another claro walnut slab coffee table

coffee table #2 for this month ... a fine cut off from the big slab that passed through here on its way
to miami. it had a pretty big crack, but it also had some incredible crotch figure. 
in the end it finished out to be about 40" long x 64" wide.  short and sweet ...

before

it came off the right end of this one

tah dah ...

i still have one cut off left ... +/- 36 x 42 x 3" thick in the rough

smallish, but nice!

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a live edge claro walnut slab coffee table

 we finished up another claro walnut slab coffee table last week

polished steel 2" tubing base with some squiggles.  were starting to use the squiggles

 more and more.  people like them and in my opinion, they add fun and lightness to the design.

click the photos to enlarge them ...

the coffee table above is in my own house and that was the inspiration piece for 

the base design the clients finally chose.  we did offer it with the base on the ends as shown

in the cad drawing above, but with the thicker slab, it seemed to feel better

 to have the base under the slab rather than at the ends ... 

i had some fun making the scale model .. a photo of the slab, painted mdf and brass wire

and sam welded up the base .. were waiting for the house to be finished soon to deliver it ... 

more live edge coffee and dining tables at this link

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Table Woodworking Plans Great Collection

So you need to build your own table? Regardless of which type of table you would like to build... Kitchen table, poker table, pool table, end table or even a changing table for your newborn, you will need transparent directions to follow through to move to the end product successfully.

Here at Table Woodworking Plans Page, you will discover the basic information on woodworking and helpful tips on finding and using your table woodworking plans.
The real project of building any style table is not as challenging as finding the exact table woodworking plans for you. All you need is the tools compulsory to finish the job and a splendid set of plans for your project. But where do you discover table woodworking plans that are straightforward to go along with and walk you through step-by-step?

Luckily you can have immediate access to 125 table woodworking plans that you can pick out from and operate on the one you like the most. Inside the 125 table woodworking plans are also incorporated numerous plans to build several type of tables like the ones mentioned above for upcoming projects.

The purpose that we suggest these table woodworking plans to you is for the reason that after doing our investigation we found that many of the free woodworking plans available to download are bogus and incomplete. A little of them dont even include images or diagrams to guide you through. On the opposite, there is only one invention that really shows you the way of building almost any style of table and so that you can see better why we picked these plans over the others, here is a list of benefits and features you get:

* 125 table woodworking plans of different styles
* Detailed step-by-step instructions
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* From beginner to advanced woodworking projects
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* Video tutorials
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Click Here For a More Detailed Description of Your 125 Table Woodworking Plans and Projects! 

Category: Table Woodworking Plans

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YEAH! RENTALS DINING TABLES

In case you havent noticed, most of the custom work Ive been doing lately is for the rad people at Yeah! Rentals.  I love working with them.  Their event styling is top-notch, theyve got great style and theyre just rad in general.  They asked me to create some folding dining tables and heres what we came up with.  The u-shaped metal legs fold inward and strap to the table with leather + brass straps made by my buddy Jesse at Union Leatherworks.  Love these tables?  Rent them for your wedding, party or any other event at Yeah! Rentals!  Theyre in Los Angeles, San Francisco & Palm Springs.

image via Yeah! Rentals Instagram

image via Yeah! Rentals Instagram

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sometimes we forget live and learn

so, i built this table sometime in 2013 ... the base was from the antiques show at brimfield, mass., and it was pretty cool.  the concept was a round table with a silver dollar inlaid in the center.  it was a busy time, and maybe i wasnt thinking 100% clearly, but anyway, i cut a plank of 1.5" reclaimed oak into four sections and glued them up into a circle without thinking about seasonal movement over time.  it made it through one set of changes, but last summer, it absorbed enough moisture that the weakest joint failed and opened up by about 1/4".  below is an email i sent this morning, and when i finished it i thought, ah, instant blog post  ... cautionary tale here with a happy ending.

click the photos to enlarge them ...



hi nina ...

sorry i didnt get the table fixed for t-day weekend, but it was not a small effort.  ill put the silver dollar back in tomorrow and well be good to go. 

c u soon ..
dan

heres what i did

 we cut the top into four sections and cut veneers off the bottom and top so that it will still look the same.  i wasnt thinking things through the first time.  we made the top in the winter, and when the table absorbed ambient moisture from the air in the summer, the planks got enough wider that the outside circumference was too short, which is what caused the weakest joint to open up.  using veneers will prevent that .. 

should have thought of that, but hey, live and learn.

