# Walnut slab media console build



## BZawat

So my brother is getting married June 26. I wanted to make them a piece of furniture for a wedding gift, upon inquiry he said they need a console cabinet for their 52" tv. Game on. 

While brainstorming Saturday morning, I came across these 8/4 walnut slabs for a good price. 









So I decided to tackle my first live edge slab project. 

I chose the slab with the heaviest crotch figure & nicest color and began knocking down the high spots with a hand held power planer. I started with the back side to get my technique down. 










Then flipped to the front and planed it out











Next I marked up the slab in order to cut it to size. 










The back will be cut straight, as it will be up against the wall. Forgot to mention I used a framing square to check the slab for flatness during planing. 











Then I made a straight line rip and one crosscut, belt sanded with 120 grit and followed up with an orbital @ 120. 











Tomorrow i will sand out the bottom side and get into the fun stuff!


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## Dominick

That's gonna be pretty with a finish on it. I'm excited to see.


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## BZawat

It pained me to have to cut that slab down, as it is a gorgeous piece of wood. But it's gotta fit the space, and the TV so....

While showering this evening it hit me -- a design change! I'm going to fold the slab on the left side, which allows me to make use of the cut off, and build a pedestal cabinet for the right side. Add a stretcher shelf between aaaaaaand voila! 

So this project's firsts: dutchmans to hold the cracks together, a folded slab with a blind spline inside the miter and dovetail splines outside, first live edge slab altogether! Now I'm excited!!


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## fire65

Beautiful wood slabs. I look forward to the build.


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## rayking49

You going to miter it on the folded side? Either way its going to look great.


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## BZawat

rayking49 said:


> You going to miter it on the folded side? Either way its going to look great.


Yeah that's the plan. I saw a thread on here a while back where someone built a jig to rout out a mortise on the 45 for a blind spline, and I think I'm going to go that route. Seems like a pretty straightforward jig.

I love this forum because I learn so much from you guys. All the crazy advanced projects i see give me the confidence to try new stuff.


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## gideon

That is going to be beautiful! 

I have some thinner walnut slabs here at 8-9' long and been thinking of what to do with them. 

How are you going to make the 45 degree cuts? Router?


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## ctwiggs1

This is going to be exciting to watch. I just acquired 6 slabs myself and I've been wondering what to do with them and honestly how to even work with them.

Curtis


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## captainawesome

Putting that craigslist score to use quick! Way to push yourself and step out of your comfort zone BZawat. Very inspiring!


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## BZawat

gideon said:


> That is going to be beautiful!
> 
> I have some thinner walnut slabs here at 8-9' long and been thinking of what to do with them.
> 
> How are you going to make the 45 degree cuts? Router?


I don't even want to tell you guys how I made the 45 degree cuts, cuz you may not talk to me anymore lol. I'm spoiled. I'm the foreman of an architectural millwork & commercial cabinet shop, and my boss is an awesome guy. So I have the run of the shop - and the equipment - off work hours. While we dont have a drill press, band saw, or shaper, we do have a big beautiful 12" sliding cabinet saw which made short work of the miters


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## BZawat

This afternoon I realized that I was too hasty in sanding yesterday, I got excited and totally got ahead of myself. While I checked the slab for flat side-to-side, I neglected to check diagonally for twisting. So after finding a twist I re-planed and ten checked with a true straight edge










Then I cut the miters










Before getting ahead of myself (again) I figured this would be a good time to make Dutchmen and start that process. So I made a pattern out of 1/4" ply










Then traced onto maple I milled to 1/2" thick and cut with a small pull saw










I'm not a hand tool guy, although I want to learn. So I figured why the hell not? They're not perfect but they'll work










Next I marked out the mortise and started chopping




















I hogged out the center with a trim router and 1/4" straight bit. The mistake I made here was to trace the bowtie upside down, and being that they're not perfectly symmetrical the mortise was off. But not bad for my first attempt. And it's on the bottom. And thank God for epoxy lol


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## wood shavings

*Bow tie*

On the photo your bowtie that is a little sm. make a new on and it will fit and look nicer. will be far enough away from the rest so you won't notice hope you haven't put them in epoxy yet. looking good though.

Jerry


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## captainawesome

I love the fact that you made the miters with a roughly $10k table saw, and the dutchmen with a roughly $10 pull saw!! haha!

Don't feel bad about having those tools at your disposal, we'd all use it if we had it. Besides, that miter came out so beautiful, who cares how you got it!


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## BZawat

That occurred to me as I was cutting them too. Glad the irony wasn't lost haha! We have a CNC machine as well, and I could have made the bowties and a mortise template perfectly on it but that just didn't feel right to me, considering the nature of the piece. 
And it's for my brother, so I want it to be unique, special if you will. I ordered a set of card scrapers and a veritas gents' saw from Lee Valley the other day so lots of new techniques to learn in this one. I'm going to hand cut the dovetail splines in the miter when I get to it and needed a better saw for the task.


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## jsr

You guys back east make me sooooo jeolous. here in Colorado, you go somewhere and say I want to buy some wood, they say....well, we got pine and oak. If you don't want that we got oak and pine. Great big slabs of walnut for a "reasonable" price. !!! My second mortgage maybe!!


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## BZawat

Hand inlaid Dutchman, attempt #2. Only like 7 to go lol









Brian


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## wood shavings

*Little trick*

I you have some clear tape get it twice as long as the bowties. Fold each end over so there is no sticky on the outer 1/4s leaving the middle so you can stick it to the back of the bowtie Place the bowtie in the cutout leaving the end out when you want the bowtie out lift straight up. This saves you from breaking any of the corners of the bowties.

Jerry


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## khowald

Looking great, can't wait to see more. ken


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## Da Aardvark

I'm sure you are aware live edge/wild grained projects have a tendency to warp/twist/etc than their straight grained wood counterparts
Get a finish on all sides as soon as you can. I generally seal em with epoxy.

