A table for Will Heath

bonsaial1

Will Heath has been wanting a stand for some time now. I had started it and then the huge storm blew thru the valley two weeks ago and made me put the stand on the back burner. I had the chance today to resume working on the table and get it ready for the finishing process. -MORE-

Will gave me the dimensions of the plant and pot he intends to place on this stand, and left it to me to come up with a design and dimensions for the stand. He gave me no idea what he wanted for a stand design, and left me to come up with something on my own. The tree is a ficus in the informal upright style. The tree on its own is very good and will be nice on whatever it is displayed. I hope this stand complements the tree. I have designed a very traditional stand, and softened the edges to make it more feminine while having enough angular edges to add stability to the composition.

This stand incorporates many new features for me, and I loved the opportunity to try them out while building this stand for Will. This stand was the first built useing all the new power tools I aquired during Christmas. The largest improvement on this stand, and a big improvement for all future stands, is the way the legs are attached to the table.

Tables from Japan have legs attached to the top with a very intricate compound miter. The leg is mitered on the face and the end of the stand. When looked at from a 3/4 view, the intersection looks like a pie all sliced up ready for serving. I hope the photo'swill show what I mean.

Prior to the storm I had all the componets for the top cut out and routed. All I had to do today was to join them. First pic shows the completed top. In thenext foto, I have glued together the beginnings of the substand. These have been glued together with 45 degree miters on the legs. When dry the will be cut at a 45 once again and glued together into the rectangle shape. The new bandsaw that was given to me was more than able to cut the small radius in the legs to achieve the look I was going for.

Attached Images

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When the leg assemblies had dried they were cut once again on the 45 and glued and clamped. This was left to dry and sanding could begin on the top.

The top was then routed to give a 5/16 break betwen the leg assembly and the top. I used a 3/8 round nosed router bit for this. This groove will help to thin the top and add a shadow line to the stand. Many architechs use shadow lines to enhance the look of custom homes.

After the sub assembly had dried, and the componet sanded, they were attached together and glued and clamped. This was left to dry for two hours. When the glue had cured the final sanding was started. Sanding went on for about two hours. The stand was taken down to 600 sandpaper, and then OOOO steel wool. At this pint the stand actually has a very polished look and there is not any finish on it.

Attached Images

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The final stand. The piece is ready for the 10 coats of lacquer that will be applied tomarrow. The final picture show the detail of the legs and how they are atached. Look at many of the photos of stands from Japan and you will see this type of joinery at the leg to top intersection.

Will I hope you like this stand, cause if you don't I am keeping this baby for myself. This is by far the coolest stand I have built thus far.

Tomarrow a picture of the stand with some finish.

Thanks for looking in, Bonsai-al

Attached Images

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Carl_Bergstrom

Damn, Al. You just keep pushing the bar higher and higher. Lovely work, and I can't wait to see the photographs with the lacquer added.

Great choice, Will. As the owner of a similar stand (albeit without those new leg joints), I can assure you that you'll be blown away by this piece!

-Carl

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Will_Heath

Al,

You have outdone yourself, the talent that you have shows amazingly in every detail on this stand. It is truly beautiful, a perfect match of form and function, in fact, the stand itself may just be a work of art.

The double miters on the legs, the shadow line, the sanding down to 0000 steel wool, and the design that goes so well with the bonsai it was created for, separates this stand from the many “production” stands available on the market. It gives in quality the same "feel" as a fine pot, nothing else, no matter how clever, can compare to such fine craftsmanship.

You surpassed my every expectation, and showed once again your skill and eye for design. I am proud to purchase this from you and to own a Al Keppler signature stand.

Thank you,

Will Heath

Skipsan

Al,

Awesome table. First time I've had a lesson in the proper way to build such a thing. I have a friend who is a wood craftsman and I'm going to have him take a look at this thread. I'm sure he knows the way, but hasn't seen it presented so well before.

What wood did you use?

Thanks for sharing.

Skip

Will, You are a lucky man. Cool stand. ....or maybe luck had nothing to do with it.

Newt

Great stuff Al!!!
I want to try my hand at this some day. Thanks for the step by step!!!

Newt

Pman0

Skipsan - I believe this to be Black Walnut...hard to tell from a small picture, but the coloration and grain pattern would suggest so..

If I had the right tools, I'd use the rough cherry board I have and take a stab at a scaled down version of this!

Great work Al!

Paul

Dale Cochoy

Al,
VERY nice stand and extremely well thought out.
I'd like to ask a bit about your finishing.
You mentioned 10 coats of laquer ( sprayed I assume).
Is this your normal finish used?
Over the years I've noticed that laquer never seems to bring out much woodgrain or darken much, plus, often hard to repair nice when damaged.
Several times I've used the old hand-rubbed stuff on very finely sanded ( like yours) wood, Formbys satin oil and a few other things. Darkens a bit. Ditto with the hand "oil" finish stuff sold at gunshops for stock building. These are easily repaired when dinged. And, some are good at water spot resistance.
but, on walnut and cherry the most beautiful finishes I've ever gotten on the smooth sanded wood was with linseed oil mixed 50/50 with turpentine ( you can use some other driers also if you want that don't linger smell as long) . The linseed oil sinks in so far and darkens wonderfully. My old wood teacher 30 years ago used it to finish EVERYTHING and ditto with a friend who has gone on to build all the furniture in his Phoenix home, including doors/woodwork. And, the linseed/turp finish after thinner dries can be finished with a satin clear. Many don't think you can finish over oil like this but I've done it many times. Just wondered if you've ever tried the linseed oil either by it's self ( very easy to touch up) or possibly with a clear sealer after well dried.
Looking forward to finished pics.
Regards,
Dale "middle school wood shop teacher in late 70's" Cochoy

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Dale Cochoy
Wild Things Bonsai Studio
Yakimono no Kokoro Bonsai Pottery
Hartville, Ohio