Walnut and Curly Maple Table - DONE!!

[John Keeton]

Well, the table is DONE!! Probably! I still may apply one more coat of finish to the top, but I want to see how it looks tomorrow.

I have posted a previous thread with the table in a partial state of completion, and some commented they wanted to see it finished.

This is the front and side view -
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This is the first piece of furniture in which I have made all components - the legs, the knobs, etc. In previous projects, I have purchased, or recycled the legs, and purchased knobs. Since those guys over in the spinny world sucked me into the vortex of turning, I would have to say - it is SWEET!!

This is the rear apron -
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The legs and knobs on this table were my first and second turning projects - aside from practice samples.
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The dovetails are hand cut and the drawer interior is walnut, with a solid walnut panel in the bottom.
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The shelf is curly maple and walnut. The suspension brackets have a cove cut in them, and are contoured to compliment the simple lines of the middle portion of the shelf.
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The medallion is compliments of Gary Zimmel! Thanks, Gary!!
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One more flatwork project done! Now to spend some time on the lathe!:D

[gary Zimmel]

That is one Sweet table John.
The curly maple really sets it off.
A complete woodworking project.
Flat work, turning and hand cut dovetails.....
It doesn't get any better than that!

The bar keeps on getting higher and higher.
Thanks for giving us a look see of the finished product.

[Jim Kountz]

John that is an amazing table!! I love the overall look and stance, and the wood, well its walnut whats not to like right!! I mean, walnut for the secondary wood too?? WOW!! Can you tell us how you came about this particular design? It really works well.

[Jim Paulson]

John,

Great job and something to be truly proud of in every way. Congrats.

Jim

[Stephen Reid]

Great job John!!!Love the curly maple and walnut.

[Jim Tobias]

Very, very nice! The contrast of the walnut and maple really make it special. I like your design also. It is a nice mix of curves, shape and grain. What is the finish?

Jim

[Cody Colston]

That table is simply beautiful, John. The woods are so complimentary and the design is perfect. I really like those turned, faceted legs.

What was your finish schedule? It's as stunning as the rest of the piece.

[Brian Effinger]

Really quite stunning, John. I especially like the grain match across the drawer, and how you framed that panel, and the other 3, in walnut. Beautiful! :)

[Baxter Smith]

Really nice John! And as Gary said, "A complete woodworking project".

[David Gendron]

John, this is a real beauty. Irealy like all the small details you have introduce to that fine piece of craftmanship! Congradulation!

[Jeff Monson]

Really impressed John, the curly maple and walnut are great together, beutiful piece!

[Heath Brandenburg]

Very nice, John. I especially like the shelf with the line down the middle of it.

[Thomas Pender]

Who says the old masters were better?

Now where are you going to put it so folks will see and appreciate it?

[Sam Layton]

John, your table is outstanding. Walnut and maple is the best combination of woods. Your design is complemented my your excellent craftsmanship. Looks to me that you have mastered several areas such as, design, turning, and hand cut dovetails. What finish did you finally use.

Outstanding work John, Sam

[Jon Lanier]

That is just fantastic! Love the look and design. I'd like to do something like that with an office desk.

[Bill Berg]

Great project John. Really like the legs and the creativity you show with the lower shelf.

[William Hutchinson]

Very, very nice, looks better every-time I review the photos. Your mastery of design created a wonderful piece. The top edge treatment, tapered octagonal turned legs, half blind drawer fronts, turned pulls, unique stretcher shelf, material choice and finish are beautifully executed to a well proportioned whole.

[Rick Peek]

That is one beautiful table.Love the rich look of the walnut contrasting
with the light color & stunning figure of the maple. Excellent design as
well!!!

[John Keeton]

Thanks for looking, and for sharing your thoughts. I have seen the fine work by many of you that have commented, and that makes your comments all the more humbling.


Can you tell us how you came about this particular design? It really works well.Jim, I'm not sure?!?:confused: Over the years we have been together, my wife and I have acquired many antiques (not valuable, mostly just Victorian items) that we rebuilt and refinished. There is no room for additional furniture, and as I build pieces, they are replacements for existing furniture. The dimensions and general purpose of this table were dictated by the one it is replacing-
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And, the existing table has the suspended shelf brackets, with a center section - all oak with no contour.

The style of the legs and choice of woods are elements on the walnut hutch/secretary, built earlier in the year, that sits to the rear of this table.

BTW, the set of "human legs" visible in the pic belong to our "workshop" Santa -
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I did Santa several years ago. He has a wood frame (2x2) and the head is sculpted clay with glass eyes and combed wool for hair and beard. That project went on for about 5 years - applying the "hair" was mind numbing, and the interest waned!:o But, he was finally brought to life!

