AN ORIENTAL FLAIR
Nice curves, a low profile, and a walnut parquet top enhance this design.

SHOP OWNER: Randy Stukenberg
LOCATION: Byron, IL

    I made this table for a customer who brought me a picture of a table she found on the Internet and wanted hers made in a similar style. Since it was going to sit on an Oriental rug,  the Oriental-like style was what caught her eye. She also wanted the top made, as pictured, to match her kitchen countertops. 

    The inlaid top started out as a rough walnut plank about 8" wide by 10' long, which she supplied. I resawed the plank, planed it to 1/4", and cut it into one-inch squares -- 1104 of them to be exact! The panels are 23" x 24", the table overall is 52" x 28" x 15". I glued the squares to 1/2" MDF with yellow glue. There was no attempt at a pattern, other than alternating the grain in a checkerboard fashion.

    This was my first attempt at cabriole-style legs. It was a bit of a challenge, considering the mitered corners. I made a sled for the table saw and nibbled away the waste. The curve and bevels on the side and end rails were hand planed. I glued and screwed the rails to the legs from the back.

    The finish was one coat of Watco dark walnut Danish Oil, and four or five coats of Bartley's gel varnish thinned 50/50 with turpentine and wiped on.
    While I was gluing on the squares, I thought I would never want to make another top like that again. Talk about tedious work! However, once the finish was on, I started looking for wood to make another one!

. . . Randy Stukenberg

 
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