Occasionally I make an occasional table

[johnny.t.]

This one is made from Yew.The top and bottom are from the expensive Yew boards I got and the leg is a dead(but dry) branch I acquired. The top is 13" wide and the base 8". I glued it together with lashings of CA Do you think it will hold? or should I pull it apart and go buy some proper wood glue?

Comments and critique welcomed

JT

 

[richburrow]

Fantastic wood, the top piece looks lovely, you might have some warping / fine cracking issues, only time will tell, with the aid of central heating.
I think that there is a little too much going on sapwood wise on the leg, it takes your eye away from the top and the base.
Just my opinion

 

[johnny.t.]

Thanks Rich, don't think there will be a cracking issue as the two large platters I made from the same boards have been in for over a week and are fine, this was really bone dry Yew.

I think that there is a little too much going on sapwood wise on the leg

Fair point. :lol: That was done intentionally to make up for the lack of sapwood in the top(its that contrast that makes Yew so interesting)

JT

 

[hog&bodge]

Very nice little table...I like the mix of dark and light wood.
Your choice of finish has brought out the deep colour of the grain.
If it ain't broke don't fix it....lol
alex

 

[Santos]

I can only say I love it, brilliant work JT. I sincerely hope I can turn like this some day
8)

-Santos

 

[Paul.J]

Very nice looking table JT
The Yew looks gorgeous and nicely finished,but i think i would have rounded the top edge over and perhaps tapered it out from the middle to give a thinner lighter appearance.
I think you might have been better using a wood glue rather than CA on a big joint like that.

How d'ya fancy making one like this.

 

[johnny.t.]

Thanks for your replies 8)

Alex, I've yet to wax this so the final finish will be a wee bit shinier

Thanks Santos, this is pretty straight forward turning,no harder than a bowl really.

Paul, The square edge to the top is intentional, it looks substantial :lol: and the grain is so nice on the Yew the flat edge is another face to show it on 8) I did toy with the idea of turning the whole top thin for a moment but then kept with the original plan. Those pics you posted are dead nice 8) Where did you se those?

JT

 

[Blister]

Johnny , looks to be a bit lacking in the design stage ?

The timber is very nice

Did you draw out the design before you started the project ?

This is one I made last year , made from a plan I had , unusual to see a cup of tea on it though !

nice project , and yes the glue should be fine if the spigots were tight
:wink:

 

[Richard Findley]

Hi Johnny,

Personally I prefer "proper" wood glue (PVA is fine) over Superglue (CA) any day. My experiences with CA have always been that it sticks either before you're ready or amazingly well on stuff you get wrong and just falls to pieces on stuff that really needs to stay stuck. I don't use the stuff :evil: :evil: !

I see what Blister means about the stem, the shapes are a little wishy washy - it's neither a bead or a reel and the long curves don'tquite work for me. Sorry I quite like Blister's table, nice bit of turning but if that was left anywhere near me the contents of the mug would quickly end up on the floor - it really doesn't look stable enough, or perhaps the top is just a bit small?

I'm very critical tonight aren't I!? Sorry about that, my boiler has broken on the coldest night of the year so I'm not in the best of moods :roll: :roll:

Cheers,

Richard

 

[Blister]

Hi Johnny,

Personally I prefer "proper" wood glue (PVA is fine) over Superglue (CA) any day. My experiences with CA have always been that it sticks either before you're ready or amazingly well on stuff you get wrong and just falls to pieces on stuff that really needs to stay stuck. I don't use the stuff :evil: :evil: !

I see what Blister means about the stem, the shapes are a little wishy washy - it's neither a bead or a reel and the long curves don'tquite work for me. Sorry I quite like Blister's table, nice bit of turning but if that was left anywhere near me the contents of the mug would quickly end up on the floor - it really doesn't look stable enough, or perhaps the top is just a bit small?

I'm very critical tonight aren't I!? Sorry about that, my boiler has broken on the coldest night of the year so I'm not in the best of moods :roll: :roll:

Cheers,

Richard

Over 1 year on and no accidents yet :wink:

 

[johnny.t.]

Well I guess I asked for critique didn't I :lol:

Richard you see wishy washy I see simple and smooth,its differing ideas and tastes. This little table has turned out as intended. The simple smooth style is meant to show off the timber.

Blister, yours is well made but not to my taste....

JT

 

[cambournepete]

I think I largely agree with Richard here about the leg.
I also think the top is too big when compared to the base and far too thick for my taste.
If this is what you intended then that's great, being able to turn your vision into reality
I'm not saying I could do any better either at the moment, but you did ask...