Love the build...love the wood.


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## gideon

I make my bowties and mortises for them with my router and template. I know there's the hand done aspect of it which many like but I like results fast - ones that work well.


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## JDMeek2020

I'll be watching this... I have been contemplating making a live edge desk for my computer room...and i wanted to have the mitered waterfall look...make me nervous in the service though...think I will practice on scrap before the real thing... great look so far!!


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## oldmacnut

BZawat said:


> That occurred to me as I was cutting them too. Glad the irony wasn't lost haha! We have a CNC machine as well, and I could have made the bowties and a mortise template perfectly on it but that just didn't feel right to me, considering the nature of the piece.
> And it's for my brother, so I want it to be unique, special if you will. I ordered a set of card scrapers and a veritas gents' saw from Lee Valley the other day so lots of new techniques to learn in this one. I'm going to hand cut the dovetail splines in the miter when I get to it and needed a better saw for the task.



Honestly....if you have access to the high end tools none of us have.....use them. Because I am pretty sure everyone here except firemedic will use the cnc and the tablesaw for even the more basic projects.


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## gideon

Well, I just received an email about a folded coffee table. So, I might doing something similar to this. 

How are you going check movement on this? Will it have rails?


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## BZawat

gideon said:


> Well, I just received an email about a folded coffee table. So, I might doing something similar to this.
> 
> How are you going check movement on this? Will it have rails?


Not sure what you mean by "check" movement. The way I figure, at 2" thick & with the irregular grain pattern, if its gonna move its gonna move and there isn't much I can do to stop it. 

I'm hoping that since the folded leg is grained in continuity with the top it will move with it, or at least the same amount relative to it. I'm going to seal all surfaces and ends with a hi gloss post-cat conversion varnish and lots of it. (It doesn't yellow like epoxy does, or at least not as bad) 

The pedestal cabinet that will serve as the other leg will be attached with rails, in which slots will be cut to allow the fasteners ( probably lag screws) to move across the grain. 

Again, this is a first for me so we'll see what happens...

Brian


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## Matt tennessen

I made a folded slab coffee table from two narrower flitches a few years ago and have had no problems with movement. It was my first and I shared your concern (but figured if it was mine, only I would suffer the consequences if it failed) but so long as it's adequately dried, the seasonal movement shouldn't be an issue. It seems like the grain is fairly straight at the point where you made your transition. It lived in my apartment for a bit but over the last year + it's been in a section of my house that isn't climate controlled. Hot summer through cold winters and it's still as it was.


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## gideon

how did you secure the miter? did you use a spline? if so, how did you cut it - table saw? was there a blade tilt needed?


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## Matt tennessen

gideon said:


> how did you secure the miter? did you use a spline? if so, how did you cut it - table saw? was there a blade tilt needed?


 Gideon, I used a blind spline initially and then incorporated some key splines afterwards. I cut the blind spline with the table saw (although I used a similar design in a bench recently and used biscuits to hold the miter before the keys were cut). When I was coming up with my plan I was worried that the blind spline wouldn't be enough so I figured I'd try some oversized keys too. But I utilized just the blind spline 









on a later smaller piece and it's been fine (or so I hear). 
Keep in mind this was my first try with live edge, blind miters, keyed miters, and mitering anything 8/4 but, structurally speaking, it worked out.


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## gideon

I use biscuits on smaller miter joints - would they hold enough to put keys in without the spline?


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## Matt tennessen

gideon said:


> I use biscuits on smaller miter joints - would they hold enough to put keys in without the spline?


I would think so. I suppose it depends on how you cut the slots for the keys. On this table I used an improvised router jig which seemed a little more aggressive with the 1/2" bit. On the pine bench I just did utilizing biscuits, I cut the 1/4" slots for the keys on the table saw, which seemed to involve less man-handling.


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## gideon

Matt tennessen said:


> I would think so. I suppose it depends on how you cut the slots for the keys. On this table I used an improvised router jig which seemed a little more aggressive with the 1/2" bit. On the pine bench I just did utilizing biscuits, I cut the 1/4" slots for the keys on the table saw, which seemed to involve less man-handling.


holding the pieces vertical? if i ibuilf this table, i'll likely but them with a router and 1/2 to 3/4 bit.


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## BZawat

All the Dutchmen are finally done. I say finally because it feels like its taken days, but realistically 2 hours a day over 4 days is not forever. 

Anyway... I built a 45 jig with an index strip for the plunge router to run against to cut the mortise for the blind spline, then clamped it to the slab. 










Took another pic of the jig from the backside but for some reason it won't upload. 












Used some 3/4 poplar I had laying around for the spline. Ended up being 2" wide. I figured the beefier the spline, the better. Didn't take any pics because its self explanatory. Nothin fancy. 

Then glued the crap out of it with Titebond III and clamped (only snugged up really). 










So tomorrow morning my plan is to make a mock-up of the mitered corner to test cut the mortise for the dovetail splines that were cut from the same maple as the bowties. The jury is still out on whether I'll make a jig and cut them with a router & dovetail bit, or by hand with a DT saw and a chisel. Either way I'm stoked to have a whole day to spend on this!

Brian


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## Dominick

Nice hijack. Laughing!!!!
Looking good Brian. I like the look of it so far. 
I think the spline will help to keep things together. 
Lets hope? 
Have you check the MC on these slabs? If yes, what's it at. Keep up with the progress.


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## Matt tennessen

Dominick said:


> Nice hijack. Laughing!!!!
> Looking good Brian. I like the look of it so far.
> I think the spline will help to keep things together.
> Lets hope?
> Have you check the MC on these slabs? If yes, what's it at. Keep up with the progress.


yeah, what a bunch of jerks... 
brian, sorry for my participation in hijacking your thread that I was enthusiastically following. Everything's looking great so far!


