is an important skill.
It's true about "from photographs" and usually furniture is pretty easy. Most furniture adheres to architectural graphic standards. We pretty much know a seat height or a table height ,at least to within fractions. From that one can extrapolate everything else. Stuff you can't see,jointery , interior carcase work etc. well, you make that up.
With that said there once was a Stickley table in an antique store,at $12 k a little bit steep for me. It somehow expanded from a 4 foot oval to about 12 ft in length. I was kicking myself for not spending a half hour laying under it to see how that was done. I went back to do just that but it had been sold.
There is of course actually going to the show room with your tape measure and a camera. There is nothing weird about that. Many people measure furniture with the intention of buying to see if it will fit in their homes. They take pictures as well.
There are cheap books with Stickley plans, including reproductions from his Craftsman magazine, which had project plans like FWW (but harder to follow).
Stickley fan here. I have a number of actual pieces and a few homages that I’ve made. The catalog shows the actual dimensions. It pretty easy to reverse engineer.
Two books to consider:
1) Robert Lang's Classic Arts and Crafts Furniture - I have used to to build the Stickley Book Rack, Greene & Green Medicine Cabinet and multiple G&G picture frames
2) Making Authentic Craftsman Furniture (62 projects from The Craftsman) by Dover Publications
Thanks everyone for your input, I’ll post some pics when I’m finished
I had this very issue. I bought a new Stickley arm chair. When I asked about the accompanying ottoman the price seemed crazy expensive and I thought I could make it and save a lot.
I wanted the ottoman’s cushioned leather top to match the chair (same animal hide) so I agreed to purchase that direct from Stickley. The retailer later told me that was the first time anyone had requested that.
After I received the top I laid out my measurements for the ottoman and STILL got it wrong because I didn’t account properly for the ‘cushion’ in the top.
Despite the extra effort (I recut and refitted the purchased ottoman top - very carefully) it was one of my all time favourite projects. A real learning experience on many fronts and I saved more than $1,000. Also my first attempt at mortised furniture and my first experience sourcing and messing with quarter sawn white oak.