Terry Fogarty Posted February 6, 2011 Report Share Posted February 6, 2011 G`Day. I thought i would show a few photos of a Hall table i made using some very cool Australian Redgum Burl and Blackbean. I find it frustrating when people use this type of burl and insist on filling the holes with black epoxy... Yuk. I prefer to dig the pitch out and accentuate it. Nature at its best Also note the bottom shelf is connected to the legs via tenons The Rails and Legs are out of my all time favorite Aussie timber Blackbean. Hope you enjoy it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave H Posted February 6, 2011 Report Share Posted February 6, 2011 wow that is some beautiful burl wood, really like the live edges. i had never heard of black bean before i looked it up and it sounds like it's rare even in your neck of the woods. great table it's a show stopper, and if your keys fall through the hole in the top it's ok cause they'll be in the drawer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayWC Posted February 7, 2011 Report Share Posted February 7, 2011 I think there is a blend between doing a good job of using natural burl (which you did) and making it smooth for use. I've seen nice jobs with epoxy in both clear and black form. I don't think using epoxy deserves a "yuk" (sic) comment. I feel instead...to each his/her own. One question: was there a reason for the drawer being offset or was it simply artistic license being invoked? To me, this is one of those issues where sometimes artistic license works well and sometimes it looks like a mistake. I'm debating on this one. Others in the forum are welcome to vote on your opinion on the location of the drawer... Having said that, you built a nice table. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Fogarty Posted February 7, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 7, 2011 I felt the random nature of the burl worked well with a drawer that wasn’t symmetrical. That said, I actually use off-set drawers on all my hall tables. I have never been one to constantly fall back on Symmetry in design, but thats just me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vic Posted February 7, 2011 Report Share Posted February 7, 2011 I felt the random nature of the burl worked well with a drawer that wasn’t symmetrical. That said, I actually use off-set drawers on all my hall tables. I have never been one to constantly fall back on Symmetry in design, but thats just me I like the offset. I really love the tenoned drawer front. I've never seen that. It's a nice touch. What is the drawer bottom? It almost looks like Spanish Cedar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayWC Posted February 7, 2011 Report Share Posted February 7, 2011 I felt the random nature of the burl worked well with a drawer that wasn’t symmetrical. That said, I actually use off-set drawers on all my hall tables. I have never been one to constantly fall back on Symmetry in design, but thats just me Thanks for the reply. Just so you know...I assumed it was an intentional choice... It's just one of those things that if not done well tends to look awry or cliched. Again, nice job! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Fogarty Posted February 7, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 7, 2011 I like the offset. I really love the tenoned drawer front. I've never seen that. It's a nice touch. What is the drawer bottom? It almost looks like Spanish Cedar. The base is some edge joined strips of normal Ausie Redgum and Blackbean. And the drawer sides are some off-cuts of spalted American Beach, and the tenons in the side are Maccassar Ebony. I actually hate wasting wood, so a fair amount of off-cuts are joined up in strips for drawer bases. The other photo shows a drawer base with strips of Redgum, American Walnut, Aussie Blackwood, Black Heart Sassafras and Cinnamon Wood. Again with Ebony tenons. For those with a keen eye, yes the orientation is the wrong way but I find small laminated strips movement to be minimal, and i love the way the eye follows the grain direction when you open the drawer. And finally, the tenons are done with a Domino, and I have a simple method of inserting a square tenons into a round mortises. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayWC Posted February 8, 2011 Report Share Posted February 8, 2011 The base is some edge joined strips of normal Ausie Redgum and Blackbean. And the drawer sides are some off-cuts of spalted American Beach, and the tenons in the side are Maccassar Ebony. And finally, the tenons are done with a Domino, and I have a simple method of inserting a square tenons into a round mortises. I have thought about trying the Domino system, but hate to cough up $700 for the cutter only to have it sit in a cabinet. What are your thoughts on it versus something like Rockler offers called the Beadlock? