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Shaker Hall Table

Project by Don posted 1051 days ago 1223 views 4 times favorited 21 comments Add to Favorites Watch

This project is a Shaker hall table. I increased the depth of the table over traditional dimensions, because my wife wants to use this in our lounge room to display family photographs. The wood is Jarrah, one of Australia’s many beautiful hardwoods.

The construction of the table base is mortise and tenon. The top consists of five lengths of timber biscuit jointed. The breadboard ends of the table top allow the top to expand and contract along a blind mortise with only the centre dowel being glued through the tenon. (The other two dowels are inserted through elongated slots in the tenon to allow the timber to move.)

The finish is shellac and wax. I applied six coats of shellac with a light sanding using fine wet/dry paper, finished off with a great locally made wax which really brings out the beauty of the grain and color of the wood.

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


21 comments so far

View Philip Edwards's profile

Philip Edwards

235 posts in 1339 days


posted 1051 days ago

Very classy, Don!
You must be very pleased with it.
Phil

View MsDebbieP's profile

MsDebbieP

14188 posts in 1060 days


posted 1051 days ago

simple elegance. This is beautiful !!!

-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

View dennis mitchell's profile

dennis mitchell

3791 posts in 1214 days


posted 1051 days ago

Interesting top design and more wonderful wood! Wife must be very happy!

-- http://www.woodsongsfurniture.com

View Dick, & Barb Cain's profile (online now)

Dick, & Barb Cain

7050 posts in 1199 days


posted 1050 days ago

Beautiful, a very attractive design.
I love the exotic wood you have down under. You also have a beautiful floor. What kind of wood is it ? My Son works at installing flooring, he would be interested, I’ll show it to him.

-- -** You are never to old to set another goal or to dream a new dream ****************** Dick, & Barb Cain, Hibbing, MN. http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.com/gallery/member.php?uid=3627&protype=1

View Don's profile

Don

2590 posts in 1076 days


posted 1050 days ago

Dick, it’s variously referred to as Tassie Oak, or Vic Ash, or KD (kiln dried). See my comments on the naming of Australian woods here.

This floor was laid when the house was built about fifty years ago. It was under the carpeting and unfinished. When we purchased the home five years ago, we had the carpeting removed (yes incredibly it was the original carpet), the floor sanded and finished with an epoxy finish. My wife and I love it. We have this throughout the entire house which is about 5000 square feet on one level.

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

View frank's profile

frank

1503 posts in 1106 days


posted 1050 days ago

Hi Don;
—-the Shaker style of traditional woodworking is one that I have always admired and enjoy to look at. Just a short distance from me there is the town of Canterbury, NH which was one of the last of Shaker towns, Canterbury Shaker Village, also www.shakers.org. They also do in the summer time a weekend of Wood Days which many of the local woodworkers and even some of the big names come to and do demonstrations with woodworking habits. Quite fun and also makes for a good way to connect with the public.

Your Shaker table here is very good in appearance and design and goes on to show the handwork of the artist. I also like that use of shellac and polish.

One interesting feature about Shaker woodworking was that the workers always made some flaw in the work just to show that only God did perfect work, which I think is quite amazing in itself.

Thank you Don, for sharing your works of wood art with us and have a veery good day!!!
GODSPEED,
Frank

-- --frank, NH, http://frank.wordpress.com/

View Bill's profile

Bill

2561 posts in 1061 days


posted 1050 days ago

Very nice design and a wonderful finish! I keep hoping to produce such results someday!

Right now I build a lot of things from plans I find, and sometimes modify them to meet the customer needs. One day I may actually come up with an original design of my own.

-- Bill, Turlock California, http://www.brookswoodworks.com

View Don's profile

Don

2590 posts in 1076 days


posted 1050 days ago

Quote Frank: ”One interesting feature about Shaker woodworking was that the workers always made some flaw in the work just to show that only God did perfect work, which I think is quite amazing in itself.”

Frank, that makes me feel much better. This piece is more authentic than I originally thought (LOL).

