A veneering extravaganza!

John,
Exquisite! Very nice work. I am impressed with your veneering talent.

Tom

-- Anybody can become a woodworker, but only a Craftsman can hide his mistakes.

That is fantastic! A great job on a great project. Thanks for the how you did it blog.

-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.

VERY impressive. Thanks for the blog, it was quite imformative.

John,
Another excellent summary.

I have a question. You said five coats of an oil-varnish blend was used as a finish. I understood that the oil helps to pop the grain, and the varnish encapsulates any remaining oil so that it will “dry” and you can apply additional coats of finish. I also understood that having oil in the additional coats didn’t bring anything to the party as the wood is sealed by the first coat. What are your thoughts on all that, and can you tell us more about how you finish your work?

Robb – who didn’t wipe off the excess of the oil/varnish first coat and now has sticky draw handles under a heat lamp.

This is awesome John. Thanks for taking the time to document this in your Blog.

-- Scott - Chico California http://chicowoodnut.home.comcast.net

John,

This blog is so incredibly informative, too. It is so complete that I found it a really great vicarious experience, and “did” the work right with you. (However, I have nothing to show for it.) I could only dream about such skill, creativity, and patience!

-- child of the King, Ephesians 5:22

Beautiful tables! Thank you for the construction details.

-- Jack - Mission Viejo, Calif

Topapilot asked:......... “I understood that the oil helps to pop the grain, and the varnish encapsulates any remaining oil so that it will “dry” and you can apply additional coats of finish. I also understood that having oil in the additional coats didn’t bring anything to the party as the wood is sealed by the first coat. What are your thoughts on all that, and can you tell us more about how you finish your work?”

You are basically right Robb. But the oil may still be penetrating on the second coat where the first coat sucked in more than you applied. PLUS, after the first and second coats I sand lightly with 320 grit to insure a very smooth surface and maybe I opened up the surface for more oil penetration on the subsequent coats. It is true though, that once the varnish has sealed the surface, the oil is just getting wiped off. From this point on, the varnish builds additional coats, and that also builds the sheen if that is desired. If you’re thinking why not just use a straight varnish (of your choice) from this point on, that would mean another finishing product on hand, and I just think it’s easier to keep using the same single product.

HTH

Thanks for the kind words everybody.

-- John, Chisel and Bit Custom Crafted Furniture, www.chiselandbit.com

This is a fantastic blog – thanks very much for sharing it with us. Your workmanship is of the very highest standard – well done.

absolutely stunning. I will study these pictures many times.

-- making sawdust....

John,

This is a well-documented construction post. The amount of effort and craftmanship that went into producing these pieces is not fully appreciated until the complexities of the individual processes are shown. This is a very nice post and I appreciate the time and effort it took to put this one together. You clearly delineated the individual processes and your photographic skills are excellent as well.

Thanks for posting a most interesting veneering blog.

-- With God's help all things are possible- even woodworking. Woodworking is not just a hobby, it is an (expletive deleted) expensive hobby.

You sir have too much time on your hands.

Great construction blog. Great project….... great craftsmanship.

-- Brian's Table Top Toys http://home.mountaincable.net/~bgraham/

Thanks for validating the finish process I just used on my tray table bottoms.
I knew it worked but accepted it on faith.

IMHO production runs make projects like this doable. Making them one off would be a waste of time.

Great blog.

Lee

-- No piece is cut too short. It was meant for a smaller project.

Wow! This post is an encyclopedia in it’s self. It’s going in my favorites list for future reference!

-- Michael R. Harvey - Brewster, NY - RusticElementArt.com - SpaceAware.org - AnConn.com

Magnificent piece!!!!!

-- Only the Shadow knows....................

That’s it, I quit woodworking! <g>

Just and execellent presentation and the detailed explanation via picltures remainds me of how little I know about the contruction of fine furniture.

Bob

-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner

WOW! I’m not sure what to say (mouth open, drooling a little)... that is fantastic! Thank you for taking the time to document it in this blog… your instructions are awesome!

-- As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)

Wow is all that comes to mind at first !!!!!!!!!!!!These tables are absoluting stunning

I was awe stricken by the finished product but the process is even more impressive. Your craftsmanship is humbling.

-- Thos. Angle, Owyhee Design, Oregon

Thanks for the amazing documentation of a beautiful project. The whole thing has “Fine Woodworking article” written all over it. I hope you submit it to them.

-- Hailey, ID

I can see it takes a special eye to be able to glue all the woods together and foresee what they will look like when cut apart for the veneer.
Very nice work.

-- Kyle, Michigan

excellent works congratulations very impressive

-- jeanmarc manosque france

Excellent blog on an excellent project!

-- Les, Wichita, Ks. (I'd rather be covered in saw dust!)

A great project and a wonderful detailed blog of the construction.

Very impressive.

-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com

I haven’t ventured into veneering yet but I’m adding this puppy to my favorites for later. Thanks for the great photo log and insight. Way cool work, mon ami.

always,
J.C.

-- "Imagination is more important than knowledge" -- Albert Einstein

The finished pieces were impressive enough but, when I saw a link to a blog I said to myself “self, there ain’t no way that blog is anything more than a few pictures and bland descriptions. Why even bother? Well, because it’s LumberJOCKS!” So I looked and I was not disappointed. I don’t even know how much I’ll be able to use the dozens of tips I gleaned from the blog yet. I don’t even know how many tips I’ll find later when I need to solve a problem I’ll come across ten years from now. It’s going to be a favorite for sure.

I know you probably won’t run across this question for a while but if you don’t mind, can you describe the process you go through to plan a project like this? Surely you must have at least a drawing but, do you have a step by step list of what to do when or something?

Thanks a million,

-- Jim

tomorrow morning I will found my local chapter of under achievers anonymous. I will be a charter member.
or maybe day after tomorrow . . .

That is awesome. Thanks for the great blog. Thanks for the kick in the a$$ to do something.

You make it look SO EASY! Thanks so much for all the photos.

-- Dust collectors suck.

Wow. Great blog and beyond awesome projects. Favorite!

-- "Bordnerizing" perfectly good lumber for over a decade.