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## BZawat

Haha all in good fun, fellas! 

Thanks Dom - Checked the MC when I cut the miters, it's at 13% dead center of the slab. A bit higher than ideal, I know, but it's gonna have to do. I'm gonna hope for the best! Between the blind spline inside the joint and the dovetail splines outside, it oughta hold together just fine. I think. Lol! 

Matt - Thanks for the compliment, and for chipping in your experience, I'll take all the help I can get!

Brian


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## BZawat

Here's that shot that wouldn't upload. Had to resize. 










Brian


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## Da Aardvark

13% and live edge, you best get a backer frame on it. 2" or not, it's gonna try and move some. 
I use lag bolted on tube steel cut and welded in a rectangular frame, myself, with a 4" reveal on the wood. Even doing that, the 4" area wants to move on me.


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## rayking49

That's looking fine man! My wife wants a live edge table, so I am watching every thread on them that I can. I hope to soon make one myself. I love all you've done so far.


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## BZawat

Da Aardvark said:


> 13% and live edge, you best get a backer frame on it. 2" or not, it's gonna try and move some.
> I use lag bolted on tube steel cut and welded in a rectangular frame, myself, with a 4" reveal on the wood. Even doing that, the 4" area wants to move on me.


What size tube is acceptable, in your opinion, for a 2" thick slab? I have some ridiculously heavy (probably 8 gauge?) 3.5" x 2" tube steel laying around the shop, but like I said its ridiculously heavy. Could I go with 2" x 2" or so? It's be easier to incorporate into the design too

Brian


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## BZawat

Good day in the shop today! Sanded out the entire slab to 150 grit, then started scratching my head over the dovetail splines. Decided to build a jig and rout them. Here are a couple pics of the jig in process






























And one of the mortises










I cut the splines to fit each mortise, as they varied slightly in width (+/- 1/32 ish) because the jig wasn't perfect. Used an 8 degree dovetail bit (& a guide bushing) so ripped 8 degree bevels on some maple with the TS. Glued em up and tapped em home










Then cut them flush and sanded









So here it stands 



















Brian


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## Dominick

Brian that's sweet!!!! Nice job on the keys. 
Is that leg in front temporary? Looks really smooth, and the transition of sapwood joining to the leg is spot on. It has a nice flow to it.


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## BZawat

Thanks Dominick! This has been an awesome learning experience so far. The leg on the right is just propping it up for the pics. Finished piece will have cabinetry of some sort in that spot - TBD. If tomorrow weren't Mother's Day I'd probably spend the whole day in the shop - I'm itching to get finish on it!!!!! Gonna hit the whole thing with a card scraper first to bring out the figure in it. 

I've gotta change the resolution of my uploads, pics are grainy & fuzzy compared to the actual pics.

Brian


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## Hubbard

Wow, that looks great man. Way to "get out of your comfort zone" and try some new techniques. Im doing the same thing on a current project and its great when you realize "HOLY CRAP! I actually CAN do that"

Keep up the good work, cant wait to see how it turns out.


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## BZawat

Sorry for double posting the pics, just wanted to see if these uploaded any better

Brian


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## Dominick

I'm so jealous right now. Haven't had any shop time. To much going on right now. All I can do is drool over your build. 
Looks great!!!!


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## Da Aardvark

2" x 2" 18 ga should do it.


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## BZawat

Thanks for the tip Aardvark. I'm going to pick some up on Monday, and my buddy's gonna give me a welding lesson.

When you lag your frame on, do you slot out the holes in the steel to allow for seasonal movement across the grain? 

Brian


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## Da Aardvark

It's probably a good idea to slot em, but I lag em down fairly tight and doubt the slots would help a whole lot, unless you use a flat washer with the lag as a slipping surface.
Generally on something like that I would use 3/8" lags and with 2" of wood and 2" of steel, I would use 3" - 3 1/4" lags and pre-drill em with a 1/4" bit, so as to not chance a split in the wood. Walnut has been pretty forgiving but I won't chance not pre-drilling. Also I would space the lags @ 1'-0" o.c. or so. 

Generally I paint the steel and undersurface in flat black and leave the bolt heads in zinc chrome. A good modern look,

I did a piece similar to that in Catalpa and used chrome legs on the floating end. It is 4" thick and not as big. That one needed no steel.

If you wanna take a look, go to my projects section.
http://gnarlywooddesigns.weebly.com/


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## BZawat

This morning I filled all the endgrain and surface cracks with AB epoxy, as well as any gaps in the bowties. Here's the bottom with the first coat of finish on her. Now I'm really excited! 






























Brian


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## BZawat

Also a rough sketch of the overall piece, or at least the direction it's headed in 










Brian


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## Dominick

Nice finish. Got any close ups of that crotch? Lol
What's your finish?


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## BZawat

Haha you would want a crotch shot! Lol! Only the back side has finish so far, I put the seal coat on very heavy and wanted to be sure it's fully cured before I flip it over. Crotch close ups tomorrow! 

Finish is MLC's Klearvar in hi-gloss. It's a 2 part acid catalyzed conversion varnish. Dries rock hard & crystal clear and doesn't yellow as much as epoxy or hi build poly.

Brian


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## Dominick

BZawat said:


> Haha you would want a crotch shot! Lol! Only the back side has finish so far, I put the seal coat on very heavy and wanted to be sure it's fully cured before I flip it over. Crotch close ups tomorrow!
> 
> Finish is MLC's Klearvar in hi-gloss. It's a 2 part acid catalyzed conversion varnish. Dries rock hard & crystal clear and doesn't yellow as much as epoxy or hi build poly.
> 
> Brian


Laughing!!!! Yea I thought about that after I typed that.
Have you used that type of finish before? 
Sounds similar to the type of finish I used for my walnut dining table. It's behlins rockhard table top varnish. It yellows over time, but with walnut it gives it a nice warm rich reddish tone. At the time I bought the product it only came in high gloss. 

