a claro walnut slab headboard bed

we finished this fun project yesterday for a client in northern vermont ... the headboard is 

a +/- 48 x 100" slab of claro walnut.  the design is based on the bed below

 that we made a few years ago for a client in florida.

we started, as usual with a cad drawing and a mockup .. click the photos to enlarge them ..

the client accepted the concept and we were on our way ..

in this photo, we've got the plywood box for the platform and the ventilated ply tops cut. 

in the end, we cover the ply boxes with dark stained walnut and edge the plywood with the same material ... in this photo we are locating the boxes prior to drilling holes in the slab for the carriage bolts that secure the boxes to the slab.

the boxes were cut from continuous pieces of claro so that the mitered grain of the boxes matched as it went around the corners.  they looked really slick ..

we added our custom cast patinated brass diamond pulls to the drawers and we were good to go.

the slab will be hung on the wall at the clients home using the same system of 'french cleats' that we used on the first bed .. here's a link to that blog post where you can see how that works ..

photographing projects like these is always a challenge due to their size, but with a little photoshopping to remove the background clutter, you can get an acceptable 'record' image.  

not quite like the recent photo in the times of a new york city bed.  that one has a new york city price on it too.our version is a bit less in price.  neither of these are original ideas.  i had a client/friend visit the shop yesterday, and his parents had an (according to him) identical bed, only with a glued up rather than one piece headboard.  he remembered them having it in the 60s at least, maybe earlier. 

recylce, reuse ...

for more images of our claro walnut and other furniture please 

see the slide shows in the previous blog post ..

note below from the client enclosed with the final payment ...

a small claro wlanut dining table and some other stuff

 we got a call today that the claro walnut slab table we finished recently was successfully delivered to brooklyn yesterday .. yee haahh.  it's always good to hear from happy clients.  when they placed the order for the dining table above, they also purchased the coffee table i had for sale back in november, so they got a double dose thursday.  i hope to get pictures of the pieces on site soon.

 the design was similar to others we have made with our standard steel trapezoid base.  the new one had the dark bronze patina on the steel, rather than the polished steel on the larger table above.

 sam is cruising through the metal work in his new shop

the dining table started with one of a pair of slabs we purchased recently

and after we smoothed it out and fitted it to the base

we put a little finish on it ,, nice curl!!

a fine slab, all around

at the same time, we finished this reclaimed chestnut coffee table, which will be 

delivered to a local residence on presidents day weekend

nice chestnut too !  from our usual source in west virginia

those same clients also received the walnut table they ordered for their home in connecticut

it looks like a regal spot for it ..

and also in the works is a coffee table with a new base design using the other claro walnut slab.

since it was the adjacent slab in the log, this table will have the
same figure as the table at the top of the post

we did a little mockup with some mdf and the base .. more on this one later ..

i'm going to be posting something here about taking quick 'record' photos .. this one was taken in the shop, during the day, with all the florescent lights on, and without dealing with the reflections.  it's an excellent example of a rushed photo that, with a little effort, could have been a lot better.

a claro walnut slab table

add another one to the list ... we sent this one to shelter island last week.  and jim, who made the delivery, says that this table has 'the best view of any we've made'.  that's quite a tall statement, but he was there, and i wasn't, so i'll have to take his word for it.  anyway, we started with the slab above, and ended with the table below.

 

with a bit of back and forth in between.

do we cut of the 'swell'?  no .. it's got some really cool grain going on there.

do we fill the cracks?  yes, no, maybe, no ... we used this one as an inspiration.  we made it in 2011 and didn't fill the cracks.  never had a complaint.   i'm glad we left them.  in the end, they were really cool and kind of sculptural..  but how do we stabilize them?  how about some butterflies on the bottom of the table, like below.  that worked ..

below with the legs still in the 'bright polished' phase ..

and now with the bronze patina ...

 the polished cracks ... no crumbs will stick in there .

 and with the reinforcing 1" tubing structure to bolster the thin  slab and give it some rigidity ... that worked great . this, below, from the client

"Hi Dan, We loooooove the table. I will call you  tomorrow. Just got back from beach and am wiped out. Thanks and best regards, Joanne"

all for now ...

hot off the press

 

GOT LUCKY !! it's sold, and leaving for north carolina friday ...

and looking for a home ... it's slightly tapered, 38" at the near end, 35" wide at the far end, +/- 94" long.  natural finish, welded steel base.  1.31" thick top. no live edges, but nice, peaceful grain.  special price ... call or email for details.  click the photos to enlarge them ... 

close up below

another claro walnut slab coffee table

we finished another in our series of claro walnut coffee tables this week.  it was a perfect slab for a coffee table and the rainbow leg from sam's metal shop go perfectly with the color of the wood.  click the photos to enlarge them

 

the raw slab

 

1.5 x 3" welded steel tubing

 

above is the bottom of the slab,  below are a few other coffee tables from the past ... 

 from the dorset artists show last summer

 the last coffee table slab i have on hand at the moment, though i have three new ones arriving sometime in the next two weeks

 2009?

 

2009 .. blog post here

 

 this one had a good story

 from  the art and industries show last summer

a big one to aspen