Copper Coffee Table #2

Messages
472
Location
Goodyear AZ
Just finished this up over the weekend. Qtr Sawn R Oak. The accent is bloodwood. First time I've used bloodwood; I rather like it. I made the legs Qswn on all sides by veineering strips to the flatsawn sides. And of course the top is copper. Used amonia, vinegar and rocksalt to form the patina. This time I sealed the top with poly, which I hope will fix the colors better. I made a table very similar to this one last year. I put a wax finish on the copper that time (per someones advise on the internet) but the color eventually darkened. Anyhoo, it's 38"x44"x18" It is a 21st birthday gift for my son. Another thing that I will remember about this table is that I set off a sawstop when I went to trim the top:doh: It turns out copper is a great conductor! who knew:dunno: :D Cheers, Barry
 

Attachments

  • Coffee table II-1.jpg
    Coffee table II-1.jpg
    104.5 KB · Views: 144
  • Coffee Table II-3.jpg
    Coffee Table II-3.jpg
    98.7 KB · Views: 82
  • Coffee TableII-2.jpg
    Coffee TableII-2.jpg
    90.5 KB · Views: 84
Beautiful table! The bloodwood really sets it off. Sorry to hear about your brake firing. Is there a way to turn it off for applications like this?
 
Ed,

There is a key on the side of the control box which, when rotated 90 degrees from normal, disables the brake system. This is used when cutting non ferrous metals and woods that for whatever reason could cause the brake to fire. After this type usage, make sure to completely turn the saw off to reset the brake system. Otherwise the added safety of this system will continue to be disabled.

Regards,
 
Very nice work, Barry. The wood combination looks great to me, and the copper sets it all off nicely.

I think you could have come up with a more elegant way to make the table mobile, though. The black casters sort of clash with the rest of the table. :rofl:
 
I think you could have come up with a more elegant way to make the table mobile, though. The black casters sort of clash with the rest of the table. :rofl:
And I was thinking that the design of the legs made the table appear to float. :eek:
Barry - how did you finish the bloodwood? I've found that it 'bleeds' with the first, and sometimes second, coat of shellac or wipe on poly. I've been putting on a sealing coat of dewaxed shellac prior to assembly in order to keep it from bleeding into adjoining woods.
 
how did you finish the bloodwood? I've found that it 'bleeds' with the first, and sometimes second, coat of shellac or wipe on poly
Rennie, Yikes! maybe I just got lucky, I originally intended to use wipe-on poly, but just as I was ready to finish, realized I was out:doh: So since I was focused on completing the mission, I grabbed the rattle can poly and used it. Gave it 3 coats. So far, several days later, there is no evidence of bleeding.
 
Rennie, Yikes! maybe I just got lucky, I originally intended to use wipe-on poly, but just as I was ready to finish, realized I was out:doh: So since I was focused on completing the mission, I grabbed the rattle can poly and used it. Gave it 3 coats. So far, several days later, there is no evidence of bleeding.
Sounds like being out of the wipe on was a stroke of luck for you! :thumb: I've experienced bleeding with wipe or or brush on. The color comes up in the finish and the rag or brush moved it around. Spraying seems the safest bet.
 
Barry,

That is an exquisite table. The copper makes it an Arizona classic. Can you give more details as to how one mixes and applies the patination. What are the proportions? Does it have instant effect? Do you have to apply something to stop the effect? Do you have to wear lung protection when applying it? I am totally ignorant of how one goes about doing this.:huh:

Also, how thick is the copper, and I assume it is somehow glued to a substrate? What kind of glue and substrate?

Thanks in advance,

Don
 
Barry,

Really nice table. The bloodwood accents really complment the oak and the copper is is also a nice touch. Will the copper oxidize and turn greenish or did you coat it with something to prevent that?
 
Hey Don, I just messed around with some scraps of copper till I kind of liked the results. What works best for me (quick and easy) is to sand off the surface with 220. You need to start with clean bare metal. Then I sprinkle a little coarse salt on it, then hit it with a 50/50 solution of household amonia and vinegar delivered from a spray bottle. And maybe dribble a few splashes straight out of the bottle as well, to create a random patern. Let it set for an hour or 2, then rinse off with clean water. I then very lightly buff with steel wool to remove most of the crusty stuff. You dont want to wait too long before you seal the surface with something to fix the colors, poly seems to work well.
All this stuff is trial and error on my part, there is probably better ways to do it. If you dont like the results, just sand it down and start over. I got some info online about the process as well. Google is your friend. David Marks is a patination guru, he has a tutorial I think on the DIY website, and a couple of his show segments address it, but he uses a lot of exotic chemicals that I have been too lazy to track down.
I got the copper from a storm gutter company, it sells in 3'x10' sheets. It's 18 ga I believe. It's getting kind of pricey these days:( I think I paid about $160 for it a couple years ago, and copper has went up a lot since then) Cheers Barry
 
Top