I didn't like the glossy look, so I rubbed it to a satin with 0000 steel wool and paste wax. 
Now that finish comes in a satin.


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## BZawat

Yeah I use it pretty frequently. It's hands down the best sprayed finish I've used so far. 

Used a satin on the last big build I did, the cherry server cabinet I made for my fiancé last Xmas. 
Did you spray the Behlins?

Brian


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## Dominick

No I brushed it on. It was a pain in the but. 
The first couple coats I thinned out 50/50. 
It's thick like syrup. My table is 108" long. 
I won't try that again on something that big.


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## Phaedrus

I don't know how I missed this thread, but it is excellent! I look forward to seeing this build progress.

In regards to your concerns (looooooong ago in the thread) with cutting dutchmen, I generally rough a shape for the bow tie itself and clean up the sides on a stationary belt sander so that they are straight and square. I then hold (clamp, if possible) the bow tie in the desired location and trace with a marking knife. I let my chisel rest in the knife marks (bevel in) to start clearing. Lately I've been using a plunge router and straight bit to remove the bulk from the middle to get a nice flat bottomed opening with a uniform depth. CNC might be faster if you have a lot to cut, but you should be able to get similar accuracy.

I'm done addressing topics from ancient posts in this thread. Now I'll just kick back and watch the updates roll in. :drink::clap:


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## Dominick

You trace it with a drawknife? Lol
I'm teasing I get it.


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## BZawat

Thanks Ben. The first one I did took me over an hour, by the time I was done I was bangin' em out in 15 minutes lol

On another note, I mentioned earlier that I filled the cracks etc with an AB epoxy. I then sanded off the excess and put down my seal coat. I always wear a dust mask when I sand anything. Always. My face is now the same color red as my favorite Phillies shirt everywhere the mask didn't cover. And I think it's on fire lol

So a word to the wise, apparently epoxy dust is very skin irritating.

Brian


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## BZawat

Things I learned today:

-One bad stroke with a card scraper takes like 50 good ones to erase

-Never trust a tool company when they say their card scrapers have been "factory jointed for a perfect cutting edge". BS. 

-I will never finish figured hardwood again without hand scraping first. Thanks to Rick Mosher for that tip. 

-Hand scraping hurts your hands lol

So here it is, sanded to 220 and tediously had scraped











After scraping, before finish




















































So there's your crotch shot, Dom lol!

Also I just walked around this thing in circles for about 5 minutes watching the color in the grain change haha. As far as I'm concerned, those other two slabs were free cuz this ones so beautiful it was worth the whole purchase price. 

About 8 coats of varnish to go. Next up, cabinetry. 

Brian


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## JDMeek2020

I LOVE IT...man does that look so good...exactly the look that I want to create (only I want a desk) 
I might have to PM you with more detailed info on how to create that mitered cut
James


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## Dominick

Thanks for the crotch shot Brian. Laughing!!!!! 
Wow!!!! That's absolutely striking!!!! I could stare at that all night. 
Are you sure you still want to give that away? 
Maybe you can make another one not so pretty. Lol.


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## captainawesome

Brian... that looks PHENOMENAL!!! I can't believe you only walked around it for five minutes because I'm pretty sure I'd be sleeping there tonight if it were me haha. 

The bowties look awesome and I love the contrast. Same goes for the dovetail splines. You should post a thread in the jigs section when you are through with this beauty.

Keep up the good work! 

Sean


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## USMCSergeant

Great work! That table is gorgeous and the grain is amazing. The splines look great, and the bowties as well. I'm interested in pics of the underside and how you decide to frame it with 2x2.


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## BZawat

Thanks fellas! Crazy how much one can learn from an Internet forum. Otherwise I'd be lost!!!

-Dom if it was for anyone other than my brother, I'd be flattening one of the other slabs right now lol. He's going to love it as much as I'm loving making it. So it's all worth it. 

-JD feel free to PM me or ask questions or whatever. I'll gladly share the steps I took with ya. And the mistakes too lol

-Sean I forgot there was a jigs section! Haha

-Sarge the steel is out. Don't want metal in the piece. Only metal I want in it are the screws that will attach the top to the cabinet, and the hinges.

Brian


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## 9poundhammer

Wow, that looks great Brian. Really nice work so far. Great shots of the finishing too. I think I started to drool when I saw the grains pop in the photos. Lol

Seriously, nice job.


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## hays0369

Brian,

Your work is beautiful. Also, thank you for posting details about your build and what you have been doing. It really helps newbies like me understand not just how but more importantly, why. As my Father always said "A woodworker knows how, a craftsman knows why." It looks great!

Hays


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## BZawat

Thanks guys! Hays I'm glad you're enjoying the build. Friday I will pick up lumber for the next phase, the cabinetry. And hopefully I'll have an update over the weekend. 

On an unrelated note, LET'S GO PENS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Brian


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## hays0369

Dominick said:


> Thanks for the crotch shot Brian. Laughing!!!!!
> Wow!!!! That's absolutely striking!!!! I could stare at that all night.
> Are you sure you still want to give that away?
> Maybe you can make another one not so pretty. Lol.


+1 on Dominicks' comments. Before I got into woodworking I never thought I would say to another man, I could stare at that crotch all night!! :laughing: lol love the posts about your crotch Brian.....it's a nice one!


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## Dominick

hays0369 said:


> +1 on Dominicks' comments. Before I got into woodworking I never thought I would say to another man, I could stare at that crotch all night!! :laughing: lol love the posts about your crotch Brian.....it's a nice one!


Yea it sure is!!!! Laughing!!!!!!


