I'm reading a lot more these days. My wife is left handed, and the best reading chairs/sofas in the house have tables better suited to her reach. So I thought I'd take the time to build a slide table that works for me, and is portable enough I can carry to any room I want to read in. These are great for a cup of coffee, glasses, your book, phone, etc.
I've always loved the combination of metal and wood, but I don't have many woodworking tools anymore. A recent (socially distanced) trip to Windsor Plywood found me browsing through their exotics. I can do the crosscut, but just don't have the setup for ripping or routing the edge. Fortunately, I came across a piece of Zebrawood exactly the width I needed. I've always wanted to incorporate some Zebrawood into a project. The cool thing about it is that it is harder than oak, and has a great end grain that doesn't need hiding. So while it takes a long time to sand, you get a really durable top with a great looking edge that won't damage easily. You guys who work with wood know what I mean better than me.
For my design I wanted a squared-off look for the tabletop, and an industrial/modern look for the structure. I used 1" 16 gauge tubing for the base, and 1/2" tubing for the accents. I left the welds unsanded (but no sharp edges), all the heat affected zones intact, and the ring roller knurling marks on the curved piece. To highlight the look on the metal I used a black oxide patina topped with a satin clear coat. This leaves a mottled industrial look with some shiny silver parts, some really black parts, and some gun blue parts when the light hits it just right. Lots of cool smearing where I wiped the patina formula. The top is just a lightly pigmented oil rubbed on. It's non-toxic and is water, alcohol and coffee resistant; in fact it can be even used on chopping blocks. But it is kind of pricey.
The tubing I had on hand, so the biggest expense was the Zebrawood ($35.00/brd foot) and the topcoat oil ($40.00). The only other expense was the vinyl tube plugs ($0.52 each).
If I had been more ambitious I would have made the height adjustable with seamless tubing, but as I plan to use it more with a sofa than with armchairs, this isn't a big deal. I'll be using it on carpet, but had I intended to use it on flooring, I would have installed rivnuts on the base to accommodate soft foot felt levellers.
I've always loved the combination of metal and wood, but I don't have many woodworking tools anymore. A recent (socially distanced) trip to Windsor Plywood found me browsing through their exotics. I can do the crosscut, but just don't have the setup for ripping or routing the edge. Fortunately, I came across a piece of Zebrawood exactly the width I needed. I've always wanted to incorporate some Zebrawood into a project. The cool thing about it is that it is harder than oak, and has a great end grain that doesn't need hiding. So while it takes a long time to sand, you get a really durable top with a great looking edge that won't damage easily. You guys who work with wood know what I mean better than me.
For my design I wanted a squared-off look for the tabletop, and an industrial/modern look for the structure. I used 1" 16 gauge tubing for the base, and 1/2" tubing for the accents. I left the welds unsanded (but no sharp edges), all the heat affected zones intact, and the ring roller knurling marks on the curved piece. To highlight the look on the metal I used a black oxide patina topped with a satin clear coat. This leaves a mottled industrial look with some shiny silver parts, some really black parts, and some gun blue parts when the light hits it just right. Lots of cool smearing where I wiped the patina formula. The top is just a lightly pigmented oil rubbed on. It's non-toxic and is water, alcohol and coffee resistant; in fact it can be even used on chopping blocks. But it is kind of pricey.
The tubing I had on hand, so the biggest expense was the Zebrawood ($35.00/brd foot) and the topcoat oil ($40.00). The only other expense was the vinyl tube plugs ($0.52 each).
If I had been more ambitious I would have made the height adjustable with seamless tubing, but as I plan to use it more with a sofa than with armchairs, this isn't a big deal. I'll be using it on carpet, but had I intended to use it on flooring, I would have installed rivnuts on the base to accommodate soft foot felt levellers.
