Preview #2 - Cedar Slab Table

Last week I showed you the cedar slab after some sanding. I finished the base last night...Steel tubing for legs, ebonized oak for feet and cold rolled steal cross memebers...finished photos before the end of the week!

Ebonized Burr Oak

This one is about 7" in diameter and 6" tall. The center bowl is ebonized with vinegar and steel wool mix and the rest is finished with my home brew danish oil. This is a prototype for a possible big project that hopefully will begin later this fall...

Ebonized Oak w/Copper Wire

I stumbled upon Mike Kaplan's website a few weeks ago, after bookmarking it months ago. These two vases caught my eye and I wanted to give it a go with one of my own.

My version is shown below. I have lots of burr oak around and it takes vinegar/steel wool ebonizing quite nicely. This piece started out as a vase about 6 months ago, but was to long to hollow without a steady rest which I haven't bothered to make yet. A few weeks ago I cut the bottom 1/3 off and started again. It was cracking, but that along with the interior that I left rough adds to it's character making it another rustic or primitive piece as well. A small void was created when a small burl popped out as well. It's about 8" tall and 6" wide at the top with 3 coats of danish oil and buffed. I will be doing more of this style.

Maple Natural Edge

I started turning this piece over a year ago. I screwed a faceplate onto a hunk of maple and started to shape it. I had to abruptly leave the lathe to tend to something else and by the time I came back it had cracked and warped. It took off the faceplate and threw the chunk of wood onto the floor. A few months later while emptying the shop of curlies, I uncovered it again. I threw it back on the lathe and now it was so hard my tools were dulling every 2 minutes. It was a rough form by this time so I decided to experiment with ebonizing maple. It took the vinegar/steel wool concoction well but only to a gray tone, not black. Discouraged I tossed it onto the wood pile once again.

Fast forward about 8 months, regrettably that is how long I waited to clean out the curlies again, I put the maple back on the lathe. This time for some reason it cut like butter and the final shape took form in no time at all. By this time the ebonizing made the voids darker along with making the natural rim look like bark again. It did take a little glue to hold it all together in the end, but I am pleased with the outcome. It is about 12" in diameter and 5" at it highest.

I only wish I had taken pictures throughout the process. Why it didn't end up in the fireplace I will never know, but I'm glad it didn't.

Lesson learn, patience can lead to good outcomes.