Dont stain maple

I’m not seeing anything that could cause you to be made fun of.
It’s a great looking table with an elegant design.
can’t wait to see your next one!

-- ~ www.darrylmasterson.com ~ www.woodworkingdungeon.blogspot.com ~

Christian,

I seriously doubt you will have people make fun of you here. Generally you will find most folks to be encouraging and helpful.

This is a real nice looking piece of work; it has a nice modern airy “feel” to it. Not to mention it’s one more table than I have made…. :)

Also, why the comment on not staining Maple?

-- Chris

In my personal opinion from what I have seen with my table and others from my class, I dont recommend staining maple. I feel it steals the good qualities of the maple. (Disclaimer: I am pretty new to staining dont take my opinion personal)

This is a beautiful and unusual piece. Well done! Maple has a beautiful and subtle grain pattern that is easily obsucred by stain. I like it natural, too.

-- Coffee is best with a fine layer of sawdust on top. -- http://www.north40custom.com

Hey buddy I have a whole kitchen full of unstained maple cupboards and could’nt agree with you more, maple is a beautiful wood w/ or w/o stain I prefer, if anything, a very light stain just to enhance the grain. That table needs no apologizes. It is beautiful, original and stands on its own merit. Keep up the great work, I haven’t made a table that big either. mike

-- Mike. Profisher50@yahoo.com

I think the table is quite nice. Honestly though, the only one who really sees your “mistakes” is you. Unless it’s dramatic no one else will notice—- unless you point it out.

Nice job!

-- Betsy - GO BUCKS!

Christian,

Beautiful Table!

Lew

I have to agree with you: “Don’t stain maple.” That is one beautiful table and the way I see it you do not have anything to be ashamed of with your first table. Keep up the great work.

-- Brian, Lebanon PA, If you aren’t having fun doing it, find something else to do.

Great design Christian. nicely finished.

-- Grumpy - "Always look on the bright side of life"- Monty Python

I love the design of it

I think your Table is well designed. Don’t think I could suggest any improvements.

You are off to a great start. So, relax and enjoy your craft.

-- Kip Northern Illinois ( If you don't know where your goin any road will take you there) George Harrison

Christian,

That is a beautiful table and I really like the construction and design. There is nothing but praise that should be said about the table.

Well done.

The only comment I would make is that I have stained maple. I used to be a Minwax Early American addict. I have stained several pieces of maple furniture that I refinished and they came out beautifully. But, for Christmas, I made my mother-in-law a microwave cabinet out of maple and used trans tint dyes on it because (1) Minwax has changed their formulation for the Early American product and (2) I wanted to match her existing cabinetry. The bottom line is I did not like the color and wished I had simply left it with a natural finish. But she was happy with it. So I would agree with you that maple is pretty enough to be left as a natural finish unless you have some compelling reason to try and stain it- realizing, of course, that it will be a challenge to do so.

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

nice table christian, for a first one you got it all right. what school are you in ? i just finished my second sem. at red rocks and i love it there.good luck bro.

-- Roper - master of sawdust-

I think it looks unusual and very cool! Nice work all around and yes..I have never had much luck getting maple to stain evenly…I think it looks just fine au natural!

-- Women love me.....trees fear me

I wish that I could be the one bragging that I had built this table ! Great job and don’t mess with Maple !!!(staining it )

-- Dusty56@comcast.net

Great looking table!

I wouldn’t stain maple, but I would dye it everytime I needed something darker or colored.
Dye works great!

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

Thanks for sharing your project. It looks great!

-- North Texas

Hi Christian,

This is a great looking table man! I really like the form. Like yourself I personally don’t stain maple. its closed grain doesn’t take stain evenly. I do agree with Gary, however, if you are going to color maple your best bet is with a dye.

-- Brian, Folsom, CA

really classy. like the liteweight feel it has.

-- The only thing wrong with instant gratification is that it's not fast enough.

I’ve stained Maple a few timesto bring out grain but only high figured stuff. I like the design and the dowels coming through makes the piece more interesting. It gives me a couple ideas.

-- http://www.MSRDboard.com , http://www.riverviewwoodworking.com

Very nice table. I like the design. Hope you got an “A”!

great design…I guess if I were going to be rough…and critique it roughly…like a professor or teacher might…well, I don’t have enough experience at this to do that. I do some dumb things in my shop and make mistakes…mistakes I’m learning from. You’re in college….years younger than I…and learning from pros…I have to teach myself using books and this kind of website. But I would be interested in hearing back from you what your profs said about it…what the pros noticed or nitpicked…that might teach me and others here something we wouldn’t have seen.

-- /\/\/\ BarryW /\/\/\ http://thecreekviewwoodworker.blogspot.com

At least you didn’t paint walnut.

This looks great and keep up the good work.

-- Adrian ..... The 11th Commandment...."Thou Shalt Not Buy A Wobble Dado"

Oh jeez, Adrian – Deb will never be free of her one walnut peccadillo.

Christian, I like what I am seeing.

-- "Bordnerizing" perfectly good lumber for over a decade.

The table is great. Nice design.

-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com

awesome table, im totally stealing this design!

-- www.jonboon.info - more crap coming soon!

very nice! i liked the way the bent part is connected to the leg! very nice and very strong.
as every one else said – only the maker can see the faults…

-- The woods are lovely, dark and deep, but I have promises to keep...

Nice work, Christian. You’re like most of us, we know where our mistakes are and we get better at hiding them as time goes on. Keep it up. Great design.

always,
J.C.

-- "Imagination is more important than knowledge" -- Albert Einstein

I see nothing here that you have to apologize for. Great first attempt. How that you have learned how to correct the sanding the next one will be even better. I know you had to have gotten a good grade for this project. Very nicely done.
Also…That’s not what we are all about here. I never see anyone making fun (Hurtful) with another persons efforts. We too had to make mistakes to learn how to do it better next time.

-- JJohn

This is an incredibly ambitious first project.

Don’t worry about the technical aspect of fit and finish too much. You had a lot going on for a first table and I think that you did a great job.

The proportions and balance look good. The visual appeal is extremely high. This is a great piece.

One idea begets another. You have created this table and I have no doubt that it has inspired more ideas. They may be variations on this theme or complimentary pieces. Your skills will improve with each project as well, I have no doubt.

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

really looks great

-- making sawdust....

This is really a nice table. I agree… I never stain any hardwoods. The natural color of the wood is beautiful enough. I let it speak for itself.

-- Dust collectors suck.

Very nice design. Don’t worry about people mocking you, we’re pretty relaxed here.

I have to agree, Maple can be really attractive unstained. There are some interesting ways in which you can make grain patterns more pronounced though, especially when there’s good figure.

That is a great design and nice execution. Seems like every thing I make something I make a new mistake, but that’s how we learn.

-- Billp

Great piece, interesting comment about staining maple. Its good to see that others like the look of maple as it is.

-- ....next big purchase is wood for the next project, Mark

I love it. Looks very challenging, but you know me, I love joinery!! I don’t like to stain either.

-- Matt, Houston Texas

There is nothing to make fun of. This table is a solid build. Well executed

After being a furniture designer for over 35 years, I cannot see anything wrong with your table. Your design is good and I always have like a natural finish. You did a beautiful job on this table. Thanks for posting.

God Bless
tom

-- Mc Bridge Cabinets, Iowa