Fruits of My Passion

unique table

-- https://www.artisticwoodstudio.com/videos

Beautifull tables. I hope your going to post some close ups so we can see the tops and the legs in more detail.

-- Don - I wood work if I could. Redmond WA.

You are right. The more expensive the wood, the more difficult to work and the more stressful it is. On the other hand, the beauty of the wood makes ALMOST any project special. The first furniture I built was in 1960, made out of walnut plywood. Basically just slabs screwed together. No skill or fancy jointery. Looked great. Only I knew it was nothing to be proud of.
Now your tables are another thing. Great in every aspect.

-- Abe Low, Fine furniture, Sacramento, CA

Awesome job….beautiful wood…excellent design…a pair of winners.

-- Woodworking.....My small slice of heaven!

Stunning tables and wood. I second the close ups, they would be great. It’s nice when things go perfect, but… Great feeling when you handle it when they don’t. Glad you’re having fun doing it!

-- Karen - a little bit of stupid goes a long way

I’m interested in the why behind the snafu… did you let the koa acclimate to the shop before working it? Also, did you mill the wood down in two stages (get it close with the jointer/planer, let it acclimate another day, then mill to final dimensions)? I’ve read that milling the wood releases internal stresses, which can cause it to warp.

Nice save though, I had not heard of that method for fixing a cupped top. Did you stop the kerfs so they wouldn’t show on the edge, or did you apply molding to cover up the egress in the edges?

-- The difference between being defeated and admitting defeat is what makes all the difference in the world - Upton Sinclair, "The Jungle"

Gorgeous !
I like what you’ve done with the legs,
especially the feet.

Great work !!

Lisa

-- Imagination rules the world. ~ Napoleon Bonaparte ~ http://quiltedwood.com

Absolutely gorgeous. It is a true work of art. Amazing.

-- (You just have to please the man in the Mirror) Mike from Michigan -

Awesome job on those tables, you did a great job.

-- Monty Q, Columbia, South Carolina.

Hi Jim,
As a rule, I let koa sit for 4 to 6 months before I touch it. The problem with koa, in my opinion, is that there are some sawyers out there who just don’t know how to dry wood properly. This koa came from a new source, so I should have been more careful. It is most likely that the board was case hardened, that is drier on the outside than the inside, because he tried to get it to market too soon.
I have to fault myself for not ripping those 11” boards in two and creating a 4 board top, but I really didn’t want to interrupt the flow of my book-matched top. ( Note to self:don’t you ever do that again!)
The kerfs were not the entire length, just shy of the width of the koa subtop. I did not add trim. The subtop is visable, but since it’s the same grain, it actually looks like a profile. I cut the kerfs with my router and that took some time. My reasoning behind that decision was this: I have observed that no matter how unruly a board is that if you cut it thin enough you can do anything you want as a laminate. In essence, I wanted to create a two-ply laminate and somehow make the top thinner without removing stock from the edge. The top is actually 3/4” thick. My kerfs were a full 3/8” to 1/2” deep to take the tension out of the wood. It looked like a wash board when I was done. In addition I screwed and then glued the top to the subtop with epoxy.
When it was finished, I set it aside for a month. So far, it is as flat as can be. It was a headache-my fault…....

-- cathyb, Hawaii

Just a gorgeous table and design…...... love that koa wood!!!!!!

What an ingenious way to save a project, congratulations.

You do beautiful work, can’t wait to see more.

-- Gene, Majestic Eagle Woodworks, http://majesticeagleww.etsy.com/, http://www.flickr.com/photos/majesticeagle/

Wonderful tables and I like your unique touch with the paw feet. I agree that tried and true is the best way to go on wood supplies, but, as Margaret Thatcher said “fortune favors the brave”. You did a great recovery though and got a fantastic result. That Koa is very beautiful wood. Great woodworking!

-- Mike, an American living in Norway.

Fantastic job well worth the hassle.

i don’t care what anyone say’s…that koa is just down right beautiful…you did a great save and did just what it needed..good save and now they look just marvelous…......like autumn said …strut them feathers…lol….....

-- GRIZZMAN ...[''''']

great looking tables

Dennis