Birthday Waterfall Bubinga

[Dave Verstraete]

OMG....What can I make with this wood?



My family decided to surprise me with this wood. I'm Stunned!!! I'll be afraid to make a cut on these slabs.

My first thoughts are to build heirloom pieces for each of my children...but what? All thoughts are appreciated!

[John Bush]

You must have been a very good boy this year. Congrats

[Steve Vaughn]

OMG....What can I make with this wood?



My family decided to surprise me with this wood. I'm Stunned!!! I'll be afraid to make a cut on these slabs.

My first thoughts are to build heirloom pieces for each of my children...but what? All thoughts are appreciated!

That sure is a great present. I would make them entry hall tables. That way they can show off your craftsmanship and that beautiful wood every time someone enters their houses.

Steve

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Beautiful stuff Dave, and kudos for the family thinking of that as a present!

BTW, did I happen to see your woodshop gracing the pages of Fine Woodworking not long ago?

[Bruce Page]

How about a beautiful dinning table that you could have great family dinners on?

Congrats!

[Mark Smith, too]

What a great family to choose and give such a special present for you. You are blessed.

I'd have to vote for something LARGE so that you can see the unique size of those pieces. They beg for something their scale. What is another question. I'd probably be thinking a large table Nakashima style so all that wood character could be seen and admired.

Whatever you do with it - and if it takes your three years to figure out what (this is a lifetime project) - please post your photos here.

[Jon Grider]

Seeing that we're in the same neck of the woods, if you have trouble deciding what to do with that magnificent wood, I'd gladly take it off of your hands and relieve you of the burden of having to decide what to build.

Congrats! What a great gift, I agree with others that you should use it for a project that your family can use and enjoy too.

[Jim Becker]

I see a very nice dining table with about a 3/4" open slot down the middle... :D

(Wow...nice gift! You must have been a VERY good boy this year!)

[Dave Verstraete]

Beautiful stuff Dave, and kudos for the family thinking of that as a present!

BTW, did I happen to see your woodshop gracing the pages of Fine Woodworking not long ago?

Yeah, I was proud of that article. So many good things have happened this year!
My wife bought this bubinga 6 months ago after I had seen it a a local Woodcraft. They stored it there and delivered it to my house today. I had NO idea that she bought it after I mentioned that they had a beautiful piece of wood there. Kudos to Gary at the Kentwood, MI Woodcraft store for his great service.
In regards to me being a good boy this year....hmmm... I grew up in an age where being a good boy was not something to be strived for. Bad boys sometimes have the most fun.

[Stephen Edwards]

It would seem that you are blessed to have a wonderful, caring family and that they are blessed to have YOU!! As we say down South....an even swap ain't a swindle!

Merry Christmas to you and yours.

[Ken Pywell]

...I'm thinking toothpicks...hundreds of thousands of toothpicks...

[Guy Germaine]

I'm not sure what I would make, but I would definitely make veneer out if it. I'd want to get as much mileage out of that as possible. Nice score. I saw a couple of pieces of that at my local Rockler, and it is absolutely gorgeous.

[John Keeton]

Dave, you obviously know how much your family spent on this gift - that is a huge expression of love and also, of the realization of how much woodworking means to you. I would be overwhelmed.

Are those slabs about 1.25 - 1.5"? I would have to think long and hard about how to best utilize these.

I know the natural response is a table, but I would want some vertical application as I think the character of the grain would be most appreciated in that setting.

[Larry Fox]

Oh wow - that is very, very nice. Your family definitely has a knack for picking good gifts. I agree with others who have said that it should be something large to take advantage of such a large piece which seem to be getting more and more rare these days.

[Russ Sears]

How about if you make some sawdust?? Your shop looks a little too clean to me! :)

[Dave Verstraete]

How about if you make some sawdust?? Your shop looks a little too clean to me! :)
Russ
You ought to see the dust on every Monday and Weds. night when my 2 adult sons and my nephew come over to do woodworking. That is the blessing in all this...that they want to come to my house and share their time with me! We are looking forward to building furniture for their houses in the new year. They helped me make all the Christmas presents that I had pictured in another post.

Merry Christmas to all!!

[Jim Kountz]

Wow Dave you are a lucky man!! I agree with John, something you can look right at, something vertical so people can see that beautiful wood the minute they walk in. You have a great family there no doubt!!

[Brian Effinger]

Wow! Are you and your wife looking to adopt? :D I want in on that family.

[Don Bullock]

Brian, I've been thinking the same thing. Wow! What a great present from a very loving and understanding family. I'm sure that your 2 adult sons and nephew can come up with an "appropriate" use for the wood.

[Chris Padilla]

Dave,

First: Congrats!!

Second: We need some up-close, alcohol-wiped pics! :D

Third: What are the rough dimensions?

Fourth: Merry Christmas to YOU!!

:D

[Dewey Torres]

Dave,
This is thier hint for you to make more gifts for them. We will await the posts to share what you make with this!

[Russell Tribby]

Dave, congratulations. As Michael from the office says "Christmas is a great time to say 'I love you this many dollars worth'." I agree with Chris, we need some up close, alcohol swiped pics.

