Eric’s Upper Bureau Cabinet

This piece is my interpretation of a King George bureau upper cabinet from around 1765. I found a similar piece while browsing the web and the design intrigued me. I work a lot with reclaimed oak and had an idea for a variation which would allow me to challenge myself in design and give me some much needed practice in lathe technique and close tolerance fitting. I also tried to maintain a distinct color spectrum throughout the piece. This is always difficult with reclaimed stock.

The finished project measures approximately 10″D x 13 1/2″ H x 28 1/2″ W. It is solid oak throughout and includes tongue and groove back boards, box joint case and drawer joinery and turned and split sentinel columns. The center compartment features a hidden space and there is another as well which isn’t shown. The compartment is released by a hidden mechanism.

The finish combines honey colored stain, shellac and wax. It was fun to make and I intend to build a lower bureau to accompany it. Thanks for looking and have a great day.