A local tree harvester saved a nice round of Norwegian maple from the chipper and we had it slabbed for a future table and bench. The wain with the bark was wide enough to sand out and turn into an interesting table.
There were some band saw marks that needed to be ground and the piece included metal that someone hammered in long ago.
Next the sand with the grain to highlight the wavy quilting. The result is a surface with subtle ripples and quite smooth. We didn’t want this piece perfectly flat , only that it caught all the available light.
The legs are hazelnut, two with the bark polished to a natural bronze and one that had lost it’s bark but had an ideal curve. They’re inset and doweled, then glued into a tripod design that’s quite stable. The surface finished in poly so it’s durable and sits just shy of 28 inches (71 cm) which makes it a decent desk height.
The result is a space to compose or read–on a surface made by someone wonderful, nature. The maple grain is truly inspiring and the live edge creates a new environment anywhere you sit.
Approximately 28″ tall, 42″ long and 20″ at its widest.#137-BL-06-13
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- We start by tracing the grain with an orbital sander to expose the art inside.
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- Sometimes we leave a few band saw marks, but this piece was sanded smooth.
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- Using a finishing sander to
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- Sanding the poly finish builds up on the paper. Clean with brush or compressor before it scratches the finish.
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- The surface is smooth enough for finishing. We use compressed air and dust fans, then a wipe down with a tack cloth,
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- The second layer of poly is applied and the shimmer is really beginning to show.
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- A close up of the maple cell structure. Working wth maple is sort of mesmorizing, like you’re looking at stars and galaxies
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- Another section of the writing desk.
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- More interwoven grain called quilting
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- Beautiful tones of maple bark are polished on the underside.
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- Maple is an exciting wood to examine in detail.
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- We tried it out in a nook.