Project finished...Finally

[Dave Anderson NH]

I started this Queen Anne Handkerchief table in tiger maple in September 2005 and worked on it until that November. Then because of demands from the toolmaking business, my regular day job, life in general, etc, etc, etc, it lay fallow and untouched until November 2006. I've managed since then to get in small bits of work on it here and there. Today I finally got to rub out the garnet shellac finish and do the final assembly. While there were the usual series of errors and small mistakes, I'm generally pleased and when Sue gets home I expect she'll be happy the last piece for the dining room is finally completed. And now for the orbligatory pictures ending with the wineglass in place, the traditional end to all my projects.

[Dan Forman]

I guess I get to be the first to offer congratulations on a job well done. Beautiful wood, beautiful work.

Dan

[Jim Shaver, Oakville Ont]

Hi Dave,


What can I say, some things are worth waiting for. This incredible wood has been transformed by your hands into am outstanding work.....The legs look perfect......

Well Done!:D

[Mike Henderson]

Beautiful job, Dave. The wood is terrific and the craftsmanship shows. It was worth waiting for.

Mike

[Mark Stutz]

Dave,
Beautiful, but I always knew it would be!:D I sort of feel like an uncle watching the kids grow up, since I got to see this in it's infancy:eek: :D and a couple of points along the way!
Again, great job.

Mark

[Andrew Homan]

And now for the orbligatory pictures ending with the wineglass in place, the traditional end to all my projects.

Looks really nice, Dave.
What's next?
-Andy

[Dave Anderson NH]

Hi Andrew, The original plan was to take the triangular cutoffs leftover after cutting the tabletop, resaw them, and do a Chippendale mirror. That's now on hold. Management (Sue) has decided that her sister needs a blanket chest to replace the one her slimey ex-boyfriend stole and took with him when he left. Anyone want to make a wager on what project gets done next??:rolleyes:

[John Timberlake]

Great job. Love the wood, the finish, and the design. How big is it?

[Pam Niedermayer]

Beautiful, Dave, exquisite. What did you use to get the feet and knees darkened?

Pam

[Dave Anderson NH]

Hi John, The top is 32" along the diagonal where the leaf drops.

Hi Pam,
The finishing process was:
1. 1 coat of Transtint Dark Mission Brown dye applied and then sanded off main suface.
2. 1 heavy wet coat of Transtint dye- a mix of Honey Amber, Medium Brown, and Reddish Brown
3. Lightly scuff sand whiskers
4. Two heavy coats of Boiled Linseed Oil cut about 30% with Naptha
5. Dry and cure for 2 weeks
6. Many, many many coats of Garnet shellac
7. Rub out with 0000 steel wool and Mahogany Briwax
8. Buff and install
9. Insert wineglass with Chardonnay
The darkness in the knees and on the feet is the normal result of colors penetrating deeper into the end grain on those parts.

[Bruce Page]

Stunning work Dave. I have been looking forward to the finished pictures. Your craftsmanship in both woodworking & finishing are obvious in this piece.

[Ron Brese]

That's a real nice table Dave. The more I work with curly maple the better I like it.

Ron

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Beautifully done Dave!

[Terek Johnson]

I'm curious how many boards you had to glue up for the top. From the pictures, it looks like individual boards for the top components.
Nice stuff.

[Dave Anderson NH]

Unfortunately Terek I wasn't able to make each half of the top out of a single board. The plank I had with decent figure was only 13.5" wide and each half of the top is about 17" from joint to tip. Getting really wide planks (particularly with good figure) is getting harder and harder.

[Alan Turner]

Nice to see your newest effort. Well done period pieces are the cat's meow.

[Mark Singer]

Dave,
Excellent! Some things take time....I can see the quality in that piece...Beautiful!

[Roy Wall]

Beautiful Mr. Anderson!

I noticed the small felt pad on the fourth (swinging) leg.....do you have a "stop" on the underside of the table top for the leg to register...or just eye position?

You may be slow......but you're good!

[Mike Cutler]

Impressive, as is all of your work Dave. That is a truly beautiful piece.

Good luck on the blanket chest.;)

[Jerry Olexa]

Superior work!! Outstanding!

[Jim Becker]

Absolutely exquisite work, Dave! Congratulations on getting it done. The wine is deserved...as will be the LOYL's delight!

[Karl Laustrup]

Exquiste Dave. I aspire to your level of craftmanship. Thank you for showing us your work.

Karl

[Brett Baldwin]

There's no skimping on the figure in that piece. The dye really makes it stand strong. The construction delays are well worth the result. Nice job.

[Don Bullock]

That certainly is a beautiful table. The wood selection is fantastic.

[Zahid Naqvi]

supremo, your patience paid off.

