The history of the design, from Darrell Peart:
The Fremont Nightstand came about as many designs do from a client request. My client had purchased an Aurora Chest of Drawers and wanted two three-drawer Nightstands as companions. My Aurora nightstand only had one drawer, and in my mind, adding two more drawers to the design simply would not work.
I had to start fresh. I decided to retain the single drawer from the Aurora NS as the top drawer for the new piece. I also decided upon case construction (as opposed to legs and aprons) – which allowed me to use the tapered leg from the Chest of Drawers.
It had been a few years since I had designed the Chest of Drawers and in the meantime some tweaks to the design had been bouncing around in my head. The most important of these was a re-work of the leg to add a sort of corbel at the top. In my mind the corbel reaches out and gives added visual support to the top.
This was one of those magical designs that took form as if I were just sitting back and watching the process take place. Subconsciously, I think I had worked out much of this design even before I had the client request.
The biggest problem this piece presented was – what to name it! I already had an Aurora Nightstand – and I did not want to go with Aurora Nightstand II. So thinking back – the original inspiration for my Aurora series came when standing in line at the grocery store while looking out the window to the arches in the Aurora Bridge. The Aurora Bridge connects the Fremont District in Seattle with Queen Anne. I was standing on the Fremont side of the bridge. If I had been standing on the Queen Anne side – that would have complicated things!
18 Lessons Included
| 1. |
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Intro & LumberDesign inspiration for the Fremont Nightstand, as well as wood choice, and wood preparation. |
24:34 |
| 2. |
 |
End PanelsThe sides of the nightstand consist of a panel, a faux divider strip, and top and bottom rail. |
19:35 |
| 3. |
 |
Legs & End AssemblyThe legs are cut to shape and attached to the side panels. |
14:24 |
| 4. |
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Back Panel & Web FramesThe back panel and web frames come together and all parts that connect the side panels are cut at the same time. |
8:37 |
| 5. |
 |
Case JoineryStrategic placement of biscuits is the key to getting the case together. |
12:02 |
| 6. |
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Arched Drawer DividerThe rail is cut to shape and used to create templates for the drawer fronts. |
7:58 |
| 7. |
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Case AssemblyThe case parts come together with the help of some glue and biscuits. |
13:56 |
| 8. |
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Drawer Fronts & SidesThe drawer parts are measured and cut to size. |
8:52 |
| 9. |
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Finger JointsThe drawer fronts are joined to the sides via proud finger joints. |
14:44 |
| 10. |
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Shaping, Grooves, & HolesThe drawer parts have a number of small details that need to be added before assembly. |
15:30 |
| 11. |
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Pillowing & Drawer AssemblyThe drawer fingers are pillowed and the drawers are assembled. |
21:30 |
| 12. |
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Drawer RunnersDrawer runners are installed so the drawers are located perfectly. |
7:41 |
| 13. |
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Drawer Pull OptionsTwo options for a custom drawer pull. |
13:20 |
| 14. |
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Ebony PlugsClassic ebony plugs are buffed to a shine and cut to size. |
9:33 |
| 15. |
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Breadboard TopThe top panel and breadboards are cut to size and joined together. |
24:26 |
| 16. |
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Ebony SplinesThe ebony splines add an attractive and compelling detail to the breadboard top. |
19:20 |
| 17. |
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Final DetailsLooking for flaws and raising the grain in preparation for stain. |
9:13 |
| 18. |
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FinishingThe stain and finish are applied to the nightstand. |
19:19 |
jellingburg (verified owner) –
There are some great insights in this series apart from building the actual nightstand. I thoroughly enjoyed this instruction.
mikemenifee (verified owner) –
Darrell is a great instructor. Engaging, a great story teller and makes the complicated less so. Really enjoyed. Hope Darrell makes another appearance.
Eddie Shepard (verified owner) –
There is so much here for you to learn even if you are not someone who plans on building this piece anytime soon. Darrell covers everything from design considerations to some neat tricks to perform some tasks that could help you on most any project. I think this was well worth my money and it is a project that I know I will come back to and watch again even if I never end up building it. Unfortunately for me, my wife is not keen on this style so I will have to come up with someone to make this for as a gift! I would highly recommend this project for anyone!
Christopher Allen (verified owner) –
Darrell does an amazing job in this series. I learned tons of little tricks that really demystified some of the more complicated Greene and Greene techniques! Can’t wait to build it!