End Table Complete - What Would You Do Different?

[Hans Braul]

Here is my second real furniture project. The design is mine, and I like the way the legs turned out.
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The top is what the guy who sold me the wood called "ugly maple", hence the $2/bf cost. Lots of pitch pockets (I think that's what they're called?) but I like the effect.
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Dovetails are hand cut with the help of the LV dovetail guide. They're not perfect, but not too bad for a newbie, I figure.
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Finish is BLO followed by wipe-on poly, then furniture wax.

As with any project, I have a long list of things I'd do different next time. For example:
1. I'm not sure the knob really works. Maybe I'm too close to it. I'd like to know how it comes across on first impressions.
2. I think it might work better if I had rounded the top edges very slightly, just maybe 1/8" to 1/4" of curve over the length of the edge. This might soften the effect a bit.
3. There are 4 distinct grain types in the piece. I was basically using what I had, but I'd like to have had something redder and darker for the legs and knob.
4. Next time I will use orange shellac to get a deeper colour.

All comments welcome!

Hans

[Hans Braul]

Here are a few pics of work in progress:
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[Jim Becker]

In general, I really like this piece. You did an outstanding job on your glue-up on the top...not easy with all that action going on...and the joints remain very much in the background. Bravo!

I'm not big on rounded edges on table tops, so I just have to say that it would be personal preference. I do happen to like the knob and think that continuing this on a matching set of pieces would be wonderful. It's different. That's good. Don't worry about the dovetails being "perfect"...this is a hand-made piece. The maker is human!

The one thing that I'd probably do differently is to narrow the base a little (or make the top wider) and perhaps make the legs just a little more danty. It would lighten up the feel. But again, that's personal preference.

Outstanding work Hans!

[Roy Wall]

Hans -

Beautiful work! I like the top grain figure - and your hand cut DT's are excellent. A lot of great craftsmanship in this piece!

[martyphee]

I love it. The grain flows beatifully on the top.

I would change the pull to more of a square look to match the top

[Mark Singer]

This piece shows a lot of sophistication! I love the subtle woods and how they play of one another. Construction is very good....nice dovetails!
I think softening the top and its edges would add a more handcrafted look. The top looks a bit "right off the saw" and the rest of it really plays well. Some of Krenovs latest pieces are very "soft"


http://jameskrenov.com/images/recent/april04_images/montSmall.jpg

[Hans Braul]

I'm not big on rounded edges on table tops, so I just have to say that it would be personal preference.

Thanks for the comments Jim. Not sure we're talking about the same thing on edge rounding though. I mean there is a gentle arc, front to back and side to side, where the top is about 1/8"-1/4" wider at the middle than at the ends. Is that what you were picturing?

I agree with you on the suggestion for a lighter looking leg.

Thanks for the encouragement.

Hans

[Hans Braul]

I think softening the top and its edges would add a more handcrafted look. The top looks a bit "right off the saw" and the rest of it really plays well. Some of Krenovs latest pieces are very "soft"


Mark, thank you for your comments - I take your feedback very seriously. It's not too late! I could plane a slight curve into the top this afternoon! Wouldn't even involve that much work or refinishing. Still, I guess one could redo pieces until you die. Maybe best to leave this one as is and tuck this away for future reference.

Hans

[John Young]

One thing to remember is that it all comes down to the preference of the customer. In this case that is probably you or your family. If you like it, that is what matters. I really like the the piece overall. The only thing that I have trouble with is the knob. It has wonderful contours/curves and I would love to have a few. But with the hard lines of the rest of the piece, I think a knob with harder lines would better compliment the piece. A flat surface on this knob may have accomplished this. I like the idea of softening the top by adding a radius to the bottom edges. The top would still have the hard edges on the top to compliment the rest of the piece.

[Mark Singer]

Mark, thank you for your comments - I take your feedback very seriously. It's not too late! I could plane a slight curve into the top this afternoon! Wouldn't even involve that much work or refinishing. Still, I guess one could redo pieces until you die. Maybe best to leave this one as is and tuck this away for future reference.

Hans

Hans,
Just touch it a little don't over do it! Its beautiful!

[Neil Lamens]

Hey Hans:

Excellent work.............don't beat yourself up......get your butt back down in the shop and keep the "Mo" going.