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noumenon Posted February 15, 2011 Report Share Posted February 15, 2011 That Australian Redgum Burl is crazy. I'll take 500 b.f. sent to my front door I think two drawers would have been nice. Great piece of work!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexWood Posted February 15, 2011 Report Share Posted February 15, 2011 Very nice design and a great use of distinctive wood. What is your "simple method of inserting a square tenons into a round mortises"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stampy Posted February 18, 2011 Report Share Posted February 18, 2011 Great job mate, my only critic might have been to make the drawer pull match the dark part of the burl. And maybe a small dark shadow line on the legs just below the drawer apron then maybe another below the lower shelf? Just an idea to bring some dark accent to the legs. Love that top! I just did a cedar top and I did the same digging out the knots instead of filling them. Really adds to the organic look. Whats the finish? Stampy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Fogarty Posted March 5, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 5, 2011 I have thought about trying the Domino system, but hate to cough up $700 for the cutter only to have it sit in a cabinet. What are your thoughts on it versus something like Rockler offers called the Beadlock? Jay, i havnt used the Beadlock so i cant comment. I love the Domino because its so versatile. I have used it for so many different applications like - Adjustable shelving jig with home made Domino shelf supports. Decorative mitre corner splines (3 kinds so far) Dovetail sockets. Handmade Furniture cabinet handles. Door and drawer pulls. 3-way miters. Rebating and trenching. Table button mortiser for table rails. Breadboard end joining tool. (Perfect for elongated end mortises and the underneath recess for the slotted screw) Traditional tenons. (not lose tenons, but real ones) Marking and measuring gauges. So you could say im very much in love with it What is your "simple method of inserting a square tenons into a round mortises"? Tex, First I start with contrasting timber home made Domino tenons, I usually make them the 5mm size for small drawers, and 6mm for large drawers (because the 6mm cutter does not have the flare-out and you can go deeper into the sides for a stronger bond. After you have made your drawer, glued and clamped it up, and when dry plunge your Domino mortises to full depth according to the cutter used. Example – If you plunge 28mm (Red line on the Domino) then cut your home made Domies around 32- 35mm lengths (Yellow line) Scribe a line all round 25mm up from the bottom (Blue line) and with sharp chisel, from the blue scribe line back down to the bottom, round over the edges to fit in the mortise. The 3mm left above the scribe (between Red and Blue) remains square, and that will force a square edge into the top of the round mortise, giving the illusion of a hand mortised joint Two tips - 1- On the rounded sides (green) chisel them round in both sides an extra 1.5mm, and just before you are going to fit them into the drawer mortise, put the Domi into an engineers vice (about 3 or 4 mm below the blue line) and give it a ¼ turn to slightly compress it. As it compresses for easy fit into the mortise, the sides expand slightly in width, that’s why you remove the 1.5mm from each side so it won’t get stuck. 2- Don’t forget to put a clamp either side of the drawer where the mortises are, so when you tap in the Dominos the drawer sides don’t split. This is a must because if it splits it’s easy to glue, but the glue line sticks out and looks terrible. It looks so much better than a rounded machined Domino look. You still get a slight round if you look close, but it’s a great illusion for the casual observer for not much extra effort That Australian Redgum Burl is crazy. I'll take 500 b.f. sent to my front door I think two drawers would have been nice. Great piece of work!!! noumenon then their will be nothing left for me It realy is a superb timber. I used some on this little table recently. And the little bit left over made this pot plant stand. Waste not want not Great job mate, my only critic might have been to make the drawer pull match the dark part of the burl. And maybe a small dark shadow line on the legs just below the drawer apron then maybe another below the lower shelf? Just an idea to bring some dark accent to the legs. Love that top! I just did a cedar top and I did the same digging out the knots instead of filling them. Really adds to the organic look. Whats the finish? Stampy Stampy good post and observations. I like the way you think. And the finish is 50% single pack PPG Amaroon lacquer. I love it because apart from drying fast, it’s a very clear natural look as I hate plastic looking finishes. The next two photos were both oil finished with Wattle Scandinavian oil, around 6 coats each. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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