[Dave Verstraete]

The funny thing in all this is that my wife told me earlier that she had combined my birthday and Christmas gift this year. I am usually upset by this since having a Dec. 23 birthday, it gets drowned out by Christmas. I bit my lip and didn't say anything about it. Boy...am I glad I did! After seeing it..I told her that she could combine my gifts anytime she wants to. After 31 years...she still has that ability to find that special gift. She's not sure if she can top this one though!

I think it was the "Church Lady" on Saturday Night Live that said: "Isn't that Speciallll..!"

[Russ Kay]

This thread reminds me of the time a year or so ago or so when I was with the then-LOML (now we're just friends) and we stopped off at the local Rockler. They had just gotten in a bunch of that spectacular waterfall bubinga (this was quite a while before the magazine article appeared) and there were several large slabs around the store. One in particular, about 10' long, 20+" wide, 2" thick, natural edges, was utterly breathtaking. (And about $2500, as I recall.)

LOML asked me what I would do with a piece of wood like that. Now, I'm as much of a wood junkie as anyone I've ever met, but my actual woodworking experience is kind of limited and it's most definitely smaller-scale. So I answered her, "To tell you the truth, I'm not worthy enough for a piece of wood like that. I couldn't begin to do it justice, even if I had the facilities to handle and work with it, which I don't. No, that's something very, very special, and I'd love to know what someday happens to it."

-- Russ

[Danny Thompson]

If you aren't going to make a live-edge dining table, then how about a series of Live-edge side tables or stools?

[J.R. Rutter]

What an awesome gift! Merry Christmas, indeed!

I think maybe you should resaw them to make them go further (!)

[Russ Sears]

Russ
You ought to see the dust on every Monday and Weds. night when my 2 adult sons and my nephew come over to do woodworking. That is the blessing in all this...that they want to come to my house and share their time with me!

It sounds to me like you already built something far more important than anything that can come from a beautiful slab of wood. My kids are younger than yours and I hope they feel the same way when they get out on their own. Merry Christmas to you and everyone at the Creek!

[Eric Brown]

I say make one heck of a workbench! Be the envy of all the woodworkers out there. Do a good job and get it put into a book. Whatever you do, do it well.
Enjoy the gift, but enjoy the process even more.

Eric

[Larry Edgerton]

Dave, I'd be interested to see what you come up with. I have a couple of nicely figured Jatoba slabs 36" & 42" standing up in my shop that I am undecided about what to do with. They have been standing there for 10 years now....

Merry Christmas....

[Dave Verstraete]

Dave, I'd be interested to see what you come up with. I have a couple of nicely figured Jatoba slabs 36" & 42" standing up in my shop that I am undecided about what to do with. They have been standing there for 10 years now....

Merry Christmas....

Finding a project that is appropriate to the scale and expense of the wood is just the first of many lessons to be learned from this project. I have never worked with wood this large! I will probably start a thread or blog to receive input from the more Knowledgeable people on this site.

[Roger Myers]

Russ
You ought to see the dust on every Monday and Weds. night when my 2 adult sons and my nephew come over to do woodworking. That is the blessing in all this...that they want to come to my house and share their time with me! We are looking forward to building furniture for their houses in the new year. They helped me make all the Christmas presents that I had pictured in another post.

Merry Christmas to all!!

Dave - That says it all.... The Bubinga gift to you is a reflection of the gifts that you have given and continue to give others.

Beautiful wood that will be remembered not only for the beauty of the wood, but also the heart of the woodworker and family man that it has been entrusted to!

[Andy Casiello]

What a wonderful gift, Dave. Congratulations on having such a wonderful and loving family. I don't have the skills or experience to begin to make a real contribution as to what should become of that slab, but believe me, I'm very interested in learning about what you do, and seeing the photos. The blog idea is great!

[Martin Shupe]

I see two couch tables....

and maybe some side tables to match.

You could use the heartwood for the table tops and rails, then use the sapwood for the drawer fronts.

[Thomas Bennett]

I've noticed these wide bubinga boards advirtised in some of the magazines and on display at some of the premium wood suppliers. Does anyone know where they came from? I was curious if they all originate from the same source...or even same tree?

What a fine gift!

[Dave Verstraete]

Thomas
Do a search for West Penn Hardwoods. There was a magazine article about these boards in Woodworkers Journal - April 2008 issue.

The boards pictured in my shop came from West Penn originally.

Yes, they are wide!! I'm still trying to figure out the best use of this wood. Right now I am leaning toward 1 coffee table with live edge on both sides, two (maybe 3 depending on length of design) entry hall tables with live edge on one side. That uses up all the live edge. I will still have 2 pieces of center cut that are 4/4 x 13" x 110".

Before I make the first cut, though, I will know where it is all going!!

[Lori Kleinberg]

WOW!! What a great family. That is an amazing gift.
Whatever you make, just enjoy.

[Chip Lindley]

Waterfall Bubinga??? Perhaps you meant *windfall*??? LOL

I would keep these fine slabs away from the waterfall at all costs!! You do not care if they FLOAT or not!

Enjoy working with them in '09!!! A very Happy Birthday and HappyNewYear!!

[John Sanford]

Methinks you need to trade it in for some gorgeous slabbed marble or the like. Otherwise, one glance from that laser-eyed dog may very well torch your treasure! :eek:

:p