Anyone with mahogany Chris-Craft finishing experience?

Wow! I am impressed with your finished product. Beautiful job. I grew up on a lake full of old Chris Craft and Century wood boats (1950s and 1960s era), so I am a big fan of the style and materials you have chosen.

Regarding skipping the grooves, it’s just a matter of taste. Being an old wooden boat fan, I like the colored epoxy in the grooves, as it resembles many of the bows of the older boats. The open grooves look nice as well, but would be places for food, etc. to become lodged. I think a totally plain table top would be boring, but that’s just my taste. How about just the border groove around the perimeter? You have a lot of options. Will the tables be stored outside? Mahogany is a great exterior wood, but it will weather if left unprotected.

I really like the style you have chosen. Did you find a plan somewhere or is this your own design?

This is my own design. I wouldn’t keep the grooves open for the reasons you mentioned. I will try to clarify. I can either:
1. put no grooves in, varnish, and paint the pinstripes.
2. Put grooves in, fill them with epoxy, varnish, and then paint the pinstripes.

I think the addition of grooves that are just refilled may be extra work but I dont know if I am missing something. Some boats have a depression in the varnish where the grooves are, some are perfect mirrors.

The first one went to a buddy up on Winnepisaukee in NH. The next two are paying for the first one.

Tim

I like the grooves, you mentioned that you tinted the epoxy. There are a veritable rainbow of colors available to do this. Another option may be available, tourquoise dust to tint the epoxy, or perhaps brass dust
(personal favorite) I am trying to visualize brass pinstripes, with a brass fixture at the center. Here’s a tip, I get all my brass dust from the key grinder station at the hardware store in town. The softer metals all work with the same tools as wood, sandpaper etc..
regardless, this is a wonderful table, great work!
take care,
harold

-- If knowledge is not shared, it is forgotten.

A couple more pictures.

First here is a rendering that I made using AutoCAD. At first my plan was to use polished stainless pedastals. I then found out that they were close to $3000 each so I turned the meranti legs.

Next, here is the inspiration for this table:

I have the option of bleaching the meranti to simulate the blonde boats:

Or staining it:

Lastly, Here is a picture of ~1/3 of the boats in Center Harbor that day:

Great looking table. I’ve got a friend who was in charge of the paint shop for Chris Craft. He had 75 painters working for him. But he’s 85 and it’s probably hard to get any information from him.

Send me a private message if there is something you want me to ask him.

-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com

I remember these boats. I really think this design was to simulate the teak and holly treatment that those old classic yatchs had. To refresh your memory teak and holly decks were a safety item. When the decks were wet the holly expanded at a much faster rate, therefore providing better traction for walking. Try Wooden Boat Magazine for advice.

Your tables are beautiful no matter what you do to the grooves.

-- Mike, Massachusetts

Tacking on to what Mike was saying, the stripes later evolved into a caulk. I’ve seen folks use black instead of white. My vote is for the white, and in terms of the grooves or stripes, it depends on how close to authentic you want it. I’d go ahead and do what you did the first time. Very appealing!

-- There's no tool like an old tool...

I love the table, especially with the white stripes.Why did you have to restripe though? Was the varnish changing the color of the died epoxy that much? And if so, couldn’t you use an even brighter dye to compensate? The end result looks sort of cream colored to me. So if the varnish is ambering things up, wouldn’t a pure white epoxy end up cream colored after the varnish? Just not clear on why it’s taking 2 steps for the stripe color.

-- Use the fence Luke

What if you did inlay with a wood like Holly? It has a very light /white color.

-- Chris