Lignum Vitea and mahogany table

[MarieC]

My daughter wanted an octagonal dining room table so she is getting this for Christmas.  It is my first piece of furniture.  I did find out that Lignum Vitea is a difficult wood to apply a finish to.  I got the wood from a friend of mine who deals with woodworking estates so the Lignum Vitea lumber was from the 50's or 60's (large boards).    I did quite a bit of carving of the mahogany edging to match the base.  The base is a mahogany antique but didn't have a platform so I had to make that as well. I decided to make it an expandable table so I am now working on the leaf.  I can't wait to get back to my scroll saw work!

Edited December 9, 2024 by MarieC

[preprius]

That is so good. 

Why do you want to go back to the scrollsaw? That table looks so good.  You can be proud that table. You put some good creativity in it. 

Wow "Lignum Vitea" is really hard wood. Did you save some for the scrollsawn cowboy hat project? OK how about a matching center piece bowl. 

My gosh that table looks good.

Me.

Mark Eason

[munzieb]

Your table is absolutely stunning!!! How long did it take to complete?

[barb.j.enders]

That is stunning Marie.  What a great Christmas gift, heirloom piece.

Hope you saved some of that Lignum Vieta for intarsia pieces.

[Scrappile]

Very beautiful table.  If I could build something that nice, I would not be a scroller; I would be a custom furniture maker.   

Edited December 8, 2024 by Scrappile

[Charlie E]

That gorgeous, Marie! I can imagine your great great great grandchildren eating around it.  

[MarieC]

9 hours ago, preprius said:

That is so good. 

Why do you want to go back to the scrollsaw? That table looks so good.  You can be proud that table. You put some good creativity in it. 

Wow "Lignum Vitea" is really hard wood. Did you save some for the scrollsawn cowboy hat project? OK how about a matching center piece bowl. 

My gosh that table looks good.

Me.

Mark Eason

Thank you so much for your kind words.  I have no idea how to make those cool hats.  I have a friend who is an amazing cowgirl and she would love to have one of those.  Do you bend the wood to make the brim?  I could see carving or intarsia a flower on a purple heart "ribbon" around it.  

[MarieC]

5 hours ago, munzieb said:

Your table is absolutely stunning!!! How long did it take to complete?

Thank you so much.  Actually, to make it didn't take as long as I thought it would take.  I worked on and off over the past 3 months I think.  What took soooo long was the finish.  Lignum is so difficult to get the finish right (I had to sand it off multiple times) so I ended up going with Total boat penetrating epoxy sealer with multiple layers of a Marine varnish....so what you would use on a boat... of all things 

[MarieC]

3 hours ago, barb.j.enders said:

That is stunning Marie.  What a great Christmas gift, heirloom piece.

Hope you saved some of that Lignum Vieta for intarsia pieces.

Thank you... coming from you, that is quite the compliment!  I do have quite a few pieces saved.  When I put them in the sunlight (UV light) they really turn a nice green.  I did find that if I use certain finishes on LV,  it would turn them brown .  Thanks again.

[MarieC]

1 hour ago, Scrappile said:

Very beautiful table.  If I could build something that nice, I would not be a scroller; I would be a custom furniture maker.   

Thank you Paul, I really appreciate your opinion on it.  Actually, I can not see myself giving up being a scroller. I find it to be very creative and calming (for the most part )   But I would like to make more furniture as well.  This was almost too heavy for me since Lignum Vitea is one of the heaviest woods on the planet.  I needed help to do alot of the lifting.  Thanks again. 

[MarieC]

51 minutes ago, Charlie E said:

That gorgeous, Marie! I can imagine your great great great grandchildren eating around it.  

Thanks Charlie, I first have to have grandchildren though!   Maybe I will make some chairs for it too....but not for a while. 

[rjweb]

That is a beautiful piece, and the carving sets it off, RJ

[munzieb]

1 hour ago, MarieC said:

Thank you so much.  Actually, to make it didn't take as long as I thought it would take.  I worked on and off over the past 3 months I think.  What took soooo long was the finish.  Lignum is so difficult to get the finish right (I had to sand it off multiple times) so I ended up going with Total boat penetrating epoxy sealer with multiple layers of a Marine varnish....so what you would use on a boat... of all things 

3 months is amazing for this project! I think you blew past master scroller to master woodworker, Tilman Riemenschneider would be proud!

[Peter N White]

Incredible table

[MarieC]

Thank you @rjweb, I was surprised how tricky it was to make the carving connect since all angles of an octagon are 22.5 degrees and I carved each piece of mahogany trim seperately than added them to the table edge.  Thanks again 

 

Edited December 9, 2024 by MarieC

[Bill WIlson]

Absolutely top notch work, Marie.  That will become a family heirloom, destined to be handed down for generations.  

[Jim McDonald]

A great heirloom piece! 

Anyone would love to have that, but the family connection makes it truly special.

I have a table my grandfather made from American Chestnut back in the 1920s.

[Dak0ta52]

Your pieces, both scroll saw and now, furniture, are outstanding!!! Truly a work of art.

[jerry walters]

WOW Marie, you are amazing and do amazing work.  Your daughter is really going to be surprised and honored.  This most assuredly is a heirloom item,an immediate heirloom.

Jerry

[MarieC]

On 12/9/2024 at 11:12 AM, Jim McDonald said:

A great heirloom piece! 

Anyone would love to have that, but the family connection makes it truly special.

I have a table my grandfather made from American Chestnut back in the 1920s.

Wow!  Chestnut sounds wonderful...if you have a picture of it, I would love to see it.

[MarieC]

On 12/9/2024 at 12:49 PM, Dak0ta52 said:

Your pieces, both scroll saw and now, furniture, are outstanding!!! Truly a work of art.

Thank you for your kind words, coming from you is quite a compliment

[Joe W.]

Marie, you have missed your calling.
Between working on the 4th hardest wood on the planet and the beauty you put into it, you could find yourself in great demand if you were so inclined to pursue a future in furniture making.  
Bravo and Well Done in any language. 

[MarieC]

7 hours ago, Joe W. said:

Marie, you have missed your calling.
Between working on the 4th hardest wood on the planet and the beauty you put into it, you could find yourself in great demand if you were so inclined to pursue a future in furniture making.  
Bravo and Well Done in any language. 

Joe, Thank you for your encouragement.   Yes that wood was really difficult to work with.  Even though it smells really nice when I sand/saw, etc.  It really has a sticky sawdust....sticks to everything.  After I was done, I had to do a ton of cleaning of all my equipment especially the dust collector.  I will probably only make small projects with the rest of it or put it on the lathe for turning.  I would like to make chairs next out of mahogany after I take a breather from this one 

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

Just seen this. Absolutely beautiful Alot of different woodworking techniques in this. You did a fantastic job. I am sure it will be well received. The thing about finishing is it can make or break a piece. getting the right  look and feel is not easy for each wood takes on different looks and comes with challenges. You did very well. Thanks for showing.

[MarieC]

19 hours ago, JTTHECLOCKMAN said:

Just seen this. Absolutely beautiful Alot of different woodworking techniques in this. You did a fantastic job. I am sure it will be well received. The thing about finishing is it can make or break a piece. getting the right  look and feel is not easy for each wood takes on different looks and comes with challenges. You did very well. Thanks for showing.

Thank you!  Coming from you, that is quite the compliment!   Yes I think the finishing was more challenging to me than the actual build...It is a good thing I have a good friend who is a professional finisher.  She was a tremendous help.  Thanks again. mc