fruition

seriously, what do I write about finishing

~*o*~ Oh! today I put the fifth coat of oil urethane :)
tomorrow I'll sand it at 400 till it's dull :P
then I'll alternate three hour stints of polyacrylic ;&
and 600 grit till I collapse from exhaustion ~*o*~

I've exhausted more Borg store packets of sand paper than I'd care to admit

I've encased

no
mummified this top

that was a few weeks ago
life happens in between

the table is done
so far
like the chairs
everything needs another coat
maybe someday I'll sand every surface of everything I've done and give it another coat

or not

my friend stopped by and together we moved the table to its
for now
final resting spot

the cats approve

climax

 a fortuitous temporal alignment

huge jobs
strenuous after eight hours of labor
weeks of tiny steps

tiny projects of a few minutes

stepping into the abyss
face first

the two pieces are finally joined

an exploration in detail

unspeakable thoughts seeing it the first time

it's a treasure hunt
each detail hints to the next
a roadmap of the struggle

each step reveals yet another wonder

for once I'm speechless

growth

an ever present tide 

continuum

events and occurrences
plans and projects
moments minutes months millennia

I’ve been at this table for what, four years?

for that entire stretch the plans have changed

each moment affects the outcome
each memory engrained
each detail on purpose
each piece becomes the culmination of its personal history
and the context of the greater that surrounds it

I feel the shapes reflect my self

I make furniture that describes my inner being
and those moments in my life that define

I pour myself into my design
each surface a reflection of the flow of time

ad lib

as each piece is made, fitted, tweaked, and assembled
the process begins to dictate design

I could never see this interplay until the pieces were there

I've outlined the glue-up, and practiced it twice

maybe more
I can't remember how many times these parts have been mated

what begins as a tough squeeze
loosens up
every joint begins to simply slide together after a few runs

which is perfect
glue will swell the wood slightly, and no matter how fast you work that joint will never slide together like it did dry
any sloppy fit needs to be remedied

it's there, everything is made
all the joinery complete
minus the four round mortice and tenons in the top

i don't even have words more most of these parts

they're all just parts

let the shaping begin!

challenge

there are few signs as welcome
as that of spring

some days it is warm enough to venture into the shop
some days the overwhelming desire to work
supersedes logic and wisdom

a couple well placed heaters
and a morning drive
can make it bearable

dimensioning this luscious walnut
finishes off the heating requirements

each set of mortice and tennon are different
laid out to fit their circumstance and necessities

all the joinery will be visible

just imagine the hours of saw practice I'm getting here

tenons on a mitered shoulder
no problem

acordingly angled mortices
a bit more finicky

strength is what is required here
I have no idea how much the top weighs
in addition to all the stress a dining table receives everyday

I want it to flex if it must
but not too much

up next: more clever joinery I haven't thought of yet...