Project Information
I started making this set about two months ago but it was one of those projects that got pushed aside and forgotten about because there was no hard deadline for it. It could be classified as Shaker style I suppose, but the idea behind it was to make it relatively simple and plain in design and let the wood do the talking. The tops are rainbow poplar, the skirts are plain poplar and purpleheart was used for the legs, breadboards and center pieces of the tops.
For my money, I think rainbow poplar is the cheapest nicely figured wood there is. It generally doesn't cost must more than regular poplar and it can have downright gorgeous colors and contrasts that you would be hard-pressed to find from exotics that cost 10 or 20 times as much. It's generally easy to work and tends to be free of a lot of the stress that harder woods have.
Of course, poplar has its drawbacks. Since it's not particularly hard, it doesn't have the same strength that maple, oak or basically any other true hardwood. I tried to work around this by putting 5 coats of epoxy on the tops to protect it from the everyday abuse that these are likely to receive. Additionally, by using purple heart for the legs and breadboards, I hoped to reinforce the structure of it a bit.
The joinery was done mostly with a Festool Domino, with the tops being attached to the bases with pocket screws I tapered the legs on the bandsaw with some finishing touches on the jointer and table saw.
The end tables are straightforward but I added a few features to the coffee table. It has two drawers and a small compartment in between them that can be accessed by reaching under the table. It wasn't part of the design, but it bothered me to have that wasted space. It could be a place to keep remotes that aren't used regularly or weapons or drug paraphernalia. Whatever tickles your fancy.
As always, thanks for checking it out.
For my money, I think rainbow poplar is the cheapest nicely figured wood there is. It generally doesn't cost must more than regular poplar and it can have downright gorgeous colors and contrasts that you would be hard-pressed to find from exotics that cost 10 or 20 times as much. It's generally easy to work and tends to be free of a lot of the stress that harder woods have.
Of course, poplar has its drawbacks. Since it's not particularly hard, it doesn't have the same strength that maple, oak or basically any other true hardwood. I tried to work around this by putting 5 coats of epoxy on the tops to protect it from the everyday abuse that these are likely to receive. Additionally, by using purple heart for the legs and breadboards, I hoped to reinforce the structure of it a bit.
The joinery was done mostly with a Festool Domino, with the tops being attached to the bases with pocket screws I tapered the legs on the bandsaw with some finishing touches on the jointer and table saw.
The end tables are straightforward but I added a few features to the coffee table. It has two drawers and a small compartment in between them that can be accessed by reaching under the table. It wasn't part of the design, but it bothered me to have that wasted space. It could be a place to keep remotes that aren't used regularly or weapons or drug paraphernalia. Whatever tickles your fancy.
As always, thanks for checking it out.
