UPDATE:
Here is a short video of the build. Building a Mahogany Dining Table - YouTube
Julie’s brother was going to make her a table and purchased ample mahogany to perform the task but had the misfortune of falling ill and passing away. She reached out to me a year later and asked if I could take the wood away. In the discussion, she asked if I might make the table her brother had promised.
It took about a month but the table is now ready for delivery. Solid mahogany, 8 x 3.5ft, standard height. Corner legs were out of the question so I made supporting posts and bolted them to the top with lags bolts. Legs are shaped in an M pattern in homage to her brother, Matt.
There is a lot of flat surface area, so I used the Shapeoko to carve some swirl designs (from the CC library - modified slightly) onto the outer sides of the legs.
The bench is sized to fit completely between the legs and sits two easily. Julie’s favorite picture of Matt shows him holding a salmon he caught while in Alaska. So I incorporated a CC-library salmon onto the bench legs. Those leg billets are 1.5 inches thick, rectangular, and rather plain so I added some simple curves using CC. While I cannot cut the full thickness, I did carve down about 3/8-inch with a 201 bit and used that groove as a guide for the bandsaw. This yielded two identical legs with consistent shape.
I’ve mostly used my machine to make signs, etc and this is my first try at enhancing a wood shop project with the Shapeoko. Julie does not know about the M or salmon so the table will make her cry just a bit. The hug will be worth it.
