Just finished a dining table for my daughter. Jatoba is the primary wood, with ebony and curly maple accents. Challenges included splayed legs, which fried my brain throughout the project keeping straight the 94, 96, and 90-degree angles. Another challenge was tremendous mass with top dimensions 80" X 37" X 1 1/2". The four large boards for the top far exceeded the capacity of my jointer, thus requiring jigs to do the face jointing with my planer. I used the technique of gluing parallel poplar rails to the jointed edges of my workpiece, then ripping them free after planing. Weight was a challenge with jatoba's density of 56 lbs/ft3 compared to, for example, walnut's density of 37 lbs/ft3. I needed to plan my work during times that my son was available to help move the heavy pieces. Design elements include underbevelling of the top to show a graceful 7/8" edge, maple cock beading to accent the apron arches, pyramidal ebony plugs to cap the pegging of my MT joints, and an eight-sided inlay at the bottom of the legs to give the pleasing look of sock feet.