Nice wood utilization on the top. That's a tough piece of lumber to work in.

Think of it as the first in a series and move on the next.........it will be even better.

Beautiful work man!!!!!!!!!

[Nancy Laird]

Hans, I like the table, particularly the top. I would add one more thing for an end table--a shelf about 4-5" up from the floor. To me, it looks a little top-heavy and a shelf on the bottom would balance it. Otherwise, it's a great piece, and I like the drawer pull.

Nancy

[Mark Singer]

Hans,
I went back and re read your description and I am very impressed with the things you are doing and the questions you are asking... This is an amazing piece for someone relativley new to woodworking! I would leave this alone ...and as you said go forward with new thoughts and of course the experience of this piece.
What I can feel already is that you are sensitive to the "whole" and how the pieces work together. This is great! The other thing I see in the piece that is the feeling iis it was hand made....a bit of "you" is imparted in the piece..this is someting that is very hard to learn and even harder to teach! Woodworkers start out wanting everything square and perfect....things look rigid and flat when that school of thought is carried too far. With time the woodworker learns what needs to be square and flat and what should be a bit softer....an intuition and personal touch. Then the piece comes alive and you seemed to capture that already...its subtle and that is good!

[Mark Valsi]

Over all, veryu very nice, however, I don't care for the drawer front being in such contrast with the other wood.

Love the grain/effect of the top, but it needs a little "something" to take it up a tad

nice dovetails !

[scott spencer]

That's a nice looking piece Hans. What we like and dislike is so subjective...I like all of your choices except for the knob. I wouldn't have even mentioned it if you hadn't raised the issue first though. Fortunately, that's an easy change if it continues to bother you.

Nice job!

[glenn bradley]

I like contrasting woods. I think the top is beautiful and the knob works well.

[Jim Becker]

This is an amazing piece for someone relativley new to woodworking!

I meant to mention that in my original post. Outstanding.

[Henry Cavanaugh]

Hans
I like the piece and would not ever consider reworking it. The ugly maple top (buy more) was carfully matched in this three piece glue up.(guess) and was a great choice. I would next time chamfer the top edge to make more dainty. It looks like cherry surrounding the birdseye drawer front which will darken in a year. I agree to thin the legs next time. As far as a shelf being added I think it would take away from the tapered legs and add clutter. As a bedside table that would be one thing but not as nice in a living room end table. The knob adds character and maybe carved knobs will be your signature. Good job and thanks for sharing.

[Corey Hallagan]

Awesome job. The DT's look great to me, very nice indeed! You will be a great furniture maker if this is only #2 out of the shop!

Corey

[Perry Holbrook]

Hans, I really like the table, much better than my first few designs.

Are you sure that top is Maple, it sure looks like the Cherry I have in my shop.

Perry

[josh bjork]

I love the top but it doesn't really go with the cleaner wood you used for the apron and legs. If the drawer front matched the rest it might look a bit more consistent too. The knob sticks out but it is on the blonde piece and that puts it our front like a showpiece. Nice though, there is a lot of work there.

[Hans Braul]

Thanks Perry. CORRECTION the wood on the top is "ugly" CHERRY, not maple!

Hans

[Gary Keedwell]

Great looking piece. The drawer pull is a distraction to me, but that's only me and LOML says I don't know what I'm talking about, anyways. lol.

Gary K.

[Don Henthorn Smithville, TX]

for critiquing when I first started to work wood. Just a few tips from You and I could have done much better. I knew no woodworkers then and everything came with few tools and little wood. Always love your posts.

[Mark Singer]

for critiquing when I first started to work wood. Just a few tips from You and I could have done much better. I knew no woodworkers then and everything came with few tools and little wood. Always love your posts.
Don,
Thanks! I am often afraid to critique....I don't want to dim the inspiration and efforts of a beginning woodworker....with Hans work shown here there are so many positives , including his own design...it is hard to find suggestions for improvements. So often I am silent and then you see something that really is alive and it is easy to speak.
I have performed Senior Thesis Critiques at Architectural Universities for years and I have seen students literally cry based on harsh reviews by professionals that frankly, could not design a building nearly as nice as the one they are trashing...If we really care about woodorking we want people to learn and breaking ones spirit is not the way... We are all learning and sharing and if we work together we will all advance. I always learn just from looking at work like Hans' and trying to understand the ideas ....

