# Jellyfish Table



## Blake (Oct 17, 2007)

*Sketchup Design*

A friend of mine has been telling me for a while that he had shown his parents my website and that they love my work and wanted me to make them something.

Well they eventually contacted me and commissioned me to make a table for them.

They bought a lamp from an artist named Brian Giambastiani, which looks like a Jellyfish. The head, which illuminates, is made of blown glass, and the tentacles are copper wire. It is about 40" tall.

















So my challenge was to build a table that would compliment the lamp. Now keep in mind, my client's home is very eclectic in style, with lots of different colors, curves, shapes, and textures. She loves things that are other than ordinary, and practically every piece of furniture in the house is an individual art piece.

*So this is the design I came up with, and she loved it…



















I plan to use blue aniline die on the figured maple top to make the grain "pop" like an electric guitar. It will finish something like this: (random guitar photo from the internet)




























This is what it will look like in my client's home with a simulated Jellyfish lamp sitting on it. It is going to sit in a little alcove by the front entranceway…










Feel free to post comments. I will blog the whole building process.*


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## pommy (Apr 17, 2008)

Blake said:


> *Sketchup Design*
> 
> A friend of mine has been telling me for a while that he had shown his parents my website and that they love my work and wanted me to make them something.
> 
> ...


Looks Sweet mate and your getting good on the whole SU design cant wait to see the finished peice


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## damianpenney (Jun 22, 2007)

Blake said:


> *Sketchup Design*
> 
> A friend of mine has been telling me for a while that he had shown his parents my website and that they love my work and wanted me to make them something.
> 
> ...


Looking forward to seeing this one take shape Blake, cool design, did you consider doing something with the profile of the apron (similar to the edge of the top)? Might be too busy but something to chew on.


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## Rustic (Jul 21, 2008)

Blake said:


> *Sketchup Design*
> 
> A friend of mine has been telling me for a while that he had shown his parents my website and that they love my work and wanted me to make them something.
> 
> ...


and to think that you were going to give it all up. Looks great man


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## majeagle1 (Oct 29, 2008)

Blake said:


> *Sketchup Design*
> 
> A friend of mine has been telling me for a while that he had shown his parents my website and that they love my work and wanted me to make them something.
> 
> ...


Wow, neat Blake….......... can't wait to see the finished product. Those legs are going to be a challenge????


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## oldworld124 (Mar 2, 2008)

Blake said:


> *Sketchup Design*
> 
> A friend of mine has been telling me for a while that he had shown his parents my website and that they love my work and wanted me to make them something.
> 
> ...


HI BLake, Very nice design. I think you will have captured the feel of the jellyfish. Please post photos when you are finished or during the process.


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## blockhead (May 5, 2009)

Blake said:


> *Sketchup Design*
> 
> A friend of mine has been telling me for a while that he had shown his parents my website and that they love my work and wanted me to make them something.
> 
> ...


Great design Blake. I'm betting the table will surpass the jellyfish piece. What do you plan on making the legs from?


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## donbee (Feb 7, 2009)

Blake said:


> *Sketchup Design*
> 
> A friend of mine has been telling me for a while that he had shown his parents my website and that they love my work and wanted me to make them something.
> 
> ...


Jelly, of course!


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## Beginningwoodworker (May 5, 2008)

Blake said:


> *Sketchup Design*
> 
> A friend of mine has been telling me for a while that he had shown his parents my website and that they love my work and wanted me to make them something.
> 
> ...


The table going to be a challenge to build but I think you can do it.


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## jcees (Dec 31, 2007)

Blake said:


> *Sketchup Design*
> 
> A friend of mine has been telling me for a while that he had shown his parents my website and that they love my work and wanted me to make them something.
> 
> ...


Extraordinary! Very nicely rendered. I'm sure your eclectic client will be just a pleased with the final result. Nice going, Blake.

always,
J.C.


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

Blake said:


> *Sketchup Design*
> 
> A friend of mine has been telling me for a while that he had shown his parents my website and that they love my work and wanted me to make them something.
> 
> ...


That's a wild one cool design.


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## Jon3 (Feb 28, 2007)

Blake said:


> *Sketchup Design*
> 
> A friend of mine has been telling me for a while that he had shown his parents my website and that they love my work and wanted me to make them something.
> 
> ...


Good looking design Blake!

Are you planning to make the tentacles all uniform in position and shape, or are you going unique with them?

There was a similar multi-legged table with unique legs on the back cover of FWW at some point this year. I can't for the life of me remember when though.


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## SCOTSMAN (Aug 1, 2008)

Blake said:


> *Sketchup Design*
> 
> A friend of mine has been telling me for a while that he had shown his parents my website and that they love my work and wanted me to make them something.
> 
> ...


Sorry the jelly fish just definitely doesn't do it for me but your table will be nice I have a book with a similar table in it with metal legs , it looks great my 2 cents Alistair


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## bfd (Dec 23, 2007)

Blake said:


> *Sketchup Design*
> 
> A friend of mine has been telling me for a while that he had shown his parents my website and that they love my work and wanted me to make them something.
> 
> ...


Blake,

Your creativity never seizes to amaze me. I think you captured the essence of the light without being too literal. I cannot wait to see you blog this one. Especially the legs and the finish work on this.