What is the finish? Jim
Jim, and others, the finish schedule was BLO on everything (I kind of like the amber cast on the CM), then a couple of coats of blonde dewaxed shellac, rubbed out, finished with 2-3 coats of Arm-R-Seal. The top has some grain that is just not cooperating with the finish, and it may require another coat.

Thanks again, for looking, and for the supportive comments.

[JohnT Fitzgerald]

That is a beautiful piece, John! Nicely done.

[Jason Strauss]

That's truly exceptional, John! I hope to have that level of skill (and time) someday!

[John Thompson]

Great piece J.K.! The contrast is appealing.. well proportioned legs (this southern boy loves well proportioned legs ;)).. excellent job on those DT's and the bottom shelf adds the final huh-rah to the other components. And... the top coat is fitting for a diplomatic dinner at the White House.

Outstanding....

[Jim Kappel]

Amazing!! Very high quality craftsmanship!

[Matt Stiegler]

Beautiful work. Inspiring for us wood butchers.

[Ed Nelson978]

That is a beautiful table. I have had to come back and look at it several times.

[Ed Sallee]

Excellent work John!!! And, I think I know right where you put it....
Looks like you've been doing your homework on that one.... wow!!!

Gary did a great job getting your likeness in that medallion!!!

[Bruce Page]

That is a really handsome table John. Your woodworking skills and tastes are exceptional.

How long have you been woodworking?....

[John Keeton]

Thanks, again guys for taking the time to look at this - even if it is the second time around. I debated on posting the finished piece since I posted the preview thread a couple of weeks ago.


Gary did a great job getting your likeness in that medallion!!!Ed, that is too funny!! At least ol' Abe had color in his beard!!

Bruce, I have been doing woodworking on some level for 45 years, including building longrifles for many years. I have done several furniture pieces, but in the last couple of years I have tried to challenge myself to learn new techniques and to develop design skills. I have never worked from a plan, and I have enjoyed that freedom. SMC has been a tremendous resource, and viewing the many projects by the wonderful craftsmen here on the creek has been very helpful.

[Andrew Hughes]

Great looking table john.The curly maple really brings the table alive.I also like the long straight lines on the walnut top.I thought the piece is a good expression of your originality.

[Roy Wall]

Beautiful John!!

The lower shelf is really sharp, great joinery and superb finish.......nice!

[Jack Camillo]

Awesome woodworking, John, thanks for posting.

[Don C Peterson]

Excellent piece. I really liked the design on the "in progress" post, but now that it's all done it's even better!

[Tony De Masi]

Very impressive work John. Here's to putting those skills into the VORTEX.

Tony

[Gerry Werth]

John,
Thanks for posting the completed table. That is one FANTASTIC looking table. Great design, great detail. A masterpiece to treasure for a long time. :)

[John Keeton]

I really appreciate the continued interest in this piece. My wife is hoping that I am not fixated on this walnut/curly maple binge. I don't think she wants a houseful of it!

Tony, no more flatwork 'till spring! My shop time for the next couple of months, at least, will be in the "round world." I hope to be able to achieve an acceptable level of mediocrity!

I will have to admit, however, that I have already started thinking about my next flat project.;)

[keith ouellette]

I also love the combination of the woods. Its stunning.

Is that your design?

Excellent work!

[Johnnyy Johnson]

John...What a great table!!! I have been adding new machines to my shop and cant wait to start making saw dust after the first of the year. I have been out of the wood working for at least 8 years and just starting back.

On another note..Do you remember what the range of grit you used for sanding and on the walnut did you use tung oil and shellac? I would like to find you other post that detailed you project. Do you have a link to the thread?

Thanks
Johnny

[John Keeton]

Keith, yes the design is mine, although it was somewhat dictated by other factors. I mentioned this previously, and in a thread in the Turners forum, but the legs mimic the profile of another piece I built using a set of recycled antique legs - except these legs are smaller in diameter and they are tapered. The antique legs do not taper. The dimensions and scale of the piece are the same as the oak table that is being replaced. There is a pic of the oak table a few posts back. Thanks for the comments!

Johnny, I normally start at 150, go to 220, and 320. However, on this piece, I went an extra step to 400. The prior thread is here (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=126068&page=2), though there is not much detail on the construction. The finish is BLO, two coats of blond dewaxed shellac (Zinsser clear), rubbed out with steel wool and abrasive pads between coats, then 2-3 coats of Arm-R-Seal, rubbed out between coats. The top now has 5 coats, as I was not happy with the look after 3 coats. Thanks for your comments, as well, and glad to hear you are getting back to making sawdust!!

