photos above show the marking, routing and hand fitting inlay process
3/9/08 ... Close up of the top with the completed edge inlay, ready for final stain on the mahogany.
In this picture, the pieces have been firstcoated with stain and the inlays have been masked off in preparation for the final color on the mahogany. You can see the finish sample of the final color in the foreground and the black apron details nested within the leaves. the other black column details and moldings are in thefar background. All of a sudden it dawns on me that there are A LOT of pieces in this table.
Inlaying the edge detail.
Showing the length of each piece of edge inlay.
2/27/08 We're now working on the burl center inlay for the main table and for the leaves. The small half circles we can glue to the table with clamps , but the leaves will go in a vacuum bag press so the the larger area (11 x 18) can be clamped with more consistent pressure.
Fitting up the pie shaped pieces of the center inlay.
Clamping the fitted inlay to the table.
Fitting up the inlay for the leaves 2/27
The table as it is today 2/22 with a photoshopped on apron and painted molding detail
My son Will, rough bending the inlay pieces for the circlular ebony inlays with a shop made 'hot pipe'. He could, with just the hot pipe and careful control of the heat, bend the kiln dried ebony, or most any other thin wood, into a radius slightly larger than the pipe itself. We learned this technique from the guitar makers catalog, how to books, and a little experimenting. The .35" burl line is cut, not bent.
A close up of the inlay process. This is actually the third step, as each layer is glued in, one piece at a time, using the nails to temporarily force the pieces into place until the glue dries. The blocks for the edge inlay are in the backgroound.
End view of the whole table with the triple outer inlay border (ebony/burl/ebony) set.
9/25 .. all done now
9/10/11 ... we're moving along on the table we're making from the model above. i posted that picutre, i think, in one i wrote back in june sometime. great concept; exceptionally stable for a small base/big top table. the 3" hollow steel tubing has a nice weight to it, and the 30 x 30 footprint under a 60" diameter top allows plenty of room for chairs and knees.
sam did a great job mitering and welding the pieces. he did have a nice jig that trevor made for him on the cnc, but i can't find the photo of it. it was a simple piece of mdf with a 'u' shape the size of the base routed into it. it made mitering, fitting and welding the pieces of tubing a piece of cake.
add the 'aprons'
and the top plate ...
and the moin equalizing slides ...
i think the model is 1.5" = 1' or 1/8 scale
these runners actually opened further than we needed them to ..
with the leaves in (96" long)
closed, and ready for the black conversion varnish that will go on the top. sam still needs to roll and polish a piece of 1/4" x 2" steel that will be attached over the 1.75" wood apron currently seen under the top and it will be ready to go. fun new concept. gold star to my client for her design input ...
