Table Making

I'm adding a few more picture to this post, as last night concluded the Tablemaking classes I've been teaching. Seven out of the eleven people enrolled actually walked out with finished tables. I have to say, I'm quite impressed with their work.

To think that twelve weeks ago, most of them had never touched a tablesaw, let alone attempted complex joinery is amazing.


Jim's small table in Cherry was surprisingly sturdy, with a slatted shelf, tapered legs, and mortise and tenon joinery throughout the piece.


In this photo, Cal is pre-drilling some holes for the screws that will beef-up the leg joinery on his Parsons Table.

Ann's project went from this


to this in no time!



When I say that she's is thrilled with the barbeque cart that she made, I'm probably not adequately conveying the amount of enthusiasm she had for building this. She's been smiling and shaking her head in disbelief the whole time she's been working on this piece. This cart features two lower shelves, and a drawer, a towel rack, all perfect for her outdoor grilling needs.



Allison comes from an amazing design background, and it shows in this small desk she's building. This Red Oak desk has pinned tenons, gracefully tapered legs, and will feature a small pencil drawer that she'll finish building (and hanging) tonight.


She painstakingly chose the layout of her wood, so that the top and aprons feature some remarkable grain patterns. I'm thrilled with the job she's done, and can't wait to see this piece finished. From the comments on her Facebook page, it sounds like her friends are already starting to put in orders for the pieces they want her to build.

And here's the (mostly) completed piece!


As an architect, Betty came up with plans and was amazingly organized about building her Frank Lloyd Wright table. This was probably one of the more complex pieces built during this session, and it's simply gorgeous. This picture does it no justice, it's Walnut, and filled with some intricate details that she resolved on her own. I love having bright, enthusiastic people like Betty in my classes, I learned as much from her as (I hope) she did from me.


I'm know I keep raving about the various students and the work they accomplished, but Joyce is on of those people you just want to succeed. When I "met" Joyce about three months ago on the phone, she explained that she'd always wanted to learn woodworking, but never had the chance. She wasn't sure she'd be able to do it, but - considering she's a fourth grade teacher, I thought - there's probably not much she CAN'T do!



Imagine our delight when Joyce tackled building three tables at once! She built them for her classroom, and she couldn't have been more proud. Me, too.



And finally, Mike the fireman, who literally attacked his table with more enthusiasm than I've seen in a long time. His Walnut and African Mahogany table (he wanted me to mention that it was constructed of two woods!) was the first big piece he'd ever attempted. I'm just guessing, but I think there will be many more to come. Even as he finished the last bit of work on this last night, I could see his wheels spinning, as he came up with new and better designs to build. Good for him, he has a lot of potential to become a great woodworker.

For the most part, these pictures include everyone's tables that were completed, or close to being done. Pretty amazing work. I'll try to add the other tables as they're completed.

Now I'm off to catch a plane and visit family back east...