a custom oval walnut table

a client sent us this image of an antique italian table they lived with for a while ... they wondered if we could create a larger one with a 'true eliptical shape' ... they also sent the image below of a couple pedestals they liked.

so we blended the inspirations together and came up with the drawing below ... we sent them a full size cardboard template of the top for them to place in their room ...

 

for a minute, we explored 'altering' the true oval shape to create more 'room' at the ends, but i strongly recommended against it. we did one a few years back with a leaf.  ...
i must say, i feel it's more pleasing as a fixed oval shape.
you can see some of our other oval tables at this link

 

you can put 12 good friends around it, or seat 10 gracefully.

we glued up the top and cut the aprons and beads on the cnc ...

the top and aprons assembled, with 1" white oak stiffeners ... we filled in the space between

the stiffeners where the columns attached too, but i missed that photo

on to the turned columns ... we glued up two of these blanks, which weighed about 

70 pounds apiece before they were turned ... about 30 pounds each after

they were too big for our lathe, so we had our friend hannes michelsen, the original wood hat guy,

turn them ... he's about 20 minutes down the road, and we've been friends since the 70s.

 he is also selling his line of very nice turning tools and grinding jigs at his website hannes tools

there are some cool videos of his at this link

trevor 'turned' the discs on the cnc and added the ply top that will be screwed

 to the stiffeners in the photo above.

altogether now

waiting for approval on the finish samples ... 

hope to finish up this week ... i'll be back then ...

a base for a glass topped table

interesting request here .. the client needed 'just the base' of a table like the one below
to support a new glass top for a custom banquette in their home .

click the photos to enlarge them ...

we've done several versions of this design
and i just had to adapt the dimension to their floor plan shown below

we made a quick model with a plexiglass top

got the approval and i passed it on to trevor, who has become our specialist in
creating these unusual table bases.

he has worked out the engineering for the jigs and joinery cutting ...

looks scary maybe to some, but it's actually very safe the way he has set it up

and he has figured out the gluing up .. glue two halves together, one at a time,

 then glue the two pairs together

don't forget to add the dowels that are engaged by the lag bolts that hold the base
very securely to the arcing supports ...

check it for level .. pretty good

and send it off to florida on the southbound ... 

all good!

Two Oval Tables

We finished up two oval dining tables this week. The first, in English elm from Berkshire Products, has been in the shop for a while, after a finish change from natural to a light stain ... It looked great when it left and the client was very happy when it arrived. Click the photos to enlarge them ....

The legs are the same as on the big claro walnut table we made earlier this year, and we will be doing a variation on this base on anther big claro table that we will start this week ... More on that later as we progress ...

Shows the underside .... The metal structure, once the bolts are tightened and it is attached to the top, is surprisingly rigid ... no, make that completely rigid ...
The table below I wrote about in the post 'new table design', earlier this month. In person, its 60" wide x 86" long presence is very powerful. The top is only four boards from the same walnut log (only without the hardware) that we made the 'Bethlehem Steel' dining table from earlier this year ... It's beautiful lumber ...
The long crosspieces and bolted engineering also made this base extremely rigid
Close up ...
Glue up ... more photos in the earlier post ... the base design and glue up was a very interesting process of discovery ...
While we we working on the dining table, the client added the 'Bethlehem Steel' style console above which she will use to display a Dale Chihuly piece she owns ... It's shown above unfinished, but will be reassembled probably Tuesday ...

 good to go !