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My entry in the Winter 2009 Woodworking Awards at Lumberjocks

I entered in the Category A Knot Like No Other. If you click on the link, it will take you to my entry at Lumberjocks.

This is a half-scale table I made to fully visualize proportions. And I got away with hand planing the bevel, as the grain reversed at the knot near the corner.

This little table is the model on which I will base a full-scale table I just started building. The table is fashioned after Frank Klausz’s famous table with a beveled edge. In the full-scale table, the bevel gives a comfortable feel to the arm as it lays on the edge.

Joinery: Mortise & tenon. Top thickness is 3/4 inch; the square legs are 1-1/2 inches; aprons are 2 inches wide; table height is 15.5 inches. The top is attached to the base using buttons inserted into a groove machined on the aprons – to allow for wood movement I provided a clearance of just under 1/8-inch on both of the long edges; I used screws to hold the buttons in place.

The lighter wood is quarter-sawn white oak, and the dark wood is walnut. The finish for the white oak is as follows: First, I sanded to 150 grit, followed by two thin coats of Zinsser SealCoat™ applied with a rag, followed by 4 spray coats of Target Coatings’ EM2000wvx waterborne alkyd varnish, in satin sheen. I sanded to 320 grit between every coat. This finish schedule imparts a straw color to the white oak; it is reminiscent of a vintage finish. The finish for the walnut consisted of two thin coats of garnet shellac, followed by four coats of Target Coatings’ EM2000wvx waterborne alkyd varnish, satin sheen.

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