Repetitive motion

Hands and tools

Dust systems

Edging

Marking

Tablesaw attachment

Detail

Like a river running through canyon walls

Next up; writing desk

Heres the design for the next project

There she is

So the table is done and ready for delivery. I really like this piece. In the words of the great craftsman James Krenov "It looks better than even I could have done". Thats not to say that ego is tops, it says that craftsmanship can produce something so nice in its own right, the maker can love it and be proud but the piece stands by its self, asking to be touched and admired, used and loved.

Finishing the finish

Once the finish is laid on as smooth as I can, I let it rest and harden. Then I lightly but thoroughly sand it and steel wool, this knocks the sheen down. After I apply a secret process, I polish it back up with cloth and elbow grease. Thus gives me the look of luster, not shine, to the finish. The top surface has some carved dips and valleys, swirls and texture, these details come out when I get my luster, its just so nice to run your hands on, to feel the craftsman's moves, the makers mark.

Fun part

After all the planning and work its a real payoff when the finish goes on and the wood comes alive with color and balance. I can see some potential for the use of the inlay as an edge detail on other work.

Detail in the top

I want to run a detail of walnut down the middle of the two juniper boards, something to unite the base wood and add a subtle yet challenging detail to the top.

So the gap is a little wider at one end than the other, sort of like a small river, as the sides get closed in the water twists and turns a little, I've bunched the pieces of end grain at that end also, making them a little smaller and tighter.

Oil on the base

There is just a little work left on the top so we can go ahead and start to oil the base parts. 

The walnut has a rich color and grain, it will be a great contrast to the top. 

A solid look for the support of the table.

Prepping the top

Cracks and "defects" are part of the juniper planks, they reveal the age and stresses these magnificent   trees endure during their life, they tell part of the story. To keep them functional as a table top I fill the cracks with clear epoxy, letting us see through the gaps but keeping out the bread crumbs.

Inspiration

 There is always overlap in my shop, one piece flows into another.

I like having a piece on the bench, a design on the drawing table 

and finished furniture to deliver.

Its a good flow.

You gotta fit in a little sharpening......

 and hiking....... 

to find inspiration

New table, old planks

This new dining table is inspired by the last one I made, only it has some different elements. The overall size is bigger and will use these two magnificent planks I've had in my collection for years. They have some core wood that is over 500 years old. Juniper grows very slowly here in the southwest, producing boards of tremedous color and beautiful grain, as well as growth rings so very close together they show a dendro chronology ring sample that covers nearly 500 years. These trees are only harvested when they are dead and down, and then they get custom milled. 

How about that for a planer!

Here is the lumber for the base, solid 2" thick planks of walnut that come for the midwest.

Fitting the top, making magic.

Now its time to take these two planks and make some sense of them.

Fitting them together to make a visually interesting and functional top is the goal. Why not a nice little serpentine, increasingly curved line between the two, to blend them and get rid of the rough outer edges, leave the nicer book matched edges exposed. 

All the while taking the book math pattern and flipping it so the wider ends meet the narrow ends, thus using a book match set in a unique way, leaving a more rectangular table from two uneven planks. 

Sounds easy, no? Its only magic.....

Fitting the base to the top

Putting together the base trestle ends.

Now that the base is close, I can adjust it to fit the top planks. The ends will accept the two stretchers and determine the length of the base and the wedge system to hold the trestle base together.

Dining table in Walnut and Juniper

Juniper top with a walnut trestle base, beautiful combo........ table top wood is full of grain patterns form a bookmatched set of three boards, one each facing together and one with center cut grain, making the whole top balanced and rich with opposing swirls and knots. Mother nature made such a nice tree and I feel very lucky to be able to recycle these planks into a lasting piece of furniture. The tree is one of the most recycling things on the planet, they take CO2 and give up O2, then they shade us and make the place look terrific. After they die, of course in nature they would produce homes for animals and decomposed plant matter. But when I get the chance to intervene and use this material for a piece of art. I'm thrilled, so is the client.....

A little oil

I really like oil finish, its best for the wood, for the environment and looks terrific....

Mesquite coffee table

This table is the second of this design have produced, it incorporates the mesquite mosaic top and the two levels of table top, the two top surfaces pull out and make the table larger when needed and allows access to the under glass display area. Its a really cool table and quite and engineering challenge.

Adding some carving to the table leg

Crumpets!

So, they are all ready for tea and?

These two are mesquite on the left,

and curly maple with mahogany ends on the right.

I'm using a tung oil finish, its always a pleasure to oil a finished piece,

you get to see the wood become rich and dark,

all the subtle shapes and tenons look very nice.

Even with the easy on oil, I'm wearing my respirator and gloves.

A little music please

I've got the parts shaped and ready for assembly,

its just a nice clean glue up, notice the blocks

that allow the tenons to come through behind the clams.

I'll just soften the edges of the tenon a little.

Tea or Manhattan trays

I like the idea of making a bunch of Manhattens

and carrying them out to the patio for an afternoon visit with friends.

I have the drinks, all I need now is a tea tray...

I've got the handles cut and ready for shaping,

there is a groove to accept the tray surface and a

through tenon to lock the pieces together, and 

the seasonal movement can translate to the open gap in the center. 

Stool complete!

Here's the stool all ready for a beer at at the bar!