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Thread: Project: Rustic Kitchen Table Base and Natural Edge Top (Build)

  1. #16
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    Apr 2017
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Becker View Post
    Mark, I grew up just east of you in Wayne County (Honesdale) where the coal had to flow through "back in the day" via the gravity railroad to get to the rivers and down toward Philadelphia via barges on the D&H Canal.

    Prior to the addition, our home was about 1900 sq ft with one full bath and three BR (two tiny and in the 250 year old portion of our home with low ceilings). We adopted two sisters from Russia in 2005 (ages 6 and 10 at the time) and that just wasn't going to cut it long term especially for bathrooms. On the sell/move vs build on analysis...which was in 2007 just as RE was tanking...it was determined that add-on was financially better since we bought the property for far below what a ~4 acre place typically sold for at that time. The addition has a guest suite, media/living room and a real front door with foyer on the ground floor and a master suite, small office and laundry on the upper floor. That added two full baths as well as space really needed for the family. It's a "typically" sized home for this area, actually.
    Thanks for the background information Jim! From your helpful advice on the forum I could sense your goodwill towards others. And from anthracite coal country too!

  2. #17
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    Jim,

    Two words for you---you cheat!
    Have fun with the CNC.

    Bruce
    Epilog TT 35W, 2 LMI SE225CV's
    CorelDraw 4 through 11
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    paper and pencils

  3. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bruce Volden View Post
    Jim,

    Two words for you---you cheat!
    Have fun with the CNC.

    Bruce
    Hah!

    One thing I've been very adamant about since deciding to buy and acquiring my CNC is using it to maximum purpose and trying to learn something each and every time I use it. The lesson this time wasn't about "how to do something". Rather, it was that the CNC doesn't have to be a separate thing relegated to "doing CNC projects". In this case, it's just being supportive of a more traditional build and doing something I'm not really fond of doing manually...subjective thing, of course. I took the same approach when I bought my slider. Quite often folks equate a sliding table saw with processing sheet goods...which it certainly is a fine machine for. Other than my tack trunks (which now get cut on the CNC) and a little bit of cabinetry, I work primarily with solid wood for furniture. The slider is an amazing machine for working solid stock with repeatable precision. Yea, I had to learn some new things and change a few habits, but I'd not give it up, even if I had to go to a smaller one if forced to down-size someday. I feel the same about the CNC now...I always want to have one available for as long as I can continue with woodworking.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  4. #19
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    Mar 2003
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    So to bring the table base build as far as it can go, here's a shot of it with the first coat of oil based varnish. It needs to cure a little longer because it soaked into that old wood in a major way, but I got the color I wanted in one step. This thing is going to look great under the coming cherry top.

    IMG_3354.jpg
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  5. #20
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    Feb 2003
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    Looking good. Waiting to see that cherry top.
    Army Veteran 1968 - 1970
    I Support the Second Amendment of the US Constitution

  6. #21
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    Mar 2003
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    Table top "on the hoof"....

    IMG_E3388.jpg

    The 20" wide board on the outrigger will provide the two sides of the table top and has been split down the middle (small pith crack anyway) while the other board will provide an approximately 10" wide piece for the middle of the table top. The latter had a bit of a twist in it but that came out nicely on the jointer and I don't think I'm going to have any issue hitting my planned 1.75" thickness.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  7. #22
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    That's one heck of a table Jim. Looks fantastic. And massive does not quite convey right meaning. What's that puppy going to weigh when you're done? 3 - 4 hundred pounds? And more importantly, who's gonna move it. I think it's pretty cool that you used the CNC for the mortises - like you said, why not get the most out of the machine. What's the finish going to be? I need to 2nd a previous comment: if that's what your shop looks like dirty, I need to change my moniker to Pig Pen - and I clean up every night. I look forward to the finale.
    Stand for something, or you'll fall for anything.

  8. #23
    Gotta love that "chunk" of cherry you got there...........gonna be awesome!

  9. #24
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    Mar 2003
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bill Carey View Post
    That's one heck of a table Jim. Looks fantastic. And massive does not quite convey right meaning. What's that puppy going to weigh when you're done? 3 - 4 hundred pounds? And more importantly, who's gonna move it. I think it's pretty cool that you used the CNC for the mortises - like you said, why not get the most out of the machine. What's the finish going to be? I need to 2nd a previous comment: if that's what your shop looks like dirty, I need to change my moniker to Pig Pen - and I clean up every night. I look forward to the finale.
    The base isn't all that heavy, weight wise, believe it or not. I can easily lift it on and off my bench like I did today to install the figure 8s. The old barn beam material is pretty darn dry, albeit also very strong. The cherry top, of course, is going to be a bit heavier when it's done. While I can lift each of those boards in the photo individually with no problem, the ~30" x ~60" x ~ 1.75" top when glued up will be a bit heavier. Fortunately, I have other adults in the home who can help with that as I move it to my vehicle to take to a wide belt and back at home while positioning it for finishing as well as final installation. The base goes in the house tomorrow. The top will go in when it's done separately. If we ever move, it will also go as two pieces.

    Quote Originally Posted by Ron Citerone View Post
    Gotta love that "chunk" of cherry you got there...........gonna be awesome!
    That cherry is pretty old. I got the slabs years ago when 'Creeker Alan Turner (Philadelphia Furniture Workshop - woodworking training) found a barn full of lumber, I think as part of an estate sale, but I could be wrong about that. He knew I was fond of cherry and I was able to get in on the deal. Based on the sides I flattened today, it's going to be a really beautiful table top. I wish I had a slab that was wide enough by itself, but I don't. It will still look great as a three piece glue up I believe.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  10. #25
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    Jun 2008
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    So Cal
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    It does look like it’s going to be a awesome top. As it should be on a table
    Aj

  11. #26
    Looks awesome Jim! You spend so much time on this forum offering positive support to so many, I don’t know how you have time for projects like these. It’s very inspirational for lots of us to see this quality of work.

  12. #27
    I figured you being in cherry country you just picked that slab up for like $3bf.

    That’s a nice piece of lumber. Can’t wait to see it done.

  13. #28
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    I honestly don't know what I actually paid, Patrick, but it was much less than normal because it was a "lot" buy for about 6 slabs of varying sizes. I "think" the two pieces I'm using here were from the same tree, but it's a bit hard to tell for sure. I probably got this stuff at least 10 years ago, so my memory just doesn't serve well on the details other than how I acquired it.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  14. #29
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    Dec 2004
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    Cincinnati, OH
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    That wide slab and the board in the background are awesome. I also love working with cherry and can somewhat visualize the final surface. It will contain mostly quartersawn grain since it included the pith. That is going to make a great table top. Thanks for sharing and congrats on getting the CNC.
    Rustic? Well, no. That was not my intention!

  15. #30
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    Sadly, after milling the cherry, I've decided I'm not going to be able to do the live edge thing because it's too deteriorated. The wide board for the center also had a few defects that I wouldn't want to appear in the table So I've added some more material and will do a more traditional, multi-board glue-up with a chamfered edge. The good news is that I was able to obtain a nice, stout 1.625" thickness after getting rid of the bows in the material with about ten-billion passed over the jointer. Sheesh! My arms sure got a workout with that!
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

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