woodpapi

Milling both faces before putting an edge to the jointer is a safer method to avoid splinters than milling an edge with a rough face exposed. This is in addition to the flexibility of flipping the board end for end to correct grain feed direction. It also make it easyer to alternate reference faces so that if you do not have a perfect 90 degrees on the jonter fence, the error will correct itself.

Intermixing wood types for a contrasting table top is good idea. To push futher and shape cut outs to be reglued and thus mixing the table tops is imaginative and somewhat audacious. Add to this the ides of a pale wood strip to highlight the cut lines is the cherry on the icing. I saved the photos in my project folder under the title "Three Sisters"; not "coffee tables". Perhaps one day my tree daughters would get one each. Not this year, I am in bunk beds and dressers for the grand children.