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Blackwater: Tiki Table build diary

Pages: 1 2 82 replies

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BlackWater posted on 11/27/2023

Long time no update. Tiki legs are done. I hope they don’t split in half under the weight.

Tabletop has been delivered, and I spent the day carving the top. I’m pretty happy with how it came out so far. Still need to carve the sides, then I’ll do final assembly and finishing.

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(Tiki Diablo is a huge influence obviously, specifically his work for Undertow.)

[ Edited by BlackWater on 2023-11-26 18:24:30 ]

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Will carve posted on 11/27/2023

Wow, nice job.

Love it when a plan comes together.

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hang10tiki posted on 11/28/2023

Sweetness in the making

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MadDogMike posted on 11/28/2023

Glad to see an update, looks great!

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Prikli Pear posted on 11/29/2023

That is definitely ambition on a grand scale. It looks absolutely top-notch thus far. My hands and arm are going numb just from looking at all of your router work! Seriously, I cannot wait to see the final stages once finish is applied and the entire table is assembled. The madman in me is thinking of all the ways a carved tabletop could be combined with resin... but that's for somebody else to attempt!

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BlackWater posted on 11/30/2023

Thanks everyone. It is ambitious and has taken all summer. The router was tough, though actually the hardest part was making the straight, even lines. But I still had to keep the router controlled and constantly moving, and felt my arm muscles spasm a few times. I hope to finish the sides this weekend, then work on the frame and attaching legs.

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leevigraham posted on 11/30/2023

Tiki legs are done. I hope they don’t split in half under the weight.

I wonder if some metal strapping around the top and bottom of the pole would add more support.

Looks great so far!

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BlackWater posted on 12/02/2023

I was thinking about metal strapping but don’t know where to start. Maybe that will be plan B.

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BlackWater posted on 12/03/2023

Flipped the table to carve the sides today.

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But the table is 7 feet long. How am I going to carve the ends?

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If it’s stupid and it works, it’s not stupid.

WC
Will carve posted on 12/03/2023

That's brilliant & the ladder looks like it was made for the job. Also, The mention of, "could be combined with resin..." Sounds like it would make it much EZer to clean after dinner. I don't see those legs splitting & falling in two but instead of strapping how bout drilling a hole thru it & gluing a dowel thru it. Like East & west & north & south, like a cross.

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hang10tiki posted on 12/03/2023

Awesome

Great pics

What Will said

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BlackWater posted on 12/04/2023

Ooh I like the dowel idea.

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Prikli Pear posted on 12/04/2023

Blackwater, when I needed a way of attaching the table top to my Tiki Bob (albeit a much smaller table top) I used a leg mounting plate. I sank a bolt into the Bob (leg in your case) and anchored it with resin. Then I just screwed them together. Gravity stabilizes it horizontally, so the plate and bolt only need to fight against vertical shear. Not sure how this would work for you but I wouldn't want you to have to mar the beautiful surface of your table to sink dowels through (although setting them partway through the underside may be an option)

Here's the link to what I did with my Bob table.

Thanks. I’m using a traditional table frame with Z-clamps to hold the tabletop. The frame has a groove for the Z-clips which then get screwed into the top. Probably overkill, but since it’s outdoors I don’t want to risk of splitting the top with wood movement.

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Prikli Pear posted on 12/04/2023

Gotcha. That's probably for the best.

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BlackWater posted on 12/14/2023

Table is put together and ready for finishing. But while the top was propped against the bar, some #*%€! cat peed on it. Twice. I’ll try sanding it down, and I’m hoping dark stain will cover it, but any suggestions are welcome.

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Will carve posted on 12/15/2023

Let the cat live. It only adds to the character.

WC
Will carve posted on 12/15/2023

BTW, the table is out standing.

Never seen one like it. Great job.

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hang10tiki posted on 12/15/2023

Strong work 👍🏼

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BlackWater posted on 12/17/2023

First coat of stain looks... not so hot. Some of the pine just didn’t take the stain at all. I’m going to try a dye stain next to hopefully get a more uniform color. Not panicking yet, just another challenge to overcome. And a reminder that pine sucks for tikis.

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BlackWater posted on 12/18/2023

Oh yeah. Dye stain FTW. That’s the look I was hoping for. Giving it two days to fully dry before spar urethane so it doesn’t fog.

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MadDogMike posted on 12/18/2023

Looks AMAZING!!!

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hang10tiki posted on 12/18/2023

Perfect

Drink time

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BlackWater posted on 12/23/2023

Rain in LA all week, so the stain still isn’t dry. I hope to urethane next week and put this project to a close with a cocktail.

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danlovestikis posted on 12/23/2023

I love deep carving. The table edge is just so incredible I could stare at it for hours. Love the legs too. Well done!

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UnkleChewie posted on 12/23/2023

Fantastic job on this, looks amazing!

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BlackWater posted on 01/09/2024

I'm declaring this finished. Thanks for your help and encouragement, everyone. A few photos of the finished piece to follow.

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Time for a Jet Pilot.

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coldwarspacemonkey posted on 01/09/2024

Fantastic! Beautiful work.

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Will carve posted on 01/09/2024

A jet pilot ? That deserves a squadron of them.

Good job.

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Hamo posted on 01/16/2024

Table turned out great. I love the carving on the top and edges. Well done.

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hang10tiki posted on 01/17/2024

Outstanding job, love the reflection pics

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danlovestikis posted on 01/17/2024

This piece of art will be treasured by many people throughout the years. It will still be used when we are all gone. It is a masterpiece.

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BlackWater posted on 01/17/2024

Thank you, everyone.

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BlackWater posted on 08/17/2024

Latest project, I covered an ugly white wall with bamboo. With a few progress pics since people seem to like those.

I used reed fencing, my final purchase from Oceanic Arts. They showed me the wall behind the register was painted yellow under the bamboo for a warmer look. I tried construction cement against the stucco but that didn’t work at all. Both surfaces are too rough I guess. So it was a lot of screws to hold it up. Then some larger bamboo framing to hide the rough edges.

#nowhitewalls

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Pages: 1 2 82 replies