eWoodShop - Goldberg Hall Table - First afternoon's work

[Swingman]

Same number of coats on the walnut table frame:

[Gramp's shop]

[Han]

"Gramp's shop" wrote in news: [e-mail]:

I'm having the opposite problem. The coffeetable I am making (very, very slowly, but it is coming!) is too dark according to the boss. She'll take however it comes out, but she'd like it lighter than it is. And I must admit, that quartersawn oak now looks darker than I thought it would. Is there a wau to make it lighter? I'm a little hesitant to start experimenting with bleach ...

[Swingman]

Is it just darker from exposure, or do you have something applied already?

If it is just exposure, hit it with some sandpaper and see if it lightens up. Oak, particularly white oak, will darken just sitting around unfinished.

[Doug Winterburn]

Oxidation - a slow burn.

[Leon]

Funny you should mention this, the desk top cherry is darkening pretty quickly in the garage facing the morning sun. Another narrow piece that was being facing north in the garage had a couple of pieces of masking tape on it. This was being kept for shelves. In just over 4 weeks the wood has darkened except where the masking tape was and it would not sand out. ;~( Fortunately one would have to look for it to see it.

I have low-E glass in my windows so the cherry getting the morning sun inside the house is not darkening so quickly.

[Han]

Swingman wrote in news:556164731386546194.552100kac-nospam.com@216.196.97.131:

Yes it has been laying around due to general inertia, whatever. I do hope it'll get lighter upon final sanding, but I guess that I'll have to finish the exposed parts then immediately ... I'm waiting for the Sam Maloof finishes to arrive from Rockler (thanks, Karl, for the recommendation and links!!). So, I'll be safe from having to work on it for another day .

[Mike M]

Love your work , and here I'm stuck with trying to figure my girlfriend's smart hot water tank. The smart card says it's a bad lower element, my Fluke meter says the element is fine, My guess is a bad circuit board. But I love that table.

Mike M

[Swingman]

Finally got back on this project yesterday, finished the top, did the splines this morning, sanded and started applying the Maloof:

[Gramp's shop]

Looking good, Karl. Question: Is the center veneer?

Larry

[Sonny]

this morning, sanded and started applying the Maloof:

[Leon]

Looks great! and I am thinking that would make a beautiful kitchen cabinet door!

[Swingman]

Took long enough ... finally delivered this today:

(there was certainly no danger of the Maloof finish not being cured by delivery time)

[Lee Michaels]

That is a pretty little thing. Obviously not an industrial piece. Looks nice!

[Pat Barber]

Very nice Karl....always well done.

[Greg Guarino]

As best I can tell, rec.woodworking tradition requires that someone stir the pot by calling a classic design like that "soulless" or "derivative".

It'll have to be somebody else though. I'm hoping my own work gets to be half as good as that someday; maybe good enough for someone to bother insulting me too

I like this one a lot.

[Swingman]

Thanks.

I've built a dozen or so similar "hall" tables for folks in the past, but this one is my favorite so far of this particular style, due mainly to its proportions.

In this case the height, width and depth of the table, as well as the amount of leg taper and inlay and spline material, was specified by the customer, I simply built it to her spec.

So, the logical response to any such self styled critics you mention is that when doing "custom" work, the CUSTOMer dictates the design ... IOW, the only person who has to like it is the one who paid for it :)

[Greg Guarino]

I've been wondering about this for a while. Your table top consists (I assume) of two pieces of 3/4" solid wood glued up as a panel, surrounded by (two layers of) border.

I have considered trying to make something that is conceptually similar; a table made of several slats of solid wood with some sort of border around the edges. I have been advised against attaching an end piece to cover the end grain of the main panel; expansion and contraction of the panel boards will eventually break something, apparently.

But in this (very nice) piece, I see exactly that:

Is it the full (four-sided) border that makes this OK somehow? (as opposed to just covering the two end-grain edges). Or does the addition of splines in the corners strengthen the border enough to counteract the movement of the panel pieces?

[Swingman]

You do not want to frame a "solid wood" panel of any type in that manner.

You can get away with that type of framing in the photo when using a veneered panel, made by gluing veneer on both sides of a dimensionally stable substrate like MDF; or using some nicely figured plywood with the veneer of your choice within the frame.

Because two sides of a "solid wood" framed panel are always going to be "cross grain", you must make allowances for the inevitable cross grain movement within any frame, like with a flat or raised panel door; or with breadboard ends on the two cross grain ends on a table top, etc.

Also, be careful with the term "solid wood. In the commercial cabinet and furniture industry, plywood is considered "solid wood".

[Greg Guarino]

So the table top in the photo is veneer over some substrate?