Burl slab table

[curtis rosche]

Heres what I have so far on a maple burl slab table. The burl is maple, the 1 inch strips are bacote, the underside is ebonized cherry. The legs are all hand turned.
question and comments welcome, Its not finished yet, but hopfully soon
The legs were just glued when I took the pictures which is the reason for the clamps

[Gordon Eyre]

Very unique.

[Jamie Buxton]

How are you ebonizing the cherry?

[curtis rosche]

Steel and vinegar.

[Kevin Bourque]

Really interesting design technique you've used. Can't wait to see it finished.

[Tom Sontag]

I am a sucker for awesome wood so I am most interested in seeing how this finishes out. At this point it is difficult to see a unifying theme; the natural burls, the sleek strips of bocote, and then the traditional style of the base all makes for a rather confusing design IMO. It even appears that the strips go off on various angles making the whole thing look rather more like a collage than a strong design.

I've seen really powerful pieces of wood like yours work two ways: 1- as the central focal point with minimal competitive elements (ala Nakashima), or 2 - integrated inside an overall design as strong as the wood itself. Yours currently somewhere in the void between.

[curtis rosche]

Tom, the idea of the table was to highlight the burls and the grain with minimal input for the rest of the piece

[Sean Hughto]

I think the legs are great. Very restrained and naturalistic turnings that I think are in harmony with the burls. My only thought generally was that the right angles in the strips joining the burls push against the naturalistic elements of the burls, and I wonder what it might have been like to arrange the strips in some other pattern - like leaf veins or fish bones or something? Just thinking out loud about what I would be inspired to try, with full acknowledgement that you have to follow your own ideas and vision. I commend your innovative approach and look forward to seeing the finished table.

[curtis rosche]

I think the legs are great. Very restrained and naturalistic turnings that I think are in harmony with the burls. My only thought generally was that the right angles in the strips joining the burls push against the naturalistic elements of the burls, and I wonder what it might have been like to arrange the strips in some other pattern - like leaf veins or fish bones or something? Just thinking out loud about what I would be inspired to try, with full acknowledgement that you have to follow your own ideas and vision. I commend your innovative approach and look forward to seeing the finished table.

t doesn't show as well cause of the angle of the picture, but the strips are not square in respect to the lengthwise strip

[Mel Fulks]

The top is really interesting and the legs perfect for it .An imaginative piece of studio furniture channeling its inner farm table.

[curtis rosche]

,,,, and the legs perfect for it

Thanks. I was trying to do simple but not too plain

[Gus Dundon]

What a gorgeous wood slab! You did a terrific job on the table! Looking forward for updates.

[Prashun Patel]

I very much appreciate this table. It's unconventional, and art and artists don't move forward without pushing boundaries.

In the spirit of constructive honesty, I find the veins interrupt the flow of the burl. The burl's trying to be organic and round, and the spines feel cacophonous to me.

I'm also looking for a way to incorporate turned elements into organic slab work. The problem is that turned legs with any adornment feel formal. That formality seems a little at odds with the top.

A burl like this is so darn bold and statement-making, almost anything that you put around/under/through it feels like it's competing.

I think the wood is gorgeous, and the craftsmanship is right on. In fact, I like it as a conversation piece precisely for all the reasons above. It makes me think.

Looking forward to the next one too.

[curtis rosche]

Prashun,
I like that critique, but I'm curious, how would you have done it? I'm curious how other would have made it. Rules are though that you any change the burl peices shape.

I did the spines to seperate the slabs and add stability to it. The original plan was to cut panels out of the burls but it was a crime to waste that much wood to make squares.
I totally understand what you mean about the legs.

[Sean Hughto]

Prashun,
I like that critique, but I'm curious, how would you have done it? I'm curious how other would have made it. Rules are though that you any change the burl peices shape.

I'll play, if that's okay. I would build a lattice from a strong wood - beech or maple or oak - about half the thickness of the burls. I would then trace the lattice on the bottom sides of the burls and route out the lattice lines so that it could be let in to to the burls. If the burl to burl seams on the top side did not satisfy me, I would have considered inlaying an abstract but naturalistic set of shapes and lines in contrasting wood - not just following the seams or even trying to cover all of them - just lots of curves and variety as if I were painting in the branches of a tree and the burls were the foilage.