Windsor Desk

I am continually to getting the opportunity to build new and interesting items.  I most enjoy the challenge of building something which I have never done before.   The following is an account of one of my more interesting and challenging projects.

Windsor Desk:

This Windsor inspired desk has proven to be a real challenge.  Inspired by a birdcage style chair I designed the desk to be as light and airy as possible.  The space for the desk is limited and the client wanted the space to feel as open a possible.  The Crescent shape was determined by the need for traffic flow through the space in several different directions.

The challenge was to bend the kiln dried Mahogany into the required shapes.  Even though the grain of the wood was straight, it required multiple attempts, as the kiln-dried mahogany was not very pliable.  Through trial and error I discovered that steaming the wood in the steam box for at least an hour then letting it remain in the moist environment of the steam box for another 24 hours helped considerably.  A good head of steam, lots of clamps, a well constructed bending form and patients were still required.  In the end success!