This is a piece I posted in a thread about veneering, which several people have suggested I should post in a separate projects thread, so here goes.
I wanted to make a small dining table for my daughter and a circular one seemed like the way to go. I had the idea of something that was inspired by the source of much of our happiness and not a few of our woes - the tree. From there the concept just sort of developed and evolved over quite a long period before I started making it. I have to give credit for support and advice in the making and solving the engineering problems to my good friend Bernard Allen, West Dean tutor, where I did quite a bit of the work on short courses over a couple of years.
I am in the process of writing it up as an article for publication. Got half way through it and rather lost the motivation as I am also in the middle of fitting out the workshop following an extension to it, but I will do it eventually.
The main veneer is a burry maple and the small segments are burr elm. The top has a ply core with solid sycamore lipping. The idea is to suggest a tree canopy with the lower branches shaded, hence the elm. Because it is supposed to suggest a natural form the segments are random in width and outer radius with the centre line not necessarily on a line central to the middle of the table.
The underframe is intended to be as tree-like as possible - roots, trunk, branches - and is in steam bent local ash.
A view of the underside of the table showing the "branches" and the ply ribs, veneered and lipped in Walnut, which stiffen the frame sufficiently to reduce flex to an acceptable level. There are also ribs in the bottom but these go right across and are half lapped.
An arty shot through the central glass panel in the top showing the sycamore/maple leaf (carved in Lime!) which has fallen from the canopy. And no, I haven't installed under top lighting! This was done with four sheets of white paper stuck to the underside of the table and an anglepoise pointing up from the floor. Can't take credit for the photography which is by my daughter. I am pleased to say she is delighted with the piece.
Jim
I wanted to make a small dining table for my daughter and a circular one seemed like the way to go. I had the idea of something that was inspired by the source of much of our happiness and not a few of our woes - the tree. From there the concept just sort of developed and evolved over quite a long period before I started making it. I have to give credit for support and advice in the making and solving the engineering problems to my good friend Bernard Allen, West Dean tutor, where I did quite a bit of the work on short courses over a couple of years.
I am in the process of writing it up as an article for publication. Got half way through it and rather lost the motivation as I am also in the middle of fitting out the workshop following an extension to it, but I will do it eventually.
The main veneer is a burry maple and the small segments are burr elm. The top has a ply core with solid sycamore lipping. The idea is to suggest a tree canopy with the lower branches shaded, hence the elm. Because it is supposed to suggest a natural form the segments are random in width and outer radius with the centre line not necessarily on a line central to the middle of the table.
The underframe is intended to be as tree-like as possible - roots, trunk, branches - and is in steam bent local ash.
A view of the underside of the table showing the "branches" and the ply ribs, veneered and lipped in Walnut, which stiffen the frame sufficiently to reduce flex to an acceptable level. There are also ribs in the bottom but these go right across and are half lapped.
An arty shot through the central glass panel in the top showing the sycamore/maple leaf (carved in Lime!) which has fallen from the canopy. And no, I haven't installed under top lighting! This was done with four sheets of white paper stuck to the underside of the table and an anglepoise pointing up from the floor. Can't take credit for the photography which is by my daughter. I am pleased to say she is delighted with the piece.
Jim
