cherry tree early 1990's
basement shop 2009
finished table (chairs crafted by skilled Amish hands)
Climbing practice, third base, clothes line post, target practice, kite stealer, leg almost breaker... and now dining table.
A few years back a cherry tree that we grew up with had to be taken down in my father's yard due to insect damage. Rather than chop it up for firewood, or pay the city to turn it into mulch, he had it milled over at Metro-Hardwoods in Cleveland Ohio in hopes it could/would eventually be used. Fortunately I grew up with a wood shop and was able to use his power tools to plane and dimension the seasoned lumber for the table top, apron and legs. Final jointing, leveling, fitting, and gluing were done in my basement shop with a collection of hand tools I've inherited. Oh and a new cabinet scraper, I don't know why I have gone so long without this, forget burning your thumbs with card scrapers on flat surfaces.
I could not decide on a finish for a longest time and eventually went with General Finishes High Performance Polyurethane EF because it has two UV stabilizers, one to keep the finish from breaking down and another to keep the wood from darkening too much. Also appealing was the 'EF', which stands for environmentally friendly because it is a water base and has low VOC. It is a little more difficult to apply but I finally found a finish I could apply in the basement without fuming my wife out of the house.
After too many coats of finish and a stressful session of wet sanding it seems to be ready to enjoy. Hopefully for generations to come.
finished table (chairs crafted by skilled Amish hands)Climbing practice, third base, clothes line post, target practice, kite stealer, leg almost breaker... and now dining table.
A few years back a cherry tree that we grew up with had to be taken down in my father's yard due to insect damage. Rather than chop it up for firewood, or pay the city to turn it into mulch, he had it milled over at Metro-Hardwoods in Cleveland Ohio in hopes it could/would eventually be used. Fortunately I grew up with a wood shop and was able to use his power tools to plane and dimension the seasoned lumber for the table top, apron and legs. Final jointing, leveling, fitting, and gluing were done in my basement shop with a collection of hand tools I've inherited. Oh and a new cabinet scraper, I don't know why I have gone so long without this, forget burning your thumbs with card scrapers on flat surfaces.
I could not decide on a finish for a longest time and eventually went with General Finishes High Performance Polyurethane EF because it has two UV stabilizers, one to keep the finish from breaking down and another to keep the wood from darkening too much. Also appealing was the 'EF', which stands for environmentally friendly because it is a water base and has low VOC. It is a little more difficult to apply but I finally found a finish I could apply in the basement without fuming my wife out of the house.
After too many coats of finish and a stressful session of wet sanding it seems to be ready to enjoy. Hopefully for generations to come.
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2 comments:
Michael, you never cease to amaze me...that table is beautiful!
Das ist wunderbar! Great work. Sanding is a tough job but comes with a big reward.
Cheers,
Sustaino
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