Student Design
Rhode Island Federal Serpentine Chest of Drawers
John Kruis / Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology

I chose this specific project to challenge myself and learn more about cutting and laying out veneer, as well as the construction and application of decorative banding and inlay accents. Since this is an interpretation of an existing piece in Winterthur Museum, I matched the mahogany crotch veneer and mahogany straight grain veneer edgebanding on the drawer fronts and feet to stay true to the original. To cover the stack laminations of the serpentine drawer fronts and miter joints in the feet, I used a backer veneer, NBL or No Black Line. The use of this backer veneer enabled me to inlay both the fans and the banding, made of primavera and dyed anigre, in my face veneers in the flat before laminating the veneers to the substrate. By making these elements myself, I was able to control the species, scale, and style of the accents, which were all crucial to remaining true to the original piece.

“This project displayed superior cabinetry involving flat and curved surfaces.” - Mike Taylor