Nightstand

Woodworking

Overview

The nightstand is a quintessential piece of furniture that is the first things you see in the morning and the last thing you see at night. It caps every day. And while often overlooked, it's design has an outsized impact on one's life. Therefore, it merits special effort to create a design that is both beautiful and harmonious for the user.

Role: Designer and Builder
Timeline: April-August 2023
Tools: Saws, chisels, pencil, paper, hand planes, etc

Research and ideation

A nightstand is traditionally a very simple piece of furniture. After hours of research it was clear that the top of the nightstand was too fundamental to change. A traditional rectangular top with a simple sliding drawer is perfect. What can be changed are the legs and the choice of wood; figured black walnut, known its workability and elegance. For the legs, strips of wood permanently bent with steam to reach their final unique shape.

Prototyping: Design and Decisions

The overall design for the nightstand. Bookmatched figured walnut for the top, legs permanently curved into shape using steam, and a solid circular base.

Surface Area: A large surface leaves room for clutter. A 15x15" top leaves enough room for a phone charger, a custom lamp, and a book. Everything else can fit in the drawer where it belongs.

Height: 30" is the ideal height for the nightstand given the proportions of my current mattress frame. It's low enough to be out of the way while staying well within reach.

Joinery: All eight legs have accompanying mortises on both the base and the top where the legs will fit in. Each end of each leg is embedded 1/4" into the wood to create a strong and seamless transition.

Construction

Wood Selection: Black Walnut

The proper dedication to the construction and design of a project warrants using the best wood. It may be more expensive, but for something beautiful that will be seen every day of my life no price is too high.

Milling the wood

With saws, hand planes, and a planer, I cut all of the pieces of into their final shapes so they could be put together later.

Gluing the top

Gluing four pieces of wood together simultaneously is extremely difficult. To overcome this issue I build my own jig that allowed for the even distribution of pressure across all four sides of the top.

Creating the base

Like a mug or a wine glass, the base of the nightstand had be hollowed out in the bottom to increase stability. This was accomplished with a massive gouge chisel.

The matching lamp

From left to right:
The jig I made to steam bend the wood into the desired shape.
What the wood looks like after steaming and clamping.
The base of the lamp prior to applying a finish.
The final product. A steam bent lamp that matches the nightstand it rests upon.

Going Clockwise:
The jig I made to steam bend the wood into the desired shape.
What the wood looks like after steaming and clamping.
The base of the lamp prior to applying a finish.
The final product. A steam bent lamp that matches the nightstand it rests upon.

Finishing The Top

This is why choosing the best wood is so important. This bookmatched figured walnut was finished with a homemade 17th century varnish made from melting down raw white copal and natural oils

Installing The Legs

With all the other part completed it was time to install the legs. Each leg was fitted into its corresponding slot and glued in place.

The Final Product

The final product. The result of hundreds of dollars and dozens of hours of work spent transforming by idea into reality so that it may be enjoyed for the rest of my life.