Woodworker: Brian Doody

In search of a challenging project, Doody turned to the secretary on the cover of Mike Dunbar’s book Federal Furniture (The Taunton Press, 1986). He strayed only minimally from the original, adding walnut-burl veneer to the drawer fronts and pediment. The cabinet is walnut with dovetailed top and bottom carcases, and the drawer bottoms and cabinet back are maple plywood with walnut veneer. The piece took almost 400 hours to complete. The secretary has glass shelves and a leather writing surface and is finished with four coats of tung oil and one coat of wax.

Photo: Brian Doody