Arts and Crafts Table

Very beautiful table. I really like the accents that you have used on the table. Excellent craftsmanship.

-- Max "Desperado", Salt Lake City, UT

Really nice work.

-- I am always doing that which I can not do, in order that I may learn how to do it. - Pablo Picasso

Beautiful work!

-- You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato)

Looks Great. I would be very interested in how you did the secret box.

-- Che.

Thank you all for posting such nice comments!
@Che-The hidden box is very simple,in this case it is about 4”W x 6”L x 3”D.It sets just under the top like a drawer would, but drops downward by reaching up and pulling on a strap I made from leather off of an old boot.The hardware is an Amerock hinge used for mounting a rack for cookbooks on the underside of an upper cabinet.It lets the box drop and move to the front, but a tipout tray hinge would work also.

-- " Stubborn tenacity substitutes for natural ability" ANDY

Beautiful, please post more pics!

-- Dan in Central Oklahoma, Able to turn good wood into saw dust in the blink of an eye!

Great table, i like your details and choice in wood. Is that white or red oak, I always have a hard time telling if I can’t smell it. how did you decide on the “inlays” for your mortise work?

-- --Spoon

Beautiful detail work, Andy!

-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"

Fantastic, great job! I’d echo what’s been said above – I’d love to see some more pictures when you have time.

-- Robb

Very nice. Can’t wait to see the other pics. Question: For your inlay accents, what was the process to clean them up? Planes or power sanding? Thanks.

-- Jeff, St. Paul, MN

Beautiful table Andy. I love the detail work you did on it. Nice color also.

-- Greg Mitchell--Lowell, AR--gdamitchell@sbcglobal.net

Very, very nice. Can’t wait for more. Love the detail.

-- Bob, Carver Massachusetts, Sawdust Maker http://www.capecodbaychallenge.org

Andy -

Very nice clean work! Quite the teaser to only post one detail photo :-) !

-- http://foldingrule.blogspot.com

Wish we could see more of this. Your work is outstanding, James.

-- CanuckDon "I just love small wooden boxes!" http://www.canterburybaptist.org/

beautiful looking so far. I am only able to see one photo, but what I have seen looks great. I like the use of walnut and quartersawn oak together, I have used that combination several times myself.

good posting,
Mark

-- Mark DeCou - Kansas Flint Hill's Artisan

beautiful wood

-- http://www.woodsongsfurniture.com

More great work Andy. Your attention to detail is really wonderful. Looking forward to seeing more of your pieces and thanks for posting this.

-- Better to say nothing and be thought the fool... then to speak and erase all doubt.

Thank you all!
@Spoon-I do a mock up with scrap cubes of the contrasting wood, using double face tape,and keep playing with the arrangement until it looks right.I like to add a detail that works with the overall feel of the piece, but still keep it pretty simple.I always try to find the easiest and most repeatable way to do something, but never make two of the same thing.I get bored quite easily.
SO…..these “inlays” are simply 1/2” and 3/4” mortises cut using a benchtop mortiser.I am sure others know about this, but I had never seen it done before and came up with this simple effective way to add embelishments.It is quite straight forward to do, just mark equally spaced layout lines and set the chisel square to the fence or at an angle for the diamonds,flipping the board end for end and edge for edge for each setting. Simple. Dampen the surface to help prevent tearing around the perimeter of the mortises.Make your square stock to fit tight and only glue the bottom.You dont want glue showing, or need to use putty.I have used this for accents in cutting boards also, sometimes overlapping one color over another,and at odd angles.I will post some more in the future.

-- " Stubborn tenacity substitutes for natural ability" ANDY