Totally neanderthal shaker table

[Geoff Irvine]

Made this version of shaker table out of some Australian timbers I managed to scrounge when I was there 6 months ago. It is mainly 'northern silky oak' (Cardwelii sublimis) which I think you classify as lacewood, the draw sides and base are out of 'Caloon/Brown Quandong' (Elaeocarpus ruminatas or E. coorangooloo) and the insert on top is of 'Australian red cedar' (Toona ciliata).
The legs started off as a door frame. All the work from the rough has been by hand. A few variations I made was to have only an 1/8" shoulder on the aprons , have secret haunched tenons with mitred ends and to have the front rails wider so as to lap the dovetail and tenons. I have a planed finish on all the timber - needed to put a 45dgree microbevel on the low angle jack due to tearout on the medullary rays. Finish is danish oil. This one is really the prototype and I am making a second one and so this time I will take photos as I go ( am I a numbnut or what???) and will post them.

[Bruce Page]

Geoff, Beautiful table, those dovetails are reall cool!!

The pic's are a bit small tho..

[Javier Gonzalez]

Gorgeous prototype, can't wait to see the 2nd one with detailed pics.

[Alan Turner]

Nice work. Lacewood is not that easy to wrk without electons. I like your dovetails.

[Steve Schoene]

Looks handsome, very nice.

Question, how are you dealing with the wood movement issues of the framed insert.?

[Dan Forman]

Excellent handwork! I love shaker tables.

Dan

[Keel McDonald]

I love the dovetails. And Shaker style furniture is one of my favorites. Great job.

[Geoff Irvine]

Looks handsome, very nice.

Question, how are you dealing with the wood movement issues of the framed insert.?

The top is really an outer frame joined at the mitres with a spline in a groove I routed with my stanley 45. The infill panel is held in place with a spline on all four sides. Only one of the panels long grain sides is glued the other sides are unglued. I have left a very small gap (<1/64") on the other long grain side. This timber has been stacked for 30years and I let it sit stacked in the environment where it will end up for 6 months before making this piece so hopefully there shouldn't be too much movement but I'll have to 'take a punt' on that. Live and learn heh? By the way this wood has been a real cow to use - I hope you guys realise that your woods are so bloody easy to work. Easy way to blunt your blades in 1 minute... go and work some english oak or teak... aghhh
PS by the way I know that form of dovetail as 'hounds tooth' so this would be a 'lapped hounds tooth'.

[Jim Becker]

Outstanding table, Geoff!

[Brett Baldwin]

That is a great table. It is so deceptively simple looking but the joinery and fit is masterfully done. My eye went directly to the stepped dovetails. Those are really sharp.

[tod evans]

geoff, very nice table! i too echo lous concern about movement in the top, cedar is pretty stable though. in my opinion there is nothing even close to well executed hand work.once again nice work, tod

[Dan Moening]

Really fine work, Geoff!

Half blind, houndstooth dovetails. Oh my.

Caloon Quandong certainly sounds better than oak, doesn't it?