A number of weeks ago I posted some pictures of a hall table I’m working on with a few questions about veneering the curved apron. I figured it was about time to post some updated pictures. There is a “hidden” drawer accessible from the back of the unit…a feature I had not originally planned on…which isn’t shown.
In the end, I milled some mahogany to just under 1/8th on-an-inch thick and used liquid hide glue to “veneer” the apron…using a strip of plexi-glass as a kind of caul to not mar the surface (not to mention letting me see what I was doing) and every single clamp I could find it went pretty well. It wasn’t quite perfect but a little handwork when the glue dried was all it took to correct the few problems I encountered. I also veneered a 3/4″ wide piece of the same mahogany with a rippled mahogany veneer and added it to the bottom of the apron as a kind of trim to try and add some figure to the piece below the top.
Since the top is a flamed-crotch mahogany, I’m going to use some aniline dye on the apron and legs to darken the color just a bit so it’s a little closer to the color of the top.
I also considered carving some acanthus foliage and attaching it to the apron…but am affraid it may be a bit too much given the ornate top?
I’ll post pictures of the finished piece hopefully in the next couple of weeks!
Thanks again for all the suggestions and comments I’ve gotten from this group!
Replies
Very nicely done. The combo really looks great.
Frosty
"I sometimes think we consider the good fortune of the early bird and overlook the bad fortune of the early worm." FDR - 1922
That's just beautifully done in every aspect I can think of. Impress detail without looking overblown. Nice!
Nice job.
I think that beautiful veneered top will be the focal point, so I dont think the carvings would be needed. I am curious to hear how the finsihing goes. I am working with a crotch veneer that has a bit of torn grain and I suspect yours may too.
Great work.
Brad
Buuu-Tee-Ful
http://www.superwoodworks.com
Here are some thoughts on finishing. I built a similar table, and although all the mahogany parts came from the same board, there were some major differences in color. I finished first with boiled linseed oil followed by french polish. The oil darkened and enhanced the figure, while balancing the colors of the various parts. Did not need dye or stains. The boiled linseed oil needs to go on fairly liberally, wiped thoroughly, and allowed to dry at least a week before applying a final finish - french polish or otherwise. It's definitely worth the wait. Make sure you are using boiled linseed oil, since the regular kind takes forever to dry. Finally, dispose of linseed oil soaked rags or paper towels properly - this means laying them out so they can airdry before putting them in the trash - if you just wad them up and throw them away, they will likely spontaneously combust and burn your shop or house down - not good.Ed
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