Table-tastic!!
In the fall I went to the Brampton Miniature show, where mini makers sell their old stock and some people off load their collection as they get out of the game.
At a table, by the door was an older lady who was selling off her excess minis. I bought the Realife Miniatures piano kit from her too! In a zip-lock baggie marked $5 was a table kit. I was intrigued and she believed all the pieces were there plus extra legs. What could I loose at that price!
The table kit was made by Harold Watson in 1989 for a miniature gathering. I cannot begin to tell you how beautifully cut and prepared each piece of the table was made. Everything fits together perfectly, which left me in awe. Zero fit issues.
My issue? This was clearly made for a workshop, so the instructions, while complete and accurate, needed "interpretation." Let's just say I spent many evenings (months apart I might add) staring at it and trying to figure how the table would look and how the pieces fit together. Mentally modeling....made easier with wine. Hehehe. Finally, it clicked and it made sense. I glued it with high quality multi surface glue. To ensure that when I glued the top to the base, and that I wouldn't glue it so I couldn't open it (major &*%&#*& panic attack as I glued it), I put wax paper slips of paper to ensure the glue at worst would adhere to the paper and not to the non-moving parts. And it worked!! Table opens and closes to fit the leaf in like a charm.
Here is my Instagram post to see how it actually opens and closes. It's pretty neat!
These are the instructions that guided me. This was all that came in the baggie with the parts. The drawings are to scale, so you can at least lay the pieces on the paper to see how they fit.
What to finish this table with? Well, it was beautiful wood, but the table top pieces were cut from different pieces, so the grains did not all match up. I selected the least matchy piece to be the leaf. But, even then it didn't quite look right. Instead of a natural finish I went with dark walnut. I used Watco Danish Oil as a finish. Unlike many oils, this does not sit on top of the wood, but rather, it sinks in (most oils are for food prep, so it doesn't sink in). Danish Oil gives you great coverage and you can use a clear coat on top, or not. I'm debating because I'm concerned with adding too much moisture to this thin delicate wood and risking warping. No warping noted with the oil!
So there you have it! I finished a project. Only 3 Home Depot hunting trips and multiple trips to other hardware stores looking to find someone that had Danish Oil in stock. But today I found it and I have a new table!
I think soldering a bed kit (I also got from the same lady) will be next in the the kit completion game.
