Empire card table

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Location
Outside the beltway
The flip top part of the table was missing so I made a new on. Problem is the table is 200 years old and sun bleached walnut. I ordered Crotch walnut veneer and made the rounded edge trip. Now matching up the old to the new.
I used 75% brown maple and 25% dark green in a little bit of lacquer sealer 1/2 cup of thinner. After the coloring I use Hickory and dark green to get the darks and then one more coat of the 75%/25% mixture.
The kicker was to get the veneer light enough to build it up. 3 times it was bleached with 2 part wood bleach. The colored with the 75/25 mixture and then raged off with thinner after which I did the coloring.
I think it turned out pretty good. I'll know when I see the customers face. :eek:

Care to guess which one is which.
 

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Al when you have a bleached out 200 year old table it takes a little knowledge and understanding of color, mixes and a good eye. It is still a challenge to me every time I get one of these. I usually never hit it on the 1st try. That's how I learned to use the wash out method. Removing finish and tainting the wood with tones.
 
dave show some pics of that all together and opned and closed up...folks i saw this in the rough stage and i can tell yu that it wasnt no where near in good condition.. had i been the one looking at it at a sale i would have tossed it out on the burn pile but dave would have slapped up side the head for doing it:)
 
Table is Finished and here are the pic's. The top table [flip table] is the top I made.
 

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Well Dave, I can't but admire your work and results, I'm pretty sure your customer will be delighted.

Finishing is something that many woodworkers don't like, or don't know well and a bad finish can spoil a piece, not this case of course.
 
dave yu need to get a better camera,, those pics are nice but they dont do your work justice.. cant believe those hinges worked so well.. how did yu deal with the different thickness of the two tops?
 
Larry it was really no problem. The hinges only allow the 2 table to attach one way. You really can not tell the difference. The extra thickness give the top much more stability.
I do need a better camera.
 
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