Octagonal Compass Rose Table

The idea was to make something that could sit on the deck and act as a sort of cocktail table. I had a slab of eucalyptus and some white oak and COVID was just beginning to rear its ugly head.

I took the slab and made the largest octagon I could
http://julimorcreations.com/Images/C...oTable_001.jpg

Then I started playing around with ideas for the base. I knew I had to strengthen the post so I took some cutoffs from the slab
http://julimorcreations.com/Images/C...oTable_007.jpg

I balanced the top on the base and it dawned on me the feet were probably too short. We also decided at that time the top needed to be higher, after playing around with how the chairs would work.

So I borrowed a boat building technique known as scarphing and set to scarph on some eucalyptus extensions on the white oak feet.
http://julimorcreations.com/Images/C...oTable_008.jpg

http://julimorcreations.com/Images/C...oTable_009.jpg

http://julimorcreations.com/Images/C...oTable_010.jpg

Next came how to do the Compass Rose? After watching a couple of videos, I began the work.
http://julimorcreations.com/Images/C...oTable_015.jpg

The veneers are light and fumed mahogany. First was to cut up some pieced and glue the two veneers together.
http://julimorcreations.com/Images/C...oTable_016.jpg

I had drawn the Compass Rose on heavy stock and used that to tape the pieces in place
http://julimorcreations.com/Images/C...oTable_017.jpg

As I started filling in the background I couldn't decide if it should be round or octagonal
http://julimorcreations.com/Images/C...oTable_018.jpg

So I set that aside to thing about it and got back to the base. We finally decided on a finished height.

Starting to take shape Julie! Very nice. I will enjoy looking for the finished project. Good to see you posting again. Did you ever get that Hammer jointer planer tuned up to your satisfaction. I remain tempted to take the plunge, but would be interested in your overall opinion.

If you align the octagons it may look OK but I’ve only ever seen a round compass rose. Is the table top deep enough that it could be a real compass with a glass cover?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mark Rainey

Starting to take shape Julie! Very nice. I will enjoy looking for the finished project. Good to see you posting again. Did you ever get that Hammer jointer planer tuned up to your satisfaction. I remain tempted to take the plunge, but would be interested in your overall opinion.

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Thank you, Mark. I did get the JP dialed in fairly well and use it all the time. I'm at that point I'd really miss it if it was gone. The plunge was worth it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by William Fretwell

If you align the octagons it may look OK but I’ve only ever seen a round compass rose. Is the table top deep enough that it could be a real compass with a glass cover?

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William, the table was finished a couple days ago. Your suggestion reminds me of something my SO would come up with. I often reply, "Can't you think of anything to make it harder?" ;)

This became what was called the "Middle Earth" look and was eventually abandoned
http://julimorcreations.com/Images/C...oTable_013.jpg

I used some white oak to bring the top up to the height we finally decided on. This has a couple coats of varnish and I'm sanding for the next coat.
http://julimorcreations.com/Images/C...oTable_019.jpg

Back to the compass rose...
http://julimorcreations.com/Images/C...oTable_020.jpg

I sanded off a lot of the temporary sealant from the table and used a router to cut the recess for the Compass Rose. Then I used some planks from a model ship to encircle it. CA was used to glue in the trim.
http://julimorcreations.com/Images/C...oTable_021.jpg

For the top, I used Interlux Perfection Plus. It's a 2-part poly that Practical Sailor rated the best finish in a test they performed. It was the only "varnish" to still maintain coat integrity after 2 years.
http://julimorcreations.com/Images/C...oTable_023.jpg

This is where we imagined this table to be prior to starting the project. We have a couple more chairs to go around it. I'm going to give it a week indoors for the finish to cure a little more.
http://julimorcreations.com/Images/C...oTable_025.jpg

That looks great! I prefer the new legs.

Very nice, Julie! Compass rose inlay looks great.

Beautiful Table.... You can be proud of that one.

Gorgeous table

Beautiful table. Impressive work, thanks for sharing

You did a great job on that table. Congratulations!

Mike

That is very nice. I like the contrasting woods.

That is a beautiful table! Real nice look and the creativity jumps out!