Hi guys, I hope you had a nice summer. I don’t know about you but I’m happy to get back on schedule.
This summer I took a little bit of a break. I continued to work on projects and take care of obligations but made sure to spend time with my daughter Olivia. Olivia is a teenager but still likes to spend time with her dad. When you get to be my age you know that that won’t last forever. We had some good times visiting my Mom and my brother Will and his family down at the Jersey shore. Early mornings at the beach on the Jersey shore are hard to beat and exploring the Barnegat bay with the kids and my brother’s dog Stanley was time well spent.
I had to replace the table top on the outdoor table I made for my Mom back in 2018.
This time I used Sapele and joined the boards with Thixo Epoxy and Dominos. Instead of a penetrating Teak oil finish that I had been using, it went with Total Boat Gleam Spar Varian. The thing you need to know about this varnish is… If you want a satin finish you still need to apply a gloss finish for the first four coats. That seemed a little counterintuitive to me so I made sure to mention it in the project videos and thought I’d mention it here again. We’ve been using a cotton tablecloth on the table and so far so good. The big problem is the sun. The deck has a southern exposure so the table top is exposed to direct sunlight throughout the day. I think the combination of the cotton tablecloth and the spar varnish finish will make a difference… I’ll make sure to check back in the spring and keep you posted.
I started working on something new this summer that I’m really excited about. A few years back I made a cube and veneered it with aluminum flashing. Well fast forward a few years and it didn’t quite work out. The aluminum began to Delaminate at one of the corners. I was able to remove the aluminum by heating it up with a clothes iron. After removing the aluminum I laminated plexiglass to the surface with a floral motif. I still have a few issues that I need to work out with the process but I think it looks pretty good and it inspired me to make serving trays using the same process. I consider the serving trays functional artwork and they’re designed to hang on a French cleat system. I’m making them all the same size so they can be hung as a diptych or in a grid.
The Japanese inspired square coffee table is made of genuine mahogany and it’s a little lower than your standard coffee table, only 15 inches high. Originally I planned to make it 17 inches high which is more standard but my wife Laurel said she wanted it 15 inches and as usual she was right. The boards for this project were sent to me by the https://www.woodworkerssource.com/ and I’m definitely giving them credit for inspiring the project. As usual in midsummer it can be difficult to get motivated. The boards arrived in two 6′ foot long boxes, one containing 4/4 boards and the other containing 8/4 quarter.
When the boards arrived at the front door I bought them out to the shop and started designing. I never would’ve thought about ordering lumber online but this is the second project I’ve built with wood sent to me and it’s that’s pretty cool.
It was nice catching up with everyone and I hope you enjoyed this little more personal newsletter. I’m planning to post one every two or three weeks going forward so I’ll see you again soon.
Be good, Jon
Check Out the Japanese Coffee Table DIY Video or grab the Japanese Coffee Table Design Plans for your next project!
