Fern Stand

This Charles Limbert table was sold as a fern stand, but it's a great addition to any home.

- Willie Sandry

At first glance, Arts & Crafts style furniture often looks simple to build. Afterall, there are no turned legs or intricate moldings to contend with. But most notable antique pieces from this era have a deceiving level of complexity. This Limbert style #802 Fern Stand has several features that you notice on closer inspection. A series of "Ebon-Oak" inlays adorn this compact plant stand and give the piece a unique aesthetic. In fact, there are 20 individual square inlays, some connected by thin strips of inlay.

1 Mill leg stock 11/2" square and crosscut them to 291/2" long. A single-runner sled works best because it allows a taller blade height than double-runner sleds.

Then you may notice a subtle arch detail on the upper rails that echoes the curve on the lower rails. This detail seems to elicit a universal woodworker response; "How'd they do that?" And while there are certainly two or three ways to accomplish this detail, I'll share a simple method that helps keep the parts centered on the legs, so the slats will fit as intended. Finally, there's the inset top panel detail, a hallmark of later Charles Limbert desks and occasional tables. This exposes the top of the legs and a bit of the top rails, so make sure your joinery looks good before gluing this fern stand together!

2 Cut 3/8" wide mortises. If you use a hollow chisel mortiser, set depth of cut slightly less than 15/16", to preserve the mortise walls where the 2 cuts intersect.

Legs are Straightforward