seems like it has be a while since last post hmmm. Not a lot of pictures came up either. Probably because I'm to the nitty gritty which doesn't really make for great photography... well by my self anyway.
But yes, surface prep and edge treatments where completed. I'm always surprised how many edges there are to be treated ha. Especially on these "sticky" pieces.
End grain edges are softened as well. The woods I'm using now was much quicker work for the files than the side tables.
It has been a little while since I used an oil finish. The Kiln-dried Walnut is the only to get oiled, the other two are getting the good old shellac and wax. In school we used turpentine to dilute the oil but it get me such head aches when any one used it. Perhaps it takes longer for mineral spirits to dry but at least I can still function while using it!
Here the pre-finishing is almost done on the pieces getting shellac. Orange shellac this time around. The Cherry does look a bit on the orange side (also the low yellow lighting doesn't help in the photo) but I think it will age/oxidize into it. It will be a while before this Cherry reaches it's deeper, more rich color... though I DO hope someone will like it and buy it, I would like to see it again down the road and perhaps snap a photo when it has seen some passage of time :)
Rant Warning...
With the completion of these Pedestals drawing near it will soon be time to start the 3rd tables... the coffee tables. I received two more planks of nicely rift to flat Kwila from Jason at Cormark in North Carolina. Thanks to Jason for your effort, sincerity, and timeliness! HOWEVER... I have not yet located the White Oak I have been keeping and ear and eye open for since MAY! I have pretty much giving up on finding a seasoned flitch of it (though I know a couple guys ready to cut me some green oak if I were to ask). So, some of the big suppliers out there carry SOME "rift" white oak... you'll find nice long very straight rift white oak in household hand rails, banisters, and the like. Ok well I'm quite willing to pay a "premium" price on premium material, especially considering my lack of luck otherwise.
There just so happens to be a larger hardwood dealer about 10 min from the shop... It just so happens that I cannot deal directly with them. Sweet. Well there's a lumber/cabinet shop who does have accounts with them... 40 min away from me. Well that's better than 2 hours right?
Well, I put in an "order" for "50 b/f of 8/4 rift white oak". They gave me a price to which I said that I would expect premium material for that price. They said not to worry because nice straight logs are specifically pulled for rift and quartered milling. This makes perfect sense to me.
He said he would get it in the next day or two... I waited 2 WEEKS and never got a call. I called in they said it had been there waiting... cool thanks guys. Now I have to borrow a vehicle to be able to haul 8 ft planks and it's a 40 min one way trip. I get there, no less than half the boards they got for me were quartered. Some had twisting grain, diving grain, a couple big knots, half heart half sap in one board... yeah, great I can't use any of that. I was pretty pissed. Come on guys. get your damn business together. It wasn't the shop's "fault" they didn't pick the lumber. Ok, they'll order more for me (mine you I had already put $200 down) and call me when it's in. I got a call today saying it was in 2 days ago. Really? oh good thanks again. Borrowed a truck AGAIN drove out AGAIN. This time there was ONE nice board. ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?! What the HELL do you guys think you're doing? is this a freaking "favor"!? I have work to do! I could be searching for other place to find PROPER material. STOP pulling me around and WASTING my damn time!
I normally tend not to name names dealing with "misfortune" but this reflects on their business. Forest Products Supply in Maplewood, MN. Don't waste your efforts on them.
Sure, I'm not making their job easy, but this is making my job impossible. If you can't GUARANTEE an order then DON'T!
I am pretty much spent looking for Oak. the worst part is that it's such a common wood!
At this point I don't know what to do... I think I might have the heart to try one more place but after that... I don't know.
This table was first based on the idea of a white oak coffee table due to the Japanese paper I want to use with it. I don't what to change that but I need to get material soon. I might have to pull the Nakashima and use Walnut. I at least know a couple place where I can get that even if it's not local.
9 comments:
hey dude i hear you on these hardwood dealers. i'll get a call about kwilia in 2 weeks.....well that was 4 months ago!
im almost tempted to order online, ALMOST, but im way too sketched out that i'll receive garbage and still have to pay for it.
can they cut us wood nerds a damn break?!?
I get my white oak in Van. and they even sell planks as rift sawn. It costs more and when it arrives, half is usually quartered. So I am better off buying flat and steering the rift out of it at the cheaper price. You need to have a guy like Terry at A&M who makes furniture and knows his shit. He send you what you want. I feel bad for you Nick, that must blow to have to deal with such morons.
Oh man I was a little emotional there ha.
Yeah I have thought of going through flat sawn pieces but the components I need are a fair amount wider than the nice thin stuff you're doing Ian.
I had called a&m but they didn't have any and it would be trouble to get me such a small order.
Nick, there ARE people out there you can trust. Jason at Cormark is a good guy and same with Jim at Gilmer.
Last time I went by the main stream hardwood supply around here they were almost clean out of flat sawn 8/4 oak but I think I may stop by there again. I DID get my hands on a very clean and straight piece but mostly flat. Color matching is also a problem though... sigh well I'll figure something out.
While we were in Portland we went to a place called Goby Walnut. They specialized in walnut but also had some really beautiful planks of White Oak as well as Ash, Western Maple and Arbutus. I grabbed a couple planks of oak, mostly rift, one was partly towards quarter but it was clear and straight. It was 8/4 for $8.
The owner's name is Art. He was really knowledgeable and helpful. The website is www.gobywalnut.com.
It's worth checking out anyway.
there's also talarico hard woods in the north east somewhere. they deal in fsc stuff and i always get a 'woody' when i look at their website.
expensive but nice.
Mr. Dingess told me about Goby. By the looks of their website it seems they stalk a bunch of random smallish boards. Do they have more/better stuff on site?
Yeah I also know of talarico hard woods. Heh I do have a case of wood lust too. Though they seam to be about old, aged, swamp, and huge timbers. I just want plain old clean white oak ha not to mention that the prices on their specialties aren't cheap. I have never called them though maybe the have more "ordinary" stock on hand too?
i haven't talked to them either, i just remember seeing some damn nice rift oak from germany or scotland or somewhere on their site. probably pricey.
On site most of the oak they had was 8/4 or 6/4, some up to 10" wide and 10' long.
Too bad they don't show any of it online but Jason had good luck calling, I think Art emailed photos of planks and then ordering what he wanted.
If you haven't yet, you might call http://www.logs-to-lumber.com . I haven't patronized him, but have heard good things. He claims to specialize in quartersawn. And it's just on the south end of town so you could pick out your rift-sawn boards.
Good luck.
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