[Dennis O'Leary]

Wow! That must be a glass of NZ Sauv, with that flinty colour?

[Martin Shupe]

Dave, I love the table, and especially the finish! Well done!

[Calvin Hobbs]

Nice work Dave, I have been looking forward to seeing the end result. The legs and pad feet are nicely shaped, also, and the tiger maple is very nice.

I still have a chipp. chair that is 75% done, started in '04, so I don't think you need to worry about your speed at all.

Thanks for showing us your work, Cal

[Dave Anderson NH]

Roy-- The gate leg does not have a stop on the underside of the tabletop. On the inside of the gate leg at the knuckle joint there is a 45 degree chamfer which limits how far out the leg can swing.

Thanks to everyone for all of your compliments. It was a fun piece to build though the finishing was a bit of a long process.

[Steve Wargo]

Dave,
Very nice piece. I actually like then maple is dyed/stained dark in color. The finish and execution look great. Congrats on a job well done.

[Lars Thomas]

Dave, as usual, your work is top-notch. But, just think of all the marking knives you could have made with that nice stock!!

[Dave Anderson NH]

You're making me laugh Lars. The stock used for the table isn't up to the spec required for the marking knives. The stripes are too broad and there aren't enough of them. Scale of project really enters into the way you choose your figured stock. Larger pieces can have wider and less frequent stipes, but small stuff looks lousy with a small number of wide stripes. It's something to think about every time you use any kind of figured stock on any woodworking project.

[Jim Tobias]

Dave,
That is a real classic looking table! Beautiful proportions and tremendous craftmanship. As soneone has already stated, the woodworking and the finishing expertise is quite evident in a piece like that. Congratulations on completing it.
I wish I could complete about half of the partial projects that I have in my shop.

Jim

[Derek Cohen]

Dave

Look, I have to be honest here ... I am not sure that I would have chosen chardonnay. I think a good cabinet sauvignog would have complimented the timber better!

What a wonderful result. I am very taken with the table, and your fine workmanship (is this now a sexist term?) is so evident. A fine, fine heirloom piece.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Wiley Horne]

Hey Dave,

I really get a warm furry feeling from this great table! So many things to like about it. First thing I noticed was the curve of the legs--really graceful. In addition to the legs, the degree of difficulty of some of the aspects is really high, like that knuckle joint for the swing leg, plus the long rule joint, and also the stuck molding all around the top edge which is at a pretty hard angle to the grain all the way.

The color is sensational, and it has an aged look to it that really says 'hand made'.

Wonderful project! Wiley

[Dave Jeske]

Dave,
Wonderful design and execution. You mentioned it was the last piece. Do you have a picture of the ensemble? Do you worry about the radiator heaters adversily affecting the legs or finish at all?
Great job.
Dave

[Rob Millard]

Dave,

I wanted to comment earlier, but I was away.

The table is excellent. You did a perfect job of matching the grain in the tops, so good in fact that until I read about, I thought you had used full width boards. Grain matching in any wood is difficult but as you well know it is particularly difficult with curly maple.
I also like the finish, which brought out the color and figure very well.
I’ve seen these in mahogany and walnut, but yours in figured maple beats them all.

Rob Millard

[David Martino]

I had to log in just to see what everyone was talking about (pix don't open otherwise)... what an exquisite piece of furniture! Love the shaping of the legs and detailing where they meet the table... the grain is orchestrated like a beautiful piece of chamber music. This will be an eye magnet in whatever room it graces, for a long long time. Kudos!

[Dave Anderson NH]

Hi Dave Jeske, The baseboard heat doesn't really get hot enough 6" away to cause the finish any damage and the wood was at about 6% moisture content so and aclimatized so I'm not concerned about warp, twist, or other movement. I don't have a picture of the dining room but can take one tonight.

Thanks again to everyone for their kind comments.

[Dave Anderson NH]

Since Dave Jeske asked about the table and how if was related to the rest of the dining room furniture I just went in and took a few pictures. I didn't bother about the handkerchief table since you already saw it. The rest of the stuff is all tiger maple too, except for the Windsor chairs of course

[Steve Clardy]

Beautiful work Dave!!

[Tom Sontag]

Truly gorgeous Dave. I remember the cherry Queen Anne gate leg table from some time back; I'm guessing that is in another room, huh?

And I agree with Derek. I am more of a cabernet guy, but I'd take what you are showing gladly.

[Dave Jeske]

Dave,
Wow, what a room full of beautiful furniture. I really like your cupboard too. I give a toast to you! Here in Oregon's northern Wilamette Valley one of the best wines is Pinot Noir but we do make some pretty good Chardonnay also.
Dave

[Matthew Dworman]

Nice work Dave!


Matt