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Thread: Tavern Table Project

  1. #1
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    Tavern Table Project

    So, I’m starting on a tavern table project, and thought I’d start a thread about for those that might like to follow along or maybe even are interested in building a similar table.

    For generations, painters have copied past masterworks as an exercise to gain insights into the master’s techniques. While looking alone can tell you some things you might use in your own paintings, actually trying to copy a work teaches a different set of things about process and how to achieve certain effects, for example. See http://www.geraldking.com/Copying.htm

    I have so little time for woodworking that I mostly like to follow my own nose and make my own visions rather than reproduce anything. I have made a good number of projects that are based on a well-established form – a Windsor stool, a Shaker cabinet, or whatever. But I’ve never sought to closely copy a particular piece.

    So this tavern table project is a first for me. I want to reproduce this circa 1720 example as closely as possible. It hits on all cylinders for me – I’d like to own the original, but as I never will, the next best thing is to try to make one for myself that hopefully will successfully hit the key notes that make it appealing to me. I like the turnings. I like all the proportions. I like the splay in both directions. I like the distressed paint bottom and aged maple top.

    Also, as I alluded to when I started, I have no doubt that in endeavoring to reproduce this masterwork, I will learn a lot of very valuable lessons. I’ve only just begun, but so far I’m a happy apprentice sitting at the knee of an 18th Century guru taking notes and nodding appreciatively.



    So this table (Fine Point of Furniture – Good, Better, Best at page 257) is just shy of 25 inches tall. The oval top is around 20” x 30”.

    I began by trying to turn the legs. Working from some basic overall measurements and a single small photo is a real challenge. You can see the basic elements of the legs pretty well in the photo, but the transitions and details are tough to judge with certainty – at least for me. And how big a blank, and how big each element, and so forth. So get ready to waste a few sticks trying to figure it out.

    After trying a few other sizes, I decided one and three-quarter inch sticks was the right size to my eye. And after trying some different transitions, details, and spacing, I came up with a version that satisfied me. Then to make 3 more that roughly match! One has to decide how tight-a$$ed you want to be about the perfection of matches. I think one of the things I like about the original is that the turnings are similar, but not perfect like a machine (compare the bulbs of the long vases, for example). So I wanted to strike that balance Richard Raffan described as perfect enough to not look amateurish, but imperfect enough to have some soul and the life that comes from hand work. I didn’t use any calipers, just trusted myeye. Marking the ends and the thinnest spot/transitions with a pencil was enough of a guide to arrive at these.







    So these are far from perfect in being perfect duplicates,but I’m satisfied. This weekend I hope to do some mortises and tackle the apron and stretchers on the splay. Thanks for reading, And I’m glad to answer any questions. More to come.
    Last edited by Sean Hughto; 01-23-2014 at 4:47 PM.

  2. #2
    I have always liked that form. The old ones I've seen are not sanded and the turnings can be a little bumpy and wavy which is nice in candle light . You might also want to make a pair of "joint stools", very much like the table .They were often used to support coffins ,and with a board across them they make a nice temporary serving board. Looking forward to seeing the completed project.

  3. #3
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    Neat! And...what whilst thou be drinking at ye ole tavern table? A pint of meed for thou good sir?
    Woodworking is terrific for keeping in shape, but it's also a deadly serious killing system...

  4. #4
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    I found that with a skew and using my left hand to support the stick, I could get pretty smooth surfaces. Trouble was, I could also get a catch now that then that ruined a couple sticks (usually near completion!). So I used a skew where catches were not a big risk and a gouge where I wanted to be safer. The gouge invariably chattered on some parts, and I sanded a bit to get back to the pristine skew-like surface. Maybe on my next one I'll see what I can I do right off the blade with no sandpaper, but this time I was running out of 8/4 maple!
    Last edited by Sean Hughto; 01-23-2014 at 4:03 PM.

  5. #5
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    Craft beers - local if possible - Slainte!

