Thread: Jarrah coffee table

Nice table wongo, hope you post photos of the finished article.

Cheers
Michael

Originally Posted by Groggy

Love the table Wongo.

How much thinking did you do to match the grain and colours? Looks like some of the timber is a deeper purple colour than the rest, but serves to highlight the drawers and the magazine rails.

Zero. I don’t normally go out of my way to match grain and colour. I use whatever is available and I try to have as little off-cuts as possible. Wood is wood I usually let nature work it out.

However, I do pay a lot more attention when it is for a client.

Originally Posted by HappyHammer

Bloody big remote control...

HH.

Actually, shallow drawers will make the whole thing out of proportion.

Originally Posted by Wongo

Actually, shallow drawers will make the whole thing out of proportion.

I don't want to get into a d&m about the drawers but IMHO I don't think it would look out of proportion if the drawers were not so deep. I guess it looks a bit chunky to my eye, maybe the elegance will be revealed once it's finished.

HH.

That jarrah will look great when the finish goes on.

I like the drawers and shelves. Plenty of places to get remotes, papers and sketches off the top. Very practical.

My concern would be the square corners on the top. I tend to bump into corners and little kids don't seem to realise there is a table in the way until they hit it.
Jarrah doesn't have as much give as skin and bone.

Even though I like the look of neat square edges, I usually round them off.

Nice work on the dovetails as usual.

You are right Scally. Jarrah looks great with the finish on. So far I rubbed 2 coats of poly/linseed oil/tung oil on it and my goodness it is beautiful. If anyone who is looking for a fool proof finish then this is one you should try.

Big drawers are good because the girls can fill them with colour pencils and paper. It might take a couple of days but they will be full.

The square corners are not sharp at all but if they do hurt themselves they go to the hospital no big deal.

That is very thoughtful of you and you do have a hospital close by.

I made a jarrah coffee table for my 20 year old daughter. Even after several years of parties it hardly shows a mark and the finish ( oil/poly mix) still looks and feels good.

Originally Posted by NCArcher

Very nice Wongo.
Why the extra piece either side of the base panel?

Could it be that Wongo measured twice and not three time before he cut the timber

Good work Wongo. The draws will be filled in no time!

Zelk

Originally Posted by zelk

Could it be that Wongo measured twice and not three time before he cut the timber

I like that.

Actually I like to do something different every time. Here are a couple of examples.

Originally Posted by Scally

My concern would be the square corners on the top. I tend to bump into corners and little kids don't seem to realise there is a table in the way until they hit it.
Jarrah doesn't have as much give as skin and bone.

Don't worry, kids are fast learners.

That's why you should always have two kids.....keep one for spare parts.

The top is attached to the base with wooden buttons. I installed some drawer stops so the children cannot pull them out.

I will leave it to dry for one more night and it will be ready to be used tomorrow. Can’t wait.

Nice work

Originally Posted by Wongo

For the finish it will be wipe-on poly for the top, poly/oil mix for the carcass, Danish oil + wax for the drawers.

As a matter of interest, why all the different finishes and not just one?

Looks great by the way.

Hi Wongo,

Top job indeed. Like it !!! Also like your dovetail proportions, very nice look.

Very traditional drawer design, (the bottom) really like that, and the other example too Wongo. Thanks for sharing.

Cheers
Pops