Gloat And First Finished Project

[Keith Beck]

After many months of lurking and coveting all the great gloats others have shared, I believe I finally have one of my own. My brother and I recently became the proud owners of large amount of lumber. It took us three trailer loads and a day and a half to get it all moved and reorganized. Here's the first load, it's very large Walnut, Oak and Cherry slabs:

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j114/ldoforcno/DSC02780.jpg

We got over 200 bf of Cherry, with most of being 16" wide and 6' long:

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j114/ldoforcno/DSC02782.jpg

We got a butt-ton of Walnut (I'm estimating between 1000 and 2000 bf, but I'm not really sure):

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j114/ldoforcno/DSC02789.jpg

In the following pic, the left side of the rack contains Cedar, Cypress and a couple of mystery woods; the middle is all Oak; and the right side is more Walnut, with a little Mahogany on top:

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j114/ldoforcno/DSC02790.jpg

How much? $400 - is that gloat worthy?

Now for my first project from the wood. Actually, this is my first "flat" work (not counting the crappy little bookcase I built in HS). In fact, this project contained several firsts for me: first M and T, first inlay, first time using a scraper, and the list goes on...

This coffee table is solid Walnut with a Curly Maple inlay around the top stretcher. The piece was wet sanded with Danish Oil and received several coats of Wipe-On Poly. This Walnut has some great grain and curl:

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j114/ldoforcno/DSC02791.jpg

Here's a side view. Some may disagree, but I really like the inclusion and the sap wood on the top:

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j114/ldoforcno/DSC02797.jpg

And lastly, here's a close-up of the Curly Maple inlay:

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j114/ldoforcno/DSC02793.jpg

Thanks for looking and your critiques and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

Keith

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Stunning! Why have you waited so long to get back into woodworking?:confused: Stunning!

[Corey Hallagan]

Simpley Fabulous!!! That is a beauty!

Corey

[Vaughn McMillan]

I don't know which to be more impressed with...the great pile of wood for $400 or the beautiful table. Well done on both counts.

- Vaughn

[Dave Fifield]

Great deal on the wood there Keith!....and the table is excellent! I can't wait to see what you're going to turn all that wood into! :)

Dave F.

[Dick Parr]

I would definitely call that a Gloat Keith.:D Congrats on the wood and that is a great looking table.:)

[John Buzzurro]

Keith - Great wood haul, and excellent job on the table.

[Russ Massery]

Excellent! Beautiful! I wouldn't change a thing. I really like the inlay on the apron. Love the top. Nice wood gloat too!

[Richard Wolf]

Nice pile of lumber and great table.
I agree with the sap wood, I always like to include some defects like mineral stains, knots and sap wood to remind people it's wood, not plastic.

Richard

[Christian Aufreiter]

All I can say is "WOW"! I don't know what to like better - the beautiful coffee table or the great range of lumber.

Regards,

Christian

[doug webb]

You just caught up on gloats. Each specie of wood is deserving of a gloat. And that table?, several by itself.........Very nice. Looking forward to lots more now.

[Jim Becker]

Wow, Keith, a major gloat AND a great project all rolled up in one post! Wonderful work on the table, too.

[Jim W. White]

WOW

Nice would score!!!

Even nicer coffee table! ...that black walnut looks awesome and the figured maple inlay was a great touch.

...Jim

[Pete Harbin]

Way to go Keith! Nice score on the wood, and an excellent job on the table. There is a lot of wave in the grain on that table...looks like it's moving!

Pete

[Keith Beck]

Thanks to everyone for their kind words and positive reviews. Trust me though, there are several issues with the coffee table that you'll find if you look close enough. The top is not quite completely flat and several of my M and T joints are not real tight. I'll chalk it up as lessons learned...

Also, to clear up any confusion, this isn't my first foray into woodworking since HS. Although I did take many, many years off due to my nomadic military lifestyle, I started getting back into after we bought our first home almost four years ago and I had the room to start acquiring tools. Living on ships, in apartments and in military housing, make having tools pretty impractical. Since I started acquiring tools, my concentrations have been on home improvement carpentry-related projects and turning on the lathe. Now that I've found "flat" work, I'm afraid turning may take a backseat.

Keith

[lou sansone]

nice haul on the wood... and great looking figure on the table top. best wishes on the next project
lou

[Bruce Shiverdecker]

Now THAT IS FANTSTIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The load of wood ain't bad, either!

Bruce

[Tom Hamilton]

Nice table Keith, the first of many gloats from you I suspect. Congrats.

Is there a story behind the lumber?

Thanks, Tom in Houston, who lived in Va Beach from '72-'74.

[John Olson]

Love the wood , no excuses about being in military. I ran the wood shop at Camp Lejeune back in 66, just before I got out.:cool:

[Keith Beck]

Tom,

Thanks for positive review. The story behind the lumber is we bought it off of my uncle who had it stored in his barn. Most of it's been air drying for 8-10 years. I guess the family connection would help account for the low price. But, considering he just sold his 18 acre farm in the $3 mil range, you would think he would have given it to us for free. :) That doesn't take into account the money he's going to make selling off all his equipment at the farm auction. He plans to move to Texas, buy a bit of land and live happy for the rest of his days. Lucky devil!

Keith

[Jerry Olexa]

Great Gloat AND great project. Love your use of the wood and finishing. You've been away too long!!