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## Blake (Oct 17, 2007)

*Getting Started... I found my Lumber!*

I went to a place called "Global Wood Source" in San Jose, which is the most amazing place I've ever been for lumber. The owner travels around the world in search of only the best and most amazingly figured woods. He's got stuff you can't find anywhere else. Check out their website and if you are anywhere near San Jose you have to stop by.

Anyway, I found the perfect lumber for my table top. Three slabs of figured maple over 2" thick. I also bought the maple for the legs, and the mahogany for the apron. And while I was at it I stocked up on mahogany 3×3 "table leg stock" for future projects, as well as a few more impulse buys. Once you get on a roll like that "Russ" starts giving you great deals on stuff. I think I was probably their best customer that day… or week? It was the best lumber shopping spree I've ever had… and it happened to be my birthday, so it was a good day 

This is what my truck looked like when I came home:










*THE TABLE TOP*

Luckily I have a friend in Santa Cruz who has a large woodshop. I had to use his 19" bandsaw, 12" tablesaw, and 15" planer to get my table-top slabs milled down to a manageable size.

Here are the three rough slabs in my friend's shop. We arranged them in a way that showed off the best figure.



















Here they are back in my shop now that they've been planed and jointed. They are staggered in a way that makes the figure look the most continuous. I will chop them to length last.










One of my favorite tools to use:










Yum, Biscuits!










I glued it up in two stages. ONE…










TWO…










Now, as you can tell from my original Sketchup, I had originally planned to have a natural edge in the front of the table.

















But nothing was available that fit all my criteria. So I found that piece with the long curved void through the middle and thought I would put that in the front of the table instead.

But as I was clamping that piece on the uneven tension broke the front of that void. I didn't even flinch. I knew instantly that it was a good thing, and I knew just what to do. It had been bugging me the whole time anyway.

So I put the giant glued-up table top on my bandsaw and turned that void into a "semi-natural edge."



















Now that I actually have sharp hand tools (thanks to my best friend the WorkSharp) I am starting to reap the benefits. I got to enjoy the quiet, therapeutic sattisfaction of smoothing the top with my good old Stanley No. 5.










*THE LEGS*

I took some measurements right out of sketchup to draw the leg curves on to MDF to make the lamination forms.



















I am making two forms, so I will glue up the 8 legs in four stages. Each form is 1 1/2" thick (two layers of 3/4" MDF) to accommodate the 1"x1" legs. So I attached all four layers and cut them together on the bandsaw:










Here are the two forms, each glued and screwed to their bases. In the background are the free-moving "mates." The maple strips will be clamped between the two halves and pressed flat against the base. The reason they are outside is that they have received two cans of spray-on shellac to keep the lamination glue from sticking to the forms.










One of the forms back inside on my bench, ready for glue up (standing on edge while the shellac dries)










Here is the maple for the legs:










Here is a shot of the set-up for ripping the strips. This is a very tedious job, because each of the eight legs needs ten 1/10" strips to end up 1" thick. So 80 four-foot long strips. Its probably time to sharpen my ripping blade, too.










I had to stop after making 20 strips, enough for my first two legs. But I won't change the tablesaw set-up until all the strips are cut. I didn't have time to start mixing the glue so I will probably get to that tomorrow.

Total building time so far: *About 9 hours.*


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## 2 (Feb 26, 2006)

Blake said:


> *Getting Started... I found my Lumber!*
> 
> I went to a place called "Global Wood Source" in San Jose, which is the most amazing place I've ever been for lumber. The owner travels around the world in search of only the best and most amazingly figured woods. He's got stuff you can't find anywhere else. Check out their website and if you are anywhere near San Jose you have to stop by.
> 
> ...


Hey Blake, this is a nice #9,000 LJ blog entry 
Keep building!


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## teenagewoodworker (Jan 31, 2008)

Blake said:


> *Getting Started... I found my Lumber!*
> 
> I went to a place called "Global Wood Source" in San Jose, which is the most amazing place I've ever been for lumber. The owner travels around the world in search of only the best and most amazingly figured woods. He's got stuff you can't find anywhere else. Check out their website and if you are anywhere near San Jose you have to stop by.
> 
> ...


nice job blake. im really curious to see how this one looks in the end


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## sbryan55 (Dec 8, 2007)

Blake said:


> *Getting Started... I found my Lumber!*
> 
> I went to a place called "Global Wood Source" in San Jose, which is the most amazing place I've ever been for lumber. The owner travels around the world in search of only the best and most amazingly figured woods. He's got stuff you can't find anywhere else. Check out their website and if you are anywhere near San Jose you have to stop by.
> 
> ...


Blake, this is coming together nicely. I love the figured boards that you chose for the table and putting the "natural edge" on the top the way you did looks pretty good. I have to admit when I looked at the first set of photos I was wondering how you were going to treat the void but this works much better, in my opinion.


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## EternalDesign (Jun 18, 2007)

Blake said:


> *Getting Started... I found my Lumber!*
> 
> I went to a place called "Global Wood Source" in San Jose, which is the most amazing place I've ever been for lumber. The owner travels around the world in search of only the best and most amazingly figured woods. He's got stuff you can't find anywhere else. Check out their website and if you are anywhere near San Jose you have to stop by.
> 
> ...


Looks good blake, thats some really nice maple!


