A few more pics of the table

Well,

Still don't have wax on it yet, and don't have a great place in my house to take pictures, but here are a couple of more shots of the spalted maple coffee table in likely it's final location.

Nearly there

So the table is put together now, I'm going to let it cure for 7 days or so and then rub down the finish with 0000 steel wool and put on a coat or two of Clapham's wax (probably the salad bowl version).  I've taken a few pictures of it in the basement but the lighting is poor.  Once it is waxed up, I'll take some better ones.  I may still put a few more coat of finish on it though.  There still some spots where it just kept soaking in and it didn't build.  I'm kind of hoping the wax will help on in these areas.

Also, I ran into some issues with temperature, I applied the finish in my garage due to the fumes, but it is not insulated.  Once the temperature got below say 16 degrees (it is November in Ontario), the finish started to bead up, and not wet the surface.  Preheating the top and finish inside the house first seemed to help, but I think I might continue to have issues if gets much colder.  Maybe I'll wait until spring to put on more finish, doing it the house is not an option with Waterlox.

Waterlox ain't so bad

Finishing.... slowly.

So after my last post I did sand the table top with 320 grit no load paper.  (They just opened a Lee Valley store 5 mins from my work, so I've been kind of a regular there at lunch hour.  Dangerous really, but handy.)  The second coat was really glossy in certain areas of the top so I sanded pretty aggressively in those areas as I wasn't liking the heavy film look I was getting.  The sanding helped, then I put the 3 and 4th coats on with a cotton rag (ripped up T-shirt).  I found this article on the Waterlox site: Waterlox article in FWW.   So next time I will follow this technique more closely.  But for the 3 and 4th coats I put on thin coats in circular motions then smooth out the finish with long stroke with the grain.  And..... its looking nice.  Yep, more along the lines of what I am hoping for.  Still different then Deft, but then I don't know how the Deft would have built up, and definitely not looking like poly (by the way, I should clarify, I'm not bashing poly here, it can be a great choice, it's just not the look I want for this table).  I also used the cloth and thin coat technique on the remaining legs, and after one coat they are looking much better than the brushed coat I did earlier on the back up leg.  So, morale of the story, put on thinner coats, or follow the schedule that Michael Pekovich outlines in the article.  (Of course I still want to try a blend at some point.)

I'm up to 4 coats on the slab now, and like I said, its coming along.  My only concern at this point is that there are areas where the slab has a lot of spalting, and the finish just keeps getting sucked into an abyss in these spots.  It doesn't seem to be building on these spots at all.  So it may be 3 or 4 coats to go yet, maybe more.  This is not a big deal as it doesn't take too long to apply, the only issue is I can only do one coat a day.

Finally, I think in the end I will wax the top.  I'll use 0000 steel wool and then apply some paste wax.  Should be sweet.  Anyone know how bad waxed surfaces are for showing finger prints?

Finishing dilemmas and second guesses

Some people that know me might call me in-decisive, or over-analytical, leading to more indecisiveness.

So it was with the finish for this coffee table.  I first went out and got a can of Deft Danish oil, and had the intention of using this for the table.  The legs were ready to go before the top, so I decided I would put a coat of Deft on all four legs (I have a back up leg).  Putting on the Deft oil could not be easier: rub it on, leave it say 5 mins and wipe it off with a clean rag.  I must say, once that oil hit the walnut, it just came to life, so nice!   Anyway, the first coat of deft oil looked great.  I have been accustomed to poly based products in the past with the odd experience with pure tung oil.  So when the danish oil Deft went on, it was a new experience for me, it stayed "in-the-wood" as they say.  Kind of like wiping the legs with mineral spirits, but never having the spirits evaporate, that's the best way I can describe it.  I was very happy, almost blown away.... but then came the second guessing.  As much as I loved the Deft finish, I started to get concerned it would not be durable enough for a table top.  This coffee table will see a lot of abuse (my son being the first concern), and I was also worried about cold drinks being set on it etc.  So I did some more research and talked to a few people.  That's when I heard about Waterlox.  Seemed every where I looked people could not say enough good things about this product.  It was durable, easy to apply, easy to repair and an oil-based (tung oil) finish.  Sounded like Deft, but better.  The only real downside it seemed was the price which was 33% more than the Deft.  But, I thought with all the effort I put into the table, and the concerns I had about the heavy use it would see, it deserves the best finish.

So, off I go to A&M Wood and get me a litre of Original Waterlox Sealer/Finish.  It said medium sheen on the can.  I figured regardless of which finish I was going to use I would need to brush it onto the live edge of the slab because one of the corners has a jagged broken off part (the is actually a nice aesthetic feature), and would use a rag for the rest of the table (like I did for the Deft).  However, after I get home and read the application instructions, and it says to brush it on.  Funny.  I do some more internet searches and realize you shouldn't wipe it on wipe it off because it is more like a traditional varnish then a danish oil (I'm learning there are many flavors of Danish oil, my favourite line I read was a blogger wondering if they make it by squeezing Danes.)  So, the next question was, what about the legs?  Can I put Waterlox over the Deft oil?  And should I?  I decided to try it out on my spare leg at the same time that I put the Waterlox on the bare table top.