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## Chaincarver Steve

Dang, that really is one sweet looking crotch you have there. The coloration and grain is awesome. Beautiful crotch wood! (And yes, that IS what she said).


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## BZawat

Chaincarver Steve said:


> Dang, that really is one sweet looking crotch you have there. The coloration and grain is awesome. Beautiful crotch wood! (And yes, that IS what she said).


Aw man! You beat me to it Steve. I've gotten so much mileage outta the ol' "That's what SHE said" line over the years. Never gets old. 

So far The Man Upstairs did all the work on this one, I'm just makin' it pretty! I'm chomping at the bit to get on to the rest of the build. Can't make the lumber run till Saturday, alas.

Brian


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## Chaincarver Steve

BZawat said:


> Aw man! You beat me to it Steve. I've gotten so much mileage outta the ol' "That's what SHE said" line over the years. Never gets old.
> 
> So far The Man Upstairs did all the work on this one, I'm just makin' it pretty! I'm chomping at the bit to get on to the rest of the build. Can't make the lumber run till Saturday, alas.
> 
> Brian


Yeah, it's a timeless truism. I try not to abuse it but sometimes her wisdom must surface. At least that's what THEY say. Whoever they are. One should not question these proverbs, only hold them as unwavering and true. It's for your own good


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## Stick

You got me scratching my head wondering why I haven't worked with walnut in way too long... man that's beautiful.


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## BZawat

Finally able to get back to this build! Life is so friggin hectic. Anyway...

Spent monday afternoon milling up a pile of walnut and a little curly maple. Today I started work on the pieces which will double as the legs & stiles for the cabinet portion of the unit. Monday night I glued up 2 pcs of walnut (milled to 3/4) to make a 1 1/2 x 4 x 24 blank. The sawyer didn't have any 8/4 stock, so I improvise. 

Made a template of the leg shape out of scrap 1/2" plywood. Traced it on the blanks and rough cut close with a saber saw, then fastened the template with carpet tape. I have no bandsaw so again, I improvise. 











This part was terrifying, and I would never suggest anyone try it. Trimmed the 1 1/2" leg blanks to size on the router table with a top bearing bit. The thickness of the piece and therefore the size of the bit necessary is what made this a tad scary...










Fingers still intact, I went to the vise and marked some reference lines to begin shaping. Used a gent's saw, small pull saw and a 1" chisel (and lots of patience lol) for this process. For the record, I cannot even see my "comfort zone" from here hahaha! 






























A little rough yet





















And all sanded up and standing on their own ;-) 

Now it's gotta sit until Friday. Stupid responsibilities. Itching to cut some M&T's!

Here's a close up of the shaped ends 











Brian


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## captainawesome

BZawat said:


> For the record, I cannot even see my "comfort zone" from here hahaha!
> Brian


Could have fooled me Brian! I love the look of the legs. Very unique and fitting for such a unique build.


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## BZawat

Well plans changed and I got a bit of shop time this afternoon. 

Cut the mortise & tenon joints for the faceframe. 















Drilled out the waste with a forstner bit 






















Pared sides clean and ends square 













Cut tenons on table saw w/dado stack, pared to fit with a chisel. 





















And there she is. More to come!

Brian


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## Dominick

Wow!!!! I missed a lot Brian. Nice work on the legs and the joinery is well done. Can't wait to see it all together. Gonna be sweet!!!


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## Chaincarver Steve

Great job on the M's and T's. I like the way you've splayed the feet. Very cool.


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## BZawat

Dominick said:


> Wow!!!! I missed a lot Brian. Nice work on the legs and the joinery is well done. Can't wait to see it all together. Gonna be sweet!!!





Chaincarver Steve said:


> Great job on the M's and T's. I like the way you've splayed the feet. Very cool.


Thanks fellas!! I'm having a lot of fun on this one. Should have lots of progress this weekend, I have all day Friday, Saturday, and Sunday to spend in the shop

Brian


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## gideon

i really like those feet. like a lot.


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## firemedic

Looking very nice! I look forward to seeing the finished piece. Your brother is going to love that!


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## BZawat

Yesterday afternoon I glued up 2 more pcs for the back legs before calling it quits. So I started Memorial Day weekend this morning by making the back legs































Learned how to cut a straight line on an angle today lol












Then sanded out & marked up for mortises. The intersecting mortises were nerve racking to cut, I was worried about breaking something. But it all came off smooth. 











Side rail mortises have opposing offsets when laid out 





















Halfway there! 





















And still not a single piece of metal anywhere in this build. I'm proud of that. 

Tomorrow I'll take it all back apart and cut the dados to accept the bottom, side, and back panels.

Brian


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## rayking49

Brian you have been doing an awesome job. I LOVE the top, and the cabinet frame is cool. Love the splayed legs too. Your brother is going to cherish that piece. I know I would.


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## TMH

Awesome looking project


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## Oneal-Woodworking

BZawat said:


> And still not a single piece of metal anywhere in this build. I'm proud of that.


 
THAT is something to be proud of dude... :thumbsup:

Many guys 'depend' on that for a strong joint and it does not always HAVE to be that way if one takes the time...

I get impressed when I see guys do projects WITHOUT having to depend on metal to keep their crap together 'long term'. :yes:

(not knocking those circumstances or woods that 'require' that sort of strength - Just saying that I really admire those that can do the job without it)


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## BZawat

OnealWoodworking said:


> THAT is something to be proud of dude... :thumbsup:
> 
> Many guys 'depend' on that for a strong joint and it does not always HAVE to be that way if one takes the time...
> 
> I get impressed when I see guys do projects WITHOUT having to depend on metal to keep their crap together 'long term'. :yes:
> 
> (not knocking those circumstances or woods that 'require' that sort of strength - Just saying that I really admire those that can do the job without it)


Thanks Oneal. You're absolutely right, its a time thing. I could have slapped that frame together in less than half the time it has taken thus far with pocket screws or dowels, but it wouldnt be the same. 

