Walnut Side Table

I was still buzzing on the high from building my first table so I was eager to dive into a new project. At this time, my eldest sister was about to move off-campus at university into a house. I was thinking that it would be cool to make her something for her house. She was excited at the prospect of having something that reminded her of me with her when she was far from home. I was excited that one of my pieces would be used by someone other than me and would be enjoyed outside my home. 

I knew that I wanted to make a smaller piece with a walnut top with beech legs going into a thin base. However, once I started the colours and shape of the pieces that I was working with didn’t gel into my initial vision. I kept working with an open mind to see a pathway to the final piece. I started by using some of the wood that was given to me by the woodshop in Guelph. I cut off a live-edge piece that required flattening in order to create the piece I had in mind. The hand-planer was used again to flatten and shape the top. It required quite a bit of fiddling to get the surface even. I chiseled off the bark because it was holding in a lot of moisture in the wood.

Upon removing it I discovered that the wood was quite wet which is not good for woodworking as it could potentially cause the wood to rot. As I kept working, I discovered that I had more walnut wood to work with to sculpt the legs. While my paper sketch really only illustrated dimensions and measurements, I saw in my mind’s eye what the piece could look like. I continued to work on securing the dimensions of the legs when I discovered a piece of walnut that I had in my stock. I was thinking that this piece could be used for a cross-section to attach to the two legs which would give a unique look to the final product. For the final finish, I decided to use mineral oil. I applied it with a paper towel which unfortunately rubbed off some of the paper fibers onto the wood. This required that I give the table a light sanding but I was never able to fully remove all the fibers. Upon reflection, I am now more careful with the volume of oil that I use and how I use the paper towel to avoid shredding. This learning I have taken forward in my work.

This table turned out better than I even imagined! I loved that it required problem-solving as I was building. Thinking on my feet when I am building is one of the best parts. For example, using different saw blades to get just the right dimension. After a long journey to Halifax to deliver the table, my sister was simply delighted and so proud to show it off to her housemates!