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## Porosky (Mar 10, 2009)

Blake said:


> *Getting Started... I found my Lumber!*
> 
> I went to a place called "Global Wood Source" in San Jose, which is the most amazing place I've ever been for lumber. The owner travels around the world in search of only the best and most amazingly figured woods. He's got stuff you can't find anywhere else. Check out their website and if you are anywhere near San Jose you have to stop by.
> 
> ...


Blake, Nice job, I'm looking forward to the leg glue up and the technique of making them. The table top is awesome a super thick slab of wood will make this a rugged piece of furniture. Would you consider slightly contouring the back two corners just enough to get rid of the squareness on the back side it may help give this table more of a "jelly" feel.


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## benomatic42 (Oct 21, 2007)

Blake said:


> *Getting Started... I found my Lumber!*
> 
> I went to a place called "Global Wood Source" in San Jose, which is the most amazing place I've ever been for lumber. The owner travels around the world in search of only the best and most amazingly figured woods. He's got stuff you can't find anywhere else. Check out their website and if you are anywhere near San Jose you have to stop by.
> 
> ...


Blake,

This is starting to look interesting. It will be exciting to see those laminations come out and joined to the top.

Also, this design reminds me a little of something my teacher at CFC did, which we called the "Nanopus" (9-legged octopus variant). Check it out here:

http://woodschool.org/gallery/faculty2009/upfill-brown.html

Keep on keepin on.

-b


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## toddc (Mar 6, 2007)

Blake said:


> *Getting Started... I found my Lumber!*
> 
> I went to a place called "Global Wood Source" in San Jose, which is the most amazing place I've ever been for lumber. The owner travels around the world in search of only the best and most amazingly figured woods. He's got stuff you can't find anywhere else. Check out their website and if you are anywhere near San Jose you have to stop by.
> 
> ...


Sweet! This is going to be such a great project to add to your portfolio!


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## Karson (May 9, 2006)

Blake said:


> *Getting Started... I found my Lumber!*
> 
> I went to a place called "Global Wood Source" in San Jose, which is the most amazing place I've ever been for lumber. The owner travels around the world in search of only the best and most amazingly figured woods. He's got stuff you can't find anywhere else. Check out their website and if you are anywhere near San Jose you have to stop by.
> 
> ...


Blake Some great looking wood. Anf nice work on the table.

That octopus table must have been a bear to get all the legs level.


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## Praki (Jun 17, 2007)

Blake said:


> *Getting Started... I found my Lumber!*
> 
> I went to a place called "Global Wood Source" in San Jose, which is the most amazing place I've ever been for lumber. The owner travels around the world in search of only the best and most amazingly figured woods. He's got stuff you can't find anywhere else. Check out their website and if you are anywhere near San Jose you have to stop by.
> 
> ...


Blake - those are really nice looking maple slabs. I can see a real master piece taking shape there!

I went to Global Wood Source once but it was closed that day. Are prices reasonable compared to Southern?


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## majeagle1 (Oct 29, 2008)

Blake said:


> *Getting Started... I found my Lumber!*
> 
> I went to a place called "Global Wood Source" in San Jose, which is the most amazing place I've ever been for lumber. The owner travels around the world in search of only the best and most amazingly figured woods. He's got stuff you can't find anywhere else. Check out their website and if you are anywhere near San Jose you have to stop by.
> 
> ...


Fantastic blog Blake and what a wonderful project. Can't wait to see the rest of the progress as this beautiful table takes it's final form. The wood you chose is gorgeous and I think you have now cost me money!!!
I did not know about Global Wood Source so now I have to make a trip there $$$$$$$$$$.......


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

Blake said:


> *Getting Started... I found my Lumber!*
> 
> I went to a place called "Global Wood Source" in San Jose, which is the most amazing place I've ever been for lumber. The owner travels around the world in search of only the best and most amazingly figured woods. He's got stuff you can't find anywhere else. Check out their website and if you are anywhere near San Jose you have to stop by.
> 
> ...


Great design and nice wood, and it's all coming together nicely. Thanks for letting us enjoy your fantastic project from our armchairs. Looking forward to the next progress blog. Congrats on your pro breakthrough.


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

Blake said:


> *Getting Started... I found my Lumber!*
> 
> I went to a place called "Global Wood Source" in San Jose, which is the most amazing place I've ever been for lumber. The owner travels around the world in search of only the best and most amazingly figured woods. He's got stuff you can't find anywhere else. Check out their website and if you are anywhere near San Jose you have to stop by.
> 
> ...


the coolest can't wait to see more.


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## Beginningwoodworker (May 5, 2008)

Blake said:


> *Getting Started... I found my Lumber!*
> 
> I went to a place called "Global Wood Source" in San Jose, which is the most amazing place I've ever been for lumber. The owner travels around the world in search of only the best and most amazingly figured woods. He's got stuff you can't find anywhere else. Check out their website and if you are anywhere near San Jose you have to stop by.
> 
> ...


Nice job, Blake.


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## Blake (Oct 17, 2007)

*Legs and Base*

*LAMINATING THE LEGS*

When I left off I had cut most of the strips. That was a very tedious job and I broke it up over several days (over 80 total).