  6. #6
    Watching this with quite a bit of interest! I love that form and I'm interested to see how you handle the tenons. Also, I just ordered the book you referenced. This place is great at growing my library and shrinking my bank account...

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sean Hughto View Post
    Craft beers - local if possible - Slainte!
    In that case may I recommended the Flying Dog Horn Dog Barley Wine, brewed in Frederick MD!

    Okay, done being goofy (though it is good stuff). I do like form an awful lot. Makes me pissed that I don't have a lathe still. Are you going to put a finished on it that makes it looked aged or are you going to make it look new?
    Woodworking is terrific for keeping in shape, but it's also a deadly serious killing system...

  8. #8
    Some of those tables show catches left and just turned to the inside, same thing with windsor chairs. I'm sure you will end up with good result ....even without period defects.

  9. #9
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    There's too many flying things in craft beer - Flying fish - Flying dog - Dog Fish head - etc. Makes my head spin. Lately I've been liking Bells (MI), Stone (CA), Bear Republic (CA), and Brooklyn (NY). The Port City stuff here in Alexandria is great too.

    I plan to use milk paint - sand it back and not worry if the wood shows through here and there - and then BLO. The top may get some dye to pumpkin it up and some varnish - we'll see.
    Last edited by Sean Hughto; 01-23-2014 at 4:28 PM.

  10. #10
    Very nice crisp turning, Sean.

    Like Chris, I am lathe handicapped (though just with a midi lathe instead of none at all). Love the skew, but have the same problems (just like everyone else) sometimes.

  11. #11
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    Yeah, I had some catches that would have been easy to hide that way, but I guess I'm a bit too OCD. The rectangle to cylinder curve can be tough cause you are cutting so much air and can't ride the bevel. I finally figured out how to make the stroke with less risk by presenting the middle of the wide skew and coming around as the minute you present the lower corner and it hops the gap, you risk a catch! It is amazing how much faster you get with repetition. First few were plodding, but by the end, I could knock out the pattern pretty quick. No doubt the original turner could make a leg every 5 minutes~!

  12. #12
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    Sean,

    I love the table. Beautiful job with the turned the legs – I especially like the subtle profiles/shadow lines – very neat and appealing to the eye!

    Thanks for posting the pictures I will follow with interest. My current project requires some turning, which I've never done, so your comments and cautions about "catching" are very helpful. The whole lathething seems pretty scary to me but I guess I have to give it a shot.

    Thanks again Sean for sharing.

    All the best, Mike

  13. #13
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    Thanks for the interest and comments, Mike.

    Before I got a lathe, I was pretty intimidated by the idea of turning and especially the prospect of catches. Turned out to not be that bad at all. If you have some experience in applying blades to wood - chisels, drawknives, spokeshaves, carving tools, etc., you already have a useful understanding of how to present the turning tools to the stock. After learning the basics of each tool, it's then just practice. And catches on spindles are frustrating becuase they can ruin a piece, but they don't tend to be too scary or dangerous (wear a face shield or at least safety glasses, of course). Now with bowls or other big hunks, you can have some scary catches or broken pieces fly at you, so that requires more protect care and practice, but spindles are pretty friendly. Best, lathes are a blast ... totally fun ... and addictive too! By the way, I don't consider myself an expert turner by any stretch. I can successfully make stuff and have a few years of experience under my belt, but I wouldn't presume to teach a class or anything!

    I'm probably better at bowls than spindles right now:



  14. #14
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    Thanks for taking the time to post your project, Sean.

    I like the table and I'm interested is seeing the build progress. I've never built a table of this style and have no turning experience, so it's all new to me.

    I like yor reasoning for making a copy. I've often been reluctant to attempt a copy or even work directly from published plans. It always felt somehow unauthentic or as if I were painting by numbers. In hindsight, that thinking might be a little arrogant. If I admire a particular piece, understanding in detail how it was built and why certian things were done seems like valueble experience.
    -- Dan Rode

    "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit." - Aristotle

  15. #15
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    I think those legs came out splendidly. Thanks for posting your project.
    "A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".


    – Samuel Butler

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