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I am so happy to have finished this project. It is my first big piece of furniture and it came out exactly as I wanted. My wife and I were looking for a style that was rustic and humble, yet elegant. With that in mind I settled on a mission style along with alder (instead of oak). The alder, when stained, blotches in a wonderful way that adds to the charm of the table. It's not for everybody, but it's what we wanted.

The chairs were provided by a1Jim who did a great job (see previous project posted by him). I finished them with wipe on stain and water-borne polycrylic sprayed on with a HVLP sprayer (another first for me). The table top itself is finished with oil-based poly since I understand it is more heat tolerant. There is a scuff on the side near the window that I will need to fix. I got a little aggressive with the 0000 steel wool trying to remove a hair that hand landed in the poly while drying.

Alder, if you haven't worked with it, is a wonderful wood. It has good character and is easy to work. It is, however, somewhat soft, so I'm going to have to relax when dings occur. Hey, the distressed look is in, right? Let's hope it's still in ten years from now.

The project isn't perfect, but I'm not a master craftsman. If you go to my projects you can see the mason jar chandelier that hangs above. I'm honored to host my entire family for Easter this weekend and we will be sure to say a blessing on the wood that we will always find love, hope, faith, and joy around it.

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Comments

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Beautiful! Yeah that table will be just fine with some dings and bruises that are inevitable. It's nothing another coat of poly can't cure in 10 years. Great work.
 

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I'm so happy that this all came together for you in time for you to have for your family around your beautiful table ,I'm so glad to be a small part in the completion of your project and your Easter family get together. Enjoy,may the table and chairs last you for many years to come. Thank you very much for the privilege of making your chairs.
 

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Thanks Jim. I'm glad I found Lumberjocks. It was instrumental to me bringing the project to fruition.
 

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You should be justly proud!
 

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How many board feet of wood was used? I am looking to make a similar style mission set, and was curious how much materials roughly I will need to order. Jim, Great job on the chairs! LiveEdge the table is beautiful! Very elegant and rustic simultaneously! My hat's off to you both!
 

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Hmmm, I'm not sure I can help you with that number off the top of my head. Alder grows like a weed here in the NW so my local place always had ample amounts. I would just buy it as I needed it for the section I was on. I can give you dimensions if that would be helpful and you could do the math if you need to order.
 

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Great looking table set. I especially like how the leaves stow inside. Nice planning to achieve such a functional as well as beautiful table. I have had trouble sourcing long equalizer slides in the past, where did you find your slides?
 

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I ordered the slides from Osborne Wood Products and am very happy with them.
 

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Beautiful table, great craftsmanship. I know what you mean about being glad when it's finally complete, these larger projects seem to go on, and on, and on. This came out great though, perseverance pays off in the end.
 

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Really good looking set, appears to be well made too.
 

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Man that is a beautiful dining table! And with your new chairs, your family will really enjoy Easter dinner on your new furniture!
 
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