| Project by watermark | posted 04-21-2014 08:57 AM | 1679 views | 5 times favorited | 7 comments |  |
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I made this coffee table as a wedding gift for my brother and his wife to be. The table is designed to be easily disassembled so I can take it to Australia and reassemble it there. The boards that make up the top are secured to trestles by sliding dovetail joints and then locked together with the bowtie inlays (last image). I drilled holes through the top under the bowties to tap them out from below. The legs are secured in place with pegged through tenons.
This was a very challenging project for me as it’s the first time I have used “traditional” joinery and the first time I have had a deadline to meet. Due to the time frame I had to do some things differently then I originally planed and was forced to settle for a finish I am not completely satisfied with. Originally I wanted to used pined tenons to secure the trestles to the legs but had to go with glued dowels to speed things up. I also purchased a HVLP gun to try out spray on lacquer but wasn’t able to get it working right so settled for waterborne poly.
Table top is book matched Mango salvaged from a lot where it was cut to make way for utility installation but not before the bugs go to it. Legs are also Mango left over from my dinning table project. The stretcher is Eucalyptus Robusta/Swamp Mahogany and the bowties are Ohia both are from my friends burn pile.
Finish is Deft waterborne poly.
-- "He who has no dog, hunts with a cat" Portuguese proverb
7 comments so far
deon
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2522 posts in 2749 days
#1 posted 04-21-2014 10:17 AM
Nice top. (Make sury they will let you take it into Australia, It is not easy to take wooden object in there)
-- Dreaming patterns
squaretree
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160 posts in 1295 days
#2 posted 04-21-2014 10:56 AM
That’s a work of art. I’m really digging it. Good job
-- if you can't find me, just follow the extension cord
mcoyfrog
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3806 posts in 3317 days
#3 posted 04-21-2014 06:28 PM
Sweet, I love the chunky feeling of it
-- Wood and Glass they kick (well you know) Have a great day - Dug
Gibernak
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124 posts in 1569 days
#4 posted 04-21-2014 06:45 PM
Very nice work. I really like the shape of the table and the wood. the bowties look great. thanks for sharing
watermark
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483 posts in 1666 days
#5 posted 04-21-2014 07:16 PM
Thanks for the complements.
Deon- Thanks for the heads up. I am from Australia and know they are tight with there regulations but I have taken smaller pieces (one from the same logs as the top) before so I am going of that experience but I am still a little worried. My brother was able to pay a fee for treating right at the airport for something he was taking once also. The info on the web says it’s a low risk item but must be declared for inspection and may require onsite treatment.
-- "He who has no dog, hunts with a cat" Portuguese proverb
gfadvm
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14940 posts in 2413 days
#6 posted 04-22-2014 12:16 AM
What a beautiful table! That wormy mango is just gorgeous. And you knock down joinery is inspired. Never thought of the ‘knock out’ butterflies.
-- " I'll try to be nicer, if you'll try to be smarter" gfadvm
watermark
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483 posts in 1666 days
#7 posted 06-19-2014 08:07 AM
Got it into Australia with out any hassles, they didn’t even make me open the box.
-- "He who has no dog, hunts with a cat" Portuguese proverb
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