Pwalter5110 Posted March 3, 2013 Report Share Posted March 3, 2013 I was asked to make this coffee table. The base crosses at a 150 degree angle and the legs are angled in at 12 degrees. The base ended up measuring 55” long, 18” wide and 18” tall. The wood used was mahogany ebonized using india ink and finished with 5 thin coats of lacquer. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freddie Posted March 3, 2013 Report Share Posted March 3, 2013 My girlfriend would love this table. She loves the modern ebonized pieces. I would love to see this table against the wood floor instead of the carpet, just preference. Well done!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Crawford Posted March 3, 2013 Report Share Posted March 3, 2013 Nice. A couple construction questions. I assume the base cross is a half lap - correct? if not how is it done? How are the legs attached to the cross? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted March 3, 2013 Report Share Posted March 3, 2013 Nice. A couple construction questions. I assume the base cross is a half lap - correct? if not how is it done? How are the legs attached to the cross? +1 on the construction of the center joint? Beautiful piece of furniture. Glass tops seem to focus attention on the base so that center joint is on display. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted March 3, 2013 Report Share Posted March 3, 2013 Very nice! Not my style but still a cool piece. The finish looks great. Also curious about the joinery... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pwalter5110 Posted March 3, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 3, 2013 You guys are correct. The center is an angled half lap. The pieces are 3" thick, so I removed most of the bulk free hand with a router. When I got close to the lines I switched to a chisel and finessed the fit. I also used a shoulder plane to get to the right depth. (one of those verities rabbeting block planes would have been nice) I have never actually made an angled tenon. I used a loose tenon. I cut the 12 degree angle on the base piece, clamped it vertically to my "bench" and added support on each side for my router and routed the mortises. I just cut the 12 degree angle on the top and bottom of the leg, routed matching mortises and added the loose tenon in between. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pwalter5110 Posted March 3, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 3, 2013 I added a sketch of the crossing pieces that are half lapped together if that helps. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vic Posted March 3, 2013 Report Share Posted March 3, 2013 Very nice base!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pwalter5110 Posted March 3, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 3, 2013 Thanks Vic! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerrySats Posted March 3, 2013 Report Share Posted March 3, 2013 Awesome looking table , I like the glass and that india ink is stunning . How was it to work with ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pwalter5110 Posted March 3, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 3, 2013 Hey Jerry. I used higgins water based india ink. It was actually incredibly easy to use. I used a foam brush, brushed two coats on and applied my topcoat. Easiest coloring of wood i have done so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egraff Posted March 6, 2013 Report Share Posted March 6, 2013 I like the angles on this very much. I'm rarely a fan of ebonized wood, but here I think the black fits very well with the modern look. Great work! - EG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRBaker Posted March 7, 2013 Report Share Posted March 7, 2013 Great job, Pat. I'm going to have to put a picture of that in my ideas file. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lighthearted Posted March 7, 2013 Report Share Posted March 7, 2013 Looks cool. If I were the client I would ask the the angle of the legs be more severe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pwalter5110 Posted March 7, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2013 Thanks everyone. As far as the angles go, the client actually sent me a sketchup file of exactly what he wanted. It was a nice change. The one thing im not 100% sure of is why he wanted mahogany ebonized... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NSBrad Posted March 15, 2013 Report Share Posted March 15, 2013 I love this table. I might have to borrow the idea for my house. I'm going with a modern/contemporary style and it will fit in perfectly. A coffee table (along with end tables) is something that's on my project list. I had a different design that I was going to do, but I think this one beats it. Just gotta get the boss to sign off on it now. You said you used higgins water based india ink. Is this just the fountain pen type of ink, like http://www.amazon.com/Higgins-Fountain-Pen-India-Ink/dp/B00095OFXE or is it something else. I'm new to it and want to make sure I'm looking at the right thing. I have a couple pieces that I want to go black on and haven't gotten a really good black yet using the stains I've tried. Also, you made a comment about not being sure why he wanted to ebonize mahogany. What would you suggest to use? I'm not locked into any wood for what I want to do. So I'm open to suggestions on what would work and look the best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pwalter5110 Posted March 16, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 16, 2013 Hey Brad! The link you used for amazon for whatever reason isn't working. But you are correct. It was just the fountain pen ink. You would be surprised how far it spreads. And I don't think you are going to get more black than india ink. The only reason I brought up mahogany is bc it's so expensive, at least here in Pittsburgh and he just covered it in black ink. He could have had the same look with a cheaper wood. He wanted to see the pores of the wood. But Oak is half the price and would have had a similiar look to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted March 16, 2013 Report Share Posted March 16, 2013 I don't ebonize wood, but I hear ash is about the best species you can use. Not sure why. