Another Lignum Vitae furniture...a table.

[Alexander Valle]

I made this solid Lignum Vitae table almost six years ago. It was one of my first projects. I had almost 50 pictures of this piece, but I lost most of them when my PC die (I really hate viruses!!!!!!!)...these photos are not the best ones to appreciate details, but I hope you like it. Thanks for stopping by... any question or comment will be appreciate.

Alexander

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[gary Zimmel]

Another stunning piece Alexander. The detailing is really quite amazing..
Would you mind going into the process a little more on something like this?
How long did this one take? And if this was your first I can't wait to see your latest piece.

[Jeff Hamilton Jr.]

Like Gary said, very nice piece and the detail is stunning. A description of the process would be great.

[Keith Christopher]

Alex,

another stunning piece. well done again. is the top inlay or veneer ?


thanks,
Keith

[Alexander Valle]

Another stunning piece Alexander. The detailing is really quite amazing..
Would you mind going into the process a little more on something like this?
How long did this one take? And if this was your first I can't wait to see your latest piece.

Thanks Gary for your comment. My English is not perfect, so if you see mistakes, sorry but I will do my best. This table was a real challenge because I have never tried something like that...in fact, I have never worked with solid wood, just plywood. The first problem was gluing up Lignum Vitae....I use Gorilla glue (poli) at first for table top...but I did not like results....inner tables separated even though I used over 50 dowels just for the three inner boards...I fixed this problem applying CA along the joint (in fact, one of the reason of the central inlay design was to hide this problem)....then I change to use epoxies resins and I got better results (and of course, wiping the wood with lacquer thinner right before gluing up).... as far as I can remember, I used over 150 dowel just in the table top.

To finish, for now, let me tell you something...you have no idea of all the mistakes I made during its construction, but as I always say, there is no better master than mistakes. Mistakes and the way to hide them was one of the main factor to be creative...I already mention about the central design to hide the CA I used to fix table top joints...let me tell you another one. When I cut the outer board of the table top at 45 degrees, my miter saw was not properly set and when I cut the angles and put together all four pieces, the corner's joint was perfect on top, but below it was separate...how did I fix that?...well if you see at the table top picture, all four corners have a solid piece of Bullet wood (red)..I insert these pieces to hide that mistake...there are more examples, but it is enough for now. I hope you understand everything and if you have any doubt, let me know.

Alexander

[Alexander Valle]

Thanks again Keith for your comment. Table top is solid L. Vitae, so, all you see is inlay work. Thanks for asking. ALexander

Alex,

another stunning piece. well done again. is the top inlay or veneer ?


thanks,
Keith

[Bruce Page]

Alexander, I was speechless with your exquisite wall piece. I am equally impressed with your table.

You are an artisan.

[Mike Mastin]

Unbelievably beautiful! WOW is all that I can think to say. Incredible detailing and craftsmanship.

[Joe A Faulkner]

Another stunning piece Alexander. The detailing is really quite amazing..
Would you mind going into the process a little more on something like this?
How long did this one take? And if this was your first I can't wait to see your latest piece.

Another vote for stunning on both pieces. I'm not familiar with this style, so to my uneducated eye, both pieces strike me as incredibly creative and original. Do you work from detailed plans? If so, are they your own plans, or plans from someone else? Intriguing pieces. Thanks for sharing your work.

[Michelle Rich]

Astounding work & detail. thanks for sharing it with us

[phil harold]

Amazing piece

Alexander,
When I started out as a carpenter an old carpenter asked me;
"Do you know the difference between a bad carpenter, a good carpenter, and a perfect carpenter?"
I replied "NO"

He told me
"A bad carpenter makes mistakes and you can see them.
A good carpenter makes mistakes but you cant see them.
A perfect carpenter never makes mistakes, but takes to long to get anything done."

We all make mistakes, in fact some of my biggest mistakes have been my best work...

I just dont point them out anymore
;o)

and again that is one fine piece of craftsmanship!

[Alexander Valle]

Another vote for stunning on both pieces. I'm not familiar with this style, so to my uneducated eye, both pieces strike me as incredibly creative and original. Do you work from detailed plans? If so, are they your own plans, or plans from someone else? Intriguing pieces. Thanks for sharing your work.

Thanks for your comment Joe and sorry for my late response. My L. Vitae furniture are original pieces, no plans. However, since you stated you are not familiar with this style, I really love the decoration of the Spanish Bargueño and my style is influenced by it. Spanish Bargueño is highly influenced by Moorish and Islamic art. Click on this link and you will see some examples of Bargueños: http://www.elbargueniotoledano.com/
This site is in Spanish, but once on it click on Catálogo and then on Bargeños Castellanos....for a bigger picture click on Vista Ampliada. Enjoy