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berthold schwaiger side table: finished

Project by macpiper posted 137 days ago 328 views 1 time favorited 16 comments Add to Favorites
berthold schwaiger side table: finished berthold schwaiger side table: finished berthold schwaiger side table: finished Click the pictures to enlarge them

Here it is! finally….the finish is a coat of shellac followed by 3 coats (4 on the top) of a wipe-on varnish and finished with a coat of wax (i used a brown wax on the lighter legs to bring them closer in color to the darker legs). i wish i could take credit for thinking of that finish, but i pulled it from FWW #196. never having finished anything before i wish i could have seen someone deal with the varnish (ie: how long to let it set before wiping away excess, how much to wipe away, how to deal with joints, etc.), but i think it turned out pretty good for my first go around. the padauk is really iridescent at the right angle. although, i am now trying to figure out how best to recycle the used rags instead of just adding to landfill. :)

i said on the first posting that i the legs were mahogany, but i actually think they are walnut. i can’t remember. the other woods are padauk and beech. if you want to read more about this table check out the first posting i made on it (pre-finish).


16 comments so far

View Scott Bryan's profile

Scott Bryan

8483 posts in 264 days


posted 137 days ago

Macpiper,

This turned out beautifully. The different woods add a lot of visual interest to the table.

With a wiping varnish letting it sit about 10 minutes and adding more to areas that appear drying before wiping it off all the surfaces is fine. On rare occasions you may have some beading that occurs later but this is simply wiped off.

I am not sure that you can salvage the rags if the varnish hardens. But I guess if you keep them in a closed container and dampened with mineral spirits they would make suitable dust rags. But a few of these will go a long way.

A book you might want to look at that I have found to be helpful is Understanding Wood Finishing by Bob Flexner. It is available at Amazon.com for about $20.00 or you might want to see if it is available through your local library or through inter-library loan.

-- With God's help all things are possible- even woodworking. Woodworking is not just a hobby, it is an (expletive deleted) expensive hobby.

View WoodRx's profile

WoodRx

19 posts in 140 days


posted 137 days ago

Looks very nice… different woods contrast perfectly… are those mitered tenons? I’ve never seen that before… very creative!

-- Learn something everyday!

View teenagewoodworker's profile

teenagewoodworker

1932 posts in 210 days


posted 137 days ago

that turned out beautifully. I really like the the way the woods accent each other. Since you said that this was the first thing that you had ever finished before i would suggest you check out The Wood Whisperer's new DVD. I got it and it changed the way i look at finishing (being an inexperienced finisher also). After that i don’t have to rely on store bought finishes and the majority of my finishes are store bought but mixed with other things such as boiled linseed oil, naptha, etc. and i can make the finishes do almost exactly what i want them to do. again great job on the table and i look forward to seeing some more work.

View bfd's profile

bfd

187 posts in 249 days


posted 137 days ago

I love this piece. It has simple lines that allow the wood and joinery to take center stage. I especially like the corner joinery that you used.

-- Brian, Folsom, CA

View GaryK's profile

GaryK

8401 posts in 430 days


posted 137 days ago

Great looking table. I really like those corners.

-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.

View CharlieM1958's profile

CharlieM1958

3958 posts in 660 days


posted 137 days ago

Excellent work!

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

View Woodhacker's profile

Woodhacker

438 posts in 165 days


posted 137 days ago

I love the exposed mitered mortise tenon joinery.

Great piece!!...thanks for posting!

-- Martin, Kansas

View bilsborough's profile

bilsborough

43 posts in 137 days


posted 136 days ago

I love this table. The joinery is brilliant! I second the coment about Bob Flexner’s understanding wood finishing. It explains many techniques and exposes many finishing myths.

-- What do you learn from being right?

View Todd A. Clippinger's profile

Todd A. Clippinger

2528 posts in 541 days


posted 136 days ago

Great design and execution!

-- Todd A. Clippinger, Montana, http://amcraftsman.com

View Lakey's profile

Lakey

100 posts in 214 days


posted 136 days ago

Love the leg joinery – how did you do that?

-- "No Board Left Behind"

View macpiper's profile

macpiper

40 posts in 229 days


posted 136 days ago

lakey – the joinery is a simple mortise and tenon that is mitered.

View Dorje's profile

Dorje

1736 posts in 438 days


posted 134 days ago

Looks great! The finish is really nice! The legs do look like walnut.

I third the Flexner reference and would add, Jeff Jewitt and Michael Dresdner books and videos to the reference list…

Also – is that really you in the photo?

And, it’s great to have some Bauhaus influence on the site…

-- Dorje (pronounced "door-jay"), Seattle, WA

View BertJ's profile

BertJ

49 posts in 140 days


posted 134 days ago

Lovely work! Nice combination of wood for this great table. Your joinery adds greatly to its charm, and the finish really takes it over the top. Thanks for sharing.

View macpiper's profile

macpiper

40 posts in 229 days


posted 129 days ago

dorje-yes, it is really me. that picture was taken while working on a new business pitch ready at like 3-4am…there are only so many storyboards, key frame boards and ad ideas you can throw on foam core before you get a little loopy. :)

View Dorje's profile

Dorje

1736 posts in 438 days


posted 128 days ago

too funny -

-- Dorje (pronounced "door-jay"), Seattle, WA

View jeanmarc's profile

jeanmarc

1641 posts in 158 days


posted 30 days ago

Great looking table.

-- jeanmarc manosque france

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