Nightstands done

I finished the pair of sapele nightstands and gave them to my son for his birthday.  They came out better than I had reason to expect since they were learning exercises built with no plan at all.  Basically I built the stands around the drawers I made, the dimensions of which were based on scrap pieces on hand.

There are a couple of things worth noting about them.  First, I created a uniform shadow line around the drawers with a chamfer and I really like the way it looks.  The chamfer is slightly larger on the bottom to produce the uniform look.

Second, this sapele looks really nice to my eye.  I like the wavy grain and the color is distinctive.

With no plan there was bound to be a surprise along the way.  There wasn't room to attach the top in the usual way as there was only 1/2" between the drawer and the side.  I handled this by attaching the back with a cleat and epoxying a series of 1" long pieces to the sides and top.  This can be done because the grain on the sides and top run in the same direction.  I am nervous about this but I did test them and they appear to be very secure.  Time will tell I guess.  I'm not sure how to avoid this with this design except to use thicker legs, which I don't like.

You either like simple, clean designs like this or you don't.  They are my favorite.  They let the wood do the talking and celebrate function.  To my eye, any embellishment would take away from their appearance.  I am even somewhat ambivalent about the brass knobs.