Alright, one more table

[Dave Avery]

Hi all,

Just finished the attached coffee table for the new living room. The design is mine - very simple. Dimensions arre 39" X 54" X 17 1/2" high. I wanted to make it 16" high, but got overruled by the governing authorities. Now that it's finished, said higher-up has decided that she wants it shorter, so I'm probably going to try to shop the legs off by 1 1/2". Anyway, critiques of the design - both positive and negative are welcome.

The legs and support rails are joined using sliding dovetails, a first for me. With a little patience on the router table, it went pretty well. The wood used is Honduran mahogany. The panels on the table top are waterfall figured bubinga. The center section of the top is joined with a 1/2 lap joint, the remainder is just glued and biscuited for alignment. Even with Katherine helping (?), I still wish I has 4 more hands on the table top glue-up. I was definitely not in the best of moods during that debacle, but it came out pretty well.

Had my first serious problem with veneer after a first coat of shellac. I had some moderate bubbling in one area and thought all was lost. The section was repaired by slicing the high point of the bubbles, injecting glue, and clamping with cauls (the finished top was too large for my vacuum press bag). After some sanding, the repair is virtually unnoticeable. Given the problem with shellac, it may be the last time I try it on a veneered surface.

Hope you enjoy the photos. Dave.

[Ken Salisbury]

Very Very Nice Dave. You B "The Table Man"

[David Perkins]

Great looking table! Love the look of the bubinga top great match. Are the leggs tapered? Did you provide any bracing under the top for support in the event something heavy should set there for a while?
Only thing I would have done differently would be round the corrners for child safety ( I have a 4 year old that is very active)
You should be proud of the job you did looks great.
David

[Dick Parr]

Again Dave, very nice. You seem to have the knack for making some beautiful tables.

[Jim Becker]

More of that curly stuff strikes again! Ken Robb and I were talking about these tables at lunch today...they are outstanding and I think I may have to learn how to do the veneer thing one of these days. Thanks for sharing even more of your wonderful work, Dave.

[Dave Avery]

Great looking table! Love the look of the bubinga top great match. Are the leggs tapered? Did you provide any bracing under the top for support in the event something heavy should set there for a while?
Only thing I would have done differently would be round the corrners for child safety ( I have a 4 year old that is very active)
You should be proud of the job you did looks great.
David


David,

Thank you for the kind words..... yes, there is bracing underneath running roughly from the center of both the left and right sets of veneered panels from top to bottom (as pictured). I, too, was worried that something heavy (like my 2 or 4 year old) might get up on the table and perform gymnastic maneuvers. That said, they're not generally allowed in the room......

As far a the legs, they're dead straight, or as straight as I can make them. The angled picture is misleading, making the leg closest to the camera seem tapered. I also thought a lot about the edge treatment. I slightly broke all the edges so that they're not sharp, and the table is low relative to head height of the ankle-biters, and they're not supposed to be near it, but we'll see how it goes. Thanks again for the kind words.

Dave.

[Dave Avery]

More of that curly stuff strikes again! Ken Robb and I were talking about these tables at lunch today...they are outstanding and I think I may have to learn how to do the veneer thing one of these days. Thanks for sharing even more of your wonderful work, Dave.


Thanks Jim (and Dick, too). As far as veneering is concerned, I did a poll a while back wondering why more people don't do it. I'm still a little surprised that solid wood construction is so popular. Veneer takes a little more time and aeffort, but I like teh results.

I managed to help convince Bob Lasley to make the vacuum press jump, perhaps you'll be next. Any help or advice you might need is free for the asking..... so long as you remember that said advice may be worth exactly what you paid for it. Thanks again. Dave.

[Terry Hatfield]

Dave,

Oh geeezzz!!!! Really nice!!!!

Terry

[Brad Hammond]

that's so gorgeous............i think i'm dizzy

brad

[Mark Singer]

Dave,
I don't know where your finding the time? Nice choice of woods and great work! Dave, I think the simple design is great...lower might even be better.

Mark

[Jim Becker]

Thanks Jim (and Dick, too). As far as veneering is concerned, I did a poll a while back wondering why more people don't do it. I'm still a little surprised that solid wood construction is so popular. Veneer takes a little more time and aeffort, but I like teh results.

I would need the right kind of project for veneering, but would not run from it at all after seeing your beautiful work. Perhaps I'll try some boxes and the like when I have time.


I managed to help convince Bob Lasley to make the vacuum press jump, perhaps you'll be next.

