How to Design Rustic Furniture

Rustic furniture can have a place in any décor, whether as a single unique accent piece or an entire suite of primitive, hand-made furnishings. One of the most popular rustic looks features "pioneer" furniture-making methods using logs, tree limbs and sticks to form practical furnishings like chairs, tables and beds. While there are blueprints and assembly kits available, you can also design and construct pieces reflecting your own ideas.

Things You'll Need

• Supply of clean, straight logs and limbs
• Hand planes
• Portable router
• Mortise bits
• Power drill (impact type)
• Tenon bits
• Rubber mallet
• Reference photographs
• Wood glue
• Measuring tape
• Wood sealant (optional)
• Fasteners (optional)

Instructions

1. Practice making mortise-and-tenon joints. These joints are common in rustic wood "log" furniture designs. The mortise is a cavity carved into one log at the joint. The tenon is a corresponding peg carved into another log at the joint. The tenon peg fits into the mortise hole very tightly, holding the two logs together. Really well made mortise-and-tenon joints require no glue and no fasteners. Practice making these special joints on scrap logs and sticks until you have confidence in your skills. Once you conquer this craft, your rustic furniture design creativity will be unleashed.

2. Find suitable supplies of logs, limbs and sticks. Look for wood stock from hardwoods like maple, oak, walnut and fir for the most durable furniture. Softer woods, like pine, are easier to carve. Soak pine limbs in water and bend them to desired shapes. In some locations around the United States, like the Southwest, you can often buy wood logs and limbs at home improvement stores. In your region, keep an eye out for tree clearing operations. Select the straightest logs you can find, preferably with few side branches. Limbs and twigs that are naturally twisted or bent out of shape can inspire designs, however.

3. Prepare the wood for furniture making. Strip away any unsightly bark for a "peeled" look. Inspect the wood for signs of any bug infestations. Treat any desirable logs or limbs that show signs of bugs with insecticide products. Plane or shave down any unwanted humps where smaller limbs connected to the log.

4. Sketch your design ideas. Use photographs or drawings of rustic furniture as a reference point. Notice how furniture is cross-braced for stability. Most furniture pieces need at least four "legs" that are connected together with mortise-and-tenon joints. You may need two or more sets of cross bracing on legs if the limbs are slender.

5. Construct your furniture. Plan for 15 percent more wood than needed to allow for mishaps. Carve mortise-and-tenon joints one at a time; do not try to manufacture these joints in a "factory" manner. Use wood glue on the joints for extra strength. For a more authentic look avoid using visible metal fasteners.

6. Finish the furniture to suit. True rustic furniture is not finished with any sealer--oil from your hands will create a soft patina over time. However, you can apply coats of polyurethane to seal the wood and provide a subtle sheen.

Tips & Warnings

• There are several brands of tenon-making tools and bits on the market. Some tenon bits work with ordinary power impact drills. You can also purchase mortise-making bits for use in routers. These tools come in all sizes and are suitable for all kinds of mortise-and-tenon joint making.

References

• "Making Rustic Furniture;" Dan Mack;1996
• Making Rustic Furniture
• Mortise and Tenon Joints

Resources

• Tenon Cutting Bits
• Mortise Cutting Bits
• Hand Peeled Log Supplies