a walll hung mahogany demi lune

cool project here form our friends at LDa Architecture and Interiors in Cambridge, Mass.  it's a wall hung mahogany console with brass details at the base ... fun and functional ... click the photos to enlarge them.

here's the concept .. the base of the vertical support sits on top of the baseboard, and there is a steel plate with a cleat screwed to the vertical down through the top of it.

the bottom of the top is routed for the steel and the cleat ...

the cleat is then screwed to two studs and the top is screwed on up through the steel ... viola! ..  a wall hung console

with a little brass detail that i believe will be antiqued after the finish is applied

new claro slabs

these just in, and they're looking for a home ... use your imagination .. desks?  coffee tables?  small dining tables?  bed headboards?  wall sculptures?  whatever ... give us a call with your ideas at 802 867 5541 or email us at   dan@dorsetcustomfurniture.com... click the photos to enlarge them ..

cts 3 .. good figure on the left end .. funky ant attack in the upper left corner.  could be dramatic when finished ...

rough dimensions here

 these images cts 1 .. i've got a nibbler on this one already

burl like growths along the top edge

cts 2  also with some burly things on one edge

thin, (+/- an inch or so when it is finished) and a little funky, with some dramatic cracks and good figure on the left end ... needs work ... happy to cut it smaller ...

odds and ends

where do i start?  sometimes stuff blows through here so quickly, if you blink, it's gone ... lots going on.  lots of people shopping, (read lots of designs and proposals, not necessaryily new jobs.  but, better than total quiet, which was what it was like back in january ... more action at least now.  we are cautiously optimistic here ... so, what are we up to ... see some of the highlights below.  click the pictures to enlarge them ..

i'm doing a little pottery,  focusing on 'how to make plates'.... i never figured out how to throw them, but i'm working on a hybrid woodworking/handbuilt concept that involves mdf batts and finishing on the wheel.  more on that later .

first round ... a little warpy ... i took them off the forms to soon.

some of my previous stuff

me and sam and jim are working on a new version of the 'bridges' bench for an upcoming gallery opening, and also doing a little concept work using the curved planks i've had around for a couple of years.  we're not there yet ...

trevor and i worked up some 'trout cutting boards' that i will be using for some gifts i owe.  abalone and quartersawn cherry ... hmmm ... maybe we need a line of gift cutting boards ... ha ha

here the trout is in the shade, under cover. waiting for spring no doubt.

 

a little custom inlay work for our friend and neighbor bill laberge

arts and crafts inspired ... lots of pieces ...

looked good when it was finished ...

and now we're helping him with 16 chairs ... ugh.  that is one big lot of pieces of  wood to organize.

stuff happening in the metal shop too ... above is a custom 'owl' belt buckle

and we shipped this fire pit spark screen to stowe last week ... just in time for the spring skiing/hot tub season

seeders instruments, will's banjo website, has several new banjos and audio/videos up ... lots of pearl engraving and other custom stuff ... he is BUSY with the banjo stuff.  he's got to keep his day job though or i will be in trouble ...

and i have a friend i'm coaching through a wedding present for his son.  it's a six board blanket chest with a wood burned clump of morels on the front and some inlays on the top ... fortunately, he is a handy guy and just needs a few tips and some encouragement and off he goes.  and, he's got until may, so i think we'll get it ...

 funky repair yesterday .. english cabinet door with a wedgewood medallion

 

 the glass and the grid had been broken in a move and we had to make up a splint and graft it on.

all done ... good to go

 a nice testimonial from the ladderback chairs and table base client

 some 'black and white "color" ' photography ... it's been a gray february and march here ... the only thing with color in this photo is the stop sign

steve earle in april will cheer us up though

and then there is the powderjet maccassar ebony snowboard ... that should be a hot one ...

plenty of sunrise/sunset pictures on my blog ... i think this is my first 'moonset' photo ... all for now.

a steel and stone coffee table

sam finished up this steel coffee table frame last week.  it will be leaving for chicago as soon as the shippers can get here.  it started out as 40" x 40" and then, at the last minute, the size was changed to 60" x 60".  quite the change actually.  it's now a pretty big object.  18" high.  rainbow finish steel, and it will have a chicago cut stone inside the top frame.  click the photos to enlarge them ..

 here it is in process .. 1 x 3 tubing top frame;  2.5" square legs;  1 x 3 aprons and supports.

