Zebrawood Conference table

[Mark Placek]

Here is the largest piece of furniture I've ever built.
It's been 7 years now and the table looks as good as the day I delivered it.
Mark now has this table in his dining room, every so often I get to see it in person.
As I look at these pictures they remind me how much my shop has matured.
It will be 10 years this April that I built it. The shop measures 24' x 40' with 10' ceilings.

http://www.placek.info/images/BIDCO/Page.html

[Barry Richardson]

Very nice! If the price of Zebra wood back then is anything like it is now, that was one very expensive table!

[John Keeton]

Very nice pictorial! Bet the overspray from that table put a nice "finish" on all the other stuff in the shop!

This is overall an impressive project - not just that it turned out beautifully, but also for its mass and difficulty in handling the various components.

[james mcgrew]

i have built my share of large "boat" conference tables, i really know the effort that was really nice to see. thanks for showing it
jim

[Don Bullock]

That's a great looking table. I'm amazed that you got the top so flat without any chip out. Zebrawood has become one of my favorite, but as has been mentioned, it's very expensive.

[Jim Kountz]

That sure is some pretty wood, never worked with that stuff. The finish looks like you could just sink your hand right into it. Nice job!!

[Dewey Torres]

The table sure looks far better than the room it went into!

[Chris Padilla]

Beautiful! My wife loves it...she's always wanted a zebrawood table.... :)

[Keith Starosta]

Unbelievably beautiful!!!

Question...how did you get the high-gloss finish on the top?

- Keith

[Mark Placek]

Unbelievably beautiful!!!

Question...how did you get the high-gloss finish on the top?

- Keith
Many coats of clear automotive urethane then sanded and buffed using the same techinques that are used to spay a car.

[Brian Effinger]

A beautiful and amazing table. Thanks for sharing it Mark. :)

Brian

[Jim Becker]

Wonderful table, Mark.

Will you please upload some pictures here to SMC? That's our preferred method for sharing so that pictures stay with the content into the future. Thanks in advance!

Jim
SMC Moderator

[Joe Chritz]

Very impressive. I haven't ever seen anything that large from Zebrawood and it is truly stunning.

Joe

[Glenn Clabo]

Can't see your pictures...can you upload to SMC?

[Rick Moyer]

Very nice! If the price of Zebra wood back then is anything like it is now, that was one very expensive table!

That is the exact thing that popped into my head when I saw this! I bought one wide 7" long board of Zebra wood a few years ago 'cause I had to have it and I still haven't done anything with it 'cause I'm afraid to screw up:(! That's a magnificent table. Congratulations.

[John Michaels]

Amazing table, that's a real beauty.

I have a zebrawood slab that will be a nice piece of furniture when I get the time. Here's a photo.

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-11/1108263/zebra-1.jpg

[mike holden]

Mark,
That is a gorgeous piece of furniture.

Really like the frame and panel supports.

Somehow you have managed to avoid the overly busy look of most "all zebrano" pieces.

Well Done!

Mike

[Michael Short]

Wow, Zebrawood never looked so good. Nice work !!!

[Jim W. White]

I opened this up at work and said WOW!! ...so loud I startled my admin in the other room.

Very sweet!

Jim in Idaho

[Joe Aliperti]

Gorgeous table! Love the glossy finish.

[Mike Gager]

i never knew you could use automotive finish on wood. is there any special prep required??

that table looks sweet

[Mark Placek]

i never knew you could use automotive finish on wood. is there any special prep required??

that table looks sweet

Mike,.

The wood required no special treatment using the urethane, I did seal it first with regular polyurethane, then my Brother Rick sprayed 8 coats of clear. He sanded it with 1500 grit, then buffed it the same way he buffs a cars clear coat.
If I remember correctly he "wet sanded" the table.

Mark

[Bruce Page]

Mark, that is jaw-dropping work for sure!
I have never seen that much zebrawood in one place at one time!

[Larry Edgerton]

Very nice peice, and you pulled it off with style!

I have a love/hate relationship with Zebrawood. I hate working with it, and love it when I am done. I used it for a T&G back in a small open cabinet made out of ash and red elm, and it worked well there, but I am always scared to commit such expensive wood to a large project for fear it will be too busy. I may have to rethink that.

Cudoo's :)

[Mark Placek]

Very nice piece, and you pulled it off with style!

I have a love/hate relationship with Zebrawood. I hate working with it, and love it when I am done.

Larry,

This was my first project using Zebrawood, I found it to be very splintery and it smells terrible.
I had to come up with a few techniques to help eliminate the tear out I was getting especially on the edges.

I have come to the conclusion that this wood is in my top 3.
I still have a few 4/4 x 8" x 5' pieces that I will use in a few upcoming bowls.

[Jarrod McGehee]

That table is Very nice. How did you finish it? I've made some stuff with zebrawood and I like it. What I don't like is the smell of it when you machine it. :eek: but aside from that... Nice table.

[Stephen Ash]

That is simply spectacular! And I love the paneled base. How is the top attached?

Regards,
Steve

[Mark Placek]

That is simply spectacular! And I love the paneled base. How is the top attached?

Regards,
Steve

The top weighs over 400lbs. I used threaded inserts epoxied into the top and is fastened down though the side rails with 5/16" bolts.

[Shawn Buonarosa]

Wow that is awesome, I think that's the largest piece I've seen done in Zebrawood. I wish Zebrawood was a little cheaper though, I can't even afford to make a few boxes out of it,and here you are with this Godzilla of a table....jeez.

[Allan Froehlich]

Did you plane the pieces for the top prior to glue-up?
Also, how did you smooth out the finish after glue-up?


Mike,.

The wood required no special treatment using the urethane, I did seal it first with regular polyurethane, then my Brother Rick sprayed 8 coats of clear. He sanded it with 1500 grit, then buffed it the same way he buffs a cars clear coat.
If I remember correctly he "wet sanded" the table.

Mark

Using automotive clear is music to my ears. This is due to the fact that I have had terrible luck with all finishes other than what I spray on cars.

[Mark Placek]

Did you plane the pieces for the top prior to glue-up?
Also, how did you smooth out the finish after glue-up?

Allan,

All the wood was planed, I was very fortunate to have the use of a 24" rotary planer; this reduces the amount of tear out.
I have a 24" double drum sander that came in very handy with this project.

The top is made of 12 pieces glued together. I made it in 3 sections to allow me handle them easier.
I sanded the panels in the drum sander then straightened them using a 3 1/2 horse router with a 4" straight carbide bit.

I used polyurethane (Gorilla) glue, no need to use biscuits with so much gluing surface.
The nice thing I found with Gorilla glue is that it fills tiny voids in the joints.
I now use Titebond 3 for all my projects and the exotic woods bowls I also make, and it is a lot easier to clean up.

I used a belt sander to clean-up the other glue joints after the top was glued together. I was lucky to get very nice wood from Advantage.

I hope this answers your questions.

[John Thompson]

Excellent piece...

Sarge..