| Project by Ryan Sparreboom | posted 70 days ago | 699 views | 9 times favorited | 28 comments | ![]() |
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Hi all!
I made this table as a gift for my sister and her new hubby for their wedding. It was very well received.
For the top I chose a very nice piece of QS Bubinga. Not quite waterfall figure, but very nice none the less. It is a single board a hair under 13” wide. I would have like the top to be a bit longer on this table, but that board was the nicest I could find and my board streching machine went down so it is the length it is. :)
I ran the top board thru my Dewalt 735 on the low feed rate (higher cuts per inch) and had very good results. I was a bit worried about tear out with the figure, but got NONE. I love that planer. I touched it up a bit with a smoother hand plane and then sanded to 400 grit. The finish on the top is several coats of shellac sealer, followed by about 6 coats of WB Poly (General Finishes product). It was sanded up to 1500 grit before applying a good quality paste wax and polishing with a power polisher.
The base is made from QS African Mahogany (Khaya Sp.) I loved the chattoyance in the 2 boards I used. The 4 curved aprons were cut from a single board, and the legs and top supports were cut from another. It took me many sketches and a few alterations on a full scale drawing to get the leg curves right. They are about 3 1/4” at the widest point, and a full 1 3/4” thick. I found the slight curve to the top of the legs a very nice design feature that really added to the overall look. I wanted to darken the mahogany slightly and achieved this with a good coat of Black Walnut Danish Oil. That was topped with several coats of shellac sealer, Then finished with 4 coats of the same WB Poly as used on the top. Sanded to 600 grit.
The aprons are connected to the legs with a quadruple dowel joint (3/8” x 2” dowels) using my Mortise Pal jig. Another great tool. For simplicity, and because you don’t see them, I used pocket hole joinery to connect the top supports to the aprons and table top clips to connect the top to the top supports. I would have prefered to plug and hide the pocket holes but I could not find mahogany plugs and ran out of time to make my own.
I had a lot of fun designing and making this table and am extremely pleased with how it turned out. A few minor changes would have made it near perfect. I think it’s one of my nicest projects to date, and I already have a request from a friend to build another.
I hope you like it too. Thanks for looking and reading.
Ryan

































28 comments so far
a1Jim
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16776 posts in 471 days
posted 70 days ago
Hey Ryan
This a super table I like everything about it ,very well done
-- Jim from Heirloom Woodshop Southern Oregon
PrairieFire
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56 posts in 94 days
posted 70 days ago
This is a beautiful table, nice clean lines. I agree that the top could have been a little longer but hey you can’t rely on those board stretching machines ever.
-- I am governed by an attitude of curiosity.
Damian Penney
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1030 posts in 886 days
posted 70 days ago
Very nice Ryan :)
-- I am always doing that which I can not do, in order that I may learn how to do it. - Pablo Picasso
blackcherry
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730 posts in 717 days
posted 70 days ago
Nice design and I agree about the top big a little long,but it still a striking piece of furniture. Thank for posting Blkcherry
jockmike2
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7314 posts in 1141 days
posted 70 days ago
Beautiful table Ryan, nice design, nice build. Welcome to LJ’s.
-- Mike. mwurm13@yahoo.com
RexMcKinnon
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676 posts in 90 days
posted 70 days ago
Super table. Wonderful gift.
-- If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail!
aldente
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121 posts in 309 days
posted 70 days ago
love the curves. looks awsome!
-- Rodd, Texas grandpa
CaptainSkully
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470 posts in 453 days
posted 70 days ago
Very elegant design and a phenomenal gift. Thanks for recommending the Mortise Pal. I may get one when I do my set of dining chairs.
-- You can't control the wind, but you can trim your sails
Ryan Sparreboom
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85 posts in 146 days
posted 70 days ago
Thanks for all the great comments guys.
I added 1 more picture to show the leg design a bit better.
Ryan
TopamaxSurvivor
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3017 posts in 570 days
posted 70 days ago
Beautiful job. Is the leg a radius or a compound curve?
-- Debt is nothing more than the 21st Century's form of slavery.
CharlieM1958
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7632 posts in 1113 days
posted 70 days ago
Very well done.
-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"
DTWoodknot
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91 posts in 81 days
posted 70 days ago
very nice great lines. thanks for posting it
-- Dave, I wood if I could but I can't so I woodknot
CanadaJeff
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165 posts in 504 days
posted 70 days ago
The curves are fantastic. Its this kind of piece that inspires me into diving into furniture making more than I have been.
Great work
woodworm
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8243 posts in 485 days
posted 70 days ago
Very nice design hall table. I like the floating-top style.

-- masrol, kuala lumpur, MY.
Lloyd Davies
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83 posts in 220 days
posted 70 days ago
Very nice design indeed. It’s so much more satisfying when you know your piece is unique and your design.
-- Northern California http://www.lloydus.com
Ryan Sparreboom
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85 posts in 146 days
posted 70 days ago
Thanks guys.
TopamaxSurvivor, to answer your question, the legs are in fact a compound curve on the outside edge. They come back in at a different radius at the top. The inside of the leg is straight until about 2/3 of the way down where they sweep in gently.
Lloyd, your absolutely right. Designing and executing my own design was very satisfying for me. I plan to get more and more adventurous with designs as my skills progress.
Ryan
ladiesman217
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29 posts in 109 days
posted 70 days ago
Great design-love the curved legs and the arched apron.
-- Freedom is the right of all sentient beings
cwdance1
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186 posts in 153 days
posted 70 days ago
Wonderful table, love the wood, great job
Les Hastings
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953 posts in 668 days
posted 70 days ago
Awesome table, fantastic choice of wood. Great design work.
-- Les, Wichita, Ks. (I'd rather be covered in saw dust!)
mtnwild
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2015 posts in 422 days
posted 70 days ago
That’s a beauty!
Very cool gift…................
-- mtnwild (Jack), It's not what you see, it's how you see it.
Loucarb
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951 posts in 340 days
posted 69 days ago
Great design and craftsmanship. Well done.
Dennis Zongker
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1014 posts in 486 days
posted 69 days ago
Sweet! Great job.
-- Dennis Zongker
kolwdwrkr
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2249 posts in 485 days
posted 69 days ago
what a beaut!
-- ~ Inspiring those who inspire me ~
huff
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1616 posts in 179 days
posted 69 days ago
Very unique design and a great build. Love it! Thanks for sharing.
-- John @ Myrtle Beach
mziem
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20 posts in 211 days
posted 69 days ago
I hate to sound like I’m talking about a woman but, Great form and I LOVE the legs.
-- We are what we repeatedly do. Excellance, therefore, is not an act but a habit. ~Aristotle~
3fingerpat
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907 posts in 562 days
posted 69 days ago
Love the design and choice of wood, bubinga is one of my favorites, the table is stunning, your sister is very lucky.
-- "You get what you inspect, not what you expect"
mcoyfrog
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809 posts in 489 days
posted 64 days ago
WOW amazing design and such a great selection of woods, the grains are spectacular
-- Wood and Glass they kick (well you know) Have a great day - Dug
TD Bridges
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18 posts in 30 days
posted 27 days ago
Exquisite design. Reminds me a lot of Jerry Work’s designs. The floating top is my favorite feature. Beautiful craftsmanship.
-- Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakens. -Jung