Happy Fourth of July. I have a day off work and no family activities until later this evening, so I got several hours to work in the shop. It’s amazing how much faster things progress when you’re actually spending time in the shop rather than just thinking about it.
I re-sawed a scrap of figured Mahogany for the main part of the sconce tops, and cut a shoulder on the ends for the breadboard end caps according to the plans I drew up. Having dimensions already figured out turns out to be useful too!
Exploded View of Top Assembly
I used my little router table to machine the stopped slot in the end caps, then squared the ends up with a chisel. Then I dropped the chisel, nicked the end and spent half an hour moving my sharpening bench from the metalworking shop to my wood shop, and re-establishing the edge and honing it sharp.
Slots in End Caps
Then a dry assembly to make sure everything fits nicely. I had to take a few shavings off of the tenons to get a nice press fit in the end caps. The stock is all smoothed with a plane, but I’ll go over it with 220 to ease the edges before the final assembly. Now on to the Ebony Plugs.
Test Fit of the Top
I made up a little story stick for the layout of the Ebony plugs and used it to set up the stop blocks on the router table. I cut extra parts on every step in case I ruin one. I use them to make test cuts, and when I screw up I’m always glad to have the backup parts.
Story Stick for End Caps
Test Cut, Looks Right on the Money
After routing the slots I squared up the ends with a chisel. By the time I got through I was doing a reasonably accurate job, but the first few were a little sloppy. It’s easier to square the ends with a smaller chisel I find, rather than using one that matches the width of the slot. I used the four best parts and threw the last one away.
Working on the Ebony Pegs
I sanded a pillow shape on the end of the square plugs with 220,. 400, 600 and 1,000, then cut it off with a bench hook and a stop. I figured out all of my dimensions do that the plugs all sit at the same height, but in retrospect I wish I’d set them a skosh lower. To my eye they sit just a little too high compared to original Greene & Greene stuff I’ve seen.
Cutting off a plug after shaping the face
I sanded all the Mahogany parts with 220, and rounded over the edges on the breadboard ends. The plugs are glued in, and the breadboard ends are glued only in the middle one inch of the tenon so the rest of the top can expand and contract. I still need to drill the hole in the middle for the lamp socket, make the wall bracket and figure out a few assembly details, but the end is in sight.
Both Sconce Tops Sanded and Glued Up
Two Sconces
McGlynn on Making 
Those look really nice! Was it scary routing those small pieces? How will you do the glass? Can’t wait to see them with finish on.
No, not scary at all. I had stop blocks set up to control the cuts and I never cut more then the diameter of the of the bit in depth in one pass. It was very controllable.
I’m toying with the idea of doing the stained glass myself. I’ll probably get a price for having someone do it for me, then justify the purchase of the tools so I can do it myself. I can’t imagine it’s that tough.
I’m eager to see it with finish too. I’m going to do a coat of linseed oil, then a couple of coats of garnet shellac, then some black wax. I’m working on the wall brackets today, I might be able to finish them up this weekend although I have a slight detour to rework my table saw. More on that later.