I have totally been the guy who'd use pocket screws because they are quicker and produce acceptable results in most applications. Since I've been hanging around this forum, however, Ive been encouraged by more experienced guys to rely more on tried and true methods of joinery. 

There's something so satisfying about measuring, marking, and chopping out the mortises and paring the tenons down to fit juuuuuust right:yes: gives me a nice warm feeling inside :laughing:


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## Da Aardvark

Well, where I agree there is a pride and a practice of some to use no metals in their projects, I guess I stand that the mix of medias is also of interest. 
That said, I love what you are doing.
BUT..
I've seen stainless steel bowties on a walnut tabletop , and one of my live edge projects is a Catalpa bench with 2 chrome legs. Also a compadre' of mine has used old steel spoke wheels, powder painted black, as a table base. I also routinely use steel as a underside frame for my tables
So don't discount metals or other media materials as a design point as well as a superior structural item.


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## BZawat

Don't get me wrong, Aardvark. I'm not knocking the use of steel as a structural agent or for design purposes. Just saying that my goal for this projects is for it to remain as natural as possible. That's all 

Brian


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## hays0369

Brian,

Your build is coming along nicely! I am really looking forward to when you bring it all together. I will be out of pocket some this weekend, as I am sure most of us will be. Have a great one!

Hays


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## Da Aardvark

I figured that, but it needed said, since many here are quite against the use of alternate materials with wood.
I've been a designer/architect for 35 years, and the use of alternative materials can make a project stand out.


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## BZawat

Ok fellas I'm really getting cranked up about this build now! The cabinet now looks like a cabinet (sans doors for the moment) and I'm preparing to move on to making the doors. Here's today's progress

Marked all parts for dados this morning, then disassembled it. Dados in the rails were the easy part, just plowed straight thru. 










The legs were more tricky. The front legs have the curved feet to contend with, and the sides are not centered in the front and back legs. So it took some fussing and test cuts in scrap to get the TS set just right. All the legs have stopped dados, to do this I marked the saw table where the blade exits and enters the top and drew reference lines on the side of the legs so I knew where to start and stop. 











Then chiseled the ends flat and square





















Then I put it all back together again to make sure all the dados lined up right. Fortunately they did

The sides and bottom were cut from some 3/4" walnut veneered VC plywood we had left over from a bank teller line we did recently. My boss graciously offered to donate some to the cause 
 Free is awesome! 

Here, however, is where my inexperience in fine furniture making showed up to bite me. Where the bottom should go, I've got intersecting mortises in each interior corner, as well as a 1/4" deep dado in the edge of each rail for the side panels. I was stumped as to how to dado the bottom in without weakening the structural integrity of the frame. Rats. 

So alas, my no metal fasteners fight ended here. I ripped 3/4" x 3/4" blocks at a 45, then glued and tacked them in place from underneath. I probably could have used hot melt glue to hold them in place till the TB III dried, but I wanted to be sure I got good glue adhesion so carpet tacks it is. 











Then I cut the bottom to fit inside all the other stuff that's going on and set it in. 





















The doors will be walnut frames with curly maple panels. 

What do you guys think, raised panels or flat panels??? I'm torn.

Brian


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## Oneal-Woodworking

Not to upset you or anything but...

IF you had built *two* of those cabinets at the same time it would have only taken you a slight bit longer (tools are already out and such - NO extra 'setup' time) AND...

You could have SOLD the 'other' cabinet for a small fortune... :yes:

There are plently of people out there willing to pay top dollar for that sort of craftsmanship... :yes:


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## BZawat

Lol thanks. That had occurred to me too. I was thinking that style cabinet would be perfect for a coffee table base if it were like 14" longer or so. As it is its 26"x18"x18".

Brian


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## Phaedrus

I really like the look of just the cabinet portion that you have underway--even without the gorgeous live edge hunk of wood you've also got to go with it. I am hooked on this build and very glad you're making such blazing progress on it! I wish that I'd have this much progress on my own builds. :thumbsup:


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## Chaincarver Steve

Nice! You may have already said - or shown - (sorry if you did. I'm being too lazy to look back right now.): are the sides and bottom solid wood that you've glued up or is it plywood? I like the bookmatched, flitch grain. Very nice. I can't wait to see it with the top in place. It's gonna be sweet :thumbsup:


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## BZawat

Phaedrus said:


> I really like the look of just the cabinet portion that you have underway--even without the gorgeous live edge hunk of wood you've also got to go with it. I am hooked on this build and very glad you're making such blazing progress on it! I wish that I'd have this much progress on my own builds. :thumbsup:


Thanks Ben! Deadlines really help with build pace & progress lol. I'm losing next weekend's shop time for the bachelor party -- chartered fishing trip on Lake Seneca! So instead of spraying finish we'll hopefully be landing some big ass lake trout!!! Haha. But it's gotta be done done 100% by June 21. 



Chaincarver Steve said:


> Nice! You may have already said - or shown - (sorry if you did. I'm being too lazy to look back right now.): are the sides and bottom solid wood that you've glued up or is it plywood? I like the bookmatched, flitch grain. Very nice. I can't wait to see it with the top in place. It's gonna be sweet :thumbsup:


Thanks Steve! If that damn slab weren't so heavy I'd have carried it back down from the finishing room just to set it in place & see haha!! I'm beyond anxious to put it all together. 
Sides and bottom are plywood. It was some super expensive stuff: grade AA no-sap walnut veneer, sequenced & matched 5'x5' poplar core ply. Left over from a chase bank teller line we did at work, donated to the cause by my boss. He's a good dude.

