Angelique for a bench top? He’s payin’, so I’m playin’!

[Malcolm Schweizer]

The guy two bays down from me brings in wood from Guyana, and specializes in Angelique. He asked me to make a bench top for him glued up out of Angelique. This is almost a sin, but for him it’s like you guys heading to the local hardware store for construction grade stuff, only cheaper. I get to keep all the offcuts. Bench will be 4’x9’ for doing slab work on. Likely will be 4” thick- will know once I mill it all.

This wood is properly vetted and cleared through proper channels. It is not illegally harvested. I wouldn’t touch it if it were. You do have to be careful out of Guyana.

I will glue it up in four 12” wide sections and use threaded rod to through-bolt those sections. I don’t see any better way for a top this friggin big and heavy. Open to suggestions. I will use a jig to drill holes in each board prior to gluing so there are holes through each lamination, and then the four laminations, once cured, will get bolted together.

Why? (I know you’re going to ask.) It is what he wants. He wants it out of Angelique to show off the wood he sells, and he wants it this big for working massive slabs of Angelique. Who am I to argue? It will certainly be a challenge. I seem to be slowly turning into “the glue-up guy.” I have been building so many glued up tables lately. Another customer has a 53” wide, 100” long mahogany table that I glued up yesterday. Yet another has a 48”x108” mahogany conference table that will get glued up Tuesday. I just finished making 16 tables for two different restaurants: 8 mahogany, 8 pine.

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[Phil Mueller]

You sure get to work with some beautiful wood!

[Tom Bussey]

If it is what he wants and he is the paying customer, go for it. You can not win an argument with a customer even if you are right you loose the customer.

[Jim Becker]

I bet that's going to be a stunning benchtop!

Any chance you have access to a wide-belt to level and final thickness the top once it's assembled? And a few strong gorillas to lift it? LOL

[Malcolm Schweizer]

I bet that's going to be a stunning benchtop!

Any chance you have access to a wide-belt to level and final thickness the top once it's assembled? And a few strong gorillas to lift it? LOL

I do, but probably will assemble it at his shop and hand plane it. Easier than lugging it to another shop to belt sand, and the owner of that shop, although he is a good friend, would probably charge me. He’s a good friend, but all business. I can’t blame him, knowing what he paid for that 48” belt sander.

[Jim Becker]

Well, I've never been charged more than $25 to sand a big thang like that with the folks I have do that and the advantage is they can get it even thickness so you can finish things up nicely with your hand planes. But I do understand the lugging part! At least at their end, they carry the stuff. Here, I have to co-opt Professor Dr. SWMBO to help with that. LOL

[John Goodin]

What you are doing is wonderful. You are going to take a beautiful wood and make what will be an absolutely stunning product that will be used to show off all the qualities of the beautiful wood. I bet you will have a hard time hiding a grin when you see him showing the top to a potential customer.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

What you are doing is wonderful. You are going to take a beautiful wood and make what will be an absolutely stunning product that will be used to show off all the qualities of the beautiful wood. I bet you will have a hard time hiding a grin when you see him showing the top to a potential customer.

The issue I have is that this will be an edge grain “chopping block” type top and what looks best with this wood is wide face grain, but it is still going to be pretty.

[Jim Matthews]

How do you manage chipout?

I find these iridescent, highly figured woods problematic.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Living under a rock up here, I'd never heard of angelique. Pretty stuff!

[Malcolm Schweizer]

How do you manage chipout?

I find these iridescent, highly figured woods problematic.


You are correct. Thin passes on the planer and final planing with a hand plane. Sometimes belt sander with figured mahogany that I work with a lot. It is the king of tearout. I always cut it to longer than needed because it will tear out on the ends. When planing 200 bft you can’t always push the next board through right behind it like I try to do.

[Curt Putnam]

What will threaded rod accomplish that glue will not - aside from getting in the way?

[Malcolm Schweizer]

What will threaded rod accomplish that glue will not - aside from getting in the way?

He liked the idea of being able to build it in 12” sections and then bolt together for the worktop. Down the road he can change the size of the worktop by unbolting and adding or more likely subtracting sections. It was my suggestion because he is very indecisive on what size he wants. It also makes moving the top much easier. He now wants it 60” wide to accommodate his slabbing jig. It also makes a much easier glue up for me.

[Robert Mayer]

What is he doing with it after its built?

[Malcolm Schweizer]

What is he doing with it after its built?

He specializes in large slabs from Guyana- primarily Angelique. He will use this as a top for a slabbing table. He wants everything in his shop out of Angelique, as his shop doubles as a showroom.