 

 so we had the 8 pieces of veneer and the cores

 

  and then we cut the edges off the cores and joined them to an mdf top

rejoined the veneers

and glued them back on, one at a time ... then after a little sanding and refinishing,

 once i get the silver $ back in there itll be good to go ...

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SLAB WOOD COFFEE TABLE

I made this coffee table for my friend Taryn. Its made from a live edge slab with turquoise bent metal legs. I have to similar sized slabs Ill be using for similar style coffee tables so if you want to buy them before theyre listed on Gunn & Swain, email me here.

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a live edge coffee table

we delivered another nice claro wlanut slab coffee table this week.  the slab is one of a pair we bought back in january, specifically for this project, and in the meantime, sold the other one to another client who just happened to be looking for a small dining table exactly the size of the other slab.  

sometimes you just get lucky.  clcik the photos to enlarge them.

so here it is, onsite friday morning .. a cloudy day, but still a warm object with a little light.

at one point, i considered straightening the flair, but decided to not even ask .. the

live edge was just too nice ..

the base design is one we have used before in flat, 1/2" steel, but the tubing is a little more refined.

we added our dark bronze patina to the natural, polished steel.

 earlier in the process, i took the base to the clients home nearby with a piece of half inch mdf cut the to same size and shape as the actual slab.  i then took a couple photos ...

 and then, with a little creative photoshopping, added a photo of the the sister slab from the table below, which by that time was already finished and shipped.  this mockup helped the clients visualize the

finished table in their space .. it took a minute,  but was well worth the effort.  compare this photo with the onsite photo at the top and you can get a handle on the power of photoshop.

all for now.  enjoy your sunday ...

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ALLIGATOR JUNIPER L COFFEE TABLE

Most of the work on this table you"ll never see. I used 3/4" all thread to us as clamps during gluing and I left them in for overall support. I then filled in the channels with clear epoxy.

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just a thought about Popeye by Jeff Koons

from todays new york times ... here, let me read the caption for you ...

  this stainless steel "popeye" by jeff koons is expected to draw 

$25 million when sothebys auctions it next month.

 

hmmmm .. after a really busy week at the shop, i found this article hit me kind of the wrong way.  i have an idea for whoever is the runner up bidder at the sothebys auction.  why dont you take the $24,950,000. you didnt spend on this rather questionable piece of art and pick 20 artists whose work you really like (do you really like popeye $25 million worth?) and give em each a million bucks to make you some stuff.  give em a year or two to do it.  then, when all that stuff is all done, you can decide which of those five artists did the best job, and divvy up the other $4,950,000. among the five of them.  i bet youll be a lot happier in the long run.  maybe you wont be able to flip the stuff in 10 years for $50,000,000., but you will have quite an experience; you will have validated some serious artists, and, in the end, will have acquired a small museums worth of stuff with a good story attached to it.  hey.  take a shot.  maybe one of the 20 you pick will be the next hot ticket.  wouldnt that somehow be more interesting?

end of rant ...

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Coffee Table Woodworking Plans

So you want to build your own coffee table? If you want a nice piece of furniture that stands out beautifully and that gives that nice, classy look to the rest of your home this is a great way of achieving just that. But building your own coffee table takes a little work even for the most experienced woodworker. There are many coffee table woodworking plans that guide you step-by-step through the whole process of building your coffee table.