I would only need the bags when I'm ready to do it...I have an excellent Gast pump at the lathe for my vacuum chucking system. Thanks for your offer of "technical assistance"...it's worth MUCH more than your hourly rate! :D

[Jason Tuinstra]

Dave, real nice table. The bubinga veneer really makes this piece come alive. There is nothing quite like the look of figured wood. I love it! Your design really lets the wood do the talking.

[Jim Shaver, Oakville Ont]

Hi Dave,

Great Looking table!

take care,
Jim

[Bob Lasley]

Dave,

Man, you've got to slow down! I haven't even unpacked the bag yet! I'll never have a prayer of catching up to you at this rate! :D

The table is fantastic. I drool over waterfall Bubinga everytime I see it on ebay. Great job!

Bob

[Mike Cutler]

Very nice table Dave. I like the simplicity of the top, and the bubinga is absolutely stunning. It sounds as if your "governing authority" has the same spatial problems mine suffers from. I've built a few projects to the wrong dimensions to maintain peace and harmony,only to correct them later. Thats what makes life interesting I guess.What is the substrate material that the bubinga is veneered too? and what vacuum press system are you using? Once again, nice work on the table and the design.

[Dave Avery]

Very nice table Dave. I like the simplicity of the top, and the bubinga is absolutely stunning. It sounds as if your "governing authority" has the same spatial problems mine suffers from. I've built a few projects to the wrong dimensions to maintain peace and harmony,only to correct them later. Thats what makes life interesting I guess.What is the substrate material that the bubinga is veneered too? and what vacuum press system are you using? Once again, nice work on the table and the design.


Hi Mike,

Yes, keeping peace in the family means rework at times...... thanks for the compliments on the table. The bubinga is veneered to 3/4" MDF. I use the small $300 Vacupress Compact 100 unit (vacupress.com). If I had to do it all over again, I probably would have opted for their "flip top table" system. The flip top is quite a bit more money, however.

On a different note, I was near your neck of the woods on Friday - in Bozrah picking up lumber at a freight terminal......

Take care. Dave.

[Dave Avery]

Dave,

Man, you've got to slow down! I haven't even unpacked the bag yet! I'll never have a prayer of catching up to you at this rate! :D

The table is fantastic. I drool over waterfall Bubinga everytime I see it on ebay. Great job!

Bob


Hi Bob,

I had 5 remaining vacation days in 2003, and my company shuts down between Christmas and New Year, so I actually had a great deal of shop time. Between work, kids, other commitments, the project pace will slow WAYYYYY down for a while. Dave.

[Dan McGuire]

Dave,

That is a great looking table. I like the idea of the sliding dovetail to connect the rails to the legs. Does that configuration effect the lateral support of the table?

Dan

[Kelly C. Hanna]

Very nice table! This is my first post to this forum...fitting that it be for a such a nice project.

About veneers, I once had a very unidue problem with a project in a bathroom. I had veneered an old cabinet in Maple and trimmed out in soft maple. everything went fine until the tile people came in a month later. Something in their mud made the veneer bubble like no tomorrow. She wound up replacing the whole cabinet.

Anyway, nice work, I love the look. Also like the higher authority comment!

[Dave Avery]

Dave,

That is a great looking table. I like the idea of the sliding dovetail to connect the rails to the legs. Does that configuration effect the lateral support of the table?

Dan


Dan. The table is rock solid. I cut the sliding dovetails such that, with glue on the mating surfaces, I needed VERY slight persuasion to get the pieces together. There are a total of 8 corner blocks holding the table square and the top is screwed through the corner blocks into the MDF in 8 places. Thanks for the compliments. Dave.

[Ken Salisbury]

This is my first post to this forum... First of all let me welcome you to Saw Mill Creek.

In your post signature line you have a direct link to your web site. This is a violation of the Saw Mill Creek Terms of Service (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/terms.php). Please edit the signature information in your http://www.sawmillcreek.org/images/top_profile.gif (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/usercp.php?)to delete that link. I have deleted the signature line on the referenced post.

[Terry Hatfield]

Hey Kelly!!!!

Good to see you over here. This is really home for me even though I do visit the "other side" quite a bit. :D Pull up a stump and get to know everyone here. It's a great bunch!!!

Terry

[Kelly C. Hanna]

First of all let me welcome you to Saw Mill Creek.

In your post signature line you have a direct link to your web site. This is a violation of the Saw Mill Creek Terms of Service (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/terms.php). Please edit the signature information in your http://www.sawmillcreek.org/images/top_profile.gif (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/usercp.php?)to delete that link. I have deleted the signature line on the referenced post.