I finally got to the point where I could start bending my laminations. Here is the "dry" trial run:










Here are the strips laid out to apply the glue. I had to mix the special glue made for laminations:










And here is the first glued up leg in the form:










After about three days I had all eight legs. Some of them are still wrapped in the plastic that keeps them from sticking to the form:










My gluing form doubled as a jig for positioning the legs on my Radial Arm Saw bench to trim the ends. This ensures that each leg is exactly the same height and the feet are flat on the floor.



















I ran them through the planer to clean up the faces:



















Then I used my spindle sander to clean up the sides:










*THE OCTAGON*

The "Octagon" is the structure underneath the tabletop that the legs attach to.










I set my saw to the magic number 22.5 deg to cut the eight sides. It came out perfectly the first time, I guess I got lucky.










Then I set up my "tenon sled" on the tablesaw with a single dado blade and cut the slots for the keys:



















I planed some maple stock to make the keys:



















And cut them to length:










Here is the Octagon all glued up:










This thickness sander is new to my shop and this is the first time I had a chance to really use it. It worked great for cleaning up glue and truing the top and bottom of the Octagon.










*My first sneak peak at the base of the table!*




























The joint between the legs and the Octagon needs to be very strong, since they are only connected in one place. So I plan on cutting a curved slot on each side of the Octagon to accept each leg.

I made a pattern/jig for my router to rout out the channels. This allowed each channel to be in exactly the same location and same angle so I don't have a wobbly table:










Here is the leg set into the channel:










The finished Octagon with leg channels:










The legs glued and clamped to the Octagon… I plan on adding either dowels or screws to each joint for extra reinforcement later:










*I couldn't resist…*










Now All I need to do is make the bent-lamination Oval-shaped apron, and dye/finish the table top.

About 19.5 more hours. Total building time so far: *28.5 hours*


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## kevinw (Feb 29, 2008)

Blake said:


> *Legs and Base*
> 
> *LAMINATING THE LEGS*
> 
> ...


Very interesting. Thanks for posting.


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## lew (Feb 13, 2008)

Blake said:


> *Legs and Base*
> 
> *LAMINATING THE LEGS*
> 
> ...


COOL!!!

As I read the previous posts, I was wondering how you were going to clamp the parts together- Nice!!

Clamping techniques always give me trouble- thanks for the ideas.

Lew


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## jcees (Dec 31, 2007)

Blake said:


> *Legs and Base*
> 
> *LAMINATING THE LEGS*
> 
> ...


Boffo Blake-man! And very nicely documented too I might add. It's a beautiful thing.

always,
J.C.


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## CaptainSkully (Aug 28, 2008)

Blake said:


> *Legs and Base*
> 
> *LAMINATING THE LEGS*
> 
> ...


That's so cool! I almost got seasick…


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## Karson (May 9, 2006)

Blake said:


> *Legs and Base*
> 
> *LAMINATING THE LEGS*
> 
> ...


Blake A great job and very inventive in the creation.


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## mtnwild (Sep 28, 2008)

Blake said:


> *Legs and Base*
> 
> *LAMINATING THE LEGS*
> 
> ...


You make it look easy. Very cool, thanks…................


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## Rustic (Jul 21, 2008)

Blake said:


> *Legs and Base*
> 
> *LAMINATING THE LEGS*
> 
> ...


lookin great


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## bowyer (Feb 6, 2009)

Blake said:


> *Legs and Base*
> 
> *LAMINATING THE LEGS*
> 
> ...


Your blog is very informative and easy to follow, thank you! The table is going to look great

Rick


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## damianpenney (Jun 22, 2007)

Blake said:


> *Legs and Base*
> 
> *LAMINATING THE LEGS*
> 
> ...


I'm constantly impressed by how efficiently you turn out these pieces. Great table, and great blog.


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## toddc (Mar 6, 2007)

Blake said:


> *Legs and Base*
> 
> *LAMINATING THE LEGS*
> 
> ...


SNAP!


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## pommy (Apr 17, 2008)

Blake said:


> *Legs and Base*
> 
> *LAMINATING THE LEGS*
> 
> ...


Blake looking very cool nice to see the process from SU to this stage can't wait to see the top go on and the finishing process

Andy


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## shangrila (Apr 5, 2007)

Blake said:


> *Legs and Base*
> 
> *LAMINATING THE LEGS*
> 
> ...


Looks great Blake.Cool design can't wait to see final project!!!


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## Beginningwoodworker (May 5, 2008)

Blake said:


> *Legs and Base*
> 
> *LAMINATING THE LEGS*
> 
> ...


This is going to be a cool table!


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## Zuki (Mar 28, 2007)

Blake said:


> *Legs and Base*
> 
> *LAMINATING THE LEGS*
> 
> ...


Reminds me of War of the Worlds.

You do great work Blake.


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## mattg (May 6, 2008)

Blake said:


> *Legs and Base*
> 
> *LAMINATING THE LEGS*
> 
> ...


Yeah, War of the Worlds!! That is one unique design!!


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

Blake said:


> *Legs and Base*
> 
> *LAMINATING THE LEGS*
> 
> ...


Hey Blake
Cool design.great build.Outstanding photos and blog can't wait for more.


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## bfd (Dec 23, 2007)

Blake said:


> *Legs and Base*
> 
> *LAMINATING THE LEGS*
> 
> ...


