Project Information
SCREWED UP!-OK so I made this previous coffee table top from an old table top I saw lying on the side of the road-cleaned it up, inlaid an Ipe band into it to gussy it up, AWESOME, right?? NO. Ipe is so hard it is like steel straps across the table and doesn't allow for expansion/contraction of the table top. Big cracks were forming and the entire table top was bowing - Time for a new properly constructed table top.
Amateur Hour for sure. (See Picture #2 to see the first table top)
In unrelated news, my neighbors had a huge Red Oak tree that got struck by lightning about 2 years ago. After it came down, I took my large chainsaw mill to it, and then put it through the bandsaw. I LOVE the look of quartersawn oak with its amazing tiger figuring, but is more difficult to mill and creates more waste… but who gives a crap about time and effort, right? I quartersawed that bitch, sealed the ends with wax, and let it sit in my shop for 1.5 years!
Well now is the time for a new table top! I decided to do breadboard ends with through tenons, which properly done, allow for expansion contraction (not going to make that mistake again).
I think I might have tennis elbow from all the mortising runs to route out the breadboard ends using a 1/4" thick bit
Finishing went like this:
1. Aniline Dye (Transtint: Red Mahogany)
2. English Chestnut Stain (Minwax)
3. Danish Oil (A complete varnish by Watco)
4. Tung Oil Finish (Minwax-because it needed another coat of oil, and the danish oil I bought had a dark color to it and I didn't want it to get any darker)
5. Polyurethane (because who the hell wants to use coasters anyways…)
Overall, I like the rich brown color of the table and the oil-based finished made the figuring pop! I was happy and a little surprised to see the Red Oak tiger figuring was still significant, as I usually only see White Oak. Considering this is the first time I went all the way from Tree-> Table, it's pretty satisfying too-even if it did have to start with a monumental screw up.
-P
Amateur Hour for sure. (See Picture #2 to see the first table top)
In unrelated news, my neighbors had a huge Red Oak tree that got struck by lightning about 2 years ago. After it came down, I took my large chainsaw mill to it, and then put it through the bandsaw. I LOVE the look of quartersawn oak with its amazing tiger figuring, but is more difficult to mill and creates more waste… but who gives a crap about time and effort, right? I quartersawed that bitch, sealed the ends with wax, and let it sit in my shop for 1.5 years!
Well now is the time for a new table top! I decided to do breadboard ends with through tenons, which properly done, allow for expansion contraction (not going to make that mistake again).
I think I might have tennis elbow from all the mortising runs to route out the breadboard ends using a 1/4" thick bit
Finishing went like this:
1. Aniline Dye (Transtint: Red Mahogany)
2. English Chestnut Stain (Minwax)
3. Danish Oil (A complete varnish by Watco)
4. Tung Oil Finish (Minwax-because it needed another coat of oil, and the danish oil I bought had a dark color to it and I didn't want it to get any darker)
5. Polyurethane (because who the hell wants to use coasters anyways…)
Overall, I like the rich brown color of the table and the oil-based finished made the figuring pop! I was happy and a little surprised to see the Red Oak tiger figuring was still significant, as I usually only see White Oak. Considering this is the first time I went all the way from Tree-> Table, it's pretty satisfying too-even if it did have to start with a monumental screw up.
-P