Neander Project

[Sean D Evans]

This isn't really the right place for this but I wanted to share a project I have just finished. (I like looking at other peoples work even more than reading about tools.)

With the exception of a bandsaw for long rip cuts this table was made with only hand tools.

Some sort of soft maple I got for free from an older guy who unfortunately can't do as much anymore. There's also some alder mixed in. All the boards were piled together and I wasn't very experienced with either at the time. It was rough sawn with live edges. I had to plane a lot of boards to find ones that matched. The legs are cocobolo I picked up about 5 years ago.

The drawer pull is sycamore.

The dovetails aren't very well done. I'm not happy with the spacing or the size. It had been about 5 years since I'd built anything and I couldn't remember much about pins and tails. Instead of going back to my books I just winged it. They are functional but I'm not really happy with them.
You can't tell from the picture but the drawer front isn't square to the sides. The ends of the sides are cut to somewhere around 7 degrees from square. I did this to help match the taper of the legs (which is also hard to tell from the pics.)

Over all I think it's OK. It's easy to find things wrong with it but I'm the only one who looks closely enough at it.

233911233910233912233913

[Jim Koepke]

It looks very well done.

The dovetails are better than the last set of blinds done by me.

The craftsman or artist always notices their own mistakes more than others do.
jtk

[Chris Griggs]

Nice job Sean. I really like it when people share their work in this forum (and not just the projects forum) I like the shaping on the legs and pull alot. We are our own worst critics. Every project I do I cringe when I look at it for about the first year after its complete. Than after a while I start to get more of an "outsider" view of it, and the stupid little mistakes become less noticeable. Again it looks really good to my eye. The wood selection/arrangement is gorgeous and everything appears cleanly executed from the pics.

RE: the dovetail spacing. No, its not what you typically see, more often then not the tails are bigger than the pins. But its not as though your spacing is wrong, it just different than the aesthetic most are used to. They are well executed which is most important, and given the the pins an tails are equal in size they are, theoretically stronger than large tails and tiny pins.

Thanks for sharing!

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

you're right, it's hard to see in the photos you took that the drawer matches the angles of legs, but I really like that little detail. I also didn't notice until I blew up the third picture that you'd added that little flare to the face of the drawer to match the legs as well . iI really like both those things - those little details really go a long way on a simpler piece like this to add the craftsman's touch. (How'd you add that little flare to the drawer front?)

I really like this - it's simple enough to fit in anywhere, but with enough fine craftsmanship and little things to really make you appreciate it. Nice wood selection, too.

[Maurice Ungaro]

It looks very well done.

The dovetails are better than the last set of blinds done by me.

The craftsman or artist always notices their own mistakes more than others do.
jtk

Sean, great job! I'm with Jim regarding your dovetails - they look pretty darn good!

[Federico Mena Quintero]

I *love* the shaped handle!

The table nicely says, "I'm hard and soft" to me. I like the way you softened the edges of the surface, and the shaped legs - maybe I'd make them thinner at the bottom.

[Joe Bailey]

Over all I think it's OK.


Trust me - it's waaaay nicer than "OK"

[Jim Matthews]

Do I spy a slight outward curve at the top of the drawer, above the lovely Sycamore pull?

That's an advanced move, right there.
The sashimono approach to legs is also clever.

The best part, it hangs together. So many variants with clever shaping look like a catalog of "lookit this!"
yours looks balanced, and self-contained. Nicely done.

[Pat Barry]

This is a nice project. I think the proportions are very nice and I love the top. You did a very good job with this.

[Sean D Evans]

Thanks everyone for the positive comments. It's nice to get feedback from people who work in the same way.


(How'd you add that little flare to the drawer front?)

I marked out the profile on the end of the board and used a router plane with a fence to remove most of the waste and then cleaned up with a little round bottomed wooden plane and a block plane. Sandpaper after that to remove a few shallow tracks.


The sashimono approach to legs is also clever.

I'm not sure what you mean here. Can you educate me?


Do I spy a slight outward curve at the top of the drawer, above the lovely Sycamore pull?

Yes.
The aprons also have the same curve and are angled slightly to match the legs.

[Carl Beckett]

I like it, thanks for posting!

I especially like that flare out at the top of the drawer front. Its this type of thing that gets overlooked when running power tools all the time. Also like the drawer pull, and the leg taper.

We are our own worst critics and we all have different skill levels. But if I had made it, I would be pretty dang proud and Im fairly certain I could find someone that would love to have it in their house......

[Jeff Bartley]

Sean, I'm with everyone else....way better than 'ok'! I love pieces with mixed woods and this is a good mix. I also really like the pull. Great job!

[Jeff Wittrock]

Very nice work!
I love the drawer front and pull.

[Jim Matthews]

Sashimono-shi was a Japanese joinery technique developed in the Edo period (1615-1868).

They used no glue or nails, and emphasized proportion control to make bulky design elements appear lighter to the eye.
<http://www.nippon-sekai.com/main/videos/documentaries/society-and-culture/edo-sashimono/>

This table looks a great deal like some of the cooler stuff I've seen on YouTube from modern adherents to that style.