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Matt Brawley
06-15-2009, 1:22 PM
I figured I would let everyone see the progress on my coffee table that I am currently working on. It is a little different design and after the pain that it has been I think I know why I don't see very many built like this. The pictures I attached show me fitting the hand cut M&T joints then the final glue-up of the short aprons to the legs. I will be completing the frame tonight and hopefully doing the final sanding of the table top. I will post more pictures as I progress. Please feel free to leave comments and critiques, I am always wanting to learn how to fix my mistakes. :)

Jacob Griffith
06-15-2009, 1:35 PM
Looks like it is going to be nice...thanks for posting.

Matt Brawley
06-15-2009, 1:50 PM
Jacob, I am from a small town about an hour from you and went to SIUC before I moved to FL.

Matt Brawley
06-15-2009, 8:43 PM
Another update---

I have the frame glued together and drying and two coats of Danish oil on the table top. Yes the base is upside down right now. :D

John Keeton
06-15-2009, 8:50 PM
Matt, looks like the project is coming along and looks great. Noticed a lack of clamps on the base - have you already removed them?

Danish oil brought out some nice color, but the pics seem a bit out of focus??

Matt Brawley
06-15-2009, 9:00 PM
Yes, by the time I took the picture it had been a couple of hours and I had removed the clamps but had not moved the base any. Unfortunately my only camera that works is the camera on my phone, but the out of focus part is more a part of the user and not the camera.

Matt Brawley
06-17-2009, 10:24 PM
I put the final coats of finish on the table top and base tonight. Please feel free to provide any comments or critiques. I am trying to learn and I can only fix mistakes if I know what they are. :)

John Keeton
06-17-2009, 10:43 PM
I am trying to learn and I can only fix mistakes if I know what they are. :)Matt, the first thing we have to fix - is to get you a camera!! It is hard to tell much with the pic quality, but overall looks like the table came out pretty good. I'm not sure that I am sold on the long stretchers and the attempt to duplicate the arc of the shorter end stretchers. They ended up with a lot of straight area in them. In hindsight, I might have done something different there.

But, you have accomplished handcut M&T joints, and I admire that. You have also completed a fairly complex project, and have done so in fine fashion. I think you did great!:D

Matt Brawley
06-17-2009, 10:54 PM
I don't know what is going on with the pictures the original photos were over 1MB a piece and looked fine until I imported them on here. The long stretchers are one continuous curve but just a very large radius. I could not figure out a way to have the long stretchers match the short ones on the height and make them work. Live and Learn.

Jim Kountz
06-17-2009, 11:23 PM
Matt from what I can see it looks really good. The overall design looks great, just gotta get those pics cleaned up!!
Try resizing them before uploading them. Shoot at at total size of less than 100KB.
That helped me out with some a while back.

John Thompson
06-18-2009, 12:09 AM
I am not a builder of modern at all Matt but.. I do like the way you designed it as it's quite unique the more I look at it. I am getting the pictures dark also but can't add anything as I am most definitely not a camera man as some of these guys. My wife post mine as I am quite a computer illiterate in truth. Hey.. somebody has to be and I fit the bill quite well. :)

Nice job...

Sarge..

Matt Brawley
06-18-2009, 7:57 AM
Thanks for the kind words everyone. I feel like a kid trying to build items after seeing the quality and craftmanship that everyone on this board exhibits.

John Keeton
06-18-2009, 8:01 AM
Matt, I use Photoshop Elements to clean up my pics and resize them before posting. I normally correct the color and contrast, and then resize to 10" x 8" @ 72 resolution, then rename them for uploading. It takes just a few minutes, and gives me a chance to review the pics on screen for cropping, etc. to make them easier to see. My photography is not good;), and I need all the digital help I can get!!

I understand that the upload feature of SMC will do the resizing for you, but I have not used it as it is easier for me to resize them in Elements before I upload.

Roy Wall
06-18-2009, 9:56 AM
Nice work Matt --- good looking table! Love the CHerry!!