Brazilian Rosewood dining table top

[jacko9]

Jack,

Really beautiful table top.  I have a huge piece of Brazilian Rosewood I bought in LA area about 35 years ago.  Sadly, I didn't buy enough to make a table!  I've never really been able to decide what to use it for.  I'll have to get more serious about plans for it, after seeing your table top.  . 

I understand the reluctance of using such rare wood until you get just the "right Project".  How big is the chunk of rosewood do you have?  I did make some furniture with some thicker pieces of rosewood by making my own veneer.  I cut pieces on my bandsaw sent them through my planer on a sled and yielded 3/16" - 1/8"  (different projects) and glued them to 1/2" baltic birch plywood to yield 3/4" material.  I used splines to line up the ply/boards for edge gluing and built furniture out of them.  One example of this construction technique was a large Antique Doll Display cabinet that the customer wanted to hang on a wall.  The picture was taken before digital cameras and scanned into my computer so the quality is pretty poor.  The veneered part was the back panel which was 30" high x 16" wide.

Jack

 

[dltflt]

That is gorgeous!

 

[jacko9]

That is gorgeous!

Thank you!

Jack

 

[Slappy]

Jack;
did you use the  Dominios on the board edges ?

you still in SF ?

I'm in Novato

 

[rsh]

Amazing -
Love your finish schedule, all about finding what works best for each situation.

The wood looks so much like walnut to me - in the peaks and patterning, but way warmer in color.

great piece - thanks for posting photos!
 

 

[jacko9]

Jack;
did you use Dominios on the board edges ?

you still in SF ?

I'm in Novato

Slappy, Yes I did use my Domino to align the edges during glue up because the boards that I had available were very thin and rough cut so I had no room to sand extra material.

I'm out in Livermore.

Jack

 

[Slappy]

Jack;
did you use Dominios on the board edges ?

you still in SF ?

I'm in Novato

Slappy, Yes I did use my Domino to align the edges during glue up because the boards that I had available were very thin and rough cut so I had no room to sand extra material.

I'm out in Livermore.

Jack

I should have remembered that from the 1st post  [sad]

did you use the sepo dominos or the beech ? 

I do Love that Top the more I look at your Pix the more I want to do one like it in the Panamanian Rosewood I found a source for
I have a lot of quarter sawn Sapele but that Rosewood is stunning 

 

[jacko9]

Amazing -
Love your finish schedule, all about finding what works best for each situation.

The wood looks so much like walnut to me - in the peaks and patterning, but way warmer in color.

great piece - thanks for posting photos!
 

Thank you, the boards are closer to sap wood than heart wood but, they are still extremely heavy and hard.  My wife and I fell in love with Brazilian rosewood 45 years ago and while I have a bunch of deep color heartwood, it is 8/4 stock that's only 4 - 7" wide and not ideal for a table top.

Jack

 

[jacko9]

Jack;
did you use Dominios on the board edges ?

you still in SF ?

I'm in Novato

Slappy, Yes I did use my Domino to align the edges during glue up because the boards that I had available were very thin and rough cut so I had no room to sand extra material.

I'm out in Livermore.

Jack

I should have remembered that from the 1st post  [sad]

did you use the sepo dominos or the beech ? 

I do Love that Top the more I look at your Pix the more I want to do one like it in the Panamanian Rosewood I found a source for
I have a lot of quarter sawn Sapele but that Rosewood is stunning 

No I bought Sipo Dominos but decided to use beech and not glue them in.  They are for surface alignment only, the edge joint is plenty strong.

Jack

 

[tiralie]

I think If you Google "Finishing Oily Woods" you'll find others that have similar issues finishing these kinds of woods.

Thanks!
Tim

 

[jacko9]

I think If you Google "Finishing Oily Woods" you'll find others that have similar issues finishing these kinds of woods.

Thanks!
Tim

Tim,

I should have added that I have used this finishing method many times; sealing the wood with shellac and finishing it with either danish oil, wipe on poly or varnish.  I always mix my shellac fresh from flakes and vary the color from super blonde to amber depending on the wood I'm finishing.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

Jack

 

[leer]

Jack,

Really beautiful table top.  I have a huge piece of Brazilian Rosewood I bought in LA area about 35 years ago.  Sadly, I didn't buy enough to make a table!  I've never really been able to decide what to use it for.  I'll have to get more serious about plans for it, after seeing your table top.  .  

I
I understand the reluctance of using such rare wood until you get just the "right Project".  How big is the chunk of rosewood do you have?  I did make some furniture with some thicker pieces of rosewood by making my own veneer.  I cut pieces on my bandsaw sent them through my planer on a sled and yielded 3/16" - 1/8"  (different projects) and glued them to 1/2" baltic birch plywood to yield 3/4" material.  I used splines to line up the ply/boards for edge gluing and built furniture out of them.  One example of this construction technique was a large Antique Doll Display cabinet that the customer wanted to hang on a wall.  The picture was taken before digital cameras and scanned into my computer so the quality is pretty poor.  The veneered part was the back panel which was 30" high x 16" wide.

