Sofa (recliner) table

[tlt]

Hi guys,

Just finished a little table that slides underneath my "man-chair" to hold either a cup of coffee or a netbook while I try to wake up in the morning. It's not the most difficult project in the world, but it represents what I love most about woodworking -- the ability to custom fit a project to your needs. I wasn't sure about the physics of such a table, and got a lot of good ideas from the sofa table projects posted here.

It was constructed out of red oak, and joinery was a combination of hidden pocket holes and plugged screws, with a couple of biscuits thrown in for alignment. The table was ebonized using the vinegar and steel wool method, and finished with General Finishes poly/oil blend. I've attached a couple of pics of it unfinished to give an idea of how the ebonizing works.

Thanks for looking,
--tlt

[cabinetman]

That's a great table. The finish came out well. The table definitely serves its purpose. I like it.
.

[RAFlorida]

That's a very functional piece of woodworking

you did there. The look of the wood and the color blend in oh so well with your recliner.
Thanks for sharing with us.

[bullethead1964]

Nice!!! I like the laptop use!

[Ed62]

Very cool! Every man-chair could use one of those.

Ed

[chopnhack]

That is awesome! I love the color on the red oak Can you explain the finish method some more? I have not heard of that one before.

[Pappy]

Design, execution, and finish...

Looks like you hit the trifecta!

[LCHIEN]

I agree that WW allows you to make things exactly as you want them.
This is an excellent example of that, its custom fit to your needs.
I can think of two things I'd like to add if I ever build one like yours...
One a drink holder so it'd be harder to knock over a drink and
two, a wireless mouse (no wire to get hung up)!

[dbhost]

I like it...

[tlt]

Thanks for the kind words. I forgot to say, the build time for this was (thanks to the screws) one lazy Saturday afternoon spent listening to the radio. The finishing process took about half an hour nightly for a week -- 2 coats of ebonizing solution, and 4 coats of wipe-on poly.

Loring - I like where your head's at with the cup holder.

Chopnhack - Here's the ebonizing solution technique I use:

1. Drop a steel wool pad in a mason jar, and fill the jar up with vinegar.
2. Let the solution sit for a week or more until the pad has mostly dissolved. (I usually have two jars of solution on hand)
3. Apply the solution to your finished product.

Important things to note:
a. Make sure you use steel wool and not a synthetic (the stuff I buy at HD is steel, but I've read about other people having problems).
b. This solution works well on wood with a high tannin content. I have had success with red oak, cedar, walnut, and mahogany. Don't expect this to work on poplar or pine.
c. The solution is water-based, and so it will raise the grain. Either pre-raise with water before applying the solution and then lightly sand, or lightly sand after the first coat.
d. The solution is messy. You will have to wipe your piece down with a wet rag several times before applying the poly finish to remove the little steel bits on the surface.
e. As the solution dries, it will look somewhat "cloudy", kind of like if you've ever used water-based dyes. But when you add the first poly coat, the dark color will be there.

I think that's it. If that wasn't clear, let me know!

[Shep]

Very cool finishing. Might have to give that one a try.

[Shep]

Also, a question regarding the finishing. Would the ebonizing solution be better if it was filtered to get rid of the little metal shavings, or are they too small to really filter?

[4estgump]

Great idea for the man cave. Love the workmanship also.
Cool project. 4est

[chopnhack]

Clear as a bell That is one interesting finish. I'm with shep, have you considered filtering?

[big tim]

Nice job, I need something like that for my chair. Right now I'm sitting here typing this post with my laptop on a bookcushion on my knee. I like your idea a lot better.
Any reason why you wouldn't have used an aniline dye?

Tim