Walnut Slab Coffee Table - Finally done after 2+ years!

[Patrick Irish]

I'm actually glad it took me 2+ years to get this table done. I bought a few things from an online auction March 2015 and went to go pick my stuff up. Pretty disorganized auction company and releasing items one. I was loading my stuff. Other buyer there bought nearly all the wood. As he was loading his truck I saw this walnut slab against the wall. About 53"x20"x3". I asked the girl who was signing us off. She checked her binder and said no one bought and asked if I wanted it Um......YES! Got it for free! The wood buyer came in just as I was came back loading it in my car and said it was easily a $400 slab and we would have had a bidding war if he was in the room.

I had to make a router sled to flatten it. First time doing that. I got a girl friend and engaged during the whole process which put working on it off. Family projects and cutting boards and me finding an old unisaw and other tools happened during the build. I'm glad it took so long because I learned to better make mortise and tenons along the way. Also did my first bow tie inlay, epoxy crack fill, and waterlox finish. I would like some day to 400 grit sand it and add a couple more coats of waterlox. I did 6 I think. First foam brushed, 400 grit, then wiped on a coat every 24 hours for about a week. Let it set another week and brought it in. It looks great but in some areas, the grain took more waterlox than others.

Made a lot of mistakes too like not adjusting the height of my blade for a tenon cut, running the piece through only to watch to the tenon fall off cuz the dado blade was too high. That was a $30 mistake. I guess I can't assume it would come out 100% perfect my first time doing mortise and tenon real furniture building.

[William Fretwell]

The table makes a modern statement. Lovely grain to enoy. A few things I notice, the corners may cause some grief over the years. I may have refined the ends and kept the long edges live. Rounding on the ends would also increase the tie in with the rounding on the legs.
One little thing, the support for the shelf could have been heavily chamfered to make it almost invisible and the shelf float. This would give you an 'invisible' through tenon look to match the other shelf end.
Just my thoughts...........

[Jim Becker]

Truly beautiful!

[Tom Sontag]

It's a nice slab and you did it justice.

Just FYI I sell slabs like that for $100-150 or so. A good get, but hardly $400 good here in walnut country.

[Jon Grider]

Nice slab, good job with the Waterlox.

[Steve Jenkins]

Really nice lookin table. I'd guess you're a scuba diver?

[Patrick Irish]

Really nice lookin table. I'd guess you're a scuba diver?

Had me thinking, scuba diver, huh? But the lead weight, I got from the same auction. I cast my own bullets for pistol and rifle and melt it down actually. Another fun and time consuming hobby.

[Steve Jenkins]

Had me thinking, scuba diver, huh? But the lead weight, I got from the same auction. I cast my own bullets for pistol and rifle and melt it down actually. Another fun and time consuming hobby.

I used to cast my own weights from tire weights. Years ago could get them free from tire shops ,last time it cost me 10 cents a lb.

[Patrick Irish]

I used to cast my own weights from tire weights. Years ago could get them free from tire shops ,last time it cost me 10 cents a lb.

Bout 6 years ago California passed law that banned lead wheel weights. They're all zinc now so that source of cheap lead is drying up fast. I got into it cuz the laws here in Cali are nuts. Starting Jan 2018, all ammo purchases need a license and a fee and is logged. Also, no buying ammo online anymore. So I case for all but 2 calibers i shoot.

[Rob Luter]

Nice. I have a big live edge slab like that in my stash. Maybe a table......

[Lee Schierer]

It looks really nice, what does it weigh? My kids are always telling me how heavy furniture I make for them is.