| Project by schwingding | posted 271 days ago | 396 views | 3 times favorited | 17 comments |  |
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The Shakers didn’t have African Cherry (Makore) available to them, but I do!
I came across about 20 board feet of this incredible figured makore a while back and decided to make a table out of it, as wood like this rarely escapes the veneer factory. What I didn’t know is how allergic I would be to it. One whiff of the dust is enough to make me wheeze, sneeze, cough, and tear up. The dust also give me bad rashes anywhere it touches skin and a little bit of sweat. I won’t work with this again but am glad I toughed it out. This table resides in our home – I can’t possibly sell it. The curved feet aren’t as hard to make as they look. I made a template out of 1/4” mdf, then taped the template to the blanks, rough cut it on the bandsaw, then used a flush trim bit with bearing in the router table to finish them off.
edited to add photo of the top, as requested.
-- Just another woodworker
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17 comments so far
MsDebbieP
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11657 posts in 613 days
posted 271 days ago
what beautiful wood… yikes re allergic reaction! I wouldn’t part with it either after that agony.
Well done
-- "Functional WoodArt" by Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)
CharlieM1958
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3990 posts in 670 days
posted 271 days ago
Wow! That is some amazing wood, and you put it to excellent use.
-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"
mot
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4839 posts in 488 days
posted 271 days ago
Scwhing, this is just beautiful. The design, the wood, the woodworking! I’m very impressed.
-- You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato)
rjack
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110 posts in 307 days
posted 271 days ago
Really nice! I would like to see a closeup of the top.
-- Roger - Havertown, Pennsylvania
mikega
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45 posts in 319 days
posted 271 days ago
Great table!! Did you do anything special when you finished it to bring the figure out in the wood.
Also are you the same Scwhing that use to post some beautiful turnings on the WOW site?
-- Mike www.flickr.com/photos/paturner
TreeBones
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1384 posts in 475 days
posted 271 days ago
Wow! This wood is most impressive. You have given it life.
-- Ron, Twain Harte, Ca. Portable on site Sawmill Service http://westcoastlands.net/Sawmill.html http://westcoastlands.net/SawBucks2/phpBB3
Blake
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1902 posts in 326 days
posted 271 days ago
As usual, we can expect only the most masterfully crafted project from you, Schwing. Beautiful.
Don’t touch that desk, looks like lava. Might burn you.
-- Dust collectors suck.
chamoruboy
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113 posts in 460 days
posted 271 days ago
The wood is mindblowingly beautiful. I can only hope to have a lucky find like that in the future.
-- Greatness is not found in possessions, power, position, or prestige. It is discovered in goodness, humility, service, and love.
TomFran
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2344 posts in 446 days
posted 271 days ago
That is some unbelievably beautiful wood! And, a wonderful job of making a table out of it.
-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28
blackcherry
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195 posts in 275 days
posted 271 days ago
After reading you write up on Makore wood and the reaction to it I took to the net for a fact finding mission and here the scoop, the dust caused a occupational asthma reaction caused by inhaling and coming into contact with its dust. It will cause skin rashes and if you’re a asthmatic hello inhaler. You can read more by just typing Medical condition with Makore wood in your search engine. Oh by the way the project is a gem!!! Blkcherry
Napaman
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1635 posts in 529 days
posted 271 days ago
wow…welcome to LJ’s…great stuff…all of it!
-- Matt, Napa, CA...177 days to sanity...
Karson
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12741 posts in 852 days
posted 271 days ago
Great looking table. Sorry about the allergies. I found out that I’m allergic to Cocobolo and I can sand it anymore.
-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com
rpmurphy509
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287 posts in 306 days
posted 270 days ago
That table is gorgeous!
I’ve never worked with Makore wood before, but have heard it
can play havoc with allergies to some (a lot). The beauty of the
wood looks like it is well worth the suffering that accompanies it.
Absolutely beautiful work!
-- Still learning everything
Chip
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1058 posts in 544 days
posted 270 days ago
I said it earlier on one of your projects and I’ll say it again (and probably again, and again, and again), your eye for spectacular wood and your ability to maximize it’s potential is just phenominal. Love it.
-- Better to say nothing and be thought the fool... then to speak and erase all doubt.
Grumpy
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4924 posts in 303 days
posted 268 days ago
Nice piece of furniture. What a beautiful & striking wood that is.
-- Grumpy - "Always look on the bright side of life"- Monty Python
DAN
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2918 posts in 435 days
posted 265 days ago
four stars ! five stars ! six stars ! and many many more. This is some spectacular figure. Amazing.
-- ..... art for lifes sake
Dusty56
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1024 posts in 140 days
posted 35 days ago
Thank you for posting this beautiful project and the allergic reactions from the Makore…I have a two foot piece of it , but it is not even close to being figured…it looks like boring straight grain and with my asthma and other allergy issues , I might have to throw it in the firewood pile. I was just wondering what I could make from it as I brushed the dust off of it again last night and then I saw your project and warnings today…...LOL
ps: what did you finish it with and do have any more pictures to share that are larger than the ones posted here ? My email is below if you’d like to send any pix . thank you : )
-- Dusty56@comcast.net