One of the important projects I wanted to do was build a dining room table out of the wood from the trees we cut down. We had already been able to use some of the wood for the new mantle above the fireplace and for the trusses in the guest bedroom. We were able to make everything for the table from our tree wood, but had to get wood from another Okoboji tree for the top. The wood on the top was quater sawn--aka it looks like it was cut like an open book. The cool thing is you can see the grain drift and connect from board to board across the table.
We wanted a big table since we love to have a lot of people over for dinner parties, but we also wanted it to be able to withstand the parties. We didn't want it to be a table that would be ruined if it got a scratch on it. We both wanted it to look as natural as possible, so, we made our own stain for the wood. The first mixture was too white-washed, so we had to sand it down and start over. The second time we got it right. We love it. Here are pics of the process. Now we just have to find the right chairs for it, and we will be ready to entertain!
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| Wood getting laid out for the top |
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| Solid wood legs from our trees |
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| See how the grain drifts and connects into the next board? |
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| Another image of the grain. |
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Getting close to being done!
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Almost done--too white washed though!
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