Tiger Maple & Cherry Hall Table

[Keith Starosta]

I've never actually used tiger maple as a primary wood in a project, which is weird because it is my favorite figured wood! I've been wanting to replace a small table in our front hall for some time now. When I saw the plans for this table on my Woodsmith DVD, I knew I found the project. The overall dimensions are 45"x15"x28", which make it perfect for its use in our hall. I wish my photography skills were to the point that you can really get an idea of how clear and deep the finish turned out...

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Not only was this the first time I've used a figured wood such as this, but its the first time I've had to hand-shape a component for a project. The legs splay out just enough to give it a more elegant look. It's final placement is going to darken the cherry pretty quickly...

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I absolutely LOVE the striping!!!

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To achieve the finish, I first wiped on a heavy coat of Transtint/alcohol, dark maple was the "flavor". I used sanded it down with 320, then wiped on a coat of BLO. I wasn't originally going to go with this step, but I'm glad I did. It really made the cherry pop. I then wiped on dewaxed shellac, followed by four coats off General's gloss Arm-R-Seal. A coat of paste wax later, and here we are...

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I really took my time on this project, and I'm pretty happy with the end results. Thanks for looking!

- Keith

[Richard Wolf]

Nice work.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Very pretty Keith! It has a "light" or "delicate" feeling to it.

[Keith Starosta]

Thanks, guys!

[Matt Meiser]

Very nice.

If it sees shadows like that a lot rotate it very frequently!

[Todd Burch]

Good job Keith!!! I like it. So, how long? ;)

[Jim Tobias]

Very nice Keith. I really like the the overall design and look of the table. Nice legs and the top panel really pops!

Excellent job!

Jim

[John Michaels]

Very impressive!

[Keith Starosta]

Good job Keith!!! I like it. So, how long? ;)

You mean, how long did it take to complete? Chops-busting aside ( :D ), I've got about 18 hours into it. I had to re-do the frame that wraps around the top maple panel. The underside of that frame has a deep cove on it that was to be milled at the table saw. I really wasn't happy with my first effort, so I scrapped it and tried again. Glad I did! Much better the second time around.

[Joe Leigh]

Nice looking piece. What method did you use in the construction of the top? Is the center panel floating in the frame? Just asking because I would be concerned about wood movement separating the mitered frame.

[Mark Valsi]

Beautiful project !! Looks good

[Keith Starosta]

Nice looking piece. What method did you use in the construction of the top? Is the center panel floating in the frame? Just asking because I would be concerned about wood movement separating the mitered frame.

The top panel is indeed floating in the frame.

Thanks!

[Paul Cahill]

Very nice. Elegant.

Paul

[Jim Becker]

"_________ outstanding" :)

[Bobby O'Neal]

That is gorgeous. Great work.

[Jim Kirkpatrick]

Cherry and maple go together like peas and carrots. Nice work!

[Jeff Monson]

Thats super nice, I love maple and cherry together. The top frame looks like a nice design, is the underside a cove cut on the tablesaw??

[Keith Starosta]

Thats super nice, I love maple and cherry together. The top frame looks like a nice design, is the underside a cove cut on the tablesaw??


Thanks, Jeff! You're correct...the frame around the top panel has a table saw cove cut on the underside. While it's a pretty common method of achieving a large cove, it was the first time I ever attempted it. I am pretty happy with the results, and look forward to the next time I get to use that method!

- Keith