[Martin Shupe]

I really like the top. Beautiful wood and execution. I am not quite so fond of your knob selection. I prefer traditional to contemporary. Not a big deal, though. I also like the birdseye drawer front, and the dovetails are wonderful!

[John Schreiber]

I like the table a great deal. As others have mentioned, I think the legs could be a bit thinner to make the piece more "dainty," but it's hard to tell from a photograph.

The knob really works for me. I think in that little piece, there is an echo of the curve and taper of the legs. For me it pulls it all together and adds a bit of modern funkiness to a time tested design.

To each his own though, that's why we build for ourselves.

[Robert Trotter]

Hi Hans, Great table.
I just thought I would add my comments. It's a great table and good workmanship. I hope I can do just half as well and I'd be happy for my first project. I think you have some good comments. Supportive and some other people's ideas and opinions (critiques) to give you something to ponder on your next project. The knob I think is very subjective. To me if your interior is casual contempory toward a country (not really country but wood decore) look then it suits. But if you were after a more refined or modern look then I'd change it. But depending on how it is put on you can change the knob every so often and get a completely different look and feel.

I also agree with maybe making the legs more slender but if that were done you have to watch the other dimensions of the structure (maybe making them a little more slender) and color plays so it doesn't look top heavy.

You wondered about the legs maybe being darker...I would leave them.IMHO Otherwise you would be bringing in another color or tone and it may look too busy. also with your design, darker legs would draw the eye to the frame and legs. At the moment I would say your front drawer and the top would draw the eye depending on what elevation and angle it was being viewed.

Basically I think you you did a great job and it all depends on the "look" you were after as to whether it is appropriate or not. So you get to decide and we can just give food for thought for future projects.

Read the comments by others, file them away and use them in the future.

Good work and keep sharing. I'm getting good ideas already:)

Robert

[Hans Braul]

Well Creekers,

You have exceeded expectations here! I deliberately posted my pics to get feedback, positive of course (don't we love to get our egos stroked?) but honestly I was more interested in thoughtful critique. You delivered in spades. I have learned a lot from the feedback you've given me. It's also amusing how some of the feedback on questions of taste is split about 50/50. Just shows how we're all different critters with different things that tickle our fancy.

The knob is a good example. The funny thing is, depending on when I look at it, my own feelings are split about the same. When I made the knob, I really didn't have a plan, just a hunk of wood and my intuition. That's what I ended up with and even though I wasn't sure I liked it, I went with it anyway to see how far intuition would take me.

I think we're often afraid to offer any suggestions for fear they sound negative. I for one am really glad you took the time to look at my pics, give them some real thought, and offer your suggestions.

Thanks again
Hans

[Alain Tellier]

I'm a bit late on the posts but let me say that I think your peice is quite perfect. I like the knob simply because is it different anddoesn't look store bought.

Some smoothign of the top could integrated to go with the smoothness of the knob but straight is good also. It defines the top real nice.

I love the pale drawer face and darker sides. We usually see it the other around and I think it is quite refreshing.

Great work!

[Al Willits]

I'm with Scott Spencer on this one, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and whether someone else doesn't like a particular style shouldn't dampen your/anybodies spirit.

I'd be more interested in assembly methods and such that would improve the quailty of whatever I was working on.
Your piece seems to be very well assembled and finished.

The wife and I both like the piece, but are not to sure of the knob, but if it works for you, that's what counts.


Thanks for posting.

Al

[John Renzetti]

Hi Hans, I like it. You could go nuts trying to make changes. Keep up the good work.
take care,
John

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

What would I do different??
Well for starters I'd have taken into consideration the Decor of my house.

Oh wait this isn't going in my house.

Ahh well, nice table !! I like the DTs in the drawer.
the top is way cool too.

How did you like working with the LV guide??

[Hans Braul]

What would I do different??
How did you like working with the LV guide??

I found the guide works very well but not without considerable care and patience. It definitely doesn't make dovetails a no-brainer! It helps me to saw to the line, but it is still critical to cut just a tad proud and pare down to fit. Also chiseling out the waste EXACTLY to the scribe line is critical and the same as regular dovetail cutting. You may have noticed too that it's just as critical to saw TO the scribe line, not beyond, as I did on one of my cuts.

Thanks for the kind comments.

Hans