My home-made egg table - pecky cypress

psalzer

That is some beautiful wood, and great craftsmanship ... !!!!!

Rekx

your manbearcave is incredible.

Blarneystone

Beautiful table and an inspiration to us who are the "do it yourself types." I just bought my first bge Sunday and went with the standard nest due to space limitations on my deck. But if I ever expand, I intend on building my own wooden table. Your's looks like the perfect guide to use in that project.

Good job!

nolaegghead

Thanks! 

I was thinking a shortcut to putting together a table similar to the design I used would be to pick up a heavy duty dining or kitchen table, cut down the height and add the bottom shelf to support the egg, cut a hole in the top and slap some spar varnish on it.

Maybe start with something similar to this: http://www.worldmarket.com/product/index.jsp?productId=12440708

RajunCajun

Very nice table indeed.  I have been trying to figure out how I am going to cut the hole...and one of your photos explained that for me.  Mine will be more of a cabinet style with drawers and a door for storing my lump.  What type of flashlight is that you have?  I like that idea.

Thanks,

Rajuncajun.................Geaux Saints

XLBalco

nice work!  i like the table!

michigan_jason

Total envy for that shop/cave. I have a humidor that could be the same as yours, also like the outdoor camera setup if that it what I am seeing. I have a 16 channel setup on my home, only 8 cameras right now, but all infrared and weatherproof.

nolaegghead

Thanks!   I love my manbearcave...  I have a 3 camera wireless in the shop, and a 4 camera hardwired in the house. 

Flashlight - I'm a flashaholic, have lots of flashlights.  My advice - never buy a flashlight with more than one LED.  I buy lights that only run on 18650 Lithium ion batteries - laptop batteries.  Same battery they use in the Tesla. 

Great place to buy flashlights - dealextreme.com and http://www.fenix-store.com/

Get an 18650 charger. 

I bought microphone goosnecks from Amazon to hold the lights on tools, egg table, etc.

The light on my egg table was from deal extreme, and I think cost about $14.  About 180 lumen.  Generic chinese, but with a Cree LED.

Rubmyrock

Looks awesome!!!

RajunCajun

What did you use as a finish...it looks beautiful?

smokesniffer

VERY NICE table, it really stand out. Good Job

nolaegghead

What did you use as a finish...it looks beautiful?

Soaked the top with West Marine epoxy, sanded it, then gave everything a few coats of Helmsman satin spar polyurethane.  Wipes clean just like a granite top.  The epoxy makes the surface extremely hard - it soaks into the wood.  Cypress is a soft wood, like cedar.  Normally I like the "distress" normal wear gives cypress...but for the sake of a work surface in a hostile environment, I pulled out all the stops.

I used polyester resin to fill in the pecky cavities...also, some with epoxy.

RajunCajun

Thanks.  What type of epoxy did you use?  Not familiar with the West Marine epoxys.  Did you use epoxy on the whole thing or just the top?  Did you spray or brush?

nolaegghead

Actually, I referred to it as West Marine, 'cause that's what everyone is familiar with.  Same chemistry, but I used Aeromarine epoxy:

http://www.amazon.com/AeroMarine-300-Epoxy-Resin-Gallon/dp/B0047R2C9Y/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1341895780&sr=8-2&keywords=marine+epoxy

It has the viscosity of light vegetable oil.  I brushed it on.  Just did the top, since it's the "wear" surface.  I was going to apply to everything, but that would have taken a few more days.  Mixed 2:1 resin/hardener and painted it on with a brush.  Saturate the wood.  Also, I used the same stuff with some micro bubbles as the glue for all the floating tenon joints.  Super, super strong, much harder than the wood, and surpasses all white wood glues.

Anyway, after it hardens, then next day I sand it down using a DA sander (Festool RO 150).  Then applied the spar varnish.

The top is about as hard as rock maple.  It wipes clean like granite.  Should last a lifetime as long as I keep it covered.  It can handle being wet, it's really the UV radiation that would eventually degrade the spar varnish, and then the epoxy would yellow.  Same chemistry that's used on wood boats, kayaks, etc.

Solson005

Great looking table! I like the microphone goosenecks, might be a good option to mount on my pergola... :-?

GBC

nolaegghead said:

You can see a couple of the flashlight/goosneck apparatuses in this pic of my manbearcave.

