Structural design: The rails of the original Arts and Crafts table (not shown here) required tenons with angled shoulders. One way around this issue is the base at bottom right, which has interrupted top rails and through tusk tenons on the bottom rails. The bottom left mock-up was another step along the way, removing the through tenons but adding a lap-jointed top rail joint. The final choice (above) combines straight legs, straight shoulders and a top rail joint that is assembled, not cut.
Table-edge Details to Consider
A square edge gives a crisp, hard and minimalist look. Hit corners with worn sandpaper.	Rout or plane this edge, and be sure to keep the line where the curve meets the flat top.	The radiused edges have no defining boundary; the curve melts right into the tabletop.
The top chamfer creates two defining edges, which play with light and shadow.	This bullnose molding feels commercial. It softens the edge but doesn’t define top or bottom.	This simple groove creates a second set of highlights and shadows in the edge.
An inlay planed flush or left slightly proud gives the work a crafted look.	To make the tabletop look thinner, simply plane a wider chamfer.	For a very dramatic look, bring the edge down to about 1/8" thick and radius it. Don’t worry about dings — it’ll survive.

The previous lesson began to outline why and how constructing a full-size mock-up can help you develop and refine your design for a piece of furniture. This lesson will continue with the example of the end table intended to sit alongside an overstuffed sofa in a living room. Issues related to structural and detail design will now be addressed.

Structural Design

In terms of structure, the fundamental design decision is whether to make the tabletop out of solid wood or out of a manufactured material such as plywood or MDF. This matters because solid wood moves with changes in humidity, so it can’t be a structural element. You have to make the base as a separate structure, then attach the top with some allowance for movement. As a consequence, you are going to need rails to make the structure rigid. With manufactured material, which won’t expand or contract, you can make the top be a part of the structure by screwing it directly to the legs, and you’ll probably be able to do away with one set of rails.

Structural considerations also include the size and location of the rails and of the joint that connects them to the legs.

Detail Design

The final aspect of design is in the details —the shapes of the individual parts, the treatment of edges, the size of exposed joints. After settling the larger questions of function, structure and space, these final details will tie the design together.

Composing the top: A solid-wood top will always consist of a number of boards glued on edge. Make them symmetrical around a center line so that you have either a glue line or a board on center. Try to match the color. Over time, oxidation and daylight will blend the colors. On an octagonal top, make the width of the center board match the side of the octagon.

Edges: You can leave the edge the same thickness as the top, make it thinner or make it thicker. Then you can mold it, carve it or inlay it.

Legs: The legs on the end table in the example are made from flat stock. You can use 3/4" or 1" wood. In this case, the legs come through notches in the top, so they’re uninterrupted from floor to the surface of the table.

Rails: The most important thing to get right about a rail is the relationship between its width and thickness. Because it’s low to the ground, foreshortening has the effect of making it seem too narrow in width when seen from above but not when seen from a distance. Beware the temptation to make curvy rails; it’s very hard to get right, and the rail isn’t that important in the total composition.

Joints: A lot of Arts and Crafts furniture relies on exposed joints. To go to the other extreme, the rail joint could be a stopped mortise and tenon, in which case no joint is visible.