| Project by Karson | posted 1207 days ago | 3718 views | 1 time favorited | 38 comments | ![]() |
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When I decided to build this table I had one purpose in mind, to break the misconception of making a table from Popular wood. Not that Popular would be a unique wood, but more that this particular piece of popular was breaking the mold on the conception of what this species of wood looked like.
I was in a sawmill in New Jersey and the owner took me over to a pile of wood and said look at this. He took his chain saw and cut off a 2 ft piece and told me to take it home and plane it down. When I did that, I saw the most unique wood that I’ve ever seen. There were all kinds of colors within that plank.
I went back and bought the entire log, about 350 bd ft. Half of the planks were 16 ft long and 24” wide. It took me two trips to get it all back home. I stored it in the attic of the barn to let it dry.
Over the next couple of years this wood dried without any splits. When I measured it, it had shrunk to 22.5 inches. It lost 1.5 inches.
The stump portion of the wood was almost totally black. This is caused by something, Minerals, lighting, nobody seems to know.


But the wood went from the black to stark white right beside it.
But to make my Yin Yang transformation complete I used Holly pegs for the Greene and Greene designed table.

The pegs were pillowed using a hand air sander.
The wood was milled for the mortise and tenons using a horizontal router.

After I had it assembled I brought it into the house to show my family.
It wasn’t there but about 5 minutes and already it was put to use.
The finish is sprayed Shellac. It dries in any weather.
But when I originally visualized these tables I also wanted a truly Yin Yang effect so I built a companion piece out of Holly wood. The pegs for the Greene and Green pegs are made out of Pink Ivory. That table was made to have an Albino effect.

Even the wood shavings pile has the Yin Yang effect.
-- I've been blessed with a father who liked to tinker in wood, and a wife who lets me tinker in wood. Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †
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38 comments so far
John Ormsby
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1235 posts in 1905 days
#1 posted 1207 days ago
That is one very special table. Nice job on the design and build!!!!!!!!! Beautiful and rare wood color.
-- Oldworld, Fair Oaks, Ca
Karson
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34369 posts in 2568 days
#2 posted 1207 days ago
Thanks John. I need to go through the pile because I know that there are other pieces with different colors.
-- I've been blessed with a father who liked to tinker in wood, and a wife who lets me tinker in wood. Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †
TopamaxSurvivor
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13192 posts in 1844 days
#3 posted 1207 days ago
Nice job Karson. Now we know where you have been ;-)
-- "some old things are lovely, warm still with life ... of the forgotten men who made them." - D.H. Lawrence Wake Up America!! Please read; http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/01/26-0
Puupaja
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297 posts in 1268 days
#4 posted 1207 days ago
So nice wood and work!
-- http://www.facebook.com/pages/Puupaja/357028681017482
a1Jim
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87068 posts in 1745 days
#5 posted 1207 days ago
Wow Karson,Darrell Peart look out, these are beyond cool tables. a great choice in materials and fine build.
Top notch work.
-- W James Brokenbourgh Custom furniture maker http://artisticwoodstudio.com/
WistysWoodWorkingWonders
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11517 posts in 1325 days
#6 posted 1207 days ago
very nice tables… and the wood colors are just amazing…
-- New Project = New Tool... it's just the way it is, don't fight it... :)
Chilly
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17 posts in 1228 days
#7 posted 1206 days ago
I gotta be honest the style of the table doesn’t really do it for me but I would love to have this in my living room. I really respect that you found this awesome wood and really saw what it could do when so many others would just let it die. And you did a great job with it. I mean this with the UTMOST respect – I would love to have this table piled with drinks drunk with good friends! You know it just seems like one of those little piece that becomes a favorite for folks. Good stuff!
-- can't talk, woodworking -- p1g furniture design
jack1
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1803 posts in 2195 days
#8 posted 1206 days ago
Quite the color. I’ve been hoarding every dark brown poplar board I find. It takes on the look of walnut when wet and waiting to get enough for a project. Very nice tables and the contrast tops it off! Neat.
-- jack -- ...measure once, curse twice!
MsDebbieP
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18320 posts in 2328 days
#9 posted 1206 days ago
wonderful story behind these beautiful tables.
As always—great job.
-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)
littlecope
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2329 posts in 1670 days
#10 posted 1206 days ago
Great work, Karson! After just working with Poplar on a few projects, I found it to have wonderful coloration and to be easy to work with. I can’t understand the “Snobbery” about using it, the usual recommendation is to paint it! ((Shudders!))
I had a little trouble sanding it. It sanded very powdery, clogging up sandpaper pretty rapidly… But other than that, I liked it…
Again, Nice Job!!
-- Mike in Concord, NH---Unpleasant tasks are simply worthy challenges to improve skills.
Maveric777
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2593 posts in 1244 days
#11 posted 1206 days ago
What a cool set of tables! You did an outstanding job Karson!
-- Dan ~ Texarkana, Tx.
Bob A in NJ
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1095 posts in 2167 days
#12 posted 1206 days ago
Very cool, Karson! Well done buddy!
-- Bob A in NJ
woodmight
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113 posts in 1224 days
#13 posted 1206 days ago
Great Bulid Karson !... and who said Poplar isn’t an exotic wood… lol
-- ~~ Remember You can't saw... What you can't see ~~
SPalm
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4108 posts in 2050 days
#14 posted 1206 days ago
Very Nice. Very Imaginative. That is a cute picture with the table ‘in use’.
Good to see you in the shop.
Steve
-- -- I'm no rocket surgeon
mmh
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3034 posts in 1890 days
#15 posted 1206 days ago
That’s really quite a unique piece. I like the bi-color sides too.
-- "They who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night." ~ Edgar Allan Poe
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