I bought the natural slab of maple at a local lumberjack show and couldn’t figure out what to do with it for the longest time. It was rough sawn on a portable mill (not too often I get to see the log that my stock came from) and wasn’t anything close to parallel/square/coplanar. I used a bunch of videos on TWW site (The Jointer’s Jumpin’, How to Fix a Knot) and created a router sled since it was too wide for my planer; then used a variety of hand planes, scrapers, and tons of sanding to get it smooth. The legs are made from walnut and the shape was inspired by Marc’s trestle table series. I pretty much used that series as my guide in both the design and construction. The only deviations were integral tenons instead of dominos and 8/4 stock since the table is only 5 ft long. It’s got a few nicks/checks/mistakes in it, but it’s my first non-”planned” furniture project and I’m pretty excited about it. I used Marc’s “A Simple Varnish Finish” as my guide. Four coats of Arm-R-Seal later and I couldn’t be more pleased. The final coat was rubbed out with 8000 grit after it completely cured.
Thank you for your site Marc, it’s what got me into woodworking and keeps me wanting to improve with each project!
Matt – This is an inspiring piece in itself. I have a 100 year old piece of heart pine barn board that I have been messing with for 25 years. I have tried three different style of bases for it, but each time the base style doesn’t do the board justice.
You mention “Marc” and his finishing techniques? Who is Marc?
Thanks for such inspiring work.
haha, the guy who’s site you’re commenting on. :) http://www.thewoodwhisperer.com/about/
What’s that green stuff on the ground in the no. 7 picture, I haven’t seen something like that in the last 6-7 weeks around here in Indiana. I like the table and the green stuff too, it makes a very nice backdrop for the pic.
Looks great!
Beautiful Table
Thanks for this article. You’re humbleness and clarity was very inspiring to a beginner like me.
Congrats on a beautiful piece of furniture.
What a beautiful piece of maple! Nice concept & a really great job!
That maple is amazing, it looks like liquid gold.
Great job.
OMG, that is absolutely stunning! I want to do a table like this someday. Amazing work!