Reclaimed Lumber Mission Style Coffee Table

Well it is certainly starting to feel like fall around here, and like the changing of the season I find myself spending more time in my workshop than out in the garden. This usually happens each year after the summer gardens have been cleaned and the winter gardens have been planted.

I had acquired some white oak that had been in an area where it was exposed to fumes from animal urine, like a horse stable, and the wood looked very weathered. Ironically, Mission style furniture was usually put into a tent and "fumed" with ammonia for 48 hours to darken the wood to create a dark brown  hue. The ammonia reacts with the tannin in the oak and produces a mellow darkness that normally comes with natural aging of wood. Gustav Stickley used to use this technique to finish his furniture.

 I didn't want to waste the oak, so I decided to use it to make a mission style coffee table. I like to use mostly with hand tools when I build furniture. I don't like the noise of power tools or the dust created by them. I like it quiet when I work so I can concentrate on what I am doing and put myself into each piece I build.

After the wood was cleaned, I cut it into workable boards and then cut out all the parts. The legs, apron and ends were all held together with mortise and tenon joints, and the boards for the top were glued up with a breadboard edge.

The table turned out great and the finish looked better than I had hoped for. I wasn't sure if the discoloration would show through the finish, but the wood had a warm, deep chocolate hue! It doesn't really show it's true color in the photos.

The table is a nice addition to our living room and compliments the mantle and bookcases.

Now I think I need to build a couple matching end tables!

This was another easy to build project and, like the farmhouse table, I have included the plans on my project plans page for anyone interested in building one.

~Rob~