gristleburger
22nd June 2006, 06:18 PM
when the wood speaks to you--you listen. either that, or its time to get out of the shop, as you've inhaled a bit to much of those finishing fumes.:rolleyes:
this table started life as several 2 "x 2 " x 14" long bubinga blocks. two faces had simple straight grain, while the other two had a wonderfully wavy character to them. wanting the most bang for my buck, i ripped the blocks into inlay slices to best expose the beauty of the wood on the "touch surfaces" of my project. the table perimeter seemed the best area for it.
i started growing the table from the center outward, using poplar and a biscuit-like method with my router's rabbet bit. while poplar wouldnt have been my first choice, lets just say it was convenient (HDepot :( I confess!). the legs are mahogany arcs, with 1/4' luan slotted into them. i guess the table is actually 98% done; you might notice the holes in the mahogany pieces. these were leftover from threaded rods which held the arcs 4-together while i belt sanded the group to match shape. i just haven't gotten around to finding or making mahogany dowels. i think that finished buttons there would be a poor choice.
the finish is tung oil over a light amber stain to give the poplar a little color.
i'm a tabletop rookie, and the more i read and look at it....i think i have created a glued nightmare:eek: of compression and expansion within this top. the bubinga is about 1/4 inch thick. maybe i should just enjoy it while it's new, and be happy if i get 4 years before the cracks start.
anyone want to share their tabletop wisdom, woes, or sob story? i'd appreciate any comments, as the design is an original one.
this table started life as several 2 "x 2 " x 14" long bubinga blocks. two faces had simple straight grain, while the other two had a wonderfully wavy character to them. wanting the most bang for my buck, i ripped the blocks into inlay slices to best expose the beauty of the wood on the "touch surfaces" of my project. the table perimeter seemed the best area for it.
i started growing the table from the center outward, using poplar and a biscuit-like method with my router's rabbet bit. while poplar wouldnt have been my first choice, lets just say it was convenient (HDepot :( I confess!). the legs are mahogany arcs, with 1/4' luan slotted into them. i guess the table is actually 98% done; you might notice the holes in the mahogany pieces. these were leftover from threaded rods which held the arcs 4-together while i belt sanded the group to match shape. i just haven't gotten around to finding or making mahogany dowels. i think that finished buttons there would be a poor choice.
the finish is tung oil over a light amber stain to give the poplar a little color.
i'm a tabletop rookie, and the more i read and look at it....i think i have created a glued nightmare:eek: of compression and expansion within this top. the bubinga is about 1/4 inch thick. maybe i should just enjoy it while it's new, and be happy if i get 4 years before the cracks start.
anyone want to share their tabletop wisdom, woes, or sob story? i'd appreciate any comments, as the design is an original one.