Blake those laminations are amazing It blows my mind that the legs look as if they are floating in water and wouldn't be able to support the load that it carries. I mean this in a great way as it almost gives the illusion that the table is suspended ….exactly like the "legs" of a true jelly fish. Even in the photo when the legs are upside down it reminds me of seeweed gently floating in a current. This is just Awesome Blake.


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## majeagle1 (Oct 29, 2008)

Blake said:


> *Legs and Base*
> 
> *LAMINATING THE LEGS*
> 
> ...


Absolutely great blog Blake…........... the details, information and creativity are your normal "top of the line" 
thanks so much. After watching your process I may now have to try some bent lamination…........
You mentioned special glue…... what is your formula / product and what makes it special?


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## blackcherry (Dec 7, 2007)

Blake said:


> *Legs and Base*
> 
> *LAMINATING THE LEGS*
> 
> ...


This is definitely a creative design but where the Miles music, I think it would go nicely with the leg design…LOL as always Blake great craftsmanship and looking forward to seeing the end results…Blkcherry


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## Blake (Oct 17, 2007)

*Making The Oval*

*THE OVAL*

The apron for this table is going to be a bent-laminated oval:










I found a great tutorial on how to draw a simple oval on a website called In the Woodshop with Howard Ruttan. Here are some of the simple drawings on his page:

































And here is mine:










*MAKING THE FORM*

So I cut it out with the jigsaw:










Then I used the first oval as a router template to cut its clone:










(I broke my favorite spiral router bit in the process)



















The two MDF form halves were already stuck together with carpet tape. So I cleaned up the edges on the Oscillating belt sander:










The reason I have two MDF ovals is that I will need my form to be 3" tall. So here is the spacer I made out of a scrap of 2×4:










The clamps align the two ovals while I screw them to the 2×4 spacers:










3" Tall:










A sewing tape is a very handy measuring tool to have in a woodshop for measuring around ovals. Believe it or not the circumference of this oval is about 7 feet around.










*PREPARING THE STOCK*

So here is the 2"x5" x 9 ft piece of Mahogany that will become the oval. First I cut it to approximate length:










Then I jointed it (I love my full-sized jointer)...










Ripped it to a little more than 3" wide:










Re-sawed it into strips (I rolled my bandsaw outside to save the shop from a little dust)...

















Planed them down to 1/8"...










And sanded them down to about 1/16"...










*THE GLUE-UP*

Here is my completed form, screwed to an MDF base which was first covered in plastic painter's tarp. Then the sides of the oval were wrapped with plastic packing tape.










I didn't take any photos during the actual glue-up for obvious reasons. It was a very stressful process, and didn't go quite as planned, but came out fine in the end. I enlisted the help of my wife for an extra set of hands to help hold stuff and hand me clamps, etc. (Thanks Sweetheart!)

I originally thought I would use three "Pony" strap clamps to pull the strips in tight to the oval form. But it didn't work quite as well as I had hoped so I ended up drilling holes in the top of the form and using bar clamps over the strap clamps. If I did it again I would just use the bar clamps.

This was the result:










In the end It came out fine. I knocked it loose from the form:










Ran the edges through my thickness sander, and cleaned the glue off the inside/outside surfaces with my Oscillating spindle sander (not pictured)...










*ONE SOLID MAHOGANY OVAL…*




























...just a peak at all the components put together…



















*Total Project Time So Far: 40 Hours*


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## Karson (May 9, 2006)

Blake said:


> *Making The Oval*
> 
> *THE OVAL*
> 
> ...


Blake: The table looks great. The oval came out great nice job on the jig and the laminations.

I found a piece of wood in my shop last night and I thought of you and this table. I'll have to get a picture to show you. It's a natural edge circle maple burl. about 3' in diam.


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## majeagle1 (Oct 29, 2008)

Blake said:


> *Making The Oval*
> 
> *THE OVAL*
> 
> ...


I've been following along - wow, what a piece of art this is going to be. Can't wait to see the completion.

Great job Blake…................and great instructions / tips !!!!!


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## bfd (Dec 23, 2007)

Blake said:


> *Making The Oval*
> 
> *THE OVAL*
> 
> ...


That moisture in the air is me drueling …unbelieveable! Blake I am coming to you with any future laminating questions. I am currious about the seam where the oval is complete I am assuming that the layers are staggered? I am not sure if you had enough clamps though LOL.


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## lew (Feb 13, 2008)

Blake said:


> *Making The Oval*
> 
> *THE OVAL*
> 
> ...


dang,

bfd stole my clamps comment!

I would have never thought of using the thickness sander to finish the edges!

This table is going to be awesome!


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## Blake (Oct 17, 2007)

Blake said:


> *Making The Oval*
> 
> *THE OVAL*
> 
> ...


Yes, thanks for reminding me. The seems in each layer are staggered.


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## dlcarver (Mar 9, 2008)

Blake said:


> *Making The Oval*
> 
> *THE OVAL*
> 
> ...


Fantastic Blake! I can't imagine doing a job like that. WOW!!
Dave


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## Tangle (Jul 21, 2007)

Blake said:


> *Making The Oval*
> 
> *THE OVAL*
> 
> ...


Very impressive, Blake. an excellent step by step tutorial as well. Well done!!!


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## pommy (Apr 17, 2008)

Blake said:


> *Making The Oval*
> 
> *THE OVAL*
> 
> ...


