Thread: Rosewood side table

Ist coat of lacquer to get things started.
Regards Rod.

Looks great, Rod.

When you say Rosewood, are you talking about the stuff that grows in the southeast that also gets called "Scented Rosewood" or "Rose Mahogany"? I never managed to get my hands on any while there, unfortunately, but it sure looks great when used for classy furniture.

Glad to see you putting the new workbench to good use!

Cheers,
Luke

Cheers Luke,
If you want one of the local vernacular's New South Wales scented rosewood. As I said one of my favorite timbers to work with the fragrance as you cut,it is so consistent in density and great to work. In the lathe you just get a cut going and lean on in and the cut is so smooth. The grain is so tight it gives a beautiful surface to finish. You are correct the bench is great and certainly makes the job a pleasure I must say it is nice to just look at it but far nicer to work with(a piece of furniture on it's own).
Regards Rod

Regards Rod.

Looks good, Rod. And yep, a good bench is way better to use than just look at!

I suspected it was Scented Rosewood (Dysoxylon fraserianum), as it certainly didn't look much like 'NG Rosewood' and even less like the 'real' rosewoods (Dalbergia spp.), and 'Western' Rosewood (Acacia rhodoxylon) would make even a small table like that weigh a ton. Darned 'common names'!

Luke, D. fraserianum is one of the nicest woods to work with, but it's in very short supply, these days, so it's no wonder you didn't get your hands on any. According to the "Rainforest Trees of Aust." book, some of the other Dysoxylons have pretty much the same properties, without the scent. Unfortunately, they aren't commercial species either.

The Dysoxylons are fairly close relatives of 'true' Mahogany, as is Australian cedar, but much denser & less prone to marking than Cedar. In fact, I would much prefer it to the genuine Mahogany (mostly Fijian plantation stuff) I've worked with. It's crisp to saw & chisel, planes easily to a sheen, & fills the shed with its unique spicy scent. It comes up beautifully with most finishes, but I was warned by an old professional cabinetmaker not to try French-polishing it. He told me it goes on ok, & looks fine initially, but starts peeling off about a month later! I got my hands on just enough for this occasional table, about 12 years ago, & because I thought it was unlikely I'd ever get much more, I went a bit ott with it: occ table2.jpg
I finished it with Danish oil and it has been waxed about once every 4 years. Apart from its susceptibility to water marks, and a dog having a light chew on one leg, there've been no problems with the oil finish......

Cheers,

Hi Ian,

"I got my hands on just enough for this occasional table, about 12 years ago, & because I thought it was unlikely I'd ever get much more, I went a bit ott with it" (I don't know how to put in part of a quote)

You sure did that table has it all going on, has that top moved in the photo it looks a little warped.
You are right it is getting very difficult to get hold of I was very fortunate a recently to get a piece to re make the top for a dressing table that I made my wife many years ago the original timber was not dry and as a result over time it cupped and split and the joint in the boards opened up I was not happy (was not told the truth by the guy I got it from) I was told it was dry and stable.
That being said when I recently tried to get a replacement piece to re make the top 1500x500x40 in one clean piece it took a while to find but eventually I did and what a beautiful piece it is from Mal Ward at Boutique timbers.

I have got another coat on this little table and the grain is jumping out the flash really doesn't do it justice.
Regards Rod.

Originally Posted by Rod Gilbert

...... has that top moved in the photo it looks a little warped.....

Hi Rod, no, the top is perfectly flat, it's just distortion from the lens I used that makes it looked curved. I think the wood I had was also far from dry when I got it, but I took so long to decide what to do with it, it had well & truly equilibrated by the time I started on the table.

It's a real tragedy that the Dysoxylons have become rare woods. I'm surprised they didn't establish a few plantations, or at least tried to preserve areas with good stands. Perhaps they did try, & found that like Red Cedar, they are too susceptible to insect attack or disease when grown in close proximity?

The first pic of the top shows that distinct grain pattern of Rosewood very nicely......

Cheers,

Edit: If you want to put in a part-quote, just hit "reply with quote", then delete the bits in the original that you don't need. I wish folks would do that more often, particularly with the pics when quoting picture-heavy posts......