Thanks, it's good to find another good forum!

I had no idea that my sig would be taken as advertising (IMHO it would be moronic to try and advertise my business among other woodworkers). However, I did go to the user CP area to delete it, but found there's not one at all there now to modify. Just to be safe, I did not check the sig box. I will modify it if I ever find it again. At no time did I ever intend to join any forum with the intent of getting business. I am booked so far in advance each year that any more would be insane!

Now this brings up a question, since I do make a living with my tools, does this mean if I want to show what I have been working on whether for a question or just top show it off, does this mean I am not allowed to do so (since it will be on the same server address as my business site)???

[Kelly C. Hanna]

Hey Kelly!!!!

Good to see you over here. This is really home for me even though I do visit the "other side" quite a bit. :D Pull up a stump and get to know everyone here. It's a great bunch!!!

Terry

Thanks Terry! If I hadn't seen your name I might not have bothered to check it out....I got my Pecan stumps in my avatar!!:D

[Ken Salisbury]

Thanks, it's good to find another good forum!

However, I did go to the user CP area to delete it, but found there's not one at all there now to modify. Just to be safe, I did not check the sig box. I will modify it if I ever find it again.

I already had a staff member delete the link in your User CP signature. You can add new signature information if you want to - no direct links in signatures however.


Now this brings up a question, since I do make a living with my tools, does this mean if I want to show what I have been working on whether for a question or just top show it off, does this mean I am not allowed to do so (since it will be on the same server address as my business site)???

You are definitely more than welcome to post pictures and discriptions of your work including photos. We have quite a few professional woodworkers like Todd Burch, etc, etc as members here who make major contributions to SMC

I would suggest you simply make yourself aware of the SMC Terms of Service (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/terms.php) which outlines what the basic rules are.

Given that --- Welcome to Saw Mill Creek ! !

[Kelly C. Hanna]

I already had a staff member delete the link in your User CP signature. You can add new signature information if you want to - no direct links in signatures however.



You are definitely more than welcome to post pictures and discriptions of your work including photos. We have quite a few professional woodworkers like Todd Burch, etc, etc as members here who make major contributions to SMC

I would suggest you simply make yourself aware of the SMC Terms of Service (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/terms.php) which outlines what the basic rules are.

Given that --- Welcome to Saw Mill Creek ! !

Thanks Ken, sorry about the violation, I re-read the agreement (thoroughly this time)....

[Ace Karner]

You da man, what nice work, the simple design just highlites the beautiful wood all the more IMHO.

I to am going to make the veneer leap some day, too many things to try, too little time.

ace

[Thomas Walker]

Beautiful wood and excellent execution, especially since you sound like you are constantly learning new techniques.

I'm new to this site, so I apologize if this isn't good form here (perhaps someone can send me a private message if that's the case), but you mentioned you appreciate comments and I know I like to get feedback that I can consider for future projects.

I noticed some of the proportions on the table from the limited view I could get from the picture. In particular, that the legs seem a bit small for the size of table that they support, and that the top might benefit from a thicker edge based on the size of the table and the width of the mahogany cross pieces on top.

Anyway, as everyone else mentioned, you have a beautiful table.

Cheers.



Hi all,

Just finished the attached coffee table for the new living room. The design is mine - very simple. Dimensions arre 39" X 54" X 17 1/2" high. I wanted to make it 16" high, but got overruled by the governing authorities. Now that it's finished, said higher-up has decided that she wants it shorter, so I'm probably going to try to shop the legs off by 1 1/2". Anyway, critiques of the design - both positive and negative are welcome.

The legs and support rails are joined using sliding dovetails, a first for me. With a little patience on the router table, it went pretty well. The wood used is Honduran mahogany. The panels on the table top are waterfall figured bubinga. The center section of the top is joined with a 1/2 lap joint, the remainder is just glued and biscuited for alignment. Even with Katherine helping (?), I still wish I has 4 more hands on the table top glue-up. I was definitely not in the best of moods during that debacle, but it came out pretty well.

Had my first serious problem with veneer after a first coat of shellac. I had some moderate bubbling in one area and thought all was lost. The section was repaired by slicing the high point of the bubbles, injecting glue, and clamping with cauls (the finished top was too large for my vacuum press bag). After some sanding, the repair is virtually unnoticeable. Given the problem with shellac, it may be the last time I try it on a veneered surface.

Hope you enjoy the photos. Dave.