HANG .10 Coffee Table - Version II

Intro: HANG .10 Coffee Table - Version II

Well, here is version II of my original HANG .10 surfboard coffee table.  This time around I used pennies, with copper/chrome maple leafs on a white background.

Which one do you like better?

STEP 1:

1st thing to do is make a jig...
*Take your paper template and trace its shape onto the wood that you will use for your jig. I used 1/2" MDF but you can use 1/4"  
  MDF, Masonite or plywood.           
*Use your jigsaw now to cut out that shape from the MDF. Once cut out, I took a belt sander and cleaned up and smoothed all the edges around the jig. This will be your main jig now. This jig is what the router bit follows to cut out your perfect ellipse.
*Select your wood to make your table from. I chose pre-finished birch.
*Put the wood template onto the wood you've selected and clamp it down.
*Route around the jig with the router bit riding against the jig. I used a 1" pattern bit with a ball bearing. This is what rides against the edges that I smoothed out earlier on the jig.

*Once the main shape was routed out, I switched to a 22.5 router bit and routed around the edges once again. This gives me the 22.5  bevel on the edges just like the Eames table has. (actually its a 20 bevel - but who can tell;~)

*Now the table top is ready for your design.
*I masked off the edges and painted the top white. I left the edges exposed to show the different plywood layers similar to the  
 Herman Miller/Eames surfboard table.
*Lay out the location of the stripes with painters tape.
*Now start adding your pennies!
*I used white glue and Q-Tips. Type of glue doesn't really matter because the whole table will be getting covered with epoxy resin   later.        
 *When you are done, remove the painters tape and now you can lay out your copper/chrome maple leaf decals or whichever   
 design you prefer.

STEP 2:

Ok, now its time for the epoxy resin coating.
*You will need enough for a minimum of 2 coats.
*I mixed my epoxy in a 1:1 ratio. This maybe different with other brands though.
*I poured the epoxy, and waited 10 minutes for all the
  bubbles to come to the surface.
*Now you can take your plumbers torch and wave it over the surface of the table popping all the bubbles.
*Keep the torch moving at all times and about 6" away from the surface to avoid burning the epoxy.
*I waited overnight and did a second pour of the epoxy.
*You have to try your best to avoid airborne dust and grit
  from getting onto the top.
*You should wait about 4 days for the epoxy to cure. Then you can move it around and finish it off.

STEP 3:

I attached these nice 13" powder coated hairpin legs from CreamStreetShop. These are really popular right now.

STEP 4:

And voila'....

the finished product  :~)

STEP 5:

I would like to thank CreamStreetShop for providing the legs: 

http://www.creamstreetshop.com/    

http://www.etsy.com/shop/CreamStreetShop?ref=si_shop


As well, I'd like to thank the following Kamloops businesses for their help and support:

-Rich at Platinum Autosports.

-Josh and Cory at Kamshine for providing the much needed pennies.

Comments

[CraigRJess]

Hi Chris, no problem about the questions. We are all here to learn and share with others what we've learned.

1) No raised lip. There is 2 ways you can go about it. Either use a dam OR let it overflow down the sides. All depends on what you're doing. To build a dam, I used painters tape or duct tape is fine. Place it all around the edge of your work, pour the epoxy, then remove tape after 3-7 days. OR you can let it flow over the edge, BUT you will still need to deal with it underneath where it will get drippy/runny - that is hard to remove!. On my penny table, which I will post shortly - I put painters tape near the edge on the underneath of the table. I let the epoxy overflow and came back every 10 mins. and wiped it with a brush on the underside near the edges. That way, when it dries, it will be pretty smooth and flat. If you don't - you will get 'stalactites' of epoxy which are difficult to remove and you may damage your work trying to remove them.

2) I have been using epoxy found at Michaels here in Canada. This should be fine for your projects. I will be switching to West Systems epoxy though. Just remember to heat the epoxy and resin in hot water before you mix. It will flow way easier!

3) You have to keep in mind that epoxy, esp. the cheaper stuff - will yellow slightly unless you protect it.

Hope this helps, any more questions let me know :~)

[laxap]

It's totally amazing. I cannot say which version I prefer; it really depends on your interior.

Question: does the epoxy coat retain its gloss with the time, or do you have to be especially careful against scratches?

[CraigRJess]

Thanks for the kind words :~)

Gloss will last a long time with epoxy BUT has the potential to degrade over a long period when exposed to UV rays. It can also yellow slightly too. The amount depends on the light exposure. (obviously more outside than inside). It can be protected though, by the 2 products listed below.

As with any coating, you do have to be careful against scratches - more so with the black though. White can hide a lot....
I am looking into Epifanes or 2K spray coatings to spray over the epoxy. This will be a harder and more durable coating which you can wet sand over and over again to get the fine scratches out.
Keep an eye out for my Penny Table coming shortly - I know you will love that one!

[lindarose92]

Wow, the effect that the leaves and pennies create under the epoxy is amazing! Wonderful job!

[CraigRJess]

Thank you so much :~) The decals conformed to the orange peel finish (little peaks/valleys) from the paint. This resulted in a shimmering and shadow type effect depending how light hits it. Unexpected but much welcomed after seeing this...