Siberian Elm Top Dinging Table w/ Birch Legs from Canadian Woodworks Template
This custom dining table was a very fun and also a very stressful project, as i was working with some new materials and trying some new things with this one. The table top is Siberian elm that had died in Seattle’s University District that i had milled quite some time ago and was really looking forward to putting it to use on a project for a client who actually had lived near by in the neighborhood.
The client wanted a round table with black epoxy woven throughout, and we added a few cut offs and chunks from the board so when we poured the epoxy it would look like they are floating in the final piece. My goal was to get it to look like tinted glass, so not entirely opaque, kind of smokey looking. As it turns out, translucent black epoxy is a little harder to get to finish than I anticipated. As i got down to closer and closer to what i thought was “final” i struggled pretty hard getting out/keeping scratches out of the surface but didn’t give up. I tried a lot of different rubbing compounds and went into overtime with sanding and buffing, and in the end, it came down to just giving it a little extra love and the help of some 3M buffing compound.
Originally the client had inquired about some custom metal work for legs, but i really wanted to try out this design from Canadian Woodworks for their Hedgehog table base and they were into it which was awesome, I had a blast trying this template out. Originally designed I believe to have a glass top. I added a few extra pieces to it such as some Paduk against the base, not that it needed it but I liked the look. I highly recommend these templates, they were easy to order, to follow the plans, and im super happy with the outcome. The table legs are Birch removed from Woodland Park in Seattle. It was really fun to be part of cutting the tree down, milling it and turning it into these hedgehog table legs was very very rewarding.
Big thanks to Paul , Aimee & Justin and the crew at Canadian Woodworks. If you hadn’t heard of them check them out. An inspirational and educational shop up there.