I saw some dudes splitting walnut limbs for firewood this spring after a big storm had damaged a bunch of trees, some of them looked pretty cool. I said I had alot better firewood at the house (ash/oak/osage...) that was mill waste and would be easier to process. Why not trade ? They brought in a load of limbs and and crotches took away my scrap.
So here is a coffee table I made (for myself) recently from some of it. I jointed a live edge book match for the top, made a simple but somewhat interesting base and there you have it. I really tried to get a better shot of the figure in the top...no luck. I am liking using walnut sapwood in my projects more and more each time I do it. It took some digging to find just the right piece I wanted for the shelf/stretcher.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/12216/walnuttable.jpg)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/12216/walnuttable2.jpg)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/12216/walnuttable3.jpg)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/12216/wtop.jpg)
I needed a matching telephone table type thing too. I made one from a crotch flitch. The piece had a hollow spot in it where a limb had died and overgrown. I filled it with epoxy and a slice of walnut shell (the epoxy is not really so white, it looks natural-the camera flash just washed it out ???) It cracked drying...perfect it made it more interesting.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/12216/crotch%7E0.jpg)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/12216/crotch2%7E0.jpg)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/12216/crotch3%7E1.jpg)
Those are really neat, Daren!
What are the finished dimensions of those? Do you have a shot of the aprons under those tables?
The crotch figure in the second table is spectacular! 8)
Quote from: metalspinner on December 08, 2008, 09:27:32 AM
What are the finished dimensions of those? Do you have a shot of the aprons under those tables?
The coffee table is 42" long x 24" at the widest (it varies) and 20" tall. The telephone stand/crotch piece is about 36" long x 24" at the widest at the top and 20" high.
I can get some pics of the underneath later.(having camera troubles, long story...short story VISTA)
Beautiful work as usual Daren. You have a eye for what can come what a lot of people discard. I wish I had your skill.
Don
Great stuff, I like the sapwood too! The walnut in the epoxy looks like a skull :)
Gday Daren
I LIKE IT !! ;) ;D 8) 8) i love the buttterfly joins on the bookmatch join and the split end tooo Ive always liked them they are hard to master ;) ( ever since i brought The Soul of a Tree by Geourge Nakashima when i was 11yo ) But im genraly lasy and just use full width peices ::) ;) :D I like the walnut but ive only ever got ahold of one log about 26dia and 8 long i got enough to make two coffee tables out of it ;D I love the contrast you get between the heartwood and sapwood in full width peices and the figure in the crotchwood peice Daren i like your work and ive read alot of your posts love that you post plenty of pics keep up the good work Mate
Reguards Chris
Quote from: Meadows Miller on December 08, 2008, 09:44:39 AM
Gday Daren
( ever since i brought The Soul of a Tree by Geourge Nakashima when i was 11yo )
"create an object of utility to man and, if nature smiles, an object of lasting beauty." ;)
I had a feeling you were familiar with Nakashima :). What are the butterflies make from?
Quote from: Dodgy Loner on December 08, 2008, 11:25:20 AM
What are the butterflies make from?
I had started the crotch table a long time ago. I had a pair of crotches I was tossing around making 2 tables from, sorta like cousins. Walnut and maple. The butterflies where from each other literally, maple in the walnut and walnut in the maple.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/12216/tops.jpg)
I never got into finishing them, lost my train of thought, still have the maple one laying around.
The walnut coffee table the butterflies are made from walnut sapwood. That is the way I am going to do it from now on when making pieces like this from walnut, using sapwood for the dutchmen seems more natural (for the lack of a better term)
Daren,
What are your surfacing techniques for these large pieces.
Pretty! I love live edged furniture...living close to the tree!
Looks great Daren. You sure get you hands on some interesting wood. The sapwood sure is a contrast from that dark walnut color. I never tried live edge before. Well, I have no kiln either to dry the wood properly either. Always like your work. 8)
Very nice Darren. I like live edge projects too. I'm just not nearly as accomplished at it as you are. I also like the contrast of sap and heart wood and try very hard to always include at least one "defect" in my projects.
S.D. The interesting wood is not as hard to find as you might think. You just have to quit looking for perfect logs. The more you look for the unusual the easier it is to find.
Quote from: metalspinner on December 08, 2008, 01:46:37 PM
Daren,
What are your surfacing techniques for these large pieces.
I made a $100 25" wide drum sander 8). The video is just a test with the wrong paper (just shop roll emery cloth) on a little piece of osage. I have since built a dust collection hood and am working on a power feed...I have the motor (2 1/2 HP DC off a treadmill)-belt and all, just have not sourced a DC motor controller (cheap ::)) yet.
Before that I used to slip them in the side door of a local cabinet shop and for a couple bucks a dude would run them through, but it got to be a hassle.
The 2 halves of the coffee table fit in my 13" shop planer though.
I will some day show pictures of the thickness sander build if anyone is interested. It just a table saw motor spinning a drum and the table raises up to the drum with a screw for thickness.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JN3vozVelfE
Stunning! That is great looking furniture. I think there's plans for that kind of drum sander on the internet somewhere, wood magazine if I remember right. You certainly are a great craftsman.
Did you finish with water based Poly?
I really like the contrast of the heartwood and sapwood too. The curved legs give the table a real elegance! I really like that table.
That is great stuff!
Keep up the great work, I'm showing the pictures to my students to inspire them to be creative.
I've never done the dutchmen do you have any tips/tricks.
Paul
very nice Darren, thanks for the pics
Seriously beautiful work!
Quote from: Daren on December 08, 2008, 10:03:56 AM
Quote from: Meadows Miller on December 08, 2008, 09:44:39 AM
Gday Daren
( ever since i brought The Soul of a Tree by Geourge Nakashima when i was 11yo )
"create an object of utility to man and, if nature smiles, an object of lasting beauty." ;)
Gday
Daren Tooo True I liked Geourges opinion that a peice timber didnt need to be perfect to make someting of beauty
Chris
Quote from: WDH on December 09, 2008, 12:11:19 AM
Did you finish with water based Poly?
Yea, just a poly.
Quote from: woodsteach on December 11, 2008, 10:41:28 AM
I've never done the dutchmen do you have any tips/tricks.
When joining two pieces (like the book match table top) it is alot easier. I cut my butterflies just trace around them and cut the holes with a jigsaw/scroll saw/coping saw/back saw...whatever is the best tool. I always "leave the line" and finish with a sharp chisel. Working on both the hole and the butterfly as needed for a perfect fit. Some, like the one in the blurry hard maple with the walnut ties I had to do all by hand with a chisel. That was a little more work to make a nice neat hole. It is not a daunting as one may think, if you goof up the hole and the tie is sloppy just cut a bigger tie and try again ;)