Rhode Island Desk and Bookcase Build Process by Doucette and Wolfe Furniture Makers Part 1

Making a Newport Rhode Island Secretary Desk Part 1. This Block and Shell Desk and Bookcase is made of solid Mahogany and Tiger maple. This video shows the process for making the lower case which includes the Slant Front Desk, desk interior, 20 shaped and dovetailed drawers with the dovetail joinery is cut by hand, shell carvings, desk lid with shell carvings and the shaped and carved ogee feet.

Part 2 will have the show the upper case, doors and Pediment.


For more information on the fine custom and reproduction furniture we make visit our website at http://www.doucetteandwolfefurniture.com

http://www.doucetteandwolfefurniture....
http://www.doucetteandwolfefurniture....

Finish used is Seal and Royal Lac from
http://www.shellacfinishes.com

Mahogany is from www.irionlumber.com

This Rhode Island Desk and Bookcase is one of the most famous pieces of American Furniture associated with the Townsend Goddard family of cabinetmakers of Newport, Rhode Island. There are nine know examples of this style Block and Shell Carved Desk and Bookcase, all of which are in museums around the country except for one which sold at Christies of New York in 1989 to a private buyer for a record $12.1 Million Dollars. This desk and bookcase is going to be a version based on 4 of the 9 known examples. The four original Secretary Desks this is based on are attributed to John Goddard and are located at the Rhode Island School of Design, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library. We will be making this Desk and Bookcase out of solid South American Mahogany using a spectacular plank of figured mahogany for the Drawer Fronts, Lid, door panels and pediment panels. The interior drawer parts are all made from a single log of tiger maple. The parts will be re-sawn from the larger planks.
All Carvings are done by hand and all of the dovetail joinery is hand cut.