# I needed a coffee table, so I made one.



## Daren (Oct 14, 2006)

This is a woodworking discussion forum and I have 300+ post, very few of them have anything to do with woodworking. There are 2 reasons for that, one I don't get to do a whole lot anymore and secondly I really don't have anything to brag about when I do. I am not so great at it :laughing:, just average.

So anyway I needed a coffee table and I dug through my "stash" and pulled out a decent looking piece of spalted curly maple. I edged it with walnut and made walnut legs, the skirt is also spalted curly maple.

I know the really talented woodworkers here will think to themselves....why didn't he use biscuits/dominoes to join the walnut edge instead of plugging it, why is it breadboxed instead of mitered, why didn't he taper the legs to match the tapered skirt or go with a square skirt and leave the legs square. The answer to those and any other questions is...cause it is my table and that is the way I wanted to do it :laughing::laughing:. (actually the plugs were a calculated thing. They are supposed to draw attention to the edge, not just the top. Maybe ? They were laid out to line up with the skirt cutout and each other.)

I just like the figured maple, pictures cannot do it justice.


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## JP Sinclair (Nov 13, 2006)

Kickin' table bro, no matter what anyone says...

I just looked at a tree last weekend. Old growth rock maple, got to be 200+years old. About 3' across on base. I can see the tiger ripple all the way around the trunk. I'll grab some pics when we drop that Golliath, you'll probably feel it out there---


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## Big Dave (Sep 16, 2006)

Nice table Daren. I'm with you, I don't pay any attention to what people say.


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## Daren (Oct 14, 2006)

JP Sinclair said:


> when we drop that Golliath, you'll probably feel it out there---


Believe it or not the maple came from 2 blocks away (giamungus yard tree 40+", 1000 bft of similar stock and a bucket full of nails ) ....I DID feel it hit the ground. What is that old saying ? "If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around does it make a sound" If it is curly I bet I could and go fetch it :laughing:.The walnut was dragged out of a burn pile at the local dump. I have dragged curly ash, curly apple, curly mulberry, curly oak....out of that pile. It is maintained (with a match, can of gas and a backhoe) by my buddy who works for the city. I go out there and mark the ones I want with red paint. Viola like magic free logs appear.

I don't do too much finish woodwork like I mentioned in my first post, but with the sawmill and a good eye I still get to enjoy the beauty of wood. I am about due again, it has been awhile since I found a gem. I think I will be better in a couple weeks. The city has some crazy notion that the BIG sugar maples are clogging up the storm sewers on some of the older streets in the fall with the leaf drop (the trees were here before the streets, and we have sucky drainage)...so they are going to do some "selective thinning". Guess who gets to "select" the trees to be removed ? As the local "tree guy" I would not cut a single one, let them grow I love trees. But since they asked me for advice and are determined to cut some, I reckon I will pick out a couple that are all bumpy and tell them to haul the logs to my place :shifty:.


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## JP Sinclair (Nov 13, 2006)

Smart man, you've really got the right connection there. 

We dropped the monster yesterday, almost knocked my fillings out when it hit the ground. Some center rot but the outside sapwood is in great shape. There are years of healed tapholes in it too, I hear those have a nice look. I really like those old trees, they always have something neat and are worth saving. Think about how much history that thing has seen. They were still in the horse and buggy days when it was a sapling. There must be 2000+ feet of salvagable lumber. I'll get pics as soon as I can get that baby in the mill. I've actually got to get my neighbor with a log truck to pick up the 8' sections. My other buddy with the tree service's log trailer can't pick it up!...


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## JP Sinclair (Nov 13, 2006)

My buddy picked up a yellow birch log that was sitting in a barn waiting to be sawn for 40 years. We ran it home and milled it, what nice stuff. This would be a nice countertop/tabletop--


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## TexasTimbers (Oct 17, 2006)

Daren, this one slipped by me. Real nice. Real nice. Did I say real nice yet? I like the plugs. Awesome wood.

JP if you need ideas let me know. My idea for it involves an address label . . . . .destination Texas. :smile:


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## JP Sinclair (Nov 13, 2006)

In all seriousness buddy, I can sell you a piece and mail it if you want. I cut it at 5/4. The boards are about 5 feet long, most about 14" wide. The worm marks actually really add to the look, kind of antique looking. I'm thinking of bookmatching two together for an island countertop that the wife wants. I checked the MC on the boards, it was between 10-12 percent. My kiln is finally up and running, I'm thinking it wouldn't take much to get them down under 8.


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## TexasTimbers (Oct 17, 2006)

I appreciate the offer JP, but I have thousands of board feet of wood just lying around right now, and several million board feet on the stump from which to harvest more when I want/need. I best not be buying any just now!  

But if I was going to, that stuff would be high on the list for sure, and I can tell the picture is not doing it justice. Maybe we could swap some wood that the other can't get? We have some stuff down here y'all don't have up there ya know. :icon_smile:


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## JP Sinclair (Nov 13, 2006)

I've got a test piece I'm experimenting with, I'll post some pics. It has a real old school look. I may take you up on the trade, I've got a deal cooking with a guy that specializes in wooden bowls and I bet he'd like some turning blanks in that box elder. I'll get back with you when we get things finalized.


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## TexasTimbers (Oct 17, 2006)

Here's a couple of bookmatched cedar tops I cut a few minutes ago. If i used all four boards it would be a tabletop 61" wide and a little over 10' long. When our great room addition is completed we'll have room for it. I think I will make two tops from them. They are nearly 4" thick.


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## JP Sinclair (Nov 13, 2006)

That cedar is right off the saw?, no finish work yet?. That red cedar is really beautiful stuff.


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## TexasTimbers (Oct 17, 2006)

Yes and no JP. Yes they are right off the saw, but I knocked the slabs off the tree, and took several thick boards off it nearly 2 years ago. I had the remainder, this 15.75" square cant sitting around since then. I just sawed it up finally last week when i posted the pics.


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## formula462 (Dec 9, 2006)

i like it daren,what is the topcoat? i have some spalted maple it is a beautiful wood. the plugs are a nice touch as are the bb ends


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## Daren (Oct 14, 2006)

formula462 said:


> daren,what is the topcoat?


I just sprayed it with some poly, nothing fancy.


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