The wood for this table top was a length-wise slice directly through a walnut log. Initially, the edges were sapwood (wood just inside the bark) and riddled with worm holes.  I wanted to clean up the edges and maintain the natural shape of the piece to retain its organic feel.

 

When shaping the slab, I let the piece speak to me and I followed its natural shapes and curves to arrive at the finished shape.  The actual shaping tool about a day refining the edges with a spokeshave and then sanding and scraping. 

 

The figure in this slab is quite remarkable.  To accentuate the color and textures, the slab was first sanded smooth and then scraped to bring out the luster that can only be obtained by scraping.  The entire piece was hand-rubbed with Danish oil to accentuate the fire in the grain and finished with 5 coats of an oil / polyurathane mixture.

 

Dimensions:  48 inches long x 17 inches wide x 15 inches tall.