A plant stand table for my Daughter

[dcarter636]

Our younger daughter has a newer craftsman style house and she is partial to old-timey furnishings. About a four years ago I started this table for her sewing room but troubles reared as the top insisted on cupping about half an inch. I cut the top apart re-jointed the edges and glued it up twice but it continued to cup, as this top got thinner with each glue-up and flattening iteration we went from 1" thick to 3/4" thick. Then it sat for a while as other priorities took precedence.

Over the past few weekends I attacked and finished it up using a pair of solid arced trusses to pull the table top near flat, still cupped about 1/16" but good enough.


The splayed legs were originally oak banister spindles, purchased from a habitat for humanity thrift store for $.75 each, with some beading work added. The canted aprons are attached to the legs via mortise and tenon joinery. The top is attached via four #10 screws through large clearance holes on the base.



The white oak top has decent quarter sawn figure but it has changed a bit in the course of several flattening operations. The sunburst on one board was far more restrained before finishing the top with BLO and my home brewed wipe on oil based polyurethane



While drilling screw holes from the bottom of the table top we broke through to the top surface. The blood wood, purple heart, and walnut, grape cluster inlay covered the boo-boo well enough after attempts at plugging failed.



The daughter seems to like it and took it home last night, now on with the crib.

[sawduster]

Great save, Dave.

I think I'd have given up with that cantankerous wood after it warped the second time. Tis and lovely top. Are the "trusses" part of the construction under the top, or were they just used to force the bend out somehow?

[Joe Lyddon]

That is REALLY slick!!

At first, I though there was a clump of grapes on the table! ;D
Fantastic job on it!

Really VERY COOL! I'm sure she will like it.

[keels]

Great looking table. What an ingenous way to hide a mistake! Looks like it was put there on purpose to me.

[dcarter636]

Thanks for the kind words Joe and Keels, I've used the grape cluster motif on a few other pieces because it is so easy to make.

Jerry the 2¹/₂" deep x 20" long trusses are an afterthought and simply pull the top flat. They are to the top by a #12 screw near each end, one of those screws is located roughly near the center of the grape cluster. I had some 1 1/8" thick white oak inner off-cut scraps left over from making some replacement rocking chair rockers. They just happened to be sitting near this table top after a shop debris reshuffle when the light bulb lit up in the old noggin.

Nearly all of the distortion came from the dark striped region of the two boards that were cut from the same plank. Didn't recognize this until after the top got too thin for another go round. A lot of frustration could have saved and I could have had this finished long ago if I had accepted that the top would be 19" square, and had just cut out that dark portion form each board, instead of insisting on a 24" top that overhangs the leg footprint.
Of course the busy figure and raw color matching was what saved this top from the scrap barrel (well figured QS white oak ain't too cheap here) even though it taunted me every time I looked in it's general direction.

One of the reasons I seldom toss out failed but distintive components is the belief that my skills will improve and I'll learn how to deal with this someday. I'm comforted by seeing those long term tenants of the fringes of the shop dwindling as a result of interactions with some of you fellers.

[Ruffnek]

Fine looking table, Dave. Those legs turned out great and I would never have guessed that they were originally spindles.

I like that grape cluster inlay, too. One of these days I'd like to learn how to do that.

[dcarter636]

Thanks Cody, I scored a point on Limey with those at the time in our cheapest SOB competition. Finding those spindles was a huge and necessary boon as the only thing I know how to turn is three times before lying down.

When I build the baby crib I'll try remember to post a blow by blow account of inlaying the grape/berry clusters. I'm planning to place a smallish, likely monochrome maple, cluster on the cherry head boards.

[law]

Nice job you did on this table. I also like the legs used on the table.

I like your persistence in working through the cupping problem.

Larry

[sachbvn]

Dave, my those are some dainty fingers you have!! (hehe)

Seriously - that is simply gorgeous!!! I love the oak look on it - the splayed legs came out looking good too.

The grape inlay is a perfect touch for it - that is a piece to be proud of!! Nice work - thanks for sharing with us!!

I just read and realized the inlay was a bandaid for a booboo - haha, nice work - who'da thought?

Zac

[larryh86gt]

Nicely done table. And it shows there is always a way to fix a whoops.
Larry

[bmorto]

That is a very nice stand. I sure can see a big Swedish Ivy spreading over the surface with the shining oak below. The grape cluster is great addition.
bmorto