[Ken Werner]

John, absolutely beautiful design and execution. The finish looks fine from where I'm sitting, too. I like the walnut drawer sides and bottom. Real touch of class there. Thanks.

[Ed Sallee]

This deserves a bump!!! ;)

[Marshall Border]

The two woods really make this piece pop in appearance , fine work John.......

[Mark Valsi]

The overall design style is not my cup of tea, but . . .
Great craftsmanship and execution.

I love the woods, and the dovetails ! Superb.

and the "shelf" down below is FANTASTIC, great design on that part !!!

I don't care for "turned" legs much. The more I look at the project, the more I like it, but my eyes are jarred by the legs.

But all in all a great project !

[John Keeton]

Mark, thanks for the comments! It certainly is a different style, and not for everyone. Walnut and maple are my two favorite woods, and I find it difficult to venture out too far. I used to build a lot with oak, and probably will still do some oak pieces in the future. But, looks like the next one may be sassafras! A first for me.

Marshall, Ed, and Ken - thanks, and I appreciate your comments, as well! Ed, glad you took time out from the great humidor production project to visit this thread again!

Marshall had to take a break from that scrollsaw to let it cool down!:eek: He has been in production mode, too!

[James Ogle]

Very nice table. I really like the design. Kind of a modern take on Federal. I really like the mix of the woods and can understand the wife comment. We have a bedroom set of cherry carcasses with spalted maple drawers from when I got on one of those kicks.

[Shawn Pixley]

John

Very nice work indeed! You should be justifiably proud of it. I especially like the lower shelf detailing. For me, that is what makes the piece.

Shawn

[hout slager]

love it, just curious as to the finish used.

hs

[John Keeton]

Thanks, Hout! The finish schedule was BLO on everything, then a couple of coats of blonde dewaxed shellac, rubbed out. Then 2-3 coats of Arm-R-Seal, except for the top, which got a couple of extra thin coats.

[Jim Becker]

That's really beautiful!!!

[Johnnyy Johnson]

John...Could you go into a little detail on how you made those legs. I understand the turning process, but did you use a band saw to get the flat surfaces.

[John Keeton]

Jim, thanks for stopping by to take a look, and for your comment!

Johnny, I first did a paper template and determined the extent of the taper that I wanted. I played with the template a bit to get to the point where I was satisfied with the look. This is where I ended up.
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=130735&thumb=1&d=1256170998 (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=130735&d=1256170998)
Then, the two spooled areas on the legs were turned while the stock was square.
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=132250&stc=1&thumb=1&d=1257733456 (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=132250&d=1257733456) http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=132251&stc=1&thumb=1&d=1257733475 (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=132251&d=1257733475)
At that point, I had established the beginning and ending points of the tapers. The "reveal" between the turned part and the square stock on the top spool was duplicated on the bottom by using a drawknife, spokeshave, and handplanes. Hope this makes sense!

With the reveal established, the tapers had to work so long as they were FLAT. I used a small metal ruler to establish the flatness as I worked them down. It went faster than one would think. I did the four sides first, then brought the other facets down. I cut a couple of clamp blocks on the bandsaw with a 90* notch so I could clamp the corners leaving one corner exposed for working it.

[Mike Wilkins]

Beautiful table and excellent use of contrasting timbers. I have a question about the brand/medallion/mark that uses a penny in the center. Is that a branding iron with heat activation or a rubber stamp with ink. I would love to utilize something similar to mark my own work. Thanks and thanks for the tutorial.

[John Keeton]

Mike, the medallions were laser engraved by George M. Perzel. George is an SMC contributor and frequents the Engravers forum. He does business as LaserArts. The medallion itself fits nicely into a hole drilled with a 1.5" Forstner bit, and has the recess for the penny lasered.

Gary Zimmel, also an SMC contributor, had some of these done and was kind enough to have a few of them done for me. Thanks, again, Gary!!

[Neal Clayton]

very nice, the contrast works really well. i like the flat profiles on the legs too.

[glenn bradley]

Thanks, again guys for taking the time to look at this - even if it is the second time around. I debated on posting the finished piece since I posted the preview thread a couple of weeks ago.

I am glad you posted. What a beauty. I think things partially shown or previously posted as a response in other threads deserve their own post or a re-post depending on what is being talked about. I say, post away. I don't recall anyone here saying something shouldn't be re-discussed or shown now completed. Looks great.