 

[duncanh]

Lovely timber and it looks like you're got an excellent finish on it.

Comments - I think it might have looked a little more substantial (reassuringly so if I was going to put things on it) if the leg had flared out an the top to give the impression of more support. Possible the same at the bottom as well. At the moment it kind of looks as though the 3 parts are all separate rather than working together as a whole.

The top is a little plain, but as you've mentioned before you wanted to keep it so. I'd have been tempted to perhaps to put a gentle curve on the underside to mirror what's happening on the base.

I like the way you've matched the grain on the top and bottom - the 2 small sections of sapwood line up nicely. That's the sort of thing I'd screw up!

 

[kasandrich]

Well I guess I asked for critique didn't I :lol:

Richard you see wishy washy I see simple and smooth,its differing ideas and tastes. This little table has turned out as intended. The simple smooth style is meant to show off the timber.

Blister, yours is well made but not to my taste....

JT

I agree, sometimes people get carried away with what is technically correct and hardest to do. A piece does not have to be technically correct or difficult to make to be nice. Who makes the rules, who says a bead has to be a full 180 degrees? Who says it must stop at a sharp corner, who says a reel cant have rounded corners? If the finished result is pleasing, then every one is a winner.

I agree, that it is nice to have the skills in your toolbox to be able to produce the sharp edges and corners if thats what you want to do.

I like both of those pieces for differing reasons, JT's has a very simple uncomplicated and symetrical look, very pleasant and I would give it space in my lounge. Well done JT.

If I have a criticism of Blisters table, I dont like the tapered neck, other than that it is very nice and the contrast between smooth curves and sharp angles is pleasing in a different way.

 

[Richard Findley]

I agree, sometimes people get carried away with what is technically correct and hardest to do. A piece does not have to be technically correct or difficult to make to be nice. Who makes the rules, who says a bead has to be a full 180 degrees? Who says it must stop at a sharp corner, who says a reel cant have rounded corners? If the finished result is pleasing, then every one is a winner.

Hi Kasandrich,

Let me begin by saying that I agree that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and that if the result is pleasing then everyone is a winner. I would also say to Johnny that, as this was the design you were aiming for and you achieved your aim then the item is a success. However.....

....my point has nothing to do with being difficult to do. You ask who says, well all of the shapes used in spindle turning, be it a bead, cove or a fillet are classic forms that have been used and re-used over and over since the Ancient Greeks and before. These forms have been used and replicated in everything from stone columns to turned furniture to door knobs. They have been stretched, squashed, pushed and pulled and used in so many different combinations and variations, but the basic form remains the same and for a good reason: It Works!!!

I hope this helps,

Richard

 

[Bodrighy]

When I first started turning I couldn't understand why some things looked good even if the workmanship wasn't that hot, others looked naff though the finish and tool work were excellent. I started downloading different shapes and designs from pottery, glassware, clssic furniture etc and found that as Richard says there are certain basic formats, rules, call them what you like that work. Artists go outside this format to create disturbing designs but generally there are a few basic rules that need to be adhered to if the article being created is pleasing to the eye.

Pete

 

[johnny.t.]

....my point has nothing to do with being difficult to do. You ask who says, well all of the shapes used in spindle turning, be it a bead, cove or a fillet are classic forms that have been used and re-used over and over since the Ancient Greeks and before. These forms have been used and replicated in everything from stone columns to turned furniture to door knobs. They have been stretched, squashed, pushed and pulled and used in so many different combinations and variations, but the basic form remains the same and for a good reason: It Works!!!

True Richard but to bind oneself to rules kills creativity(it really really does). An open mind is worth a thousand rules......
I'm not defending my work here, you may think its cr*p and could well be right(and I do ask for peoples comments/critiques) but everything I have ever made comes out of me. I have never read a book on this subject to tell me what is right or wrong,had a lesson or anything like that, it literally comes from my mind,a genuine outlet for my own creative flow be that right wrong good or bad

JT

 

[Richard Findley]

True Richard but to bind oneself to rules kills creativity(it really really does). An open mind is worth a thousand rules......
JT

Hi Johnny,

It's a fair point, however we're not talking about a piece of art here, we're talking about a peice of functional furniture and if we look at my last post as guidelines rather than rules it should help to constuct a turned column that is both functional and pleasing to the eye.

Cheers,

Richard