Ebony Inlaid Cherry Dining Table

I love to make tables. So much living happens there: meals, visits, homework, plans, projects, cobbler stains. This dining table (which found a home in Pennsylvania before I got proper photos) is part tribute, part complaint resolution, and part bling. The tribute recognizes the education and inspiration I've gotten from my friend and teacher Kevin Rodel of Maine. My complaint is with tables that have interesting structure but are too easy to whack knees/shins/chairs on: this table has cool details but can seat many people with minimal whackage. The bling is a killer sequence of three figured cherry planks from a single tree, and Macassar ebony inlays that echoed the colors and curves of the cherry. Some of the joinery runs toward wood-geek bling too, making a nice integration of process and result as well as being rigid enough to support dancing elephants. Stout mortise and tenons, sliding dovetails, and killer haunched lap joints make this table built for the ages. The hand planed top has a gentle liveliness that characterizes many fine antiques, and contrasts with the optically uniform surfaces so common today with industrial sanding technologies. Did I mention I like making tables?