 

Nolaegghead, I am envious of your manbearcave!

nolaegghead

@GBC - thanks man!   Might be fun to start a "show us your mancave" thread one of these days.  Mine will be sure to induce epileptic attacks.

stranny00

What are the dimensions of the top? Is it glued 2x6 or 2x8?

Spaightlabs

I'm gonna go home and throw rocks at my table.

cazzy

Spaightlabs said:

I'm gonna go home and throw rocks at my table.

Don't do that, you might hit your egg!

JaredMD

Gorgeous table, and an awesome manbearcave!  I really love the use of reclaimed wood, it gives such a unique look to the table..

Mattman3969

How's the table holding up?

Spring Hen

You never cease to amaze me with your skills.....beautiful.

nolaegghead

Still looks great, haven't had to refinish....

NC_Egghead

Your table looks great. The Pecky Cypress really makes it looks sweet! How do you like the Festool domino joinery system? I'm intrigued by it; wonder how it compares to the classic biscuit. Festool is certainly proud of their tools. $$$

nolaegghead

NC_Egghead said:

Your table looks great. The Pecky Cypress really makes it looks sweet! How do you like the Festool domino joinery system? I'm intrigued by it; wonder how it compares to the classic biscuit. Festool is certainly proud of their tools. $$$

@NC_Egghead - what's up brother?

Thanks. 

I LOVE the Domino system.  They're fast, accurate and make strong joints.  That said, when I made my table, I did old-fashioned mortise and tenon construction on the structural elements of my table.  Like you did.  Nothing beats that for strength, when you need it (but mostly you don't).  Because I used cypress, a very soft, lousy in the structural department wood, the domino floating tenons are not quite as strong because the cypress is the weak point.  (the "domino" tenons are super-strong birch).

If you geek out and look at the equipment they use in professional custom furniture shops, more often than not you'll find the Domino system.  I use the hell outta mine.

I'm helping a buddy build a bed, he's actually in my shop putting some spar urethane on a bed he's building.  I'm like: that's overkill, dude.  Then he tells me he's putting round balusters in the headboard, which I had suggested he look at craftsman style for.  I'm like, hey man, the square is more in the style, and cheaper/easier.  He bought some oak round dowel.  He told me he wanted it like that so his GF could get a better "grip", then pantomimed a position.  So I thought, maybe the spar urethane isn't overkill after all. 

NC_Egghead

nolaegghead said:

NC_Egghead said:

Your table looks great. The Pecky Cypress really makes it looks sweet! How do you like the Festool domino joinery system? I'm intrigued by it; wonder how it compares to the classic biscuit. Festool is certainly proud of their tools. $$$

@NC_Egghead - what's up brother?

Thanks. 

I LOVE the Domino system.  They're fast, accurate and make strong joints.  That said, when I made my table, I did old-fashioned mortise and tenon construction on the structural elements of my table.  Like you did.  Nothing beats that for strength, when you need it (but mostly you don't).  Because I used cypress, a very soft, lousy in the structural department wood, the domino floating tenons are not quite as strong because the cypress is the weak point.  (the "domino" tenons are super-strong birch).

If you geek out and look at the equipment they use in professional custom furniture shops, more often than not you'll find the Domino system.  I use the hell outta mine.

I'm helping a buddy build a bed, he's actually in my shop putting some spar urethane on a bed he's building.  I'm like: that's overkill, dude.  Then he tells me he's putting round balusters in the headboard, which I had suggested he look at craftsman style for.  I'm like, hey man, the square is more in the style, and cheaper/easier.  He bought some oak round dowel.  He told me he wanted it like that so his GF could get a better "grip", then pantomimed a position.  So I thought, maybe the spar urethane isn't overkill after all. 

That's hilarious! Maybe he should put some dock cleats on it too. 

I saw saw a YouTube video of someone tearing down a Festool track saw. Evidently his expectation for paying that much for a tool was to expect better quality throughout. I've seen plenty of vids of guys using the system and it looks awesome. I suppose if I was building a new shop from the beginning or woodworking was my living, I would definitely be investing in it. The whole system looks super efficient and is especially user friendly for the mobile woodworker. 

PaulCanuck2

Great looking table.  One of my favorites.

thetrim

Looks just as good in person as it does on here.

geronimo

Thats  no table...thats a work of art!!!  Very very nice!!!