Brian


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## BZawat

Hey Ben, on a totally unrelated note: might your screen name be an homage to the Pirsig character of the same name?

Brian


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## Phaedrus

BZawat said:


> Hey Ben, on a totally unrelated note: might your screen name be an homage to the Pirsig character of the same name?
> 
> Brian


It is! Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance was a pretty important book for me a few years back. It helped me recognize some of my thoughts and beliefs about work, craftsmanship, quality. I read Shop Class as Soul Craft just afterwards. Both good reads for people who truly enjoy taking pride in their work.

Sent from my DROID RAZR MAXX using Woodworking Talk


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## captainawesome

I tried sending Phaedrus a PM about the books but his inbox is full. I don't want to hijack yiur thread Brian, but I was hoping to get a little more info on them. If one of you two could PM me with some details it would be very much appreciated! 

Brian, I'm still blown away by every update you post. The build is going great and I look forward to more!


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## Phaedrus

I just cleaned up my inbox, try again

Sent from my DROID RAZR MAXX using Woodworking Talk


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## BZawat

FINALLY some time to work on this thing!! Life is really keeping me on my toes lately. 

Please forgive me for not taking as many pics as I've been, time is running short and I'm beginning to plow thru what's left lol

Last weekend I sanded out the cabinet and assembled it permanently. Titebond II on the cheeks of the tenons, a dab here & there on the shoulders, and clamps. Bottom was glued in & weighted down until dry. Sorry, no pics. 

So today I made the doors. Decided to go with flat panels considering the small size (11.25"x12") of the doors. Made the stiles & rails with a dado stack on the TS. 












Doors will be inset with Soss invisible hinges, like so:












And quilted maple panels being glued up












Panels are 7/16" thick, so cauls were an absolute necessity in order to keep them flat during clamping. 

Doors in assembly























Sanded out the top and sprayed another coat of finish. 

By the end of the day tomorrow the doors will be swingin', cabinet will get a first coat or 2 of finish, and maybe we'll get a look at what the piece is going to look like when completed.

Brian


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## Chaincarver Steve

It's shaping up quite nicely, Brian. :thumbsup: 

I can't wait to see it with finished. It is going to be Awesome (sic/capitol "A").


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## captainawesome

Great choice on the contrasting maple for the doors as well as the SOSS hinges. I love the way the hinges look and work! This build keeps getting better and better!


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## BZawat

Got a nice early jump this morning. Sanded the doors out (panels were hand scraped before assembly) and cut the mortises for the hinges. 











Drilled a series of 3/8" holes with a forstner bit & some careful measurements. Cleaned up with a chisel. 












Same process on the cabinet stiles. 











Doors fitted and swingin 

2 coats finish on the doors 










And on the cabinet 











And finally a look at what she's shaping up like! 











Somehow forgot to glue up stock to make the shelf that will span the leg & cabinet side. So that & lots of sanding and finishing this week and hopefully by next Sunday this bugger will be done!

Brian


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## Dominick

That's awesome Brian. The finish really makes those panels pop!!! Also looks very heavy.
All in all it's beautiful.


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## MidKnight

Thanks for a great thread. Wonderful work and an amazing slab. Now... MOAR PICS!


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## BZawat

Thanks fellas! Yeah Dom, it's heavy lol. But when finished it will be assembled so it can be taken apart and moved more easily. 

MidKnight thanks for following the thread, I enjoyed it! Will have more pics this week after I finish it.


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## sanchez

I haven't seen this thread before today! That's a nice piece of wood! and the cabinet is a great compliment to it. I like your project and I bet your brother will too.


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## BZawat

I'll post em as I get em. This is 4 heavy coats of conversion varnish deep. Each coat - because of how heavy I put it down - had at least 48 hours to dry between coats. Hell the last coat had a week lol. Think a good scuff sanding and 1 more full coat ought to do it.


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## Dominick

Beautiful work man!!!! The finish is as sweet as the figure in that slab. 
Thanks for sharing, this has been a wonderful ride. Thumbs up Brian!!!!


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## Reclaimed Wood Blog

Looking good...

http://reclaimedwoodblog.com/


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## BZawat

A couple more pics. Finish is done on top & cabinet. Shelf is in clamps. Hardware is on. Finish line is in sight lol


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## Oneal-Woodworking

THAT is just freaking badd ass to the bone...

:thumbsup:




Damn dude... 


You deserve SEVERAL beers for THAT project! LOL! :yes:


(FYI - You NEED to watermark those pics so some fool cant steal them without it being a big pain in the ass - YOU deserve ALL the credit for what you did there - If someone wants to 'swipe'
pics of YOUR work for nefarious reasons - They should / need to be forced to deal with your watermark (your NAME) on the pics...) :yes:


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## Chaincarver Steve

I must admit that the chunky slab and the cabinet portion look a little out of balance when paired like that. It seems like the chunky top needs another chunky side and the more dainty cabinet part would look better as a stand alone cabinet with a more proportional top. 

But the two sections look so awesome on their own. The overall result, while it looks mismatched to me, is wonderfully unique and beautiful.


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## Phaedrus

Oh man! If your brother hates it, I will come get it right away!

Sent from my DROID RAZR MAXX using Woodworking Talk


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## Da Aardvark

C Steve
My thoughts as well., but all together beautiful work.


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## BZawat

Chaincarver Steve said:


> I must admit that the chunky slab and the cabinet portion look a little out of balance when paired like that. It seems like the chunky top needs another chunky side and the more dainty cabinet part would look better as a stand alone cabinet with a more proportional top.
> 
> But the two sections look so awesome on their own. The overall result, while it looks mismatched to me, is wonderfully unique and beautiful.


I agree with you Steve. It is definitely out of balance. That was my immediate thought when I began putting the elements together. Alas, it's a bit late for design changes now lol! 

