A segmented Ellipse coffee table

[Edwin Santos]

Sharing a coffee table I just finished building.
Walnut with Ash inlays. The base is made from stacked laminated parts.
This project involved a lot of interesting techniques, many of which were new for me, so a learning experience for sure. All curves were cut at the bandsaw, no template routing involved.

Bottom shelf was attached with dowels using a shop made dowel template cut to mate to the opposing curves. Not sure how that would be possible with a Domino or biscuit joiner.
Clamping involved cauls made from cut-offs or sawn to match the curves. Same with sanding blocks. I ended up sanding the base legs totally by hand (ugh!).
The inlays were made from bent laminations so the grain would follow the curve and tapers.
The top was connected to the base using a new type of fastener I found called the Izzy skirt washer. Basically an update on the old figure eight table top fasteners. I installed threaded inserts in the underside of the top and used machine screws so the whole thing can be disassembled, although I'm not so sure it will be necessary to do so.

Overall size is 63" long by 39" wide
Finished with Osmo Polyx using a grain filling procedure

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[Edwin Santos]

A few assorted build photos. Any questions, please let me know.

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[John TenEyck]

You really knocked this one out of the park Edwin. That is just gorgeous. A huge coffee table though; hope the room it's going in is appropriately sized. I did a double take on the top before seeing that the segments actually are stepped. That might be my favorite feature, but the whole thing is so well done I'd rather not choose because the base is another element that's really well done and perfectly complements the top. Well done indeed.

John

[Prashun Patel]

like everything you post, this is fantastic on a couple levels.

the coopered base is so tastefully done.

the grain match is impeccable.

but the best is the staggered leaves. such a great idea.

[Andrew Hughes]

I like it very much.
The offset in the edge brilliant.
Too me it gives the table movement. Really unexpected

[Bob Riefer]

Wow, that is so nice, and I really appreciate the finished photography as well as in the in-progress pics.

Agree the stepped edge really is a show stopper - the one shot where you can see the inlay coming all the way to the edge with a perfect profile routed is beautiful.

I also love the shelf being the opposite gentle arc underneath.

[Steve Wurster]

Wow, that is amazing. Fantastic work!

[David Bolson]

Beautiful work!

[Brian Tymchak]

That is beautiful work Edward! Congratulations! As others mention, the stepped edge is a novel feature that I immediately tuned into. I admire the process of innovation and creativity artists apply in their work. How did you hit on using that feature in your table?

[Frederick Skelly]

Another beautiful piece! Congratulations!

[Mark Rainey]

That is what I call style!

[Patrick McCarthy]

Edwin, what everyone else said. Fantastic. I am not an artist but appreciate your creative ability. I think the tapered ash strip is very elegant, indeed.
Thank you for sharing with us mere mortals.

Best, Patrick

[Ron Brese]

Quite a lovely piece and Kudos on the photography.

Ron

[Jim Becker]

This is an outstanding piece of workmanship and an interesting design. Running the edges "wild" is masterful and most folks would have recut it to a perfect ellipse. Bravo!

[Scott Winners]

How do you come up with stuff like this? Were you planning to make a smooth ellipse, screwed up on the bandsaw and came up with a brilliant save, or did you plan for the top to come out like this? What drugs do you take, and can I play with them before I retire? I mean, I want to try peyote someday, but I am concerned about flashbacks when I am on the clock so I am saving that special trip to the four corners for after I retire.

Brilliant design as usual, impeccably executed, but I am dying to know how you come up with your designs.

[Edwin Santos]

Thank you so much for the encouraging compliments on the table and design. I'm flattered, but honestly, I'm on the same road as everyone else, learning as I go. I've learned a lot reading this forum.

The initial idea of offsetting the segments is not mine. I learned about it from Michael Fortune, with whom I took a 2 week workshop centered around woodworking design. Where he got the idea I couldn't say because I never asked. Tapering the ash inlays and the design of the base was 100% mine, as were some aspects of the top.
A lot of what we learned with him in the design class had to do with fooling around with scrap mock ups. I'm talking about small bench top 1/4 scale models. Sometimes just taking pieces of foamcore board and cutting them up with a utility knife or on the bandsaw to play with shapes. You could use 1/4" hardboard, hot glue or whatever scrap was lying around. Even cardboard from empty Amazon boxes. Kind of like a child would do in arts/crafts class. Once we had design ideas composed on paper and in 3D models, we moved on to solving the different joinery and construction challenges. Another great source of inspiration is looking at websites of high level woodworkers. Guys like Brian Boggs, Seth Rolland, or the student gallery of the Krenov School where I've lifted a few leg design ideas. There are any number of high end furniture retailers that are worth browsing for ideas too.

I highly recommend workshops. As good as YouTube, this forum and other resources are, there is no substitute for shutting out distractions and being in a shop with a master craftsman and other motivated students. What I like to do is take lots of photos and pay attention to what everyone is doing, then come back to my shop and find different ways to implement the construction and design ideas I saw.

One example, there is a FWW article that features Michael Fortune where he makes a chair seat out of sections bandsawn to a 30" seat radius curve on a jig and then glued together to form the seat. He did it as an alternative to the typical method of coopering or vacuum forming the seat. His jig was clever because he designed it to flip around and cut a different radius on the opposite side so the part would have two different radii. I simply took that idea and used it for forming the legs on this table, thinking that the grain would have a wind swept canyon type of look.

[STEVE BARRY]

Beautiful piece all around, but I must say I really love that base.