Money
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SEPT/OCT
2004
Volume 47/Issue 5
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Project
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Living Room Sofa Table
• Nob Hill Cable Car
• Two-Shelf Telephone Stand/Side Table
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The Two-Shelf Telephone Stand/Side Table
We know....today, everybody has a cell phone attached to their belt, the side of their purse and even the dashboard of the car. After all, this IS the “mobile society”, isn't it? Well....yes....but there are always those “hold-outs” who prefer to have a number of hard-wired phones distributed conveniently around the house.
Question is....where do you put them? Not every room has a convenient place for a phone...and even fewer yet have room to keep a phone book and notepad in close proximity. Enter this dandy little stand from the '80's. Even if you decide not to try and market these stands for use with the telephone, they'll also make great Side Tables for a small lamp and some reading materials.
So....before we get started, let's talk briefly about three things:
DESIGN
As you can see, our stand is really quite simple...almost "Shaker-Like"
in its design. However, with just a few simple changes, its appearance
can be altered completely. Change the handle cut-outs to a heart shape
for a “Country” look...or even use a more elaborate fretwork
design of your own. Create a “Mission” look with tapered Sides
and re-designed “legs”. Cut the Sides off flush with the Top
Shelf for a more contemporary look. Change the appearance of the Shelf
Facings. Add a shelf for more utility. The options are endless.
JOINERY
The second of these three points has to do with the way this project goes
together with sliding dovetail joints. In our example, we used “stopped”
dovetails that are only visible from one side of the project. However,
these could just as easily be full “through” dovetails where
the joinery shows prominently from both sides. You might even consider
making the Sides of maple and the Shelves of walnut to give your dovetail
joinery a contrasting look. Another (much simpler) option would be to
use straight dado joints instead of dovetails.
MULTIPLICITY
The final point has to do with the fact that each Stand/Table is quite
simply comprised of only seven separate pieces of wood, cut into just
four sizes. That's it. And that means you can build a bunch of these tables
in almost the same amount of time that it would take you to make just
a couple. The secret lies in the efficiency of your machine set-ups. With
our example, you'll have just four ripping set-ups (12", 11-5/8", 2-1/2"
and 1-1/2")...and four crosscut set-ups (31", 16-1/2" and 16").
For added efficiency, try “pad-sawing” the Side shape cut-outs and leg shapes in pairs if you're using your Scroll Saw or in stacks of up to six if you've designed them so you can use your Bandsaw without having to make a “piercing” cut. You can hold your multiples together temporarily during this process by using some high-strength Double-Stick Tape. So, let's get started on building the design shown here.
