turning over a new leaf

Hi miniature friends!

First a warm welcome to my new followers. But ooh, i'm ashamed for being absent for so long. I'm sorry for not posting for a while, so...  let me try to make up for it.

Last post i ended with an antique Dutch pullout table i'd recently seen in the Rijks Museum in Amsterdam. My intention was to rebuild it in 1:12. So I took pictures and measurements & made a modern version to test the extending leaf mechanism. Also did lots of research, and that's when i decided to drop the initial choice and go for this refectory table:

It's also a draw-leaf or Dutch pullout table, but i found it's proportions and decor more appealing to make. With my understanding of the construction and mechanism under the belt and the pictures of the original i scaled out a plan. Some joints were unclear, but i could fall back on some period cabinet making books to figure them out. I decided for cherry as my choice of wood as it resembles the oak wood of which this 19th Century revival refectory table is made of best. 

Now that had i tested the construction with the mock up table, i also did a test piece on the carving. The cherry wood isn't as fine grained as pear, and, as i just purchased this new piece of stock, i wanted to get a feel for it before proceeding. Because even the same type of wood can behave different being from another plank or tree. The test helped with that, and also helped to figure out and finalize the design on the aprons. So then it was on to the build. 

First i had to cut up stock to the desired thickness. I'm so happy with some of my new tools. Recently i swapped my old bandsaw for an almost new Proxxon belt saw. That was a very good deal. But most chuffed I'm with the tools made by Jim Byrnes. His thickness sander can do a job in 5 minutes that used to take me over an hour (or more!) and mostly by hand. So no more elbow grease and so accurate too! Each time it's a real joy to work with!!

The base is formed by the aprons, with reinforced mitering and hand cut dove tails.

Carving them before assembly is easier.

The two melons shaped legs with their brackets.

Half way i put the pieces together so I could metaphorically stand back a bit and look at it that way. Not only do I find it fun to see it come together. But working up close on the individual parts can sometimes make me loose track, and this helps me to keep focus :)

I find dying the wood fun too, it makes all the carvings come to life. 

Past weekend i finished the base so now I can start work on the table top. Fortunately that won't take as much time as the carving, so i hope to get that done pretty soon. And then the only thing left is the sliding construction. That will be a fiddly job again, but i look forward to that. The satisfaction of pulling out the leaves and see it all work smooth will make it all worth while. 

So... that's what kept me busy. Ok, not done yet, but it's getting there :) Ooh, and i went to the annual dolls house fair here in Apeldoorn, Holland last weekend! Very nice to meet fellow miniaturists again, and to make new friends as well. There is some great talent out there! I mean, some offerings were exceptionally well done! All in all very inspirational.

Have a great day, and enjoy the small things in life,