A satinwood serpentine table.

**Woodwould** · 25th June 2008, 03:17 PM

This commission was, on the face of it, quite enjoyable, but my respiratory system has an aversion to satinwood and within twelve hours of cutting the first piece, respirator or no, I would develop quite uncomfortable cold symptoms.

The brief was for an eighteenth century satinwood serpentine table with Adam type carving on the legs and an unusual starburst motif in the centre of the apron – in other words, the exact same as the table in the picture the customer had clipped from an auction catalogue! I initially dissuaded the customer from incorporating the starbursts as I thought them somewhat erroneous, but she later revised her decision and I complied.

As was widespread during the eighteenth century, the carcass was of ordinary pine, knots and all. The thick West Indies satinwood veneer was extremely difficult to obtain, but I eventually persuaded an old London firm to sell me some of their last remaining stock. Luckily the layout for the table top didn't require long or wide leaves of veneer as the stuff I had procured was diminutive to say the least. There was one piece of veneer which was just long enough for the front apron and wide enough to render sufficient for the side aprons too.

When it came to the legs and mouldings, I could lay my hands on plenty of solid East Indian satinwood, but West Indies satinwood in the solid dried up generations ago. I used horse chestnut as a substitute as certain cuts display the same grain and swirl characteristics and it was a much better match than the available East Indian satinwood. The most important aspect of timber choice in copying furniture and furniture restoration is grain and figure; the colour can always be matched later if necessary. There are very few timbers that can't be bleached and re-coloured. Incidentally, the Victorians often used birch as a substitute for satinwood.

The original table would have been a really bright and zany piece for a modern household in the 1780s, but time and the atmosphere had warmed up the satinwood and cooled the bright colours of the inlay and cross-banding.

The original cross-banding would have been tulipwood or kingwood (a bit difficult to differentiate when looking at a catalogue picture), so I opted for tulipwood as I had plenty of solid from which to cut the banding.

The stringing appeared greyish in the picture which suggested harewood and because boxwood or even satinwood stringing would have been indistinguishable with the original satinwood colour, that was all the evidence I required.

Harewood is in actual fact just sycamore dyed grey or green although even the green variety usually converts to a dull grey colour over time. If you've ever lifted any old harewood stringing, even though the upper surface may appear grey, the sides and underneath will often display the original vibrant green.

The main veneers on the top were laid initially and the stringing and cross-banding etc. were subsequently let in.

Thankfully the customer notified me about her change of heart and I inlaid the starbursts before I had begun the polishing process.

The carving on the fronts of the tapered legs is intaglio and the moulded block feet were added separately.

**Batpig** · 25th June 2008, 03:31 PM

Dear Ed,

Best Wishes,
Batpig.

(P.S. The missing text is the best manner with which I can convey speechlessness at the sheer completeness of your mastery of the craft. Just out of idle plebeian interest, how many hours does it take you to knock one of these masterpieces up from go to whoa?)

**Woodwould** · 25th June 2008, 03:44 PM

According to my day book, this table consumed 38-1/4 hours.

**mic-d** · 25th June 2008, 04:05 PM

goodness me! That is a delightful piece.

Cheers
Michael

**Fencepost2** · 25th June 2008, 05:13 PM

A stunning piece, but I think you may have missed entering some hours of your work. There is no way that someone could make it in only 381.4 hours.

And I hope you are able to charge also for being able to draw down on such wide knowledge of the period and its materials and methods. That should tot up to about 500 hours of pay

. But it is clear that your payoff includes a big whack of satisfaction and accomplishment as well as wages.

**Woodwould** · 25th June 2008, 05:30 PM

Let me be clear, the figure was 38.25 hours, not 381.4 hours. If I took that long, I'd never make a cent.

**woodcutta** · 25th June 2008, 05:39 PM

Wouldwood,

I am in awe of the work you do. Truly inspiring stuff.

BUT - my son has used all my download quota for the month and I am back to dialup speed. Could you please attach the jpeg file and not the link so there are thumbnails rather that the image embedded in the post

Again thanks for showing us you incredible talent!

woodcutta

**Woodwould** · 25th June 2008, 05:54 PM

Sorry Woodcutta, I'm new to this forum stuff and believed I was doing the correct thing with the images. I scanned them into Photobucket so I could place them into the text with some relevance rather than just in a block at the bottom of the post.

There won't be any more pictures added to this post (by me), and in future I'll upload any pictures directly from my computer.

**Rocker** · 25th June 2008, 07:56 PM

I am gobsmacked that you can turn out a masterpiece like that in 38.25 hours.

Rocker

**Batpig** · 25th June 2008, 08:27 PM

Originally Posted by Rocker

I am gobsmacked that you can turn out a masterpiece like that in 38.25 hours.

Yes, I'm with you Rocker... That's heartbreaking isn't it?...

I usually stand around with just my hands on my hips or scratching my stubble for a bit longer than that before I truly get down to even just starting the initial Stuff-Up...

Best Wishes,
Batpig.

**Different** · 25th June 2008, 08:34 PM

Despite our recent altercation I have to say that is an incredible achievement in less than 40 hours. With speed and mastery like that it might even be possible to make a living woodworking! Probably not a good one but a living !

Ross

**Durdge39** · 25th June 2008, 08:41 PM

I can imagine WW would have to make a living out of it to gain so much expertise.

Unbelievable work, and only in 38.25 hours. You must be able to move at the speed of sound to do that.

**joe greiner** · 25th June 2008, 09:25 PM

Originally Posted by Woodwould

Sorry Woodcutta, I'm new to this forum stuff and believed I was doing the correct thing with the images. I scanned them into Photobucket so I could place them into the text with some relevance rather than just in a block at the bottom of the post.

There won't be any more pictures added to this post (by me), and in future I'll upload any pictures directly from my computer.

I've not found thumbnails "in a block at the bottom" to be a serious impediment to understanding. But there is a technique for placing the thumbnails within the text. Aah, here 'tis: http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com...ad.php?t=73544 (post #2). Searching the forum for "paperclip" may provide more insight/guidance. I haven't tried it myself, though.

Joe

**Chipman** · 25th June 2008, 11:15 PM

Hi Woodwould,

Once again another masterpiece!

Your work makes the rest of us look like apprentices working in a woodchip factory! But we don't mind, we just enjoy seeing what you are going to post next.

As for the images, I rather enjoy seeing some full sized images, small thumbnails would hardly do justice to your work.

I have a little confession... I sussed out quite awhile ago that you were linking them to your photobucket site and I have been really enjoying browsing through all those truly wonderful images. However, it is a lot better to read your informative descriptions. Perhaps you could post the link to your images so that those of us who want to see the full size images can do so.

Keep up the posts and thanks for sharing your work and experiences,

Chipman

**Woodwould** · 25th June 2008, 11:52 PM

Originally Posted by Rocker

I am gobsmacked that you can turn out a masterpiece like that in 38.25 hours.

Rocker

It wasn't 38.25 consecutive hours; the aggregate time was divided over 3.5 weeks. Several other jobs were underway during the same period and don't forget; the gluepot was always on, maximum use was made of cutting multiple jobs at the one time and maybe up to six pieces would be polished at once.

Every lunch time and every evening, the hours would be totted up and entered for each piece. In other words, it was a busy commercial workshop.

If I was asked to go out to a shed in the evenings or weekends and make just that table again, it would undoubtedly take longer. The flow of a commercial shop is what makes it viable.

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