Nakashima inspired console table help for a SUPER newby

[Jim Becker]

Aslo as for "some sort of tung oil" why not use a tung oil based product like Waterlox

Waterlox does indeed start out with tung oil in it's mixture prior to "cooking"...but there is no "identifiable" tung oil left once the varnish is created. (Same goes for BLO or soya oil based products...) It's more affective of color than anything else. I find that Waterlox has a unique color due to the effects of the tung and the phenolic resins in its formulation. I haven't used it on cherry like the OP has, but have used it on walnut without the usual BLO application. It didn't work for me...more bland for some reason. But that's personal preference.

You'll be hard pressed to tell the difference between tung oil (expensive and long curing time) and BLO (cheap and shorter cure time) when used as a first step under other finishes. (Tung by itself and built up with many applications can be a very nice finish) The first cost of an oil-based varnish will give you some of the benefits of pure oil, but with less penetration and no chance to "improve" the effect once the surface is sealed with the cure of the varnish. That said, there was an article not long ago (I don't recall in what publication) that showed going right to an oil based varnish will still give a very nice shimmer. But with many of us moving to water borne products, that initial application of oil (and often a barrier of de-waxed shellac) brings out a lot of life that might be missed otherwise.

[JD MacLeod]

Okay gents, not sure i'll pass the fine joinery section of class with my assembly (i opted not to go all the way through given how thick the slab is and how strong the legs were just inserted a couple of inches), but it is strong, stable and i didn't have to risk busting up the top that beautiful slab of cherry.

First, as Jim suggested, i created a mock-up with some "'Po" fir. I cut enumerable holes in this to test out different leg configurations that offered both stabilty and a nice aesthetic. Here is a link to our verizon site where i slapped some pics of what i am talking about...

http://mysite.verizon.net/vzesnqkt/

The first pic you have seen, the slab pre-prep work. The second is a shot of my son standing next to the mock-up (this was before i had 10 sets of test holes in the top). The third is post-prep (couple of hours sanding top/bottom and sides to 240).

We finally decided, given the shape of the slab, that the front legs would need to be offset from the back to offer any stability as the odd shape of the slab would not allow for the legs to be layed out as a rectangle (they would have been 8 inches from front to back - little tippy). The fourth and fifth pictures are of the slab with the legs partially inserted in the final configuration.

The last two pictures of of the table with the legs fully inserted and in place in our great room. The flash makes the walls look flourescent almost - it's a considerably darker red than what shows up in the pics.

So, now the trick is going to be getting the top of this sucka to look like fine furniture... unfinished it has quite a rustic look to it. I am hoping finished i can get it to sparkle. I think i am going to follow Jeff Jewitts instructions on padding shellac, seems like i should be able to handle it, and hopefully with a final rub can get the table to a nice gloss finish.

Comments welcome and go ahead an lay into me if you think it looks ridiculous or if there is some inherant problem w/ my assembly.

Thanks again for everything guys.

Jim (JD) MacLeod

[Jim Becker]

I REALLY like what you did with the legs...the offset is really nice on this piece. Great job! And bravo on doing the mock-up first...there is nothing worse than really screwing up a nice piece of cherry with a "misplaced" hole or three!! DAMHIKT!

[Tony Falotico]

JD -- I stand corrected, looking good !!!

[JD MacLeod]

First of all thank you to everyone who helped talk me through this and who offered their opinions on my table. I really appreciate the support of all of the talented people on the Creek.

The table has been done for a week or so now, but the little guy busted our digital camera so had to wait for a new one before i could get these pictures up. I ended up going with BLO and a garnet shellac padded in a quasi french polishing method. I "finished the finish" with the menzerna auto polishes and my random orbital, but really the shellac was pretty darn impressive even with out the polishing.

Thanks again for all the help gents.

Be well,
Jim

PS: If i did this correctly, pics are attached

[Jim Becker]

Outstanding!!

[John Timberlake]

Great job. This is a terrific piece of wood and does not look as top heavy as I would have imagined from the look of the slab. The finish really shows off the cherry grain.

[William Hamilton]

I live very close to the Nakashima compound and have been there many times. The woodworkers there are extremely knowledgeable and don't hesitate to answer questions, which if you think about the number of people out there selling exact copies of Nakashima designs, is pretty cool of them.
As for their finishing process, they use Cabot Tung Oil finish and well as Bartley's Gel Varnish. I had mistakenly thought they still used 100% tung oil but apparently this is no longer the case. On my latest project I used 50% tung oil / 50% mineral spirits for the first coat, and then 100% tung oil for 4 subsequent coats. The thing literally took 3 MONTHS to fully cure. Then I topped it off with Cabot Tung Oil finish, which helped add some protection and shine. I've seen them buffing pieces with a power buffer as well; probably using a final wax coat.

You can actually pick up a few useful tidbits from this video, plus, it's just a cool video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=as6l8...eature=related

[William Hamilton]

I might add I sanded lightly between coats, using 0000 steel wool... it works great.. just don't use steel wool if you're applying a water based finish. Tiny shards of steel + a water based finish = actual rust forming in the grain of your wood. Not good!