Woodworker: Charlie James

Inspired by sideboards from the Winterthur Museum and Country Estate in Delaware and Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia, James spent more than four years (with some time off here and there) refining the design and building this piece from cherry with walnut beading. He scaled down the size to fit a modern-day home, and then he extended the curve on the sides farther back and added hidden compartments. The greatest technical challenges came in the coopered drawers and doors, and the inlays. The sideboard (12 in. deep by 48 in. wide by 33 in. tall) is finished with hand-rubbed varnish. Photo: Jim Macullum From Fine Woodworking #206