Blake the top is looking cool mate

Andy


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## toddc (Mar 6, 2007)

Blake said:


> *Making The Oval*
> 
> *THE OVAL*
> 
> ...


Awesome job!


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## Beginningwoodworker (May 5, 2008)

Blake said:


> *Making The Oval*
> 
> *THE OVAL*
> 
> ...


The table looks great, Blake.


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## woodnut99 (Dec 17, 2007)

Blake said:


> *Making The Oval*
> 
> *THE OVAL*
> 
> ...


JellyFish Go JellyFish ! Nice …. I love anything Nautical with Wood.
Repeat : Nice job clamping/jig


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

Blake said:


> *Making The Oval*
> 
> *THE OVAL*
> 
> ...


great job


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## Karson (May 9, 2006)

Blake said:


> *Making The Oval*
> 
> *THE OVAL*
> 
> ...


Blake: I found the piece of wood in my shop again.










Here is the blog on it. It's smaller than I thought. 30" high and 32" wide and about 2" thick on the flat spot. The thickness is not the same through the whole piece.


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## blockhead (May 5, 2009)

Blake said:


> *Making The Oval*
> 
> *THE OVAL*
> 
> ...


Looking great Blake. Excellent job on the laminating. This is one beautiful piece. Can't wait to see it completed.


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## Russel (Aug 13, 2007)

Blake said:


> *Making The Oval*
> 
> *THE OVAL*
> 
> ...


Your documentation skills are only outdone by your creativity and woodworking skills. The table will be fantastic and you'll have a detailed story of how it was made. Very well done.


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## KentS (May 27, 2009)

Blake said:


> *Making The Oval*
> 
> *THE OVAL*
> 
> ...


What a craftsman!----Thanks


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## Brad_Nailor (Jul 26, 2007)

Blake said:


> *Making The Oval*
> 
> *THE OVAL*
> 
> ...


Blake this is looking very cool….I just cant help but think that when I look at the picture of the dry fit, the table looks like it might be a little unsteady. The size and mass of the tabletop, combined with the small diameter of the bearing surface (leg support, legs) and the tight diameter you put the legs in just seems to me from looking at the picture that one bump and that table is going to tip over. Maybe it is more stable in person, but from the pictures it looks like it might be a little tippy. Maybe you should have placed the legs a little farther out from the center…closer to the inner diameter of your oval apron?...Just an observation…..it's looking like a high quality one of a kind piece!


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## patron (Apr 2, 2009)

Blake said:


> *Making The Oval*
> 
> *THE OVAL*
> 
> ...


great work !

looking forward to the finish line .
thanks for the step by step ,
easy to follow ,
much food for thought !


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## Blake (Oct 17, 2007)

*Dying the top BLUE and spraying the lacquer*

A friend of mine has a cabinet shop with a spray booth and was nice enough to let me play in it. These photos were all taken in his shop.

Here is one of the samples we tried on a test piece. This is aniline die dissolved in alcohol.



















WOW, I really like the color!










We used his Festool sander for the final sanding.










I had to stir the dye for over an hour.










On goes the die:























































Sanding in between coats of sanding sealer and lacquer:










Erich sprayed the final coats of lacquer for me:










And this is the result!





































This took about three hours, and I spent another four hours in my shop sanding all the components of the table to get them ready for assembly. So *Total Project Time So Far: 48 Hours.*


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## KentS (May 27, 2009)

Blake said:


> *Dying the top BLUE and spraying the lacquer*
> 
> A friend of mine has a cabinet shop with a spray booth and was nice enough to let me play in it. These photos were all taken in his shop.
> 
> ...


Wow!!!!!!!!!!!!1 Beautiful color. I can't wait to see it all finished. What brand lacquer are you using?

Good job.


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## GMman (Apr 11, 2008)

Blake said:


> *Dying the top BLUE and spraying the lacquer*
> 
> A friend of mine has a cabinet shop with a spray booth and was nice enough to let me play in it. These photos were all taken in his shop.
> 
> ...


Looks good


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## Nils (Oct 27, 2007)

Blake said:


> *Dying the top BLUE and spraying the lacquer*
> 
> A friend of mine has a cabinet shop with a spray booth and was nice enough to let me play in it. These photos were all taken in his shop.
> 
> ...


Wow! Unbelievable how much that grain is popping with the dye. Nice job (as usual!).


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## trifern (Feb 1, 2008)

Blake said:


> *Dying the top BLUE and spraying the lacquer*
> 
> A friend of mine has a cabinet shop with a spray booth and was nice enough to let me play in it. These photos were all taken in his shop.
> 
> ...


Gorgeous…


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## majeagle1 (Oct 29, 2008)

Blake said:


> *Dying the top BLUE and spraying the lacquer*
> 
> A friend of mine has a cabinet shop with a spray booth and was nice enough to let me play in it. These photos were all taken in his shop.
> 
> ...


Ok Blake, that's the water, now where is the wood? !!!!!

Beautiful, just beautiful….............

Can't wait to see the completed table.

Are you going to install a drip pan underneath to catch the water?lol


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## Karson (May 9, 2006)

Blake said:


> *Dying the top BLUE and spraying the lacquer*
> 
> A friend of mine has a cabinet shop with a spray booth and was nice enough to let me play in it. These photos were all taken in his shop.
> 
> ...


