A friend of mine has been telling me for a while that he had shown his parents my website and that they love my work and wanted me to make them something.
Well they eventually contacted me and commissioned me to make a table for them.
They bought a lamp from an artist named Brian Giambastiani, which looks like a Jellyfish. The head, which illuminates, is made of blown glass, and the tentacles are copper wire. It is about 40” tall.

So my challenge was to build a table that would compliment the lamp. Now keep in mind, my client’s home is very eclectic in style, with lots of different colors, curves, shapes, and textures. She loves things that are other than ordinary, and practically every piece of furniture in the house is an individual art piece.
So this is the design I came up with, and she loved it…


I plan to use blue aniline die on the figured maple top to make the grain “pop” like an electric guitar. It will finish something like this: (random guitar photo from the internet)



This is what it will look like in my client’s home with a simulated Jellyfish lamp sitting on it. It is going to sit in a little alcove by the front entranceway…

Feel free to post comments. I will blog the whole building process.
-- Check out my new website! http://www.blakeweberwoodworking.com






















14 comments so far
pommy
home | projects | blog
892 posts in 569 days
posted 148 days ago
Looks Sweet mate and your getting good on the whole SU design cant wait to see the finished peice
-- cut it saw it scrap it
DaveR
home | projects | blog
1469 posts in 599 days
posted 148 days ago
Nice work, Bkake. I’ll be interested in seeing how your table turns out.
I do have a question, though. Why didn’t you draw the lamp in SketchUp? :-D
-- Until you spread your wings, you'll have no idea how far you can walk.
Damian Penney
home | projects | blog
1022 posts in 870 days
posted 148 days ago
Looking forward to seeing this one take shape Blake, cool design, did you consider doing something with the profile of the apron (similar to the edge of the top)? Might be too busy but something to chew on.
-- I am always doing that which I can not do, in order that I may learn how to do it. - Pablo Picasso
Rustic
home | projects | blog
1220 posts in 474 days
posted 148 days ago
and to think that you were going to give it all up. Looks great man
-- There is no such thing as a mistake. Its called a design modification Rick Kruse, Grand Rapids, MI
majeagle1
home | projects | blog
417 posts in 374 days
posted 148 days ago
Wow, neat Blake….......... can’t wait to see the finished product. Those legs are going to be a challenge????
-- Gene, Majestic Eagle Woodworks, http://majesticeagleww.etsy.com/, http://www.flickr.com/photos/majesticeagle/
John Ormsby
home | projects | blog
495 posts in 615 days
posted 148 days ago
HI BLake, Very nice design. I think you will have captured the feel of the jellyfish. Please post photos when you are finished or during the process.
-- Oldworld, Fair Oaks, Ca
blockhead
home | projects | blog
268 posts in 187 days
posted 148 days ago
Great design Blake. I’m betting the table will surpass the jellyfish piece. What do you plan on making the legs from?
-- Brad, Oregon- Wood, it's what's for dinner.
Don "Dances with Wood" Butler
home | projects | blog
266 posts in 274 days
posted 148 days ago
Jelly, of course!
-- If a man says something in the forest and there's no woman to hear it, is he still wrong?
Beginningwoodworker
home | projects | blog
3857 posts in 551 days
posted 148 days ago
The table going to be a challenge to build but I think you can do it.
-- CJIII Future cabinetmaker
jcees
home | projects | blog
548 posts in 677 days
posted 147 days ago
Extraordinary! Very nicely rendered. I’m sure your eclectic client will be just a pleased with the final result. Nice going, Blake.
always,
J.C.
-- "Imagination is more important than knowledge" -- Albert Einstein
a1Jim
home | projects | blog
15549 posts in 455 days
posted 147 days ago
That’s a wild one cool design.
-- Jim from Heirloom Woodshop Southern Oregon
Jon3
home | projects | blog
435 posts in 983 days
posted 144 days ago
Good looking design Blake!
Are you planning to make the tentacles all uniform in position and shape, or are you going unique with them?
There was a similar multi-legged table with unique legs on the back cover of FWW at some point this year. I can’t for the life of me remember when though.
SCOTSMAN
home | projects | blog
2226 posts in 463 days
posted 144 days ago
Sorry the jelly fish just definitely doesn’t do it for me but your table will be nice I have a book with a similar table in it with metal legs , it looks great my 2 cents Alistair
-- excuse my typing as I have a form of parkinsons disease
bfd
home | projects | blog
413 posts in 685 days
posted 138 days ago
Blake,
Your creativity never seizes to amaze me. I think you captured the essence of the light without being too literal. I cannot wait to see you blog this one. Especially the legs and the finish work on this.
-- Brian, Folsom, CA http://www.brianfullerdesigns.com