Unique Countertop Commission - WIP w/ pics

[McRabbet]

I have been asked by friends of the people for whom I built the Wine Cellar Project last October (see pics in my Photo Gallery) to build a special Countertop/Bar in their new home under construction in the suburbs of Hendersonville. Last month, I picked up the materials from Steve Wall Lumber -- the main part of which is a 10 foot long slab of Bubinga, also known as African Rosewood. For the past few weeks, I've been involved in other activities, but I've gotten enough done to show some progress pictures.

This is where the counter will go -- atop this 100" long wall and hanging out 21" over the chair rail you see...

The slab of Bubinga: 22" wide, 2" thick and 119" long! 5" 8/4 piece at left is for the supports.

I took the slab over to the well-equipped shop of Sammy Samotis, a professional finish carpenter and we surfaced the slab in his 37" dual drum Grizzly sander -- about 15 passes per side.

With the help of some neighbors (including the "Wine Cellar" owner, Kevin), we got the slab into my basement shop and I finished the edges and sanded both sides to 180 grit.

This is one beautiful piece of wood! And it's not even got a finish on it yet! Next, it was time to build the supports -- three hefty angle braces made of 8/4 by 4" Bubinga.

I knew they must hold up a 200# slab and be rock solid -- so I made a vertical and horizontal member (The "Ell"), held together with a large dovetail, and a diagonal brace of 8/4 stock that will join the two other members with mortise and tenon joints. (Left member is 19" long). Here is one ready for the mortises, but cutting those tenons was fun -- here's how I did it:

Two braces clamped together to Miter Gage to saw the tenon ends and then,

Make the cheek cuts with a dado blade in two passes. Tenons are 1" thick by 3" in the top member and 1" by 4" in the vertical member.

Here is one angle bracket showing the dovetail that attachs the top member to the vertical one. Ready to cut some mortises!

More to come... Thanks for looking. Rob

[DavidF]

Your title was spot on Rob; a very interesting project. Good idea for the fancy tenons.

[dozer]

Rob, I really like your idea for the support braces. Looks like some really nice figure on that Bubinga.

[sapwood]

Rob, you're raising the bar again
Thanks for the details, clearly this is a well thought out project.

More, more!

Roger

[McRabbet]

Here's the next installment on the Bubinga Countertop, with some more Pics:

First, I had to complete the angle bracket mortises. After layout, I removed most of the material with a 1" Forstner Bit, holding the bracket piece between my drill press fence and a stop block. Then, 1/2" and 1" chisels were used to remove the corners and to enlarge the sides by 1/16" for a tight joint.



Next came final sanding and two coats of sealer, using Behlen's Rockhard Table Top Varnish cut 50:50 with their reducer. After the second coat dried, I sanded with 320 grit and used a tack cloth to remove the dust.



Here are the angle bracket components -- with all of the mortise and dovetail surfaces taped over -- after 2 coats of sealer and one coat of full strength varnish. Another light sanding and a final coat before installation.



And the full countertop in the same stage of finish -- it's looking good!



Thanks again for looking -- I hope to begin installation by late this week and I'll have more pics.

Rob

[Travis Porter]

Very nice.

I like your "contraption" for holding the boards at the correct angle on the miter gauge. Been there done that too many times.

That wood is gorgeous! How is it to work?

[toolferone]

Rob, It is looking great ! Is the chair rail going to be removed to put on your brackets? How are you going to attach the top to the top of the wall?

[cpowell]

Wow! That's a pretty slab, Rob. The finish really sets it on fire, huh?

Looking good.

Chuck

[McRabbet]

Originally Posted by toolferone

Rob, It is looking great ! Is the chair rail going to be removed to put on your brackets? How are you going to attach the top to the top of the wall?

Tom, I plan on leaving the chair rail in place, but will make three 4" wide cuts through it for the brackets to fit snug against the wall at the studs. That way, I don't need to re-mud and re-paint the wall where it would be damaged by the demolition. I am putting a 1/8" thick Lexan sheet across the entire wall below the chair rail to protect against scuffing.

The brackets will be installed next, setting them just at the highest point of the short stub wall. I plan to clean the top of the short wall and simply put down a bead of clear silicone caulk near each edge to seal it off. The countertop will sit on the angle brackets and I'll fasten the top to them near the inner edge with a countersunk screw through each bracket -- that way, the wood can expand or contract naturally toward the outer edge. Anyhow, that's the plan... All I need is four men and a boy to carry that countertop around for me (it probably weighs 200 pounds)!

Rob

[pslamp32]

Originally Posted by McRabbet

Rob

Wow! Beeaauuutttiiffuulll!

Wow SWEET your quite the craftsman and nice looking wood doesn't hurt. Very pretty.

[dancam]

Hey Rob,

An outstanding job...your customer is going to be very pleased.

Dan C.

[zapdafish]

wow, looking pretty sweet. I think I actually saw and drooled over that chunk of bubinga when i was at wall lumber awhile back. couldn't imagine at the time what someone could do with such a big piece..now I know

[McRabbet]

Well, I got the countertop installed for the client yesterday and they are very pleased with the result. Needless to say, I was happy that they liked it as much as they do!

The first step of the installation was to cut a 4" opening across the chair rail centered on wall studs so I could install the angle brackets. A 1/8" Lexan sheet was installed below the chair rail to guard the drywall against foot scuffing by future stool sitters. Next, vertical members were secured to the studs with 3/8" x 4" lag screws (heads hidden under the angle bracket); used my 4' level to assure everything was on plane. Glue was applied to the angle member tenons and the horizontal member dovetail pin lowered into the socket at the top of the vertical, allowing the tenons to seat fully and making a solid 90º bracket (you can see the dovetail in the photo below). I drilled a hole with my Kreg step drill through the left side of each mortise and put a 2" face frame screw through each tenon, locking them in place (filled these holes with flush plugs made of Bubinga; later varnished to make them disappear). You can also just see one of the rosettes holding the Lexan in place.


Next came the moment of truth! Would the brackets be aligned properly? Would one be higher than the others? Nope! It fit within 1/16" over the 100" length and 21" width! I bedded the top onto a fat bead of silicone caulk along the back edge of the stud wall (at the kitchen side) and on top of each bracket. Here's a full view and a pet's eye view (or maybe after a few ?)

And finally, a full view from the Dining Room (L) and from the Kitchen sides (R). (That's my signature medallion you can see at the bottom of the center bracket.) I also added a bead of clear silicone caulk between the Bubinga and the stone back splash behind the sink -- we don't want water in there!


Thanks for looking -- this was a fun project!

Rob

[cpowell]

Absolutely beautiful, Rob. That counter is the centerpiece of the kitchen. Incredible slab of wood.

I think it would look even better if they had you build a nice set of cabs to match...and a table, too!

Chuck