Blake: The table top looks beautiful


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## JerrySats (Jul 7, 2008)

Blake said:


> *Dying the top BLUE and spraying the lacquer*
> 
> A friend of mine has a cabinet shop with a spray booth and was nice enough to let me play in it. These photos were all taken in his shop.
> 
> ...


That's a beautiful piece of wood , you did a great job of bringing out the figure in that QM . It looks like one huge PRS guitar body , really like the color you picked . Can't wait to see the table completed .


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## toddc (Mar 6, 2007)

Blake said:


> *Dying the top BLUE and spraying the lacquer*
> 
> A friend of mine has a cabinet shop with a spray booth and was nice enough to let me play in it. These photos were all taken in his shop.
> 
> ...


I am BLOWN AWAY!


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## Russel (Aug 13, 2007)

Blake said:


> *Dying the top BLUE and spraying the lacquer*
> 
> A friend of mine has a cabinet shop with a spray booth and was nice enough to let me play in it. These photos were all taken in his shop.
> 
> ...


WOW … That is way cool. I cannot wait to see the whole table assembled. Fantastic.


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## griff (Feb 6, 2008)

Blake said:


> *Dying the top BLUE and spraying the lacquer*
> 
> A friend of mine has a cabinet shop with a spray booth and was nice enough to let me play in it. These photos were all taken in his shop.
> 
> ...


Blake, that is one great looking top, like the color, looking forward to the completion.


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## mmh (Mar 17, 2008)

Blake said:


> *Dying the top BLUE and spraying the lacquer*
> 
> A friend of mine has a cabinet shop with a spray booth and was nice enough to let me play in it. These photos were all taken in his shop.
> 
> ...


Very cool! I think I just saw a pair of dolphins swim by. They went right past the knot/crotch hole . . . I can't wait to see the final product!


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## GaryC (Dec 31, 2008)

Blake said:


> *Dying the top BLUE and spraying the lacquer*
> 
> A friend of mine has a cabinet shop with a spray booth and was nice enough to let me play in it. These photos were all taken in his shop.
> 
> ...


Man what beauty. That's amazing.


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## jockmike2 (Oct 10, 2006)

Blake said:


> *Dying the top BLUE and spraying the lacquer*
> 
> A friend of mine has a cabinet shop with a spray booth and was nice enough to let me play in it. These photos were all taken in his shop.
> 
> ...


Blake, you did it with this one. Beautiful, absolutely gorgeous. Can't express enough adjectives to describe the beauty of it.


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## patron (Apr 2, 2009)

Blake said:


> *Dying the top BLUE and spraying the lacquer*
> 
> A friend of mine has a cabinet shop with a spray booth and was nice enough to let me play in it. These photos were all taken in his shop.
> 
> ...


beautifull !

i got to fly over the bahamas ,
in a private plane .
the sandbars looked exactly like this .
you could see every little ripple ,
from the tides in it .
and the color was identical !

great work ,
lets see the rest .


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## huff (May 28, 2009)

Blake said:


> *Dying the top BLUE and spraying the lacquer*
> 
> A friend of mine has a cabinet shop with a spray booth and was nice enough to let me play in it. These photos were all taken in his shop.
> 
> ...


Totally awesome! Love that color. Can't wait to see the total project. Keep us posted.


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## SPalm (Oct 9, 2007)

Blake said:


> *Dying the top BLUE and spraying the lacquer*
> 
> A friend of mine has a cabinet shop with a spray booth and was nice enough to let me play in it. These photos were all taken in his shop.
> 
> ...


That is just stunning. I have never….....

Steve


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## mtnwild (Sep 28, 2008)

Blake said:


> *Dying the top BLUE and spraying the lacquer*
> 
> A friend of mine has a cabinet shop with a spray booth and was nice enough to let me play in it. These photos were all taken in his shop.
> 
> ...


Awesome!!!!!! You da man….............Can't wait to see it all together. Far out!!!!!!!!!


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## kolwdwrkr (Jul 27, 2008)

Blake said:


> *Dying the top BLUE and spraying the lacquer*
> 
> A friend of mine has a cabinet shop with a spray booth and was nice enough to let me play in it. These photos were all taken in his shop.
> 
> ...


Very cool Blake. The color came out amazing


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## Brad_Nailor (Jul 26, 2007)

Blake said:


> *Dying the top BLUE and spraying the lacquer*
> 
> A friend of mine has a cabinet shop with a spray booth and was nice enough to let me play in it. These photos were all taken in his shop.
> 
> ...


Wow..that dye really makes the curls pop! Nice work


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## blackcherry (Dec 7, 2007)

Blake said:


> *Dying the top BLUE and spraying the lacquer*
> 
> A friend of mine has a cabinet shop with a spray booth and was nice enough to let me play in it. These photos were all taken in his shop.
> 
> ...


It appear as if you could dive right into a pool of curly waves. Great project as usual Blake…Blkcherry


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## Rustic (Jul 21, 2008)

Blake said:


> *Dying the top BLUE and spraying the lacquer*
> 
> A friend of mine has a cabinet shop with a spray booth and was nice enough to let me play in it. These photos were all taken in his shop.
> 
> ...


