Walnut Shaker Hall Table

This is, well, I’m calling it a hall table…because I really don’t know what to call it :). Really too wide to be considered a hall table and too small to be considered anything else so…yeah.

I made this for my girlfriend’s sister’s birthday, which by the way was in November, so…errr…umm…yeah took a little time to finish. She saw a really basic drawer-less shaker table I made at a woodworking course that I took 2 years ago. It was the first piece of furniture I made really, but you know like most first projects it was made of BORG knotty pine and the quality just wasn’t there, however she thought it was pretty cool and wanted something similar.

My goal with this project was to show that I could do significantly better than that pine table, with better materials, a nicer finish. Now knowing that gluing a top down to the aprons leads to…well expansion/contraction and a popped Glue line…Oopps! So buttons on this one lol :)

Anyways, enough sidebar. The materials I used in this project were Walnut, Cherry, Maple and some very handsome Curly Maple/Walnut/Maple Banding.

As far as construction goes, its pretty simple shaker style, with loose tenons for joinery. These were my first drawers so that as well as getting the fit just right was tough. The dovetails on the drawer took me a long time to get just right. Countless pine test pieces bit that bullet and I am grateful for their sacrifice :) All and all I think they look pretty sharp although they aren’t prefect and have a few gaps. I was going to redo them (I am a CRAAZZY perfectionist) but I just decided to take a bubble bath and move on :) In one picture you can see a glue spot on one of the legs…GRRR how did I miss that? And what is it doing there? oh well.

My first attempt at inlying banding. Went pretty well, router and an edge guide makes it easy. A few slips, some tear-out on cross-grain but overall I am pleased especially for a first. I am a little worried the top expanding will pop those miters but they are thin and I think I read somewhere that they will be ok and will still look boss.

The finish is 2 coats of Natural Watco Danish oil to bring out the colour/grain/figure, and Minwax Wipe on Poly for Protection (4 on the base, 7 on the top). #0000 steel wool and paste wax to finish it off. I was a little afraid that it would get too glossy, but the sheen ended up just right I think. First finish on anything besides outdoor projects, and wow is that side of things overwhelming. So many choices, so many opinions and many of them contradictory. In the end I kept it simple, and while I would change some things next time I am very satisfied with this finish.

No drawer pulls yet still have to pick those out!

Thanks for looking, and for the great community that has given me a great deal of inspiration, and information!

/endwall

- Jeff

-- - Jeff