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G S Haydon Posted March 16, 2013 Report Share Posted March 16, 2013 Great job, These simple pieces are often harder to make than one would imagine. There is nowhere to hide errors on such striped out design. Look forward to seeing some more of your projects. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted March 16, 2013 Report Share Posted March 16, 2013 Ash and oak look good ebonized. The bold grain patterns really are evident after dye and finish coats. I saw some samples that were dyed black, sealed and then filled with brightly colored filler . Neon green , red and orange really made the grain patterns pop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NSBrad Posted March 20, 2013 Report Share Posted March 20, 2013 Hey Brad! The link you used for amazon for whatever reason isn't working. But you are correct. It was just the fountain pen ink. You would be surprised how far it spreads. And I don't think you are going to get more black than india ink. The only reason I brought up mahogany is bc it's so expensive, at least here in Pittsburgh and he just covered it in black ink. He could have had the same look with a cheaper wood. He wanted to see the pores of the wood. But Oak is half the price and would have had a similiar look to it. Thanks! I fixed the link. A comma got added to the end of the URL that was causing a problem. I think I'll order some to give a try. I have my entertainment center to stain as soon as I get off of crutches. I had bought an ebony stain for it but scrap test took a lot of work to get it to a decent black that I can live with but not 100% happy with. Ash and oak look good ebonized. The bold grain patterns really are evident after dye and finish coats. I saw some samples that were dyed black, sealed and then filled with brightly colored filler . Neon green , red and orange really made the grain patterns pop. Thanks for the suggestions. I have an oak project now to try out on and I'll give ash a try on something else. Any chance of pics of the brightly colored fill? Sounds like it could be interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pwalter5110 Posted March 21, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2013 Brad, I went back and tried the link again. That is exactly the stuff I used. I do know you can find it sold in quarts if you have a lot of wood to cover, and it sounds like you have a lot of projects you would like to dye black. It may be cheaper to buy it in higher quantities. I did forget to mention, the stuff I used was water based, and will raise the grain. Make sure you spritz the wood down with water and let it dry. Then hit it will some sand paper to take down the raised grain. Then use a foam brush, apply two coats, and then whatever you want to use for a topcoat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alancrist Posted April 1, 2013 Report Share Posted April 1, 2013 I don't ebonize wood, but I hear ash is about the best species you can use. Not sure why. Regarding ebonizing wood, I did a project where I wanted to ebonize a table and so I did some research on it. The reason why certain woods are better to ebonize than others has to do with the tannin content in the different species of wood. I don't know about ash, but, for example white oak and cherry apparently have a lot of tannins in them. I can only assume ash is similar. I don't know why on earth you would want to ebonize cherry...that's a crime. India ink will get anything black, but with other ebonizing techniques, the tannins are key. When using the technique where you dissolve steel wool in vinegar for about 1-2 weeks and make iron acetate (I believe it's called), and apply that to the wood, the solution attaches to the tannins in the wood turning it dark. If you want to use that technique on a species with little tannin content, all you have to do is steep some black tea, (like 10 bags in a few cups of water, real strong) coat the wood and let it dry. Then apply the iron acetate solution. It will turn dark before your eyes. Maybe this is a process considered common knowledge among you all, but it was new to me and quite interesting, so I thought I would share. Here are a couple pictures of the table I refinished. It is a simple, oak, mission-style table. Our kids had beat it up pretty bad and I just wanted to spice it up a bit. I sanded it down, applied steeped, black tea, then applied iron acetate. It got pretty dark, but had kind of a green tint to it, so I added a dark walnut stain too. I was just playing and experimenting, but the color turned out pretty good. India ink would have hidden all the variation in the different pieces of wood (which is good for some projects and not so for others) and just left the grain visible. To top it off, I finished it with 4 coats of high gloss poly used for gym floors. The kids are doing their best to beat it up, but it's holding its own so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jHop Posted April 1, 2013 Report Share Posted April 1, 2013 I'm glad I stumbled across this thread while on a break at school..... otherwise the boss would have me drop my four projects I've got for this week and start one of these tables immediately.... How much clean up did you have to do after ebonizing? Or did you simply have to discard of the rags/brush/foam afterwards? I have been able to clean out some brushes, but not all, on some of my projects, so I'm thinking of what supplies I would need. (And fantastic job, by the way. I assume the prototype is still in your city? 'Cause I'm only about a two hour drive away to sketch and view in person... faster if someone distracts the SkyEyeSpies... ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pwalter5110 Posted April 1, 2013 Author Report Share Posted April 1, 2013 Hey JHop! It was actually sent to a gentlemen in New Jersey. If you want CAD sketches I actually have them stored on my computer. Shoot me your email in a message and I will email them to you. The india ink that I used was actually water based. So water cleaned up everything. I did throw the rags and foam brushes away afterwards though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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