There are so many coffee table styles, shapes and colors that finding just the right coffee table woodworking plans gets to be a daunting task. The best way to get going with your project is to have in mind what type of table you would like to build. Some of the things you would need to consider for building the perfect coffee table for your home is your other pieces of furniture, their color, size and type of wood should give you a great start up point to start building your new center piece.

Also, by measuring the space in which your new custom made coffee table will be placed gives you a great idea on how big or small you would want it. Obviously, you would want to leave enough space around the table and the rest of the furniture for traffic flow purposes.


So now that you have a slight idea of how you want your new coffee table to look it is time to choose the right coffee table woodworking plan for you. If you have been looking on the internet for coffee table woodworking plans - and have actually paid attention - you would have noticed that many of the plans that are currently available do not include detailed information on how to build a coffee table from scratch.

Just make sure that you find a good coffee table plan that looks similar to the one you have in mind. Even if you are a novice woodworker you will be able to make some changes as you go along if necessary. Also, make sure that the plan of your choice includes at least the following:

A list of materials. If you have all the materials necessary to complete the job then you are halfway done. Having a complete list of materials to make your brand new coffee table will save you tons of time and money.

A list of tools. No tools, no work! There are many tools that are expensive to buy just for building one piece of furniture but there is always the "tool rental" option. Pretty cheap too.

Diagrams. Having visual instructions makes the work a whole lot easier. Make sure your coffee table woodworking plans includes this. This is of extreme importance if you are a newbie woodworker.

If you have the above in your woodworking plans I can almost guarantee you will love the end result. A word of advice though: Never start any project without reading and understanding the whole instructional materials because this little misstep could cost you hundreds and cause you to go over budget.

Click Here For a More Detailed Description of Your 125 Table Woodworking Plans and Projects!  

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Tannewitz Table Saw Restoration

Here can be found a table saw that will make grown men wary and and lesser men water their legs.  Below is the tale of acquisition and restoration of a 1920s Tannewitz model F table saw.

Here she is all finished up.  Watch your fingers!

I found this saw on Craigslist and traded a Mark V ShopSmith for it.  I think I got the better end of the deal...  Like most multi tools, the ShopSmith does a little bit of everything just good enough to make you wish you had dedicated tools.  

As you can see from the listing photos, it was in pretty bad shape.  There was a lot of work to be done before I would be happy with it.

First Impressions:

The Bad...  

• The dust chute was broken into three pieces.  
• The height adjust handle was broken into five pieces!  Ahhh!!! 
• Ummm, did you see the paint?  Wow that is horrible. 
• I dont think this saw table was ever waxed in its life.  The amount of surface rust couldnt even be passed off as a "nice patina surface."  Nope, thats just rust.

The Good!

• Built in 1920s, which means no plastic!
• 5hp motor.  Holy mess!  Were they aiming to slaughter the trees?
• 18" blade, sounds awesome!  As an asside, an 18" blade is scary as heck the first time you use it.
• Sliding table!  This is great for putting fixtures on the sliding section and making uber accurate cuts.
• Two original dovetailed miter gauges!  These things are crazy big and can be pinned to the table surface or accurate angle setting.
• Upon first inspection, the motor is in good shape!  The bearings have no detectable play and the arbor shaft runs true!

Check out the restoration process photos here!

If youre itching to see the saw in action, heres a quick video!

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a white oak bed

we finished this one up last week and it will be heading for cape cod as soon 

as the house is finished ...

click the photos to enlarge them ...

 

 
we had an inspiration image from the designer, and we played with several different
layouts including ones that arent shown in the drawing above

sam welded up a nice steel base,

and chris layed out the headboard from the drawing

lots of white oak pieces, lots of grooves and lots of spline

almost ready for the frame

mitered and glued and screwed on from the wall side .. 

some minwax pickling stain and some water based poly to keep the oak white

and were good to go ... 

looking forward to seeing it with the mattress and duvet.  it should be sharp.

good design lasts and lasts

i made that door in 1978 ... sort of the same ...

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