Holy shhhhhht. That is awesome


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## damianpenney (Jun 22, 2007)

Blake said:


> *Dying the top BLUE and spraying the lacquer*
> 
> A friend of mine has a cabinet shop with a spray booth and was nice enough to let me play in it. These photos were all taken in his shop.
> 
> ...


woah!


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## teenagewoodworker (Jan 31, 2008)

Blake said:


> *Dying the top BLUE and spraying the lacquer*
> 
> A friend of mine has a cabinet shop with a spray booth and was nice enough to let me play in it. These photos were all taken in his shop.
> 
> ...


wow…. very nice blake. i love that color and the grain really pops… very good job with the dye too an alcohol dye is very hard to rub.


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## bfd (Dec 23, 2007)

Blake said:


> *Dying the top BLUE and spraying the lacquer*
> 
> A friend of mine has a cabinet shop with a spray booth and was nice enough to let me play in it. These photos were all taken in his shop.
> 
> ...


Blake that is INSANE!!!!! HOLY SH$%^$&T. That blue dye stain just pops. Your vision and execution are once again flawless. It is has been said several times but you hit the look of water with the finish and ithe table top looks alive. Just awesome blake, just awesome.


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

Blake said:


> *Dying the top BLUE and spraying the lacquer*
> 
> A friend of mine has a cabinet shop with a spray booth and was nice enough to let me play in it. These photos were all taken in his shop.
> 
> ...


cool and fun


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## pommy (Apr 17, 2008)

Blake said:


> *Dying the top BLUE and spraying the lacquer*
> 
> A friend of mine has a cabinet shop with a spray booth and was nice enough to let me play in it. These photos were all taken in his shop.
> 
> ...


WOW Blake

that coulor is totaly awsome i dont think you could of done any better truely stunning and i think you should be very very proud

thank you for showing us can't wait to see the finished table

Andy


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## Tangle (Jul 21, 2007)

Blake said:


> *Dying the top BLUE and spraying the lacquer*
> 
> A friend of mine has a cabinet shop with a spray booth and was nice enough to let me play in it. These photos were all taken in his shop.
> 
> ...


There's a lot of WOW's on that table top, Blake. IMPRESSIVE!!!!


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## blockhead (May 5, 2009)

Blake said:


> *Dying the top BLUE and spraying the lacquer*
> 
> A friend of mine has a cabinet shop with a spray booth and was nice enough to let me play in it. These photos were all taken in his shop.
> 
> ...


I've been waiting on pins and needles to see this. Absolutely worth the wait!! Another gorgeous piece!!


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## Dusty56 (Apr 20, 2008)

Blake said:


> *Dying the top BLUE and spraying the lacquer*
> 
> A friend of mine has a cabinet shop with a spray booth and was nice enough to let me play in it. These photos were all taken in his shop.
> 
> ...


Lovely color and the woodgrain is marvelous….nice glue-up: )


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## EPJartisan (Nov 4, 2009)

Blake said:


> *Dying the top BLUE and spraying the lacquer*
> 
> A friend of mine has a cabinet shop with a spray booth and was nice enough to let me play in it. These photos were all taken in his shop.
> 
> ...


I think you have inspired my next Flower Table design! Thank you very very much!


----------



## BlueStingrayBoots (Jun 11, 2007)

Blake said:


> *Dying the top BLUE and spraying the lacquer*
> 
> A friend of mine has a cabinet shop with a spray booth and was nice enough to let me play in it. These photos were all taken in his shop.
> 
> ...


Fabulous!! I'm gonna do that and tell my wife i invented it…....Thanks lol


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## Blake (Oct 17, 2007)

*Assembly*

So I got the table top back from the spray booth (after it cured for a day) and it looked amazing!










Here are the three pieces back in my shop ready for assembly:










As with all my furniture I made little wood "buttons" to hold the components together to allow for seasonal wood movement as well as the ability to take it apart.










Here it is with the buttons in place:




























And I finally get to see it completed!!!



















*Total Project Time: 50 hours*

You can see the finished project HERE.



I will try to get some photos of the table with the lamp on it after I deliver it tonight.


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

Blake said:


> *Assembly*
> 
> So I got the table top back from the spray booth (after it cured for a day) and it looked amazing!
> 
> ...


Again fantastic work Blake


----------



## jcees (Dec 31, 2007)

Blake said:


> *Assembly*
> 
> So I got the table top back from the spray booth (after it cured for a day) and it looked amazing!
> 
> ...


Just what the [ahem] customer ordered! Very well done, guy.

always,
J.C.


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## Karson (May 9, 2006)

Blake said:


> *Assembly*
> 
> So I got the table top back from the spray booth (after it cured for a day) and it looked amazing!
> 
> ...


Blake: a great looking table. Nice job.


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## bryano (Aug 19, 2007)

Blake said:


> *Assembly*
> 
> So I got the table top back from the spray booth (after it cured for a day) and it looked amazing!
> 
> ...


Wow Blake. This is well done. Your buttons for wood movement is a great idea. Is this something that you came up with or was it passed down from another ? Outstanding project.

Bryan


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## Blake (Oct 17, 2007)

Blake said:


> *Assembly*
> 
> So I got the table top back from the spray booth (after it cured for a day) and it looked amazing!
> 
> ...


Those buttons are not an original idea at all. I don't remember where I originally saw them though.


----------

