Federal Card Table

I am always ready to preach the virtues of animal protein glue, as well as traditional hand work.

I have written numerous articles on using glue and relating my experiences over my career with this unique material.

It occurred to me that, in Europe, the lessons of using natural glues were handed down from grandfather to father to son, but in America that tradition was not so common. More often than not, American woodworkers get their information from reading articles, other woodworkers, or too often, from the young salesman at the hardware store.

Since the early 20th century, American woodworkers have been using synthetic glues, some of them toxic, none of them really reversible, instead of cooking glue in a double boiler.

Therefore, I decided to write an article on what your grandfather neglected to tell you about protein glues. It appeared in Issue #197 (March/April 2008) of Fine Woodworking under the title: "Hide Glue, Age-Old Technology Has Unmatched Advantages."

Since some of the features of hot glue are its fast tack and easy clean up with water, as well as the fact that it doesn't stain the wood and is transparent to finishes, it is perfect to use for inlay, and hammer veneering techniques. So I needed a project which could put this glue to good use, and selected a simple Federal card table.

I had in stock a quantity of nice large Honduras mahogany crotch veneer, and I picked out three matching sheets for the top. It was a simple matter to shape the apron and legs at the bench and I used the liquid Old Brown Glue to glue up the bricklaid apron elements. I went through Montgomery's American Federal book and found some designs for the shell and eagle marquetry features. Those were cut out using the "chevalet de marqueterie" and shaded in hot sand for dramatic effect.

After the article was published and the table was finished, I sold it to a client who lived in Reno and delivered it there before I could even get a good photograph of it for my use. Years went by and I forgot about the table, until this client moved to San Diego and asked me to pick up the table for cleaning.

Now that it is back on the bench, I am pleased that it looks "right" and that the workmanship is "not bad". It could use more polish, as I only put a few thin coats of shellac on it before it left the shop. After a good cleaning and more polish, I expect it to look even more authentic.