Mission Furniture: How to Make It, Part 3 — Story, Setting & Ideas

From Stock List to Assembly

Each project opens with a precise bill of materials: for the quarter-sawed oak settee, the list includes four posts 3¼ by 3¼ by 36½ inches, end rails, slats, and front and back rails up to 87 inches long. The author then directs the maker to begin with the ends, cutting posts to length and chamfering tops and bottoms to prevent splintering. Mortises are laid out and cut, tenons fitted, and the ends assembled with glue and through pins. On side rails, pins are left projecting for later removal, and no glue is used—a detail that allows disassembly.

This sequential approach recurs throughout: the sewing box is built as a simple nailed box before burlap and oak slats are applied; the library table’s legs are joined with mortise-and-tenon before the top is attached. Windsor often suggests strengthening joints—dovetailing the sewing box corners, for instance—but leaves the choice to the workman. The instructions assume the reader can interpret drawings and adapt techniques, offering options rather than rigid prescriptions.

Burlap, Slats, and the Mission Surface

Several projects incorporate burlap panels beneath oak slats, a distinctive Mission detail. For the sewing box, green burlap is glued to the exterior, with care taken to avoid soaking the fabric. Oak strips are mitered and fitted over the burlap, fastened with small brass screws. Red burlap squares are inserted between the slats before permanent fastening. The top lid is covered with green burlap, edges lapped under side strips, and may be stuffed with excelsior held by large-headed tacks.

The author advises removing slats before staining to avoid spotting the burlap, and notes that the weave should run the same direction on all sides. This layered construction—wood frame, fabric, applied slats—creates a textured surface that defines the Mission aesthetic. Similar treatments appear in the window seat and screen, where burlap is combined with quarter-sawed oak. The instructions treat these materials as interchangeable with solid wood, emphasizing the handmade, craft-oriented nature of the pieces.

Joinery and the Logic of Disassembly

Windsor’s joinery choices reveal a practical mind: the settee’s side rails are pinned without glue so they can be removed, while end rails are glued and pinned permanently. This distinction allows the piece to be knocked down for transport or repair—a feature rarely mentioned in period manuals. The sewing box can be dovetailed for durability, but nailed construction is presented as acceptable. The chafing-dish buffet uses screws for fastening, with a detail showing how to hide screw heads.

The author frequently notes that mortises must be carefully cut, especially when slats are set in without shoulders. He recommends through-pinning tenons for strength, and in the settee, the pins on side rails are left projecting to be withdrawn. This attention to joinery as both structural and practical—allowing future disassembly—gives the instructions a longevity-minded quality. The workman is encouraged to think beyond the immediate build.

Finishing and the Workman’s Discretion

Finishing instructions are brief but specific: slats should be removed before staining to avoid marking the burlap; the oak table’s construction includes a note on scraping and sandpapering all parts before assembly. The author assumes the maker will choose a stain color to suit personal taste, offering no fixed formula. For the settee, he emphasizes that the wide boards must be thoroughly seasoned to prevent cracking—a warning that acknowledges the limitations of green lumber.

Throughout, Windsor leaves room for the workman’s judgment: dovetails are optional, slat arrangements can be varied, and the top of the sewing box may be stuffed or left flat. The text does not prescribe a single correct method but presents alternatives, trusting the reader to decide. This open-endedness, combined with the precise stock lists and step-by-step assembly, makes the volume a flexible reference rather than a rigid pattern book.

Readers approaching this volume should have a basic workshop and familiarity with mortise-and-tenon joinery. The projects vary in complexity, from a simple book trough to the large quarter-sawed settee, so starting with smaller pieces like the piano bench or fern stand is advisable. Pay close attention to the stock lists: dimensions are given for surfaced lumber, and allowances must be made if planing rough stock. The illustrations are essential for visualizing details not fully described in text, so keep them at hand while working.

I sometimes think of Mission Furniture's quiet insistence on joining things properly—mortise meeting tenon—and then recall Electric Transmission of Water Power — Background and Themes, where distant rivers learn to speak through wire. Both whisper of patience, of hidden connections made sound. Old friends, those two, shelved apart but nodding to one another across the decades.