![\"\"](\"https:\/\/maxvollmer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/img001c.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nBarnsley used the essentials of the rake joinery to create the stretcher (see below) for his table, circa 1900.\u00a0 All three b&w photos are taken from Gimson and the Barnsleys<\/strong> by Mary Comino (Van Nostrand Reinhold Co., 1980).<\/p>\n With no original drawings to go by, I made my own full size, scaled plans and set to work on the “Y” shaped joint only to find that my first effort was not going to be satisfactory.\u00a0 It ended up going in my wood stove.\u00a0 I revised the plans based on my experience and started over.\u00a0 [Click on any image to enlarge.\u00a0 All following photos For aesthetic reasons I reduced the acute angle between the arms of the “Y” and the main, longitudinal stretcher from 45 degrees to 40 degrees.\u00a0 I used overlapping tenons on the arms where they intersect and join the main stretcher.<\/p>\n And, based on my first failed effort, I also redesigned the tenons on the “spanner” or brace that connects the two arms of the “Y.”\u00a0 This allowed me to cut “through” mortises in the arms that were perpendicular to the axis of the arms rather than\u00a0 mortises cut at a 40 degree angle.\u00a0 This way I could use straight tenons on the spanner.\u00a0 Not only was this redesign equally strong, it was much easier to cut the mortises. The following series of photos illustrate my approach.\u00a0 [Click on any image to enlarge, All photos In the next stage, I used a felt tip pen to outline the reduced size of the arms with their curved detailing where the arms meet the long, center stretcher and then used the bandsaw to rough out the shapes.\u00a0 Following that I used an assortment of rasps, files, planes and sandpaper to refine the curved details.\u00a0 The following sequence takes you through the steps.\u00a0 This was a very time consuming process, and one that cannot be duplicated with finesse by any other means.\u00a0 This is what hand work is all about.<\/p>\n Next I dry fit the arms to the center stretcher to check my clearances.\u00a0 See below.<\/p>\n From there I consulted my full size, scaled plans for the spanner that connects the two arms and interlocks with the center stretcher.\u00a0 All measurements, markings, and cuts on the spanner must be extremely precise in order for all four pieces to fit together with tight joints.\u00a0 It is an added challenge\u00a0 to have all the through tenons\u00a0 emerge\u00a0 flawlessly where they are visible on the outside faces.\u00a0\u00a0 Here is the sequence.<\/p>\n Assembled it looks like this.<\/p>\n The dry fit stretcher assembly is then marked with the location of all chamfers.\u00a0 The chamfers in the original hay rake do not compromise the strength of the rake, but they decrease the weight the farmer has to lift and pull for hours on end.\u00a0 In the table, weight is not a concern but the chamfers add immeasurably to the aesthetic appeal of the stretcher.<\/p>\n See below the full stretcher and leg set ready to go and then assembled.\u00a0 Barnsley chose to have the pegs that lock the tenons in their respective mortises visible from above.\u00a0 I put the pegs in from below so they do not show and therefore do not distract from the flow of the joinery.<\/p>\n Rounding out the table frame, I fit cross pieces to the tops of the legs and then installed two long, under-table supports that are joined to the cross pieces with dovetails.\u00a0 The result is a support structure that, barring fire or natural disaster, has an essentially unlimited lifespan (1,000 years?) if cared for.\u00a0 Here it is with finish and signed with my makers mark on a cross bar.<\/p>\n Here’s the table top.\u00a0 And, following that,\u00a0 the table in my house.\u00a0 Final dimensions are 68″ L x 38″ W x 31.5″ H.\u00a0 The table is compact, but the design of the hay rake stretcher and the canted legs allow for four chairs, across and end to end, and will accommodate four people comfortably for a meal.<\/p>\n I have the lumber to make a long, low, and narrow coffee table with the same hay rake stretcher design, to which I want to add wishbone struts under the table top for added complexity and interest, something Barnsley did in one of his tables.\u00a0 I just need a shop.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Sidney Barnsley (b.1865-d.1926), was an important and influential Arts and Crafts designer-maker who hand crafted furniture for his family and for clients.\u00a0 He had previously trained as an architect and worked in London before moving to the rural Cotswolds region of England, Pinbury Park and Sapperton in Gloucestershire. In early 2019, I decided to build … Continue reading Hayrake Table – In the Style of Sidney Barnsley<\/span> <\/a><\/a><\/a> Max Vollmer]<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a> Max Vollmer]<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n