Inspiration for Cherry Table

Matthew · Post by **Matthew** » Wed Sep 21, 2005 9:02 pm

Tonight on the chat I mentioned I would post a link to a table I am making. Here it is

http://gallery.euroweb.hu/html/b/bouts/ ... index.html

First picture at top of page

The table is very simple in design compared to a lot of the Victorian mill work that I do but since all the joints are thru mortise and tenons it is a fun challenge.

I made a similar table in 1988 and if I can figure out how I can scan a photo and Email it where it is not enormous I will try to send it to anyone interested in seeing it

Matthew

starfire · Post by **starfire** » Thu Sep 22, 2005 6:19 am

That's an interesting one, Matt. I don't think I've ever seen one quite like it. I'd love to see a picture when you finish it.

Love, Shirley

hazel · Post by **hazel** » Thu Sep 22, 2005 10:04 am

Hi Matthew,

Neat table. Will it fold? It looks a little like it might fold, but probably not, as it's unlikely they had folding tables in the olden days.

How is your hand where you cut it a while back?

Polly · Post by **Polly** » Thu Sep 22, 2005 1:48 pm

Matthew,

Thanks for the photo of the table. It looks surprisingly modern in style! Please show us the finished product.

Love,

Polly

Sally · Post by **Sally** » Thu Sep 22, 2005 3:51 pm

I really like that table. And the bare

under it. What are the dimensions of the one you are making? I would love to see a picture of it when you are done. Mortise and tenon is what I like. And, yes, it looks very contemporary for when it was painted. What are you making it out of?

And how IS that hand??

Love

Sally

Umber · Post by **Umber** » Thu Sep 22, 2005 9:02 pm

Yes, that is an amazing table. I can't wait to see your finished product. I have to say those red boots look just like the pointed toe shoes we are wearing today. I much prefer the bare feet.

The painting is amazing as well.

Lori

JJ · Post by JJ » Thu Sep 22, 2005 9:06 pm

OK...I must be a dufus, but I clicked on the link and got a web page for a Flemish artist.....help! JJ

starfire · Post by **starfire** » Thu Sep 22, 2005 9:28 pm

Right Page - the table is the one pictured in the painting at the top.

Love, Shirley

Matthew · Post by **Matthew** » Thu Sep 22, 2005 9:57 pm

Thanks for your interest everyone. At times I feel like I am working in a vacuum. In this day and age when so few people work with real material and actually produce a three dimensional object starting with the conception of the idea, to finding raw material, to producing the final product I feel privileged to do so. I can only imagine that Wayne must have at least some concept of this as a farmer. The same thing but on a much larger scale.

I first made a table from this concept in 1988 when a couple came to me looking for a side board for a dinning room in a very modern house . They wanted something very simple that would fit into an arched nook and did not want to spend an enormous amount of money. My immediate reaction was a pair of saw horses and a top but did not bring it up since it seemed a bit crude. A few days later I came upon Dirk Bouts picture while waiting for an artist friend to get ready to go to dinner. She had a large library of art and I pulled out a book at random , once again it proved to me that their are no accidents. The couple was thrilled with the idea and all these years later some friends of theirs saw it and asked me to make another one for them.

It is amazingly modern but I guess their is no date on the beauty of simplicity.

I found some very nice cherry boards 5 /4 for the top and 8/4 for the base. It is 34” H x 20”D X 64” L

My hand healed very quickly and the scar fades every day. At times I have some very intense itching that I assume comes from internal healing. It has been very gratifying that at least that part of me is working right . No doubt the beautiful job of sewing the doctor did in the ER has been part or how nicely it has knitted.

JJ- The Flemish artists painting was what gave me the final idea for the table as far fetched as it may seem.

My best to you all

Matthew

moremuscle · Post by **moremuscle** » Fri Sep 23, 2005 6:17 am

I am late!

Thank you for the picture - I am not terribly well versed in religion or art so this is a question that arose when viewing the painting: Is Christ the man to the left in the picture near the woman who seems to worship his feet?

In my picture the table top is covered by a white cloth; am I viewing the right picture? How did you imagine the top looked, Matthew? It comes close to your original idea of two saw horses and a board across the top, doesn't it?!

I think the simplicity is what makes you, Polly, think it looks surprisingly modern - was Simon poor? Or was the setting a monestary type setting? Both of those circumstances would explain the simplicity. I think much of what we consider Antiques in furniture today is so ornate due to the fact that only the rich, the nobility, and the royalty could afford "furniture" - that's become what all of us want now so that's what many of the furniture makers reproduce, the fancy ornate pieces. Scandinavian modern design or Shaker furniture are both antidotes to the overpowering ornamentation.
Of course the poor have always had two saw horses and a board for a table if they were lucky enough to have a table; I had one of those when I set up household away from my parents in my young days - I painted the partical board top bright green and had matching curtains made out of muslin I batiked; it was my dining table as well as my desk. Getting a little nostalgic here.....

I am curious as to how you envisioned the table top, Matthew - please do post more pictures. Thank you.

Love,
Karen

Polly · Post by **Polly** » Fri Sep 23, 2005 7:23 am

Matthew,

You make the sagest comments! Love the one about simplicity. That's a place where I seem to be right now - simplifying my life. I am getting rid of a lot of useless THINGS, extra clothes, etc., and everytime I do I get this wonderful feeling of freedom. Simplifying my life seems to free up so much energy, for some reason. It's a change from the packrat I have always been.

I envy you that you get to experience the creative process every day in your work. Of course, I'm sure it can be frustrating at times.

Karen, you reminded me of the bookshelf I had in my first apartment - which I made from crates and boards. Nostalgia, indeed.

Love,

Polly

JJ · Post by JJ » Fri Sep 23, 2005 7:30 am

Hahhahahaa...I was looking for a real photo.....I teach Art History and got caught up in the web page...duh!

What a great thing that your concept came from a Flemish painting....awesome...thanks for sharing...JJ

starfire · Post by **starfire** » Fri Sep 23, 2005 7:36 am

Karen,
I'll send you a PM describing the scene in the picture.

Shirley

Sally · Post by **Sally** » Fri Sep 23, 2005 10:12 am

Matthew, I think being a carpenter is one of the finest types of artisan to be. I once had a friend who was one and I spent hours out in the garage watching him build things. It got to the point where I did all the finish work. Sanding and staining and finishing with wax or oil or whatever. I liked waxing the best. Layer after layer and polishing each one until I could see myself in the finished work. I still get my hand in every once in a while. I'll buy some trashed looking piece that I know is made of oak or walnut of cherry and strip it and finish it until it glows. Quite a bit of my furniture is things I have "rescued." I love wood and there is something very spiritual about the whole process.

You are not in a vacuum.

Love,

Sally

starfire · Post by **starfire** » Fri Sep 23, 2005 11:32 am

I agree Sally, I much prefer real wood and it is wonderful to see how finishing it changes it and brings out the beauty of it.

Love, Shirley