 

 the jig was 66 x 66, which took up quite a bit of real estate in sam's metal shop.

the color isn't 100% accurate here, but this picture shows the 'bolt' details requested by the client to give the piece an 'industrial' look ... works for me.

how much does a claro walnut slab table cost?

""  BTW did you make the pool table attached to this email?  One more question, I suspect I will lean towards 10 feet (need to confirm with decorator).  About how much would the table run me? ""

The above question typically arrives with the first or second email inquiring about a slab top table ... It is kinda like 'how much is a house?' or 'how much is a new car?'  The answer, obviously, is, 'it depends' .... on what? ... here's a list. 

Size:  The most popular size request I get is for a table 'about 4' wide and 8-10' long'.  Obviously, that requires a pretty big tree, something on the order of 5 to 6 feet in diameter, as the slabs in the immediate center of the tree contain the pith, an unstable area prone to checking and humping the centers of the slabs from that part of the log.  The best and widest slabs come from about 6-10" on either side of the dead center of the tree.  Since 'about 4' wide' is the 'most popular' requested size, that also puts pressure on the supply end for slabs of that size, making them more expensive than something in the 36" wide range, before they even arrive here at the shop.  Once we agree on which particular slab you like, then we can start discussing the finial price

Thickness:  The next item on the list is table top thickness.  Think about it;  3" thick?  twice as much wood as 1.5" thick .. 1/2 as many slabs from the log; twice as long to kiln dry them ... You do the math.

Finish:  How rough/smooth, twisted, humped, etc. is the actual slab when it arrives.  That's something that is difficult to tell from my supplier's website, though I'm learning what to look for.  Goodhope (and i only shop at Goodhope) is VERY good at drying these things, so usually I expect them to be fairly flat, but it's still a process to get the big ones ready to finish.  Does the slab require butterflies to decorate and/or stabilize the cracks?  Are you insisting on no cracks? (good luck), or would you like the cracks filled smooth and even with the rest of the slab?  These are all things that add to the cost of smoothing and finishing the rough slab.

The Base:  In our shop, we offer many different designs with many different prices and we are always open to new concepts.  Our waterjet cut 'Shaker style' bases are our most popular and typically range in price from $3500. per set in natural steel finish to $3900. per set with a rainbow or blackened patina shown below.  for a brief tour of possible bases we have already done, check this blog post.

summing up quickly, our claro walnut tables range in price from (very occasionally) as low as $5000. (smallish, thin top table, 32-35" wide x 72" long, simple welded base) to $20,000. or so for really big ones.  most of the tables we make fall into the $12,500., to $17,500. range.   the details above, plus shipping and set up in your home, invariably determine the final, fixed price.  just as every day's different, every table's different too.  

and, every maker is different too.  granted, i don't have a fancy storefront in a big city, or a huge inventory of finished tables to pick from, but the prices listed below in an article in this week's new york times home section (which actually prompted this blog post) made feel a little bit like a chump from the sticks up here in vermont.  we do what we do, and try to give our clients a fair price for a product that's the best we can produce.  here is a link to some testimonials from our recent clients ...click the photos below to enlarge them ...

gold leafed bases anyone?  we can do that ..

 

too rich for your budget?  we also do reclaimed wood tops with steel bases (much less), and we also can use other woods like elm and cherry, ( different supplier here) and glued up narrower slabs of new wood, like this big ash table.  i can't say we can always make your dream table fit your budget, but we're usually willing to at least give it a shot ... email's fine, a phone call is good too ... 802 867 5541

we also make quite a few claro walnut slab coffee tables ($2750. - $5000.) and some claro walnut slab desks, typically from about $7000. to $12,000.

a complete overview of our claro walnut furniture can be found at this link