# working on a new walnut coffee table



## gideon (May 26, 2010)

I got these two nice matched pieces at hearnes hardwood earlier this week and have been thinking of what to do with them. They're about 40" x 16" to 20" wide - more with the bowties I set in them.

I was at Nakashimas studio a while back and snapped a photo of a table they were making. I know I shouldn't have done that but how could I resist???

I am using the Nakashima table as a launching point for mine but I don't want it to copy it. So here we go...

First photo is the table I saw followed by the boards when I got them home and where they're at today... I guess this is my first build thread.


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

Nice matched slabs there. I'll be settling in here for the duration. I'm excited to see how it goes.


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## gideon (May 26, 2010)

here is what it looks like now. quilted maple bowties are in. I love putting reveals into my tables. they are great for getting wires up without those circle cutouts so many people use.


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## Dave Paine (May 30, 2012)

Looking good. :thumbsup:

It is easy to be inspired by a visit to the Nakashima site.

They have some impressive slabs in the storage area beneath the studio. I made my first visit back in May.


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## MagGeorge (Jul 5, 2012)

Tremendously stunning!


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## gideon (May 26, 2010)

Dave Paine said:


> Looking good. :thumbsup:
> 
> It is easy to be inspired by a visit to the Nakashima site.
> 
> They have some impressive slabs in the storage area beneath the studio. I made my first visit back in May.



did you see the warehouse and storage facilities? We did. We still haven't recovered from the awe we were struck by.

Here are two photos of the warehouse, the little thing at the closed end of the space is a big pick up truck just so you all know the scale of it. The overwhelming majority of the material are walnut flitches. Much of it has been in there and was harvested by George Nakashima. There is also another storage area a bit smaller.


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## Dave Paine (May 30, 2012)

gideon said:


> did you see the warehouse and storage facilities? We did. We still haven't recovered from the awe we were struck by.
> 
> Here are two photos of the warehouse, the little thing at the closed end of the space is a big pick up truck just so you all know the scale of it. The overwhelming majority of the material are walnut flitches. Much of it has been in there and was harvested by George Nakashima. There is also another storage area a bit smaller.


Wow, thanks for the pictures. We did not see the warehouse. There is enough to last for many decades. Very impressive.

We did get to talk to the son. He mentioned they purchased entire trees, brought them over in containers and had them cut over here. Some, perhaps most were cut up at Martin Guitar in Nazareth.


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## gideon (May 26, 2010)

Dave Paine said:


> Wow, thanks for the pictures. We did not see the warehouse. There is enough to last for many decades. Very impressive.
> 
> We did get to talk to the son. He mentioned they purchased entire trees, brought them over in containers and had them cut over here. Some, perhaps most were cut up at Martin Guitar in Nazareth.


I spent a while talking with the foreman - he's been there over 40 years. Really nice guy.

If you're interested, maybe we could meet up out there for a visit. 

I really like going to places like this with other woodworkers.


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## rayking49 (Nov 6, 2011)

That is going to be just beautiful. And as for the warehouse pics- WOW.


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## frankp (Oct 29, 2007)

I'm sure someone will complain about you taking that picture, but if you're not copying the design, I say good on you. We find inspiration in a lot of places and clearly Nakashima has inspired many many people. Looks like it's going to be another amazing build, gideon. Those slabs are stunning.


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## Toomas (Sep 13, 2012)

That's some gorgeous walnut. Do you work with a local saw mill to get your slabs?


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## gideon (May 26, 2010)

Toomas said:


> That's some gorgeous walnut. Do you work with a local saw mill to get your slabs?


these pieces I got from Hearnes Hardwoods in Oxford PA. They have some bins which they price at $1 per pound. They've gotten to know me a little bot so they let me go through the cutoffs by the line saw and sell what ever I pull from there at 50 cents per pound. 

I haven't bought slabs from them otherwise. I haven't received orders for slab furniture and they are cost prohibitive to just buy with the hopes I can move it later. 

