The finish is straight lacquer, 9 coats. No grain filler was used on the Sapele. The pore were filled with clear lacquer for a more open, natural appearance. The final coat was wet sanded to 1500 grit then machine and hand polished.
For a detailed discussion of this table, go to the following link Detailed Discussion
The top secures to the base by means of 4 sliding dovetails (pins attached to the table top and tail mortises in the top of the base. In the background, you can see the automotive grinder/polisher with wool bonnet -- used to buff out the lacquer top.
Note: Several tables on a variation of the top design shown above have been done. A favorite of mine is a breakfast table residing in Reston, VA. It has a 48" round, bookmatched, solid curly maple top with a 2.5" veneered face-edge (same as above) using custom cut, quarter sawn wenge. Although it has the same design as the top shown above, the visual effect is quite different. The QS wenge and strong contrast make a loud and clear art deco statement.
In an unusual touch, the edgebanding of the top was done with vertically oriented grain, using the same custom veneer as on the face. The custom cut veneer was applied in a 1/16" thickness, making it very durable and eliminating the chance of chip through.
(Picture may be available in a few months)
When the table was delivered to the owners apartment in Manhattan, the curved lamination and wenge footed base was too big to fit through the doorway!! Fortunately, I had a dt saw and a file on hand. After some discussion and actually trying out the table height in the hallway, I proceeded to cut off the end of each leg and then reprofiled them on the spot! A few minutes later, the table was in place, and everyone was happy!
The only thing better than doing fine woodworking is doing it with a bunch of guys that are twice as good as yourself.
Foot Note to Keith and Bob, I work on practical, stained, low brow projects on occassion. So, I'm not all that high faluting snooty as I sometimes come across.
