# Mahogany Dining Room Table



## DFRESH (Oct 22, 2010)

My first major project. Built it with my 87 year old grandfather. All mahogany, 8 foot table. Very fun and rewarding project. I hope it becomes a family heirloom and many good times are shared around this table. 
Doug


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## Dickster (Nov 14, 2009)

Beautiful job.


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## robert421960 (Dec 9, 2010)

thats incredible
you must be so proud to do that with your grandpa
cherish all your time with him


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

Beautiful table. What finish did you use? What joinery did you use for the legs to the pedestal?












 









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## cowboy dan (Apr 11, 2010)

some might say that it's too shiny. awsome polish on the top!


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## phinds (Mar 25, 2009)

Beautiful table ... almost seems too pretty to use


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## nijabhaava (Oct 21, 2010)

wow!

thats all i can say. Really beautiful


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## DFRESH (Oct 22, 2010)

Thanks for the kind words. It's got 15 coats of high gloss lacquer. It was sanded every two coats. I really wanted the "wet" look. Because of the gloss, it will show fine scratches a little more. I will probably have to buff it out every few years to bring it back. With all of those coats, there's plenty of finish to work with. 

The legs are bolted to the pedestals. Bolts were attached to the legs, the pedestals are hollowed out on the bottom and nuts are attached to the bolts coming through from the legs.

I've got a request from someone who saw the table to build them one. I've never built anything for someone else before. Any idea what something like this would go for? Not sure if I want to do it. I didn't even know what to suggest for a price.
Doug


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## WdWkrCp (Jan 13, 2010)

Gorgeous job on the table!


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## Fishbucket (Aug 18, 2010)

Beautiful :thumbsup:

I've seen some of those in the $1,500 - $2,000 range.:yes:


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## midcent' dave (Dec 20, 2010)

Absolutely beautiful job! Congrats!!


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## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

That is absolutely fantastic. I really like everything about it. The veneering, the inlay, the finish, the style. All fantastic. I'd charge a lot more than 1500 for it considering the bs the furniture stores sell for that range. Handmade quality like that should demand more imo. Unless you have a hookup, the materials for that couldn't have been cheap.


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## hands made for wood (Nov 2, 2007)

My jaw actually dropped when I saw the pics.. Amazing piece of art you have there!


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## DFRESH (Oct 22, 2010)

ACP said:


> That is absolutely fantastic. I really like everything about it. The veneering, the inlay, the finish, the style. All fantastic. I'd charge a lot more than 1500 for it considering the bs the furniture stores sell for that range. Handmade quality like that should demand more imo. Unless you have a hookup, the materials for that couldn't have been cheap.


Thanks for the compliments. There is no veneer, it's all solid wood. I bought the wood in the rough and ripped it down to size. The middle sections were from a different lot than the border pieces. They had looser grain and more movement in them so I thought it would be a nice contrast. Luckily it worked out the way I hoped it would. Wood alone was about $1,000. When I was looking for design ideas the solid wood 8' tables in the furniture stores were around $3,500. 
Doug


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## bobfowkes (Sep 2, 2009)

Absolutely Gorgeous.


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## Brink (Nov 22, 2010)

Stunning! What a great table, and to spend time with grandpa makes it 100 times better.

In the NYC area, a table like that goes for $3500 min. Much more to the right person.


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## burkhome (Sep 5, 2010)

That is one incredible "first major project". Absolutely beautiful...Would love to know more of the "how to's".


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## mrbentontoyou (Aug 3, 2010)

Right on dfresh. really nice looking table. 

how long start to finish? any estimate on the hours involved?


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## SteveEl (Sep 7, 2010)

> That is one incredible "first major project".


Burke beat me to it....that's exactly what I was going to say!

When I saw the pics, my wife heard me say "oooooOooOooOOoOooOhhhh"


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## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

DFRESH said:


> Thanks for the compliments. There is no veneer, it's all solid wood. I bought the wood in the rough and ripped it down to size. The middle sections were from a different lot than the border pieces. They had looser grain and more movement in them so I thought it would be a nice contrast. Luckily it worked out the way I hoped it would. Wood alone was about $1,000. When I was looking for design ideas the solid wood 8' tables in the furniture stores were around $3,500.
> Doug


 
I stand corrected! The way the grain was angled made me think it was veneered. If furniture stores are asking 3500 I'd go higher personally. The handcrafted tag should add to it in my opinion. Again, beautiful work.


