First (and second) Marquetry Attempt - Dining Table

[simeond]

This table was a challege from the start. The customer basically said "Here's my budget, the rest is up to you..." Ideal customer, for sure. But all the more daunting, because you want to produce quality, but the bug to get creative and try new things is overwhelming!!! :-) When all was said and done, I had more "arches" than I had planned and I had to make the marquetry top twice....

Its 42" (w) x90" (l) x30" (h). Quarter-sawn black walnut and tiger maple:

There turned out to be one major design challenge and 1 major construction challenge...

The construction challenge was on the glue-up to attach the veneer marquetry to a 1" MDF substrate. I've done large glue-ups before and I have a bunch of well curved cauls for just this purpose (picture below).

But when the top came out of the press, it had rippled along every verticle grain line (picture below).

Talk about a low moment. I had spend the better part of 10 hours cutting the marquetry. I had used a double-bevel method, but not with the scroll saw (I personally don't know how to feed a 4'x8' sheet of veneer thru a saw). So I bevel-cut the maple "negative space" and then cut the walnut with the opposite bevel. COMPLETELY RUINED!!!

So, that was the kick in the pants I needed to build the vacuum press I've been wanting.... (picture below).

Its a Venturi system for which I ordered the parts from joewoodworker.com.

Boy, am I glad I had to remake the thing. The first marquetry was fine, but I was going to have to do a fair amount of spot-filling gaps. The second one, I didn't need to fill a spot:

And the top came out as flat as could be. My vacuum press is my new best friend...

Now, the design challenge:

Originally, I just want the single "arche" spanning the trestles. However, because of the slight give to the arch after it was laminated (see photo below), I feared that the legs could get "kicked out." So, I laminated up the corresponding arch with thru tenons and pins to ensure this couldn't happen.

Okay, enough rambling. Honest critique/advice is always appreciated (really - the last time I posted, a read said he "hated" the piece, and then gave some great reasons why - I LIVE for that kind of feedback).

[fransikaner]

I don't think the creep in arch count detracted from the work - in my view it actually enhanced the architecture of the base and allows it to tell a story.

Your marquetry results were superb. From an aesthetic standpoint, I might suggest a less lineal run of your object next time. You don't need to account for the entire surface all the time. Thanks for sharing and inspiring!

[Derwood]

Honestly i would be hard pressed to find anything i dislike in this work. Marquettry always amazes me and i give a lot of props to those who mastered it such as yourself. The only criticism i have is that you could use some more overhead lights in the shop. But thats minimal and only me. Who knows, the lights seems to work for you fine.

[Vic]

Wow! Very cool, Simeond! I LOVE the trestle! I wish I knew more about how to properly critique, but I don't. I only know what seems/feels , or doesn't seem/feel right. For some reason the points on the base seem off to me. I don't know if it has to do with the protruding tenons from the trestle, or not. I almost feel a bit overwhelmed by the piece as a whole, as in a bit much going on. Each element in and of itself is very nice and VERY well done, but you have a very large radius curve in the stretcher and it is has harder edges, while on the ends of the base, the the edges are soft and much tighter radii. Then you put the magnificent tree inlay on a rectangular, fiddleback top. I would love to have someone in the group with much more design experience tackle this. Like I said, I love the piece, but am just a bit overwhelmed by all the different attractions in it.

[Vic]

Simeond, if you'd like a great critique, I would encourage you to contact George Walker. He periodically will do critiques of pieces that have been submitted. I was lucky enough to get a critique from Neil Lamens of Furnitology on my cradle, but would've liked to submit to Walker. I think I'll check to see if he'll do it on such an old piece. I learned a lot from Neil's critique and I'm sure I'd learn more from a critique by George. Here's the site address.

http://georgewalkerdesign.wordpress.com/ Ultimately, I believe everyone has some design chops. I like what Seth Rolland said in a class I took recently. A very loose paraphrase (I didn't record or write it down), "just design, go with your gut and if you get stuck, then take it back to design principles to get unstuck, then go back to just designing from your gut"

[Eli]

I agree with Vic's reaction. Everything is well executed, but the parts feel inconsistent. The trestles seem architectural while the legs, rails, etc. are animated. The top, though beautiful, doesn't really tie into either. It's "organic" but not in a lively way, like the legs. Can you tell us more about your design process? What were your goals in making this piece?

Good work handling the adversity.

Eli

[areynoldsre]

Good looking marquetry. Cutting planels that big is always a challenge. Unless you have a very big scroll saw. The other choices are to figure out how to cut the pitcure in smaller pieces or with this picture I would have been tempted to knife cut it.

Filling is just a normal part of marquetry - every piece I do needs to get some filling.

and glad you got a vacuum press. I couldn't do any of my work without one.