If they are cheap enough I'll grab them tho, as I did here.


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## JQMack (Sep 24, 2011)

gideon said:


> I got these two nice matched pieces at hearnes hardwood earlier this week and have been thinking of what to do with them. They're about 40" x 16" to 20" wide - more with the bowties I set in them.


I got to go to Hearnes for the first time yesterday. Beautiful stuff.


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## gideon (May 26, 2010)

well, there was a lot of movement in the matching checks so I've set bowties in the bottom to help stop them from developing further and loaded them up with glue to prevent them from moving around later on. I don't want to sacrifice the length any further. Hopefully they will work. 

Waiting for them dry a bit and then I'll get working on the rail and stretcher system.


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## gideon (May 26, 2010)

calling it quits for the day.

I cut the rails out, notched and beveled the ends slightly. They are all 2".


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## gideon (May 26, 2010)

next, for the leg material, I am using three pieces of 1 3/8" walnut laminated together.

My intention is to notch these out so that the long rails nestle into them. Depending on how strong they are, I might put an extra set of cross rails directly behind the leg sections and I will bore out either 1/2" or 3/4" holes and dowel this assembly together with maple.


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## Dominick (May 2, 2011)

I'm liking the way this is turning out. Very interesting design.


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

Dominick said:


> I'm liking the way this is turning out. Very interesting design.


+1

Good idea lining up the support framework with the bow ties. That way there's no extra portions of the gap being bridged. It's looking awesome so far. :thumbsup:


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## gideon (May 26, 2010)

went over the leg board with a #5 plane, all the high spots gone and feeling nice. Jumping straight to 180 sand paper...


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## gideon (May 26, 2010)

Chaincarver Steve said:


> +1
> 
> Good idea lining up the support framework with the bow ties. That way there's no extra portions of the gap being bridged. It's looking awesome so far. :thumbsup:


I always do this. I never allow the rails underneath to be seen in full from the top. In this case, the rails underneath are 1 3/8" thick so there may be a little visible, but it should be pretty clean looking.


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## rayking49 (Nov 6, 2011)

Very nice. This is looking great.


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## Toomas (Sep 13, 2012)

I like the way this is looking. So many gorgeous table tops are matched with not-so-gorgeous frames and legs. Here you have two interesting pieces of eye-candy: the top and the frame. Both are interesting and beautiful.


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## gideon (May 26, 2010)

cut and notched the legs and dryfit the assembly. 

silly me, I didn't factor in the legs being seen under the gap but it doen't look bad at all - as in, I don't mind it. I don't think who ever buys this will if I don't keep it for myself for a while. 

just need to do a few things with the top and then its time for eternal sanding.


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## gideon (May 26, 2010)

a few more


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

You're making some serious progress. Very nice. How thick are the legs? This table looks like it's going to be plenty sturdy (and beautiful) for sure.


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## gideon (May 26, 2010)

drilled out the holes for dowels and set up a little dowel making jig. It's like a pencil sharpener on steroids.


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## gideon (May 26, 2010)

and the finished dowel


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## Dave Paine (May 30, 2012)

I love the dowel jig. If only I knew where to find a hand plane iron. :laughing:

I think I will try making one, looks like fun.

I read the Kenbo thread using a router.

Matthias Wandel used a chisel.
http://woodgears.ca/dowel/making.html

I like your idea of the plane iron. I think wider is easier to make the transition from square to round.


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## gideon (May 26, 2010)

well this just became difficult. one tip of a rail broke and the dowels aren't holding it together as firmly as I need it to.


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## Dominick (May 2, 2011)

I'm liking the base for this table. I like the chunky look of it. It looks sturdy and the joinery looks very nice. What's your choice for a finish?


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## gideon (May 26, 2010)

Dave Paine said:


> I love the dowel jig. If only I knew where to find a hand plane iron. :laughing:
> 
> I think I will try making one, looks like fun.
> 
> ...


If you use the plane iron, set it back further. Think of the drill as a lathe chuck and the iron the chisel. you'll need to use that tip/edge to start the cutting or else it'll just blow out on you.