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## DFRESH (Oct 22, 2010)

mrbentontoyou said:


> Right on dfresh. really nice looking table.
> 
> how long start to finish? any estimate on the hours involved?


I had the lumber yard plane both sides and rip one clean edge of the rough lumber (only $45). I spent a half day ripping rough wood to workable width/lengths. The table took two months to complete working two days a week, so 16 days. Working with my gradfather was slow and since he got tired, we only work 4 1/2 hours a day. Finishing process took another 2 weeks. I'll see if I still have my progress pictures and post them.
Doug


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## mn pete (Dec 10, 2010)

Just fantastic Doug! And a great way to spend time with your Grandpa. WIN-WIN!


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## Klag (Jan 5, 2011)

very nice work.....love the inlay and the grain pattern in the middle nice touch.

klag


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## jstange2 (Dec 5, 2010)

Very nice.


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## Itchy Brother (Aug 22, 2008)

Amazing work.You are a very skilled woodworker.An artist.:thumbsup:


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## byron9393 (Nov 19, 2010)

Absolutely beutiful. You made your Grandpa one happy man.


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## bobfowkes (Sep 2, 2009)

DFRESH said:


> I had the lumber yard plane both sides and rip one clean edge of the rough lumber (only $45). I spent a half day ripping rough wood to workable width/lengths. The table took two months to complete working two days a week, so 16 days. Working with my gradfather was slow and since he got tired, we only work 4 1/2 hours a day. Finishing process took another 2 weeks. I'll see if I still have my progress pictures and post them.
> Doug


That's about ~85 hours. If you charged $3000 and the materials cost a grand, that works out to $23-24/hr. But if you include machine set-up and maintenance (e.g., sharpening the cutterheads on your jointer and planer, and the hand tools), lets call it $18-20/hour.

It all comes down to earning a few bucks doing something you enjoy, and creating an heirloom-quality table.

(or, if you're like me, you might be thinking: "With the $2K profit I could watch craig's list and jump on the next Powermatic 66 that comes up, maybe upgrade my dust collection....)


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## haugerm (Nov 19, 2009)

Beautiful work! Could we get a picture of the underside of that table?
--Matt


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## Firewalker (Jan 3, 2011)

I have looked at that table several times and it shocks me every time. It's just fantastic.....the only way to slice it. I haven't priced anything like that recently but I think solid wood hand crafted would pull 4 grand easy. Like some others have mentioned in the right market for some high end furniture snobs it could sell for some crazy $$$.

I really like the high gloss on this piece. I think the angles on the middle pieces was very well done. I can't give any higher compliments on a well done family treasure that will have grandkids fighting over it in the future.

Congrats


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## JohnK007 (Nov 14, 2009)

haugerm said:


> Beautiful work! Could we get a picture of the underside of that table?
> --Matt


Yes, please. I'd like to see how its all attached.


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## Geoguy (Feb 22, 2008)

It's beautiful! I'll finish like that when I grow up!


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## 240sxguy (Sep 13, 2010)

Absolutely beautiful! Great work. It is unique yet classic, which I love. Enjoy the table!


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## DFRESH (Oct 22, 2010)

Sorry, been away. I have some pictures of us making the table that I will try to post over the weekend. Basically, I bought a furniture grade piece of pine plywood to work off of. The border mahogany pieces are all 8/4. I "notched" (for lack of a fancy carpentry word) them so the top was 3/4". The 2" sides, with skirt attached, hang over the edge of the plywood. All of the wood is joined with biscuits, but I used wood screws as well from underneath because I was paranoid that the wood might shift. Probably overkill, but I want this table to last for a long time. 

It is my first attempt at furniture, my grandfather is a real craftsman and does fantastic finish work. He's made a few grandfather clocks that are in my family as well. I couldn't have done it to this level by myself. He was glad to "knock the rust off" as he put it and get his hands dirty again. It was a very rewarding project. 
Doug


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## RealTurquoise (Jan 13, 2011)

*Fantastic*

I love the Inlay on this table. I am very impressed.


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## ben arnott (Nov 15, 2008)

Doug, this is really beautiful. My grandfather turned 90 today, and I identify with your appreciation of how precious time with your grandfather is. What a wonderful heirloom to share with your family. This is a great piece. Thanks for sharing it with us.


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