Jack

The piece I have is S2S, 7" x 8'. The suggestion to resaw and make veneered ply is a good one.  Now I have another way to be undecided on what to make! But the doll cabinet is a neat example of your use of homemade veneered ply.

Also noted you are in Livermore.  My wife and I lived in Pleasanton for 7 years, until 1983, when we moved home to Colorado a few months after our first daughter was born at the hospital in Livermore.  Lots of fond memories of that area, other than my daily commute to Palo Alto!

 

[Slappy]

 The finish is super blonde shellac which I mixed very thin ~.5# cut with alcohol for two coats wiped on and used 4/0 steel wool to flatted out the nips.  I then used General Finishes Arm-R-Seal Oil & Urethane Varnish Semi-Gloss thinned 25% for the first coat wiped on with soft cotton cloth.  Followed with a second coat thinned 10% and a topcoat at full strength.  .

Jack

Jack,
is that dewaxed super blonde shellac ? ?  @  1/2 lb cut with denatured alcohol right ?

 

[jacko9]

 The finish is super blonde shellac which I mixed very thin ~.5# cut with alcohol for two coats wiped on and used 4/0 steel wool to flatted out the nips.  I then used General Finishes Arm-R-Seal Oil & Urethane Varnish Semi-Gloss thinned 25% for the first coat wiped on with soft cotton cloth.  Followed with a second coat thinned 10% and a topcoat at full strength.  .

Jack

Jack,
is that dewaxed super blonde shellac ? ?  @  1/2 lb cut with denatured alcohol right ?

Yes, the shellac flakes are dewaxed.  I actually didn't weight out the cut because I just got used to dissolving the flakes until I got a wipe that gave me a smooth finish with an old cotton undershirt.  I think it is important to use fresh dewaxed shellac and dump the mixture after 6 months or so and make a fresh batch using denatured alcohol as a solvent.

Jack

 

[jacko9]

Jack,

Really beautiful table top.  I have a huge piece of Brazilian Rosewood I bought in LA area about 35 years ago.  Sadly, I didn't buy enough to make a table!  I've never really been able to decide what to use it for.  I'll have to get more serious about plans for it, after seeing your table top.  .  

I
I understand the reluctance of using such rare wood until you get just the "right Project".  How big is the chunk of rosewood do you have?  I did make some furniture with some thicker pieces of rosewood by making my own veneer.  I cut pieces on my bandsaw sent them through my planer on a sled and yielded 3/16" - 1/8"  (different projects) and glued them to 1/2" baltic birch plywood to yield 3/4" material.  I used splines to line up the ply/boards for edge gluing and built furniture out of them.  One example of this construction technique was a large Antique Doll Display cabinet that the customer wanted to hang on a wall.  The picture was taken before digital cameras and scanned into my computer so the quality is pretty poor.  The veneered part was the back panel which was 30" high x 16" wide.

Jack

The piece I have is S2S, 7" x 8'. The suggestion to resaw and make veneered ply is a good one.  Now I have another way to be undecided on what to make! But the doll cabinet is a neat example of your use of homemade veneered ply.

Also noted you are in Livermore.  My wife and I lived in Pleasanton for 7 years, until 1983, when we moved home to Colorado a few months after our first daughter was born at the hospital in Livermore.  Lots of fond memories of that area, other than my daily commute to Palo Alto!

I've been in Livermore since 1969 but, I traveled to Bolder, Colorado on business every two weeks on business.  Almost moved there many years ago and my wife and I visited there very frequently.

I think you'll be able to make a very nice project with that piece of rosewood, let us all know if you do.

Jack

 

[Slappy]

So Jack,
Do you worry about wood movement with table top ?  OR is it that Rosewoods are just as so oily that they don't move much ,if at all ?

 

[jacko9]

So Jack,
Do you worry about wood movement with table top ?  OR is it that Rosewoods are just as so oily that they don't move much ,if at all ?

The rosewood is pretty stable if you look at the tangential and radial shrinkage, you'll find out that it doesn't move very much at all.  I plan to attach it to a leg and apron base and will use "Z" type clips that allow it to move.

Jack

 

[PaulMarcel]

Beautiful table top, Jack! Thanks, too, for the details on the glue up and finishing schedule. You did a lot of experimenting!

 

[leer]

I've been in Livermore since 1969 but, I traveled to Bolder, Colorado on business every two weeks on business.  Almost moved there many years ago and my wife and I visited there very frequently.

I think you'll be able to make a very nice project with that piece of rosewood, let us all know if you do.

Jack

Well, we might have crossed paths in Colorado, as well as California.  My wife and I met in college in Boulder in the early 70s.  After graduation I took a job in California, and then we returned home to Colorado after 7 years.

I'll have to get serious about a project with the rosewood, and will certainly post results here.

 

[nclemmons]

Wonderful top, Jack.  What are the leg details?

Neil