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## gideon (May 26, 2010)

Dominick said:


> I'm liking the base for this table. I like the chunky look of it. It looks sturdy and the joinery looks very nice. What's your choice for a finish?


It'll be a tung oil mix. I've already started finishing the top. 

This went pretty bad yesterday during assembly. I had to drill out the dowels and re-do them plus add some in the back. I'm pretty pissed off about it.

It all looked good on paper - it always does. Assembly is when you learn what doesn't work as well as you thought.


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

Aw man, that's disappointing about the setback. My heart sank when I read about it. But I hope your recovery works out well enough for you. Even though it sucks, I know the table is going to turn out incredible in the end and no one will be any the wiser. It still hurts though; I completely understand that.

On a positive note: your dowel-making jig is pure awesomeness. It looks like it worked pretty darn well for you.

Easy for me to say, sure, but don't let the breakage get you down for too long. With your talent and skill it'll only be a minor issue. In fact, it sounds like you're already back on track. It seems like every project is a lesson in patience, problem solving and error compensation. And each is a learning experience.


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## gideon (May 26, 2010)

when I first started this 3 years ago, I was talking about it with a friend who is a wood worker professionally. I was saying how everything I make will have to be perfect and totally precise. He interupted and said "if everything has to be perfect, you're going to waste a lot of material. the test of a true craftsman is how he deals with mistakes and setbacks, how well he can read his material and how he can adjust mid process to make sure that a problem doesn't get worse."


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## rayking49 (Nov 6, 2011)

Amen to that. We may strive for perfection, but I strive in vain. I make alot of mistakes.... Er, design changes. Yeah that's it, design changes.


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## gideon (May 26, 2010)

rayking49 said:


> Amen to that. We may strive for perfection, but I strive in vain. I make alot of mistakes.... Er, design changes. Yeah that's it, design changes.


some mistakes I've made have made pieces look even better.

I've begun finishing... It's a beautiful set of boards. It will be a centerpiece of any room when it's done.


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## rayking49 (Nov 6, 2011)

I believe you're right. That will be the prettiest piece of furniture in any room, looking great!


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## Dominick (May 2, 2011)

Tung oil mix? I got to know the recipe. Wow!!!! That's a beautiful piece. That finish looks flawless.


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

Dominick said:


> Tung oil mix? I got to know the recipe. Wow!!!! That's a beautiful piece. That finish looks flawless.


That would be 1 part tung oil, 1 part cod liver oil and a tepoon of eye of newt. Oh wait, I'm thinking of something else. Hehe.

Seriously though, my guess is the old concoction of 1 part tung oil, 1 part varnish and 1 part mineral spirits.


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## gideon (May 26, 2010)

Dominick said:


> Tung oil mix? I got to know the recipe. Wow!!!! That's a beautiful piece. That finish looks flawless.



I've been using formby's - no big secret, sorry to let you down. I say "tung oil mix" only because it's not pure.

With the humidity we've been getting, finish time is taking forrrrreeeeeeevvvvvveeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrrr..


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## Dave Paine (May 30, 2012)

The Formby's brings out the beauty in the walnut. Looks terrific. :thumbsup:

Today's wet weather is not going to help the drying, sad to say. :thumbdown:


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## gideon (May 26, 2010)

finishing is coming along well. next photos will be the finished piece.


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## Dominick (May 2, 2011)

I'm not familiar with formby's. 
please help. Is it what chain carver Steve said?


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

Dominick said:


> I'm not familiar with formby's.
> please help. Is it what chain carver Steve said?


I was taking about a mix a lot of people make themselves for use as a wipe-on varnish. I've never done it but, apparently, it's a common thing to do. It sounds like the Formby's is a premixed solution.


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## rayking49 (Nov 6, 2011)

That's a nice looking finish on it.


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## gideon (May 26, 2010)

Dominick said:


> I'm not familiar with formby's.
> please help. Is it what chain carver Steve said?


