Krenov-Inspired Display Stand

Marc Spagnuolo

James Krenov (1920–2009) is a renowned furniture maker who influenced countless modern woodworkers with his woodworking and writing. Krenov is perhaps best known for his amazing cabinets, typically held aloft by a set of beautiful long sweeping legs. Our friend and fellow woodworker Tom Buhl built his own version of a Krenov-inspired display stand and let us use his design as a starting point. While not truly a Krenov piece, it will serve as an excellent entry point into the world of decorative cabinet-making. The stand measures 58" tall x 17" wide x 11" deep.

  • 15 lessons
  • 185 min
  • $79.00

Here's what we'll cover:

  1. Getting Started With Krenov Display Stand

    Get ready for the Krenov Display Stand!

  2. Display Stand Virtual Tour

    And introduction to the Krenov-influenced display stand design and construction.

  3. Rough Prep

    Gather your boards, select the best grain, strategize the layout, and rough mill!

  4. Case Dovetails Part 1: Layout & Cutting

    Pins vs tails first, dovetail angles, spacing/layout, the importance of cutting in the waste, and a hybrid dovetail methodology.

  5. Case Dovetails Part 2: Cleanup & Fitting

    Shoulders are cleaned up with a chisel and then it’s time to fine-tune our dovetails for a perfect fit!

  6. Drawer Guide, Notches, & Curves

    Before the case can come together, we’ll need to install a drawer guide, cut notches, and shape the curved shelves.

  7. Case Mortises & Assembly

    Mortises are cut into the case and our case is glue together.

  8. Legs Part 1

    The legs are milled and cut to shape, but all is not well. We’ll explore sapwood and grain implications as well as an alternative milling method.

  9. Legs Part 2

    The legs are shaped using the spokeshave, rasps, scrapers, and sanding.

  10. Drawer Construction Part 1

    The drawer parts are milled and dovetails are cut; both through and half-blind.

  11. Drawer Construction Part 2

    Time to glue up the drawer, fit the drawer guide, and cut the curved drawer front!

  12. Lower Shelf & Assembly

    The case and legs are glued together with the help of some loose tenons!

  13. Risers

    Risers add additional functionality and a beautiful detail!

  14. Drawer Pull

    The drawer pull is a great place to exercise your creativity and have some fun!

  15. The Finish

    The display stand becomes a piece of furniture with the application of a wiping varnish and a lesson on finishing the finish.

What You’ll Receive:

  • Detailed cut list and plans including a PDF and a SketchUp file (Metric and Imperial).
  • Hours of detailed video instruction showing every step of the build, from wood selection to finishing.

What You’ll Learn:

  • Short and long curved templates
  • Cutting & finessing long compound curved legs
  • Router-cut loose mortise & tenon joinery
  • Drawer construction with dovetails and centered drawer guide
  • Dovetail case construction
  • Notched shelf installation
  • Wiping varnish finish application

What You’ll Need:

  • Wood – Bell Forest Lumber Packages are available here (Guild members get 10% off with code).
  • Tablesaw (alternatives: Circular Saw, Bandsaw, Hand Saw)
  • Planer/Jointer (alternative: purchase pre-milled lumber kits or use hand planes)
  • Bandsaw (alternative: Jigsaw)
  • Router
  • Miter Saw (alternative: Cross-cut Sled or Miter Gauge at Table Saw)
  • Hand Tools – Saw, basic bench plane, chisels, scrapers

Reviews:

I had fun building this project. I probably made it more challenging than it needed to be by hand cutting all the dovetails, but that’s what I do even if they don’t turn out as pristine as the machine cut method Marc used. The legs are certainly more challenging that you would think at first glance, and I made those more challenging also by adding a taper at both the top and the bottom. I used sinker mahogany for the case, ash for the legs, and lacewood for the drawer front. I also added some wedged 1/4″ dowels on the underside of the case on each side to act as drawer stops once it was all finished.

american_buffalo
Guild Member

An enjoyable build

I’ll admit that I really disliked this piece at first glance, but over time it grew on me. With more than a few builds under my belt, I wouldn’t describe this one as especially challenging, but the 12/4 lumber threw me a few curveballs which kept things interesting. Anyway, as I’ve come to expect, Marc’s expert instruction didn’t disappoint and the videos covered every last detail so even a relative newbie should be able to achieve a great result.

chexxchexx
Guild Member
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About Your Instructor:

Marc is a podcaster, video producer, woodworking enthusiast, and author of Hybrid Woodworking and Essential Joinery. He has contributed articles and video content to FineWoodworking.com, Popular Woodworking Magazine, WOOD Magazine, and Woodcraft Magazine. He is also the host of The Wood Whisperer, an instructional woodworking video series that’s been going strong since 2006. He is also one of the hosts of the Wood Talk podcast. He has taught classes at the William Ng School, Marc Adams School, Weekend with Wood, Fine Woodworking Live, as well as at various Rockler and Woodcraft stores. He also speaks periodically at woodworking events like AWFS and IWF.