My First Picture Post...

[Joe Unni]

Finally!!

Hey everyone.

Here is a table that I submitted to a local art auction. I retailed it for $550 and it fetched $450. Not too bad?!?!

I've had this design brewing for a while and just decided to do it. It presented quite a challenge (the woodworking ones are below), that as it was a "for fun" project and I had to make time in between the "for money" projects.

The legs are hard maple (with some unexpected figure), the top is yellow birch and the aprons and stretchers are purple heart. It's finished with Minwax's wipe on satin poly (top-4 coats, the rest-2 coats) and was covered in a coat of wax. It probably should have had more coats, but I was under the gun to get it finished.

Many firsts:

reverse beveled top
true M&T joints
the tapered legs
the pyramid tops to the legs

Sorry about the picture quality. Please let me know what you think. Any and all critique is welcome. And remember, honesty is good. It will just make me a better woodworker.

Thanks,
-joe
Unni Woodworks

[Jim Becker]

Excellent, Joe! And I can see why it did well in the auction...

[Corey Hallagan]

Very nice Joe, a beauty for your first photo post!

Corey

[Sam Chambers]

Very nice, Joe. I'm a sucker for figured woods, and that maple looks great!

[Karl Laustrup]

Beautiful design Joe.

I would have a hard time letting that go, although $450 would help open the grip on my fingers. :D

Karl

[Mike Cutler]

Very Nice, very good work all around. The joinery looks absolutely perfect from the picture.
I won't critque it per se, but for future consideration. I would experiment with the thickness, and taper of the legs below the rails, and the thickness of the purple heart transition piece, below the top. To push it to a little more delicate appearance. Just a suggestion though, not a criticism
It looks great, just as it is.

[Pete Harbin]

Really nice Joe. The bevel on the underside of the top coupled with the sloped aprons really make the top look like it's floating.
Nice touch on the pyramids too. lot's of complimenting slopes.

Pete

[Vaughn McMillan]

Very nice job, Joe. I like the combination of angles and the choice of materials. Well done on getting a good price for it, too. I need to build a plant stand for our entryway, and your table has given me some ideas.

Thanks for the pics -

- Vaughn

[Jeff Sudmeier]

Joe, that really looks great! Unique and well done!

[Joe Unni]

Thanks for all of your kind words. Though I had much positive feedback at the auction, it's the comments of woodworkers that REALLY matter.


...I would experiment with the thickness, and taper of the legs below the rails, and the thickness of the purple heart transition piece, below the top. To push it to a little more delicate appearance. Just a suggestion though, not a criticism...

Mike, could you please elaborate?

Thanks,
-joe

[Kelly C. Hanna]

Wow, that's a stunning design Joe!!! I really like it a lot...congrats on the auction.

[Byron Trantham]

Joe, I really like the "feel" of them. Very nice job and your pics are just fine IMHO. :D

[Dan Racette]

Absolutely stunning!

I am curious as to how the top is attached?

Dan

[Mike Vermeil]

Finally!!

Please let me know what you think. Any and all critique is welcome. And remember, honesty is good. It will just make me a better woodworker.

Thanks,
-joe
Unni Woodworks

Joe,

Great job! I love the combo of woods together. I'd suggest possibly increasing the size of the top so that it overhangs the legs a bit more, and trying to get some weight off the purpleheart aprons. Adding curves to the straight edges on the angled shoulders (between the legs and table top) and bottoms of the aprons might do it. You might also consider curving the lower stretchers to lighten the piece even more.

Great job though.

Mike

[Michael Ballent]

Joe,

Great job! I love the combo of woods together. I'd suggest possibly increasing the size of the top so that it overhangs the legs a bit more, and trying to get some weight off the purpleheart aprons. Adding curves to the straight edges on the angled shoulders (between the legs and table top) and bottoms of the aprons might do it. You might also consider curving the lower stretchers to lighten the piece even more.

Great job though.

Mike

One other thing that I would also add is the the top of the legs appear to be flat from the picture. I think that if you had continued with the pyramid theme there would have been better... perhap a very slight rise like 5º or even a chamfer just to cut the edge of the top of the leg. Other than that one opinion I think that the table looks great and the joinery looks real tight. NICE JOB :D

[Joe Unni]

Again, thanks so much for the feedback.


Joe, I really like the "feel" of them...Byron,
I'm not quite sure what this means.


...how the top is attachedDan,
A figure 8 fastener at the center of each apron.


...I'd suggest possibly increasing the size of the top so that it overhangs the legs a bit more, and trying to get some weight off the purpleheart aprons. Adding curves to the straight edges on the angled shoulders (between the legs and table top) and bottoms of the aprons might do it. You might also consider curving the lower stretchers to lighten the piece even more.Mike V,
As I mentioned in the original post, I'd been sitting on this design for a while. Chamfers and angles were speaking to me so I wanted to see what I could do without curves and still convey elegance. However, your points are very well taken.


...the top of the legs appear to be flat from the picture...Mike B,
It's pretty hard to see in those images, but if you look closely you'll see a slight pyramid.

Thanks so much,
-joe

[Frank Pellow]

And a great picture post it is too!

I like both the design and the implementation of that design. Outstanading!

[Mike Cutler]

Joe.

First off, let me restate, that it looks great. I like the overall form and symetry.

If I were to change anything it would only be the finished thicknesses(is that a word?). If the purple heart section below the beveled top were not as thick, it would make the appearance of "bringing the top up" without changing the height. My eye is drawn to the bottom of that particular element, and not the top of the table.
For the legs. I would decrease maybe about an 1/8"-1/4" on both sides, and curve the inside corners(s) of the legs from the top all the way to the bottom, giving the legs a curved, arched look but still retaining the straight vertical dimension on the outside corner. It might even be interesting to place the curve on the outside corners, and leave the inside corners stright, or slightly angled from the top to the bottom.
It kind of reminds me of some of the Krenov display cases that you see from time to time. I just look at that beveled section of purple heart that supports the top, and it just cries out to have that slope continued and incorporated into the rest of the table as it descends to the floor.
Once again, it looks great just as is. I wonder what a pair would sell for? ;)

[Joe Unni]

Joe.

First off, let me restate, that it looks great. I like the overall form and symetry.

If I were to change anything it would only be the finished thicknesses(is that a word?). If the purple heart section below the beveled top were not as thick, it would make the appearance of "bringing the top up" without changing the height. My eye is drawn to the bottom of that particular element, and not the top of the table.
For the legs. I would decrease maybe about an 1/8"-1/4" on both sides, and curve the inside corners(s) of the legs from the top all the way to the bottom, giving the legs a curved, arched look but still retaining the straight vertical dimension on the outside corner. It might even be interesting to place the curve on the outside corners, and leave the inside corners stright, or slightly angled from the top to the bottom.
It kind of reminds me of some of the Krenov display cases that you see from time to time. I just look at that beveled section of purple heart that supports the top, and it just cries out to have that slope continued and incorporated into the rest of the table as it descends to the floor.
Once again, it looks great just as is. I wonder what a pair would sell for? ;)Mike,
Thanks very much for the input. Your points are very well taken.

-joe