Jeff Segal Cabinetmaker - Handmade furniture in the Arts and Crafts tradition

English cherry bookcase

Cherry bookcase three-quarters viewCherry bookcase dovetails and tenons

Cherry bookcase from frontCherry bookcase with doors open

Bookcase in solid English cherry with cedar of Lebanon panels

It's rare to find a large piece of furniture like this made entirely from solid wood (except the back panel of the cupboard at the bottom, which is veneered MDF). The cupboard and the top section are dovetailed or mortice and tenoned in English cherry (Prunus avium), the wild cherry of woods and orchards and a more rugged and beautiful timber than the commonplace American cherry.

The cherry for this piece came from Bepton Wood in West Sussex, just off the South Downs Way near the village of Cocking.

The doors and the back of the upper shelving unit are both panelled in cedar of Lebanon (Cedrus libani), a pink-toned softwood with a fluid grain. Every component, every detail, every moulding on this bookcase is hand-crafted and the rows of exposed tenons and dovetails make a striking decorative feature. The doorknobs were turned by Ian Audsley, a cabinetmaker who worked for many years with the renowned Arts and Crafts designer Gordon Russell in Broadway, Gloucestershire.

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