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Table in progress

Unknown
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
New egg owner, tired of stooping over to work on my earth-bound egg so I started building a table. It's mostly done, just need to apply finish to the underside.[p]I took some of the great ideas and pictures I've seen posted and came up with my own improvised table design :)[p]The framework is painted cedar and the tabletop material is Ipe wood. I don't like exposed fasteners, so I countersunk and plugged all the framework holes, and used high-strength construction adhesive (glue!) to attach the Ipe to the frame. The cross-rails are dadoed into the legs so the screws aren't bearing all the weight.[p]Thanks everyone for sharing their food and carpentry ideas![p]t1.jpg
t2.jpg
t3.jpg
t4.jpg

Comments

  • Pharmeggist
    Pharmeggist Posts: 1,191
    NJKel,
    Killer table! WOW!!!!

  • Spring Chicken
    Spring Chicken Posts: 10,255
    NJKel,
    Very nice. You do good work. I'm betting you cook well too.[p]Spring "One AM Forum Check. Still There" Chicken
    Spring Texas USA

  • NJKel,
    Damn! That is one fine looking table!
    By any chance are you a finish carpenter or cabinet maker? That is beautiful![p]What is Ipe wood? looks kind of like mahogany or cherry.[p]Just a reminder, if you're thinking of moving this table at all once the Egg is in it, you better put some wheels on it. For occasional moving, 2 wheels at the heavy (Egg) end, for regular moving (4) wheels.[p]Great Job!

  • Smokey
    Smokey Posts: 2,468
    NJKel,[p]That is VERY nice (yeah, just some old weekend project).[p]I really like the two-toned effect. I also am not familiar with Ipe wood. what finish is on it (almost looks to good put outside![p]Smokey
  • NJKel,[p]Very nice! I like the detail and the finish. [p]I'd like to hear a bit more about the Ipe. Is it a hardwood like cherry or mahogany? Did you stain it or is that the natural color? what is the availability?[p]Thanks from a fellow woodworker.[p]Electric Don
  • NJKel,[p]Wow. That looks incredible. Very finished-looking.[p]Also like the detail on the mitred corners.[p]A+!
  • Haggis
    Haggis Posts: 998
    Flashback Bob,[p]Ipe is a Brazilian hardwood that is exceptionally hard and dense, and, as you can see, finishes nicely. You can Google it for more info and sources - its used a fair amount for upscale decks and floors in really fancy houses. Unfortunately its also hard to work with - you have to predrill screws, it can splinter along cuts, etc. [p]NJKel said he glued the top to the frame. I'd like to hear the long-term success of that - Ipe has a lot of oil and I wonder how well the glue will adhere. Probably longer than any of us will live but its still of interest.
  • Clay Q
    Clay Q Posts: 4,486
    NJKel,
    Very nice work. I like the color contrast of paint next to ipe. Slick.
    Clay

  • Cello Guy
    Cello Guy Posts: 5
    NJKel,
    Great looking table. Bet it is heavy even before the egg is in. A friend of mine has an IPE deck and I handled some of the wood, VERY HEAVY[p]Again, looks great!!
    Cello

  • Golfnut
    Golfnut Posts: 144
    CelloGuy,
    Talk about heavy! I hope the screws I used to make my table are strong.
    IMG_1190.jpg

  • duckegg
    duckegg Posts: 267
    Pharmeggist,
    Nice table, really clean, great work. [p]I am struggleing with mine. There must be some trick to miters that I don't know.[p]

  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 25,880
    NJKel,
    B E A U T I F U L !!!

    Re-gasketing America one yard at a time.
  • Thanks, Clay - The paint was partly a lazy choice too because I'm hoping the painted finish will be more durable and less maintenance than stained wood. I already have some wood patio furniture and a long wooden fence that require regular maintenance to maintain their appearance :
  • Hi Don,[p]This is my first Ipe project. Ipe is relatively new to the US market. It's a very dense tropical wood, similar to Teak or Mahogany. It's significantly cheaper than teak, and its most common application is high-end decks.[p]It's very hard and dense, as I'd mentioned. It also is very resistant to burning and stands up well to weather because it has a lot of oils. I'm hopeful that all of those qualities will mean that the table will weather well and not get gouged up.[p]I wanted to stay away from exposed fasteners, so my options were to screw from underneath, or to screw from above and plug the holes. The plugs were going to take a really long time and fellow at the lumber yard was telling me how he had used construction adhesive to glue down his decking boards a few years ago and it was holding very well. So far, so good - the glue feels rock solid.[p]It's pretty hard to work with, as some of the others mentioned. You need sharp blades and those blades and bits wear out quickly when cutting it. It'll give you one heck of a splinter too. I got a 1/2 inch shallow splinter in my finger while sanding. It was like a needle.[p]The finish is Cabot's australian timber oil. I've heard mixed things about its longevity on Ipe, but I will be keeping this under a cover when not in use. I did a VERY light rub of acetone after sanding to open the pores of the wood and to emulsify the oils near the surface of the wood so it would absorb some more stain. [p]Thanks again for the compliments, I'm glad to contribute some information back to the forum ;)
  • One trick to getting reasonably tight miters is to make sure that your lumber is straight. Most lumber intended for this kind of use is about as straight as a dog's leg. A board with a twist or bow will be really hard to get a tight joint.[p]I hand-picked the straightest boards I could find in the rack because I knew it would save me time and frustration later.[p]Then I used some pipe clamps to hold the 4 sides together and checked their square. Its very handy to have an pneumatic nailer to tack your frame before you drill and screw. If I were smarter, I would have squirted some construction adhesive in the joint when I assembled it. This would be more important with pine, cedar stays pretty stable.[p]I think even a basic miter saw or a miter box with a nice hand saw would work well for the actual cuts.
  • Flashback Bob,[p]I think I will just put the table in place and not move it - ever ;)[p]Thanks very much for the compliments. I don't do professional woodwork, but do enjoy woodworking when something around the house requires it.[p]My grandfather and uncle taught me to do careful work.[p]My wife said I'll be sleeping outside if I spent another day working on the table.[p]The outcome of those influences was pictures of a decent looking table, finished at 11:30 at night ;)
  • duckegg
    duckegg Posts: 267
    NJKel,
    Thanks for the tip. I started out using this cheap picture framing miter box and it kept slipping so I went to the ol' table saw and it seamed to do pretty good job on the 3/4 x 3/4 oak that I used to trim the 3/4" birch plywood that I used for the top. Certainly not perfect, for a flunky carpenter I was fairly pleased and glad that I didn't cop-out and just do a but joint.
    If I get anything done on it today I will post a pic tomorrow.

  • Hi duckegg,
    If your pieces aren't that large, Lowe's sells a clamp made by Bessey that costs about $8 and will clamp two pieces together at a 90 degree angle. It might help too. Would love to see pics - That's some nice lumber, shouldn't have many straightness problems.

  • I have been considering an Ipe table myself.

    I have done a good deal of work with Ipe and I would like to note a potential problem here though; the oils in the Ipe may cause the construction adhesive to release over time.

    Another concern with Ipe is that stainless steel fasteners should be used or the wood will discolor around the fasteners. Also, stainless steel is very soft and it is very easy to break off screws as you are driving them, so use caution here as well.