Mancel Bolton, Bureau Table (WORLD 2021)

Country

United States of America

This bureau table was designed and built as a part of my five piece home office/study furniture collection. After researching many professionals who were forced to transition from working in a traditional office setting to a home environment during the 2020 pandemic, their needs and wishes were incorporated into this design. This bureau table is constructed of Sapele as the primary wood. With the exception of milling the rough lumber, the mortise and tenon joinery, twin tenons, dovetailed top dividers (into top legs), and the half-blind and through dovetails for the drawers and trays were done with hand tools. The rails and drawer fronts came from single boards (respectively) to ensure a continuous and uninterrupted grain flow and pattern across their surfaces. Curly Sapele veneers were used for the table's sides and back, and premium Pommele Sapele veneer was used in the table top. Tiger/curly maple make up the drawer and tray sides, along with Tulip Poplar for other secondary wooden elements. All inlays and stringing were made from curly Cherry. Each of the eight Sapele tapered legs have collar, waist, and cuff curly Cherry banding. The three drawers have traditional solid wooden bottoms (built for seasonal wood movement) with leather drawer stops and leather drawer bottom lining. All drawers are wood on wood operation and have an inlaid Cherry stringing in the shop designed and built drawer pulls. The two side drawers are for filing purposes. They have Sapele file dividers and each has an unseen compartment for private documents. The center drawer contains two spaces. The lower space is for office accessories, i.e.; computer cables, staplers, hole punches, etc. The upper space has a sliding tray for office supplies, i.e.; pens/pencils, paper clips, USB drives, etc. Both the drawer and tray have leather lined bottoms. The table frame was finished with multiple coats of oil/varnish, with a hand rubbed out finish. The drawers (interior and sides) were finished with multiple coats of 1.5# Super Blond shellac. The table top was finished with oil/varnish, multiple coats of 1.5# Super Blonde shellac, along with a topcoat of lacquer for water protection and durability. All surfaces received a final coat of premium wax, hand buffed for a final finish. Best efforts in design and craftsmanship were used to ensure a beautiful and functional piece that could be used and past down for generations.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.