This was a wedding gift for two close friends.  I’m just starting out, so my shop only has a bandsaw, workbench and various hand tools.  I started with roughsawn boards and brought them square with my #5 jack plane.  I only have an old router that doesn’t mount under a table, so I had to secure the router upright after raising it up enough so that I could push the sticks under it to cut the profile.  The setup wasn’t pretty, but it worked. 

I followed the article from Fine Woodworking #185 – Build a Chippendale Mirror – Steve Latta. The finish was applied using the techniques shown in the video – Color Matching Woods – Mark Schofield. My veneer wasn’t as nice as the one in the article.  I made the mistake of veneering over poplar that was a little too green and a little too thin (1/4″), so the first top piece warped so badly that it cracked as I tried to correct the warping and I had to remake it – rookie mistake.  If I had to do it again, I would ensure the poplar was dry and would make the poplar core at least 3/8″ thick. 

The newlyweds put the mirror in their dining room and it looks great with their other furniture.  Fun project. 

It was difficult to get pics without the flash from the camera making a glare.

Launch Gallery