Thread: Sheoak Coffee Table - Pics

Hey TP1,

Very Nice, I love SheOak, you have done a brilliant job

HazzaB

TP1,
You have done a great job there on a very nice bit of timber. The finish looks just right.
Regards
John

Looks great mate, how is sheoak to work with??

Thanks for the comments guys.

I liked working with Sheoak. It did seem to have a tendency to give off more dust than some other timbers, but it machines very well.

The biggest drawback is that I found it almost impossible to get a board that didn't need some sort of minor surface filling, even after machining. There were some tiny holes, probably from borers . However, because it has such a complex texture, it is pretty easy to patch things up without leaving a trace.

I also didn't realise how there were some major variations in colour and patterns of Sheoak that weren't immediately noticeable (to me) when they were rough sawn in the woodyard. I got a surprise when I dressed the timber and saw that some boards were very light and pale in comparison to the timber I used. ( which will be now used in a different project).

Oh, damned expensive too.

I knew that was going to look good just with the thread title and I wasn't let down. Clean simple design letting the wood speak for itself. Beautiful work and love the finish you achieved on the top

Love Sheoak,

Thats one very nice looking coffee table there, great job on the finish too, congrats on a fine looking piece of furniture

Love it TPI>

The casuarinas are amongst my fovourites. Mind you, that small area is enough.

Like all complex grains it can be overpowering, IMHO.

Originally Posted by artme

Love it TPI>

The casuarinas are amongst my fovourites. Mind you, that small area is enough.

Like all complex grains it can be overpowering, IMHO.

Actually I was a little worried when I first started this for the very reason you mentioned. I then decided that I would not do tapered legs or a shelf etc, so that the design would not clash with the Sheoak texture.

In the flesh it is certainly not overpowering, and I purposely did not make it too big. ( 980 mm X 580) - It does stand out from other furniture, however, for the beautiful timber.

The gloss finish was a lot of work and I have to come up with a better system. Not too hard to get a perfect polyurethane gloss finish with a bit of fine rubbing on the final coat. But rubbing it back and using wax to get a flaw free gloss finish took a while

Originally Posted by TP1

Thanks for the comments guys.
I also didn't realise how there were some major variations in colour and patterns of Sheoak that weren't immediately noticeable (to me) when they were rough sawn in the woodyard. I got a surprise when I dressed the timber and saw that some boards were very light and pale in comparison to the timber I used. ( which will be now used in a different project).

Oh, damned expensive too.

Hi TP1,beautiful table nice clean lines and a good use of the grain.

I have a lot of Sheoak that I have bought & stored over the years not to mention that I also cut a fair bit years ago up in the forrests.
Yes the colour and the grain pattern can differ quite significantly from a pale washed look to that darkish orange hue and it always brings the colour up real good when wet.
Thats one test as with most timbers that have been stored for a long time and that is to wet a small piece to see the colour.

I have found that it can be overly ornate if used in a large job personally I like to offset it with some Jarrah if building a large item that is going to be visual such as a cabinet or table.

Cheers

Originally Posted by John Saxton

Hi TP1,beautiful table nice clean lines and a good use of the grain.

I have a lot of Sheoak that I have bought & stored over the years not to mention that I also cut a fair bit years ago up in the forrests.
Yes the colour and the grain pattern can differ quite significantly from a pale washed look to that darkish orange hue and it always brings the colour up real good when wet.
Thats one test as with most timbers that have been stored for a long time and that is to wet a small piece to see the colour.

I have found that it can be overly ornate if used in a large job personally I like to offset it with some Jarrah if building a large item that is going to be visual such as a cabinet or table.

Cheers

Thanks for the tip - Next time I'll remember to test each board first!

Wow what a nice grain!!!