"Craftsman Desk" In Quarter-Sawn Red Oak And Walnut
This special two pedestal desk was built from hard-to-find quarter-sawn red oak,which is a full one inch thick throughout. The hand chosen black walnut borders and drawer pulls and the 3/4 inch thick, domestic, classic core walnut veneered panels trimmed in the red oak mark this as a desk for a woman of means. All mortise and tenon joinery, walnut panels mounted in recessed legs and flawless joints throughout, and dovetail drawer boxes make this desk the definition of an heirloom. The drawers float on Accuride-style ball bearing guides and the file drawers have built-in racks for letter-size file folders. It is finished on four sides for use in the middle of a room. Along with my own desk, this is as good a piece of basic woodworking and joinery as I will ever need to do. The top is wet-sanded three times, so that even this red oak is smooth as glass. And yes, at this price, you get a spare, hand fashioned drawer pull just in case:). This was shipped to the client in Ft. Worth Texas, where red oak is very popular. It does remind one of a beautiful walnut and oak stagecoach.
Type
- wood
Material
- oak
- glass
- walnut
Style
- craftsman
Base
- pedestal
Finish
- black
Meet the Maker
Jonathan Walkey
Jonathan Walkey Furniture Maker
Jonathan Walkey is retired professional furniture maker who now makes selected pieces for discriminating clients. I am a one man studio, specializing in decorative arts and crafts, mid-century, Greene & Green, etc. furniture. my own personal style generally includes contrasting hardwoods with beautiful grains and hand worked inlays. In between commissions I simultaneously work on personal studio furniture projects.
I was raised in Lincoln Massachusetts where my father was the director of the DeCordova Museum of modern art. My mother worked as an expert in fine crafts and furniture . I attended many arts and crafts classes and summer art camps at the Museum. I was trained as a silversmith at age 11 and at age 12 built a 10 foot kayak made of wood and canvas. I was a U.S. Navy trained aviation mechanic and earned my living for 15 years as a master mechanic, working mainly on motorcycles. I am also a former carpenter, criminal appellate attorney, credentialed teacher, professional writer, and painter.
Today I apply my talents and interests to building fine arts and craft furniture. My lifelong continuing education combines training of the mind with training of the hands. What you buy from Jonathan is fine art as well as heirloom quality furniture built to last many lifetimes. These qualities are reflected in the cost of my work, neither of which should ever be compared with that of commercial furniture.
Customer Reviews
Heather Gittings
Dec 12, 2014My disappointment with this project has a lot to do with the fact that delivery/completion was 2 weeks behind schedule. Jonathan was very active in contacting me regarding the progress of the table in the beginning and then all of a sudden contact stopped. I was not notified that the table would not be delivered until it was less than 24 hours before it was expected, and that put a huge cramp in my Thanksgiving plans. My guests were served a buffet using folding TV trays. The fact that he was very nonchalant about it, too, was also frustrating. He knew he had travel plans before he wrote the proposal. He told me there was "really no reason why he couldn't get it done before he left". I just feel like he bit off more than he could chew and that he had to know there was a chance that he might not finish it, being an experienced craftsman. Less than 24 hours notice before delivery was absolutely unacceptable. I had very high expectations for this project but the broken timeline, which was contracted, and his overall attitude has really ruined it all for me. The table is nice and seems well constructed, but I'm just extremely disappointed with the experience I had that I've pretty much lost interest in it before it was even delivered. I hope no one else has an experience like mine.
Hill Wellford
Oct 1, 2018I purchased his "tipi" table in cherry wood. It's great and I would definitely use him again. The woodwork is perfect and the joining hardware (it comes apart in two pieces for shipping or storage) is all metal-on-metal. He installed two captive threaded sleeves, rather than screws-into-wood, which is higher quality than I was expecting. Definitely an A-plus.
Richard Benedict
Apr 4, 2015My Wife and I originally commissioned Jonathan to build a custom lift top coffee table, as we could not find what we were looking for at any furniture stores or through online sources. While working with Jonathan on the design of this table, we quickly realized that we were working with someone that was as meticulous as I am, therefore we added 2 additional tables to the original order. All three tables are made of Bubinga and Padauk for a perfect match. Jonathan was extremely helpful in the design phase, providing suggestions that helped insure that the finished products would meet our high expectations. During the building phase, Jonathan was prompt to keep us abreast of his progress by providing pictures and email updates. Once the tables were completed, Jonathan personally delivered the three tables to our house in Nevada which allowed us to meet him, and discuss the tables. We found Jonathan easy to work with. He is a true craftsman with very high standards for his work. We would recommend him to anyone, and would not hesitate to use his talents again in the future.
devra breslow
Aug 26, 2013furnituremaker Jonathan Walkey is an outstanding craftsman, a dependable communicator. He made a perfect table. the value -- outstanding.
Rich Stokes
May 25, 2016Great experience and unbelievable craftsmanship! I would recommend and will continue to use for future projects! Thanks so much! Rich