Walnut coffee table, Jens Risom design

I saw a neat coffee table designed by Jens Risom, a fairly prominent mid-century furniture designer, and decided to build my own copy. I hadn't built any interior furniture bigger than a little plant stand before, and I'd never really worked with hardwood, either.

It's all made of 4/4 walnut, assembled using dowels, some mortise and tenons, and Z-clips to attach the tabletop to the frame. For a newbie, I'm quite happy with the way it turned out.

I've attached a couple of selected photos of the finished project, and I've got a full build album here: http://imgur.com/a/2XfK7 -- there's a screenshot of the original inspiration in there, too.

Attachment 359235 Attachment 359236 Attachment 359237

Thanks for looking! I learned a lot about the finishing process from this forum.

Very nice work!

Very interesting design! Well executed too. I like it!

Cool design. Very nice job.

Good workmanship! Details about the finish you'd like to share with us?

Thanks, everyone! I appreciate your kind comments. A little more detail on the finish: it is all Waterlox Original. I sanded to 220 grit, and put about 6 coats of varnish on. This is the first time I've used Waterlox so I experimented a little bit. The first two coats were pretty heavy: brushed on with a cheap disposable foam brush. I know the instructions recommend a natural bristle brush to avoid bubbling. I tried one coat with natural bristles, and I didn't get significantly less bubbling, so I went back to foam--easier to "clean up" by just tossing the brush. Between the thick coats, I sanded really gently with a fine-grit pad. Then I switched to the "fast food busboy" technique and just put a few really thin and quick coats on with a lint-free cloth. I didn't want to build up the finish too much, so I stopped at around 6 coats, with a nice glossy surface and a tiny bit of the grain texture still showing through.

My understanding is that the glossy finish will soften up a bit to semi-gloss over time. So far I'm really pleased with Waterlox--it seems very forgiving and easy to work with compared to a poly finish. I'll definitely be using it for future projects, where appropriate!

-Tim

Tim nice coffee table. My sister just asked me for one to go with her other Jens Rison table. I plan to start one soon. Thanks for the link on how you did yours.

Frank

Very well done Tim. Rison has some cool designs and that's one of my favorites, which you did justice to for sure.

Nicely done!

Elegant. Job well done. Thanks for sharing!

Very nice!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Tim Gerla

Thanks, everyone! I appreciate your kind comments. A little more detail on the finish: it is all Waterlox Original. I sanded to 220 grit, and put about 6 coats of varnish on. This is the first time I've used Waterlox so I experimented a little bit. The first two coats were pretty heavy: brushed on with a cheap disposable foam brush. I know the instructions recommend a natural bristle brush to avoid bubbling. I tried one coat with natural bristles, and I didn't get significantly less bubbling, so I went back to foam--easier to "clean up" by just tossing the brush. Between the thick coats, I sanded really gently with a fine-grit pad. Then I switched to the "fast food busboy" technique and just put a few really thin and quick coats on with a lint-free cloth. I didn't want to build up the finish too much, so I stopped at around 6 coats, with a nice glossy surface and a tiny bit of the grain texture still showing through.

My understanding is that the glossy finish will soften up a bit to semi-gloss over time. So far I'm really pleased with Waterlox--it seems very forgiving and easy to work with compared to a poly finish. I'll definitely be using it for future projects, where appropriate!

-Tim

---

Tim — Nice work on the table ... once the Waterlox fully cures (it takes a while) you can always rub out the finish to lower the sheen. This is typically done with 0000 steel wool and wax but there are other techniques as well.