I have finally let go of the dream of building all our furniture. I just don't have the time. I can crank out a nice piece every year, but I can't be depended upon for anything significant under a deadline. Bike racks, sheds, medicine cabinets, etc. I'm pretty speedy with, but not the big stuff like armoires.
Anyway, we happened upon a gently used Stickley dining set on Craigslist. We got the mission table, eight chairs, and buffet with china top. We paid a little less than 1/3 retail, which is still somewhat outrageous, but technically a good deal as it won't really depreciate from here. The seller gave us the original receipts, and it was all $14,200 new. Yikes!
The set is about 6 years old, and man is it nicely done. The previous owners pretty much ate at their bar and said they served fewer than 5 meals on this set, which is just a crying shame. We'll get use out of it weekly, and more in once the kids get past the "let's stick a fork in between the leaves" stage.
The pins, through tenons, quarter sawn oak, solid wood, the lines, it's all about like I'd want to do it if I had the time. It really is nice stuff. I'd never be able to compete with the leaded glass on the china cabinet. It's beautiful.
So, I'm a little torn. I feel bad that I didn't get the opportunity to make a set like this, but it really is nice, and I don't think I could do a significantly better job myself. It does free me up for some more personal projects, like an upcoming dollhouse for my daughter,.
-Mike