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

View Dick, & Barb Cain's profile (online now)

Dick, & Barb Cain

7050 posts in 1199 days


posted 1048 days ago

Don,I was astonished at the size of your home. Our home is 900 square feet, on 2 floors, on a lot that is only 3750 Square feet. You must have a beautiful home. If we had a home that size in this neck of the woods, we couldn’t afford to heat it.
I recently found out that a cousin of mine in Atlanta, GA has a home that’s 17,000 square feet. she must use a map to find her way around.

-- -** You are never to old to set another goal or to dream a new dream ****************** Dick, & Barb Cain, Hibbing, MN. http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.com/gallery/member.php?uid=3627&protype=1

View Don's profile

Don

2590 posts in 1076 days


posted 1047 days ago

Weird, isn’t it, Dick, we are retired, our kids no longer live here, and we have a home larger by twice than any other we have owned. My kids tease us and ask us if this house is our idea of down-sizing. Our lit is not overly large – about 85’ wide and 200’ deep. One thing I do know – it’s a lit of work. Being the handy-man, I commenced a re-painting program last September. First I had to remove old wallpaper, and then all of the work that follows to bring the wall up to a suitable painting surface. I don’t mind painting the walls and ceiling, but my dear wife wants the cove molding one colour the ceiling another and the walls a third. Then there’s all the skirting boards, architraves and doors. Can you believe it – 16 doors off the main hall alone. If it doesn’t kill me before I’m finished, it will look nice when done.

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

View DaveC's profile

DaveC

39 posts in 1049 days


posted 1045 days ago

Very nice table!

I have had a similar project in mind for quite some time now just have not got around to starting it yet.

I do like that wood.

Dave.

-- Dave.

View bigpops0259's profile

bigpops0259

202 posts in 1049 days


posted 1040 days ago

Great table! that wood is beautiful, makes for a very classy table.

-- Marty Ohio

View scottb's profile

scottb

3402 posts in 1227 days


posted 1039 days ago

Wow Dick, our first apt. was 900 s.f. perfect for my wife and I, and now after moving to a house twice as big, (requiring a hundred times as much work), and now with one little one… I’d dare say that the Apt (if it had a garage or outbuilding) was just about the perfect size. – Good luck with all the paiting etc, Don, oh, and to get back on track; Great job on the table!

I’ve been meaning to get up to Canterbury Shaker Village, as they offer some woodworking classes, in addition to the Wood Days… (I’ve also heard you can get a chocolate cheese in their gift shop)

-- I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it. - Pablo Picasso -- http://blanchardcreative.etsy.com -- http://snbcreative.wordpress.com/

View Billp's profile

Billp

336 posts in 1099 days


posted 1019 days ago

Holy Cow! The table seems to float, nice work.

-- Billp

View Lboy's profile

Lboy

124 posts in 981 days


posted 862 days ago

Beautiful table!

View DAN 's profile

DAN

6468 posts in 883 days


posted 832 days ago

very pretty piece … you really do nice work. the wood is awesome color

-- work from your heart and your spirit will live forever

View Jeff's profile

Jeff

91 posts in 847 days


posted 832 days ago

Amazing work, love the collor of the table.

-- Jeff B.

View mot's profile

mot

4904 posts in 936 days


posted 825 days ago

Really a great table, Don. Sorry I missed it before.

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

View Andy's profile

Andy

571 posts in 808 days


posted 804 days ago

Don this table is very well designed,elegant. Very nice work for sure.

-- " If I can make it,so can you" Andy in Oregon

View dustyal's profile

dustyal

447 posts in 375 days


posted 41 days ago

Very nice table… I’m just browsing around to find ideas to meet my wife’s need of a Shaker-like under the window table with drawer(s).

I just completed a square Shaker table that my daughter claimed. I’ll post it soom. Now the Mrs wants a similar custom table and she liked yours. Hers needs to be short height, long length, narrow depth. Might be a proportional challenge since he she wants drawers too.

-- Al H. - small shop, small projects...

View a1Jim's profile (online now)

a1Jim

17198 posts in 477 days


posted 41 days ago

Very nice table Don

-- Jim from Heirloom Woodshop, custom furniture ,maker, woodworking school, heirloomwoodshop.com

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