wedge

In all my time working in wood I have never actually tried a wedged through mortice and tenon joint before this point

my third wedge broke going in and I realized I should have done all the wedges in oak
lost another three along the way

there's a raw brutality to the freshly glued joint
and a really humble finish

stands on its own, good sign

time to cut down the legs

forgot to take a single photo making the wedges, really nothing you haven't already seen

What do you do with that really gnarly off-cut of poplar that can't be used on anything else?

Trimmed up the overhang

solid

and the whole reason I made this, a trip to woodworker mecca
Keim Lumber in the heart of Amish country
seriously the best selection of high quality wood, clearly labeled, priced, and sorted alphabetically. Each piece squarely cut on the ends and (no shit) sanded both sides

This is just one of the multiple aisles of lumber
I found the three slabs myself and an incredibly humble and helpful fellow lead me to the cut off pallet in one of the numerous other buildings for the 12/4

All at less that half what I would have paid here in the 216
I indulged in a modest and fulfilling lunch in the upstairs cafe overlooking the most glorious sight of every single item I've ever seen in a woodworking catalogue
except for the hand tools, never found those

thaw

I am very conscious now
of the vast spans of time
that must be earned
and fought for

the time neglected
and stolen
the times of triumph
and awe

I'm transformed and almost complete
surprised with every entrance
all four stand in unison
in conversation

I pause
and touch
sometimes I pull one out and sit down
just for the hell of it
I'm intrigued by my decisions
and ponder their influence

more than ever before the desire to see the table comes to hand
the prototype has been tweaked
dimensions coerced
aesthetics refined

a head-long plunge is all that awaits
I may have to install a chainfall for working the top
the massive underside cove will only shed a few pounds
and the walnut breadboard ends will easily make that up