I follow the instructions on the can and foam brush the top and bottom and bristle brush the edges of the spalted maple.  It is a nice product to work with, very forgiving and the wood really came to life.   I waited over night and then put on a second coat.  I'm kind of undecided right now as to if I like it.  It is definitely different than the Deft Oil (which also claims to be Tung oil based, but I have my doubts), as it seems to be developing a film, and is not "in-the-wood".  The slab is absorbing the finish at different rates over its top, but there are definitely areas that appear glossy where the wood is less absorbent.  I assume this will be what the final coat might look like (I'm guessing 5 coats total might be needed).  I will be sanding between the 2nd and 3rd coats and again between the 4th and 5th, but I'm not sure this will fix the gloss/film.  The leg also looks much different with the Waterlox over the Deft.  No issues with adhesion or what have you, but it really looks more like a glossy film then "in the wood".  That said, I'm not totally against the glossy look.  I hope it turns out to be a bit more satin then gloss in the end (it is medium sheen after all), but for a piece like a coffee table, I think that look can be appropriate and if super durable, so much the better, just so long as it is doesn't look plasticy like poly.  I seems to have a lot of opinions with little experience.  Only a few coats of each product so far, maybe I'll just hold judgement until the end (it all part of the over-analytical thing).  I guess I'm just surprised how much the Waterlox reminds me of a regular old poly finish at this point, maybe I'll be surprised when I'm done with the coats, and maybe a couple of coats of wax will go a long way.  (But then again Waterlox doesn't recommend wax over their product,  makes it harder to maintain in the long term,  hmmmm.....).

So.  I'm looking for some feedback.  Any of you out there use Waterlox?  I heard at the IP it was used a fair bit, although not straight out of the can.  When used as part of a blend of other products, is it applied by hand or by brush?  Do you wipe it off after each application?  Does it end up giving a film or glossy like finish or is it "in-the-wood".  Anything you'd recommend I do different?

Right now my plan is to lightly sand the second coat with 320 grit, and then apply the 3rd coat with a rag.  It'll be a thinner coat so we'll see how that goes, maybe less gloss.  Finally, I still really dig that Deft oil.  I haven't done anymore to the remaining 3 legs, but I assume I'll Waterlox them just so they match the rest of the table.  As it stands now though, in the future I think I'll use the Deft on any low-wear furniture I make like a wall cabinet and stick with the Waterlox for the high-traffic stuff.  I wonder if the Deft is really that bad in terms of wear resistance?

Sorry for the long rambling post, if you got this far thanks for sticking it out.

Get in shape

Ok, progress on the slab table is happening.  First thing I tackled was giving a little curve to the straight cut on the slab to try and round some of the edges.  I had thought about using a jig-saw for this, but my Dad suggested I could likely use my bandsaw if I supported the slab with a box on my table saw.  Well, voila!  This actually worked pretty good.  Kind of a daunting experience, but went better than I thought.

Cleaned up the cut with my jack plane, I think it'll work.  Next thing to tackle was shaping the legs.  Now, when I started this project, I had the romantic notion that I would be able to complete the entire project without ever touching a piece of sand paper.  I figured that I could plane the top flat, and spoke shave the legs to shape and go right to finish.   Well, I think I am realizing that hand planes minimize sanding, but do not completely eliminate it.  This became painfully obvious when I tried to spokeshave the cuts left by the bandsaw on my legs.  It worked pretty good on the flat sections, but for the sculpted insider corner, despite having a round-bottom shave from Veritas, I had issues there.  In fact, on one leg, the blade tore out a chunk of wood when I crossed the joint (changing grain direction.)  So I got pretty nervous, and decided that I would need to use a rasp on this section of the legs.  Here I used a Nicholson #49 rasp, worked great, but now how to clean the rasp marks?  Well, maybe there is a better way, but for me I figured my only choice was to go to 80 grit sandpaper and clean up the cuts left by the rasp.  Then to 120 etc.  Seemed to work out so far, but I still need to try out the finer grits.

 

So, on the rest of the inside legs, I used a flat-bottomed spoke shave handed down to me from my grandfather.  Works great and is rewarding to use a tool that I spent a lot of time in his hands as well.  

 

On the front of the legs, this is a straight section so I used a block plane add pillow to these.  Not a lot, I'm trying to be subtle, like the work that Nick Nelson puts out (see my blog list).

Sorry about the rotated picture, for some reason, this blog program won't save rotation settings (you'll have to turn you head).  So here is a shaped leg next to one that is yet to be pillowed etc.  And the three legs after initial shaping. 

Next is to finish sand the legs.  I'm hoping that all that flattening and shaping will allow me to at least start sanding at 180-220 as opposed to 120 that I usually start with.  And also spend much less time sanding in general.  I'm going go to 320, may be higher, we'll see. 

But prior to that, I need to prepare the legs for attachment to the slab.  I got some 1/4 x 2" lag bots from The Depot, but when I did a test I sheared the lag bolt right off!  I mean yes I am ridiculously strong, but this surprised me!  I bought some 5/16 bolts, but they seem too beefy, maybe I'll get some stainless steel 1/4 versions but they a bit more expensive (like $2 a bolt!).  I don't figure I'll need to account much for wood movement as the bolts will be pretty close together (4 inches or so and two per leg).  The legs will either be inline with the grain or at an angle, so I can't image movement being a big deal.  If anyone thinks lag-bolting these legs to the slab is a bad idea, please stop me now!

Ok, last thing I did, was try and determine leg placement on the slab.  I thought I could do this geometrically by drawing major axes on the slab and pointing all the legs to a common point and strategies like that.  But in the end, nothing look quite right, so I basically almost free-placed them in a manner I thought was appealing.  I think it is the only way to go, but you're never really sure.  I used double-sided tape to attach the legs temporarily to the top and tried it out.  Take a look.

At first I wasn't liking it, I can't say why.  But after about 15 mins, and a little re-assurance from my wife, I started to really like it.  I think in the end the legs are not too-thin an the placement towards the edge of the slab should make the table more stable (important with a 10 month old).  I think they are elegant and kind of contrast with the bulk of the top.  Should look nice with the Deft Danish Oil I plan to put on it.  With any luck the next post will have some better pics of a finished table!  Now, where to put the thing?