# Madre Cacao live edge Hall table



## PhilBa (Sep 25, 2014)

I love live edge stuff and we needed a better table for our front entry area. I've been looking at slabs as various stores for quite a while but nothing really spoke to me or was seriously expensive. I'd set a mental number $150 for a slab that I needed to do planing on or $300 for one that was pretty much ready to go. Lots of rough slabs at Rockler, Woodcraft and the local hardwood store but the going rate seemed to be pretty high >$300. Plus a lot of really long slabs ->10ft. A few weeks ago I was admiring an 11ft slab of Madre Cacao (mother cocoa?) at Woodcraft when a sales guy started chatting to me about it. I said I really only needed half of that and he offered to cut it (and the price) in half. So 250 and it rode home with. It's got wonderful grain and is a very dense wood. Interestingly, the sawdust is bright yellow.

I built a simple base with cherry for the aprons and anigre for the legs. Mortise and tenon construction. Finishing is always a challenge to me. For the top, I rubbed in some BLO and then finished it with General Arm-r-seal. sanding 320, 600 and extra fine steel wool between coats. It came out pretty nice. I had some issues with the cherry aprons but got advice here and was able to finish the base nicely.

And despite a few minor mistakes I was able to hide, SWMBO is wildly happy with it. To the point of no longer saying "he just likes to buy tools". Last night she was looking on line for similar tables and seeing stuff in the >$1000 range. She says, "our's looks way better than those". Priceless.


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

w/ work like that, she should be...


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

Keeping the boss happy always pays dividends Phil. 

I like it, good job.


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

Nice job Phil. It looks really good on that frame.


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## old55 (Aug 11, 2013)

Really nice Phil, congratulations.


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## Semipro (Mar 22, 2013)

Really like it, Phil


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## jw2170 (Jan 24, 2008)

Way to go, Phil.

Great result on both fronts...


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## Nickp (Dec 4, 2012)

Really nice...now you can buy more tools without feeling guilty..."opportunity comes to those best prepared"


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## mbar57 (Apr 20, 2015)

Stunning!!! And a happy wife to boot. The project of a lifetime!!!


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## Roy Drake (Feb 10, 2014)

Beautiful. Classy. Words don't do it justice. Wish I could see it up close.


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## Knothead47 (Feb 10, 2010)

Love it! You got a deal and SWMBO got a quality table. Happy wife, happy life!


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## PhilBa (Sep 25, 2014)

Nickp said:


> Really nice...now you can buy more tools without feeling guilty..."opportunity comes to those best prepared"


8" jointer, baby!


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## old coasty (Aug 15, 2014)

Great job.


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## ksidwy (Jul 13, 2013)

In fact Phil, you scored many goals with only one kick.
Paid half of price, made your wife happy, received a blank check to buy new tools and last but not least made a very elegant Job. congrats!!!
Sid!


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## Dimitri M (Oct 4, 2011)

Nice job, Phil !!! Very well executed !

Have you tried to combine the free edge top with some free edge on the legs, sides, drawer fronts? I am asking because free edge tops start with the neat slim design that you showed here ( I consider George Nakashima the father of this technique) and go all the way to the extremely rustique and "heavy" log furniture. popular in the USA and Canadian log cabins. I am always trying to define where the golden ratio is. My bench is an example of square top with free edge supports, and gives a different aesthetic impression 
http://www.routerforums.com/project-plans-how/37491-trestle-table-benches.html
I am still looking for some algorithm to determine how much free edge should go into every piece. 

I would love to have some type of wood where the corner from the free edge to the across-the-grain cut will not split, warp and tear off. For the cypress I work with, long dowels are a necessity. 

Best wishes

D


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## PhilBa (Sep 25, 2014)

Thank you for your kind comments. I'm personally not a fan of heavy legs so live edge legs won't do for me. I like a crisp clean look. I have seen similar tables with a lower shelf made of a smaller live edge slab. It looks nice when it isn't too big. I think there is a balance between not enough and too much live edge. Personal taste.


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