Hi, back story on this project is as follows - I needed a drink supporting table for the patio area just outside the shop, where one might rest his weary bones with a drink after a day of work. I came into a stash of red oak, but the problem is I really don't care for the look of red oak either stained or natural. Plus going outdoors, I didn't want the finish to fade. And I wanted the look to co-exist with the existing patio lounge chairs and surrounding materials. And in the spirit of design, I wanted the table to have some identity and personality.
I enjoy the challenge of design, and normally I labor over putting a plan on paper, full scale, sometimes even building a model mock-up, and trying desperately to stay accurate to the plan during the build.
This time, I decided to be carefree and just design on the fly, with nothing other than an idea of footprint and table height in mind.
So starting out, I glued up some oversized legs (give myself plenty of material to shape) and four aprons (which at some point early on I decided to angle for some interest).
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Pretty clunky, but let's start shaping:
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Not bad, but the thighs look a little large, let's go back and slim them down a bit, maybe 3/16"
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That looks a little sexier. Now about those aprons. Maybe they need more than just the angle and the bead. How about taking a gouge to them and texturing the surface?
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Now for the top, a simple square might look too plain with all this other action, so what if I carry on the texturing theme and cut a pattern into the surface. Since this is going outside, maybe something emulating a sunburst. Let's test the idea on a piece of mdf
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Due to posting limit, please see the Part 2 post for pictures of the finished project and ending to this story.
Thanks,
Edwin