look what I found in the barn

I walked out to my lumber storage barn and picked up the first board I saw, with the intention of making a table or two. It was a bit harder to dig for the walnut to make the legs. The sense of discovery that one "discovers" in working with wood is gratifying. The maple boards shown are "spalted," meaning that they are softened and colored by the process of decay, which makes them even more beautiful. You can see the delicate patterns of curl formed in the grain, called "fiddle back". The meandering line cut through the middle of the board has practical as well as decorative purposes. It allows the wide board to pass through my planer and will allow some room for expansion and contraction when the table is fully assembled. This technique was described in my table design article for Fine Woodworking, "A Fresh Take on Table Tops," issue number 187.

Now it is time to go back to the shop and work on legs.

These are intended for placement (and sale) in galleries in Eureka Springs and Little Rock, unless customers see them on-line first and want to buy them direct.