Viewer Comments:
Damn Zac....that beautiful !!! I like your use of the Dutchman's. The color is awesome too. Beautiful job.
Thanks Robert. I'm not familiar with the term "dutchman's".
It looks like an "hourglass" insert that's in the center of the top. Did you put that in there or is it just the grain?
I see. I've been calling them bow ties. Yes I put them in. They were from some of the cutoffs from the slab.
You might look up George Nakashima and you will see how he - and others - originated this particular 'organic' type of design that you have copied. He inlaid the dovetails/butterflysdutchmans, etc to hold the cracks stable.
Hard to know where you are going if you don't know where you been....
There's no doubt in my mind what they are for, regardless of what you call them. Obviously there are multiple names such as the ones you've listed. Also, I'd be interest In seeing a design that you've originated that is in no way shape or form similar to anything that's ever been done before.
??
If a person prefered to not use the bow ties, is a piece of flat stock steel drilled for multiple screws, applied to the bottom, an exceptable alternative?
What kind of legs/ base are you doing?
steve - people do use things like steel and brass as replacements for bowties - and it probably works fine. one thing I would wonder about though is if you only inlaid it into the bottom of the slab is it going to increase the likelihood of the slab wanting to cup in that direction? I suppose it would all depend on the size of the crack and the nature of the grain...just talking out loud now
Steve,
the reason I asked about the legs your using is that for all of our metal legs, there is a 6-8"x 20-24" plate welded to the top of the leg. this then gets mortised into the bottom of the table. we attach the legs to the table by threading 4 holes through the plate into the table and wrenching in some mating coarse thread bolts. I believe you could avoid the use of the bowties this way because you are spanning the majority of the table width with a metal plate. If you are Using a wood base/legs you could still use a metal plate in the bottom to control the crack and mount your legs however you see fit. As long as you finish both sides of the table equally and the wood has been dried properly. I don't think cupping in the direction of the bowtie will be an issue. I havent had any issues with these methods yet.
Zac
Beautiful table, and there's certainly no shame in being influenced by one of the most iconic and successful woodworkers of all time. If you aren't aware of Nakashima, he's worth looking up.
Nakashima came of age at Manzanar, a Japanese internment camp in California during WW2. There he learned to utilize every piece of wood to its fullest, in the best possible way, balancing utility with beauty. There is a reason why he chose the dovetail keys, and why he placed them where he did in his work.
Nicely done, Zac. Beautiful slab with a superb finish to enhance that unique grain. The legs complement the table without competing with the slab. And a very quiet comment to some of the responders here. I would guess Zac and 99.9% of this forum's viewers know well who George N. is.