It's this stuff:
http://www.formbys.com/products/tung_oil/

It has other ingredients - it's not pure tung oil. I do like but want to experiment with other non-poly more durable finishes. 

What I like about formby's is that it penetrates really nicely but it doesn't yellow the colors of the woods like watco teak oil and poly does.


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## Dominick (May 2, 2011)

gideon said:


> It's this stuff:
> http://www.formbys.com/products/tung_oil/
> 
> It has other ingredients - it's not pure tung oil. I do like but want to experiment with other non-poly more durable finishes.
> ...


Thanks man. I'm always looking for different finishes, and I like the way yours turned out. 
I'm ok with the yellowing that varnish does, especially on walnut I think it turns walnut to a warm reddish tone as it get older. 
Thanks some more.


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## Broken Bat (Sep 4, 2012)

Looks great. Really interesting design


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## gideon (May 26, 2010)

finishing is going well. resisting that urge to "push things along", doing just enough to make it right and stopping before I do something which goes too far. you all know what I mean.


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## gideon (May 26, 2010)

trying not to completely lose my cool. I used brass wood screws. Never had a problem using them before. Nearly every one snapped. 

Do I use steel screws? What do I do about this? Also, should I plug the holes for grip the next go around? 

Man, this sh!t pisses me off. )Q(#U*%[email protected]#JHT({U#$NF(U$N($*$HT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## Dominick (May 2, 2011)

You were doing so good. 
What happened? And what are you trying to screw?


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## Hammer1 (Aug 1, 2010)

Table looks great. Those screws look wimpy especially for the length. I would get some heavier screws, #8 or #10. Make sure you drill the proper size pilot hole, use a screw lube and set your drill/driver clutch light. Find a different screw source. 
http://www.boltdepot.com/fastener-information/Wood-Screws/Wood-Screw-Pilot-Hole-Size.aspx?nv=res


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## Phaedrus (Jan 18, 2012)

+1 to hole size / lube / torque setting on drill. Bee's wax even works.


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## Phaedrus (Jan 18, 2012)

(cue flood of innuendos and euphemisms)


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## gideon (May 26, 2010)

Thanks guys. Those were #12 brass screws. Done, never again. Went out and got #12 zinc - much beefier. I had already slotted the holes. Worked like a charm and it's assembled, ready for sale - just need to put some oil underneath. 

This was my first time doing a base like this. I learned a whole lot and the next one will be easier. I am happy with the results. Now lets hope I can find a buyer for the price I'm asking...

On to my next projects - in a creative burst right now.

Here are the last photos


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## dmike (Oct 8, 2012)

what's the asking price? looks amazing


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## gideon (May 26, 2010)

dmike said:


> what's the asking price? looks amazing


I put it up for $1250. We'll see. Fingers crossed.


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## Dominick (May 2, 2011)

Well after all the head aches, it'll all pay off in the end. Way to go!!!!! Looks awesome.


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## MidGAOutdoor (Apr 7, 2011)

it looks great. i like the wood and the color of the butterflys. the only thing is the gap in the middle. very nice work to.


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## gideon (May 26, 2010)

MidGAOutdoor said:


> it looks great. i like the wood and the color of the butterflys. the only thing is the gap in the middle. very nice work to.


what are your thoughts on the gap? i always like constructive criticism. one can't operate in a vacuum.


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

Way to go. The final product looks beautiful. I hope it sells quickly for you.


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## Dave Paine (May 30, 2012)

A nice piece. Good luck with selling. I hope someone appreciates this like we do.

I also have bad "karma" with brass screws. You state that normally not a problem.

I wonder how much is the alloying. No standards. We have no idea of the mix of metals.

I have had issues with 3/4in long brass screws. I normally use a steel screw to create the threads, but sometimes this does not prevent a brass screw breaking.

I now try and avoid using brass screws if possible.

Your table would also have worked with black iron hardware.


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## rayking49 (Nov 6, 2011)

Amazing table. So nice!


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