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21. Round-over and blend the backside of the ends.
22. When finished, the backside of the pull should blend smoothly with the front.
With the basic profile of the pull done, it’s now time to round over all the exposed, sharp corners.
With a 3/16" quarter round bit in a router table, round over all the corners on the face side of the pull. Now, using 80-grit sandpaper with a rubber profile pad, clean up chatter and burn marks left over from machining the cove. To form the round over on the long backside of the face, first knock the sharp corner down with a sanding block. Next, with one hand grasp the pull and quickly move it back and forth making full profile rotations while sanding and blending the face side with the backside. To round over and blend the backside of the ends, grasp the sandpaper and use a flapping motion backed up by your thumb. When finished, the backside of the pull should blend smoothly with the front.
23. Attach the pull to the drawer front.
24. Impart a slight “pillow” shape on the faceside.
25. Buff the face on a buffing wheel with white rouge.
Attaching the Pull
The arched pull was typically placed evenly side to side and just a little high of center. Predrill for # 6 wood screws (length depends upon drawer thickness) in each of the three bar holes. Using a piece of scrap to register the desired location, glue and screw the pull to the drawer front.
Ebony Bars
Machine the ebony bar stock in long square lengths about 1/64" oversize in width. Using 150-grit sandpaper, impart a slight “pillow” shape on the face side. Ease the edges very slightly, and then sand through the grits until 600 is reached. Buff the face on a buffing wheel with white rouge. Cut each bar to length, about 1/64" longer than the individual holes. Slightly ease the just cut edge with 320-grit through 600-grit sandpaper, and then take to the buffing wheel. Slightly back bevel the inserting face, and then spread a little glue around the perimeter of the hole. Tap the bar in place with a plastic headed mallet, leaving the polished face slightly proud of the surface. The pull is finished!
The arched pull celebrates usefulness and beauty in equal measure. It does not shout above its place in the order of things, but quietly performs both its functional and aesthetic purposes with a touch of genius. It is simple elegance at its finest!
26. Slightly back bevel the inserting face.
27. Tap the bar in place.
28. The pull is finished!
Chapter 2
Large Proud Finger Joints
Proud finger joints are yet another example of how the Greenes took an object of utility and turned it into a thing of beauty. There are a variety of uses for finger joints and each application demands a unique perspective to match the intended use. Visual weight and scale of the piece must be taken into account. If the application is for a major structural component, the fingers would be bold and expressive, as covered in this chapter, while fingers for a drawer, as covered in my last book, would be relatively restrained.
The triple finger joint used as the example here would easily apply to a fireplace surround or the base of a cabinet. One of the few examples of an original Greene & Greene design employing a finger jointed base is the letter case for the Ford House (1908). This piece was relatively small and meant to sit on top of a table. The fingers were accordingly scaled down to match the overall size of the design.
One of the few known examples of an original Greene & Greene design that used a finger jointed base is the letter case for the Ford House (1908). Courtesy of the Gamble House.
Our application here involves pieces that are much larger in size than the Ford Letter Case. In scaling the detail up to match the size of the design, I looked elsewhere within the work of Greene & Greene for larger and bolder fingers. The Gamble House entry and stairway offer some very good examples, each nuanced to its specific usage.
Keep in mind the example given here is but a starting point. Depending upon your application you may need to modify your fingers in a number of ways. Use your best judgment together with existing examples to determine what works best for your situation.
Gamble House finger joint as used on the entry stairway. Courtesy of the Gamble House.
Two slight variations of the finger joint as used on the main stairway in the Gamble House (1908). Courtesy of the Gamble House.
1. Back up the cut with fresh material to avoid blow-out.
2. First cut one side then flip edge for edge and repeat the cut from the other side.
Mill the Stock
To start with, mill some stock to 1" thick and 3¾" wide. Because the fingers extend proud by ¼" at each end, add ½" to the required overall length of any given project. Be sure to mill out some extra scrap to be used for setups.
Accuracy
My method for cutting the fingers works off the center of the stock. In other words, the stock is machined, then flipped—and referenced off the opposing edge for a subsequent step. As long as some simple guidelines are followed this method works very well and avoids the problems associated with tolerance error buildup.
First
