Birdseye Maple and Red Oak End Table
16" x 12" x 21"
Birdseye maple, red oak and hard maple
Like a dancer -- light, airy, and graceful, yet strong -- this little end table has a well-grounded stance, but almost appears ready for action. The birdseye maple top sparkles -- sure to enliven any bedside, relaxing chair, or sofa. It also works as a stand-alone piece, perhaps as a plant-stand or sculpture pedestal.
Some things to notice: The curving legs are steam-bent to shape lending maximum strength with a minimum of wood. I also split the wood from the log so the grain follows the curve almost exactly (strong!). The leg structure is dovetailed into the top providing visual interest and creating the strongest furniture joint known. I used a band saw to cut the birdseye maple veneers that are a full 1/8" thick and then glued them to solid hard maple. The idea is to get more use from this beautiful, rather rare wood (with this much figure) without compromising quality or overall appearance. Besides, it is almost of unheard of to obtain this quality birdseye maple in the the thickness this design required. The legs are shaped like a parabola in cross-section, tapering from top to bottom. I enjoy experiencing the cleanly cut facets a sharp tool leaves on shaped surfaces. The oak had me stymied though -- it wanted to tear rather than cut. I built a steeply-angled spokeshave hoping for better results and it did the trick beautifully!