This represents a first attempt at a design & build of this nature. It was an experiment, no working drawings throughout the process. Wanted to build something unique, and that it is. As long as Chris & his wife like it, I'll be one happy sawdust producer. Next time, I'm starting with a scaled drawing haha


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## MidKnight

> Next time, I'm starting with a scaled drawing haha


What works even better is Sketchup. Great way to judge a piece from any angle. It's unbelievably easy to use. Give it a shot sometime. There's tons of tutorials out there. And if you're stuck, shoot me an PM... I use sketchup every day in my professional life.


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## Smith Brother

It's not to late to make a major change, IMO. 

There are lots of options.

Wishing you well, 

Dale in Indy


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## BZawat

Lets not get carried away here, man. Major changes are not needed, IMO. 

My goals for this piece were:
-To create a piece of furniture that is 100% original, not a clone of something that's already been done. Check. 
-To make a piece that fits Chris's taste & personality (which, coincidentally, is a bit off balance lol). Check
-To use traditional joinery wherever possible & keep the need for metal fasteners to a bare minimum. Check. 
-To attempt a style and technique I have never used before. Check. 
-To learn some stuff along the way. Check. 

So yeah, it's off balance. But it is what it is, and I'm proud of it. And like I said, al long as the recipients like it, I will be thrilled. 

Thanks for the feedback though


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## ctwiggs1

Um - it's off balance according to a few people on this forum.

Chances are a newly wed couple is not going to say "At first sight, this appears off balance".

I would have fallen over dead if someone gave this to us for a wedding gift. My only negative thought later would have been "How do I get this treasure to work with our crappy IKEA and Walmart furniture?"

Your family will be very thankful - well done!


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## frankp

I agree with ctwiggs1 on this one. This is a fantastic wedding gift that your brother will be very proud of and likely never see any "negative" at all, except possibly the weight, which isn't always a negative. 

Personally I don't see the cabinet as "dainty" at all. We each have our own aesthetic, though.

Beautiful work!


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## Chaincarver Steve

Either way, the work is VERY well done and the piece is oozing with beauty. So it's definitely a winner :thumbsup:


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## Phaedrus

I don't feel that it is out of balance. Asymmetrical, yes. Out of balance, no. It will just be up to the placement of the piece and how they load stuff in/on it to keep it looking natural. It is unconventional, so it is more difficult for some to get a handle on it. I am on board (no pun intended) with the design and how it turned out.

Sent from my DROID RAZR MAXX using Woodworking Talk


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## ctwiggs1

BZ - Just had an AWESOME thought (at least I think so)

That open area could be a great area for them to put a basket of blankets. If there is one thing our TV room has always had a lot of, it's blankets. Feel free to take that idea, it's not copyrighted ;-)


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## gideon

Jeeze that's nice. I'm jealous. Your skills are so much further than mine. Something to strive for.


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## BZawat

Phaedrus said:


> I don't feel that it is out of balance. Asymmetrical, yes. Out of balance, no. It will just be up to the placement of the piece and how they load stuff in/on it to keep it looking natural. It is unconventional, so it is more difficult for some to get a handle on it. I am on board (no pun intended) with the design and how it turned out.
> 
> Sent from my DROID RAZR MAXX using Woodworking Talk


That pun absolutely was intended. Good form lol



ctwiggs1 said:


> BZ - Just had an AWESOME thought (at least I think so)
> 
> That open area could be a great area for them to put a basket of blankets. If there is one thing our TV room has always had a lot of, it's blankets. Feel free to take that idea, it's not copyrighted ;-)


Thanks for the suggestion! The area won't actually be open when the piece is all done. There will be a shelf between the folded side and the cabinet side as a place for the cable receiver and DVD player, etc. Thats forthcoming later this week. 



gideon said:


> Jeeze that's nice. I'm jealous. Your skills are so much further than mine. Something to strive for.


I dunno about that man. I was just looking at some of your tables a week or so ago thinking, "man, this guy does really nice work".


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## 9poundhammer

BZ- I think it's the unbalanced appearance that makes it so great. Mother Nature's intent married with man's ability to manipulate what she gave him. I'm sure you can find a lot more symbolism in the piece if you keep thinking about it. But i'm sure you didn't plan it out that way. 

That's what art is. When you just go with it, things happen the way it was supposed to be. Very nice work and it inspires me with my future endeavors. I'm sure the newly weds are going to love it. Great job man


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## Chaincarver Steve

9poundhammer said:


> ...
> 
> That's what art is. When you just go with it, things happen the way it was supposed to be. Very nice work and it inspires me with my future endeavors. I'm sure the newly weds are going to love it. Great job man


I have to agree. I like that interpretation.


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## hands made for wood

this piece is incredible! I admire your generosity to put the time and money into such a beautiful piece only to give it away. That shouldn't go overlooked, and I know it won't once your family sees the piece! I love it. I love seeing guys take the plunge and try something "out of the box" 

You did well man!


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## sanchez

The project turned out great! Very impressive. Your brother and his wife are going to be thrilled to have such a unique piece!


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## BZawat

Just to close this thing out, I gotta say they loved it!! I wish I could have captured the look on my brother's face when he saw it. It was worth more to me than any sum of money or amount of hours EVER could. A couple shots from the wedding, just for the hell of it  











Just married











The obligatory cake shot












The first dance













3 generations of good lookin fellas ;-) 


Thanks for indulging me guys, and for all your kind words and compliments along the way. 

Brian


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## rayking49

Wow what a piece of art. Did I miss it, i don't see a pic with the shelf. Anyway, dude, mad skills, that's what you got. I love every bit if this build thread, it was great to follow along.


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## BZawat

Thanks rayking! I actually never posted a totally finished pic, so busy it just didn't happen. I will post one as soon as I get the pics off of the digital camera onto my computer. My fiancé got a some good pics from the reception hall.


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