And all is revealed.....

There are several things I've learned along the path of my woodworking career - the best being - never underestimate how helpful an extra set of hands can be! 

So when it was time to put this table together, I enlisted the help of a couple of friends - and wow, it made this job go much easier - especially when one of my friends is twice my height and probably strong enough to bench press a Ford F150. 

So right off the bat - I want to extend a BIG thanks for John and Lupe for helping me with this table assembly! We had a few head-scratching moments, trying to figure out the best method for putting this together - we couldn't do it conventionally, as the stone top could only be slipped in from the underside. That meant we had to put it together, and then flip it over, without the adhesive really holding the top in place yet. 

Like I said - a little tricky. And after all the components were stained, buffed and waxed - it would be horrible to scratch something and have to repair it. So we took a lot of precautions to ensure we did nothing to damage any of the parts. Here the slab is in place, 

but we had to clamp something on top of it, in order to flip it over so I could screw the bottom onto the framework. 

(Of course - in the heat of the moment - we forgot to take pictures!) 

Then the two ends were attached, which provide some additional support and stability. This table is heavy - at least to me! 

 And of course, the petrified slab is barely held in place yet - just some beads of silicone, which haven't even set up yet.  So we clamped a  piece of plywood back to it, to hold the slab in place while we flipped it. 

This is apparently when my back decided to protest, as I tweaked the crap out of it. I knew I was going to pay for it later, but we managed to get it onto a cart - upright and in perfect condition.  

And here it is - in all of its glory... exactly as my client envisioned it. All that's left is some grout and it will be out of the shop soon - whew!

Again - HUGE thanks to my trusty assistants - Lupe and John - I couldn't have done this without you two.... now pass the heating pad and the ibuprofen!