divermike Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 (edited) My lovely wife reminded me I had started on a table for her some time ago, and that maybe I'd like to finish it as she has all her broken pottery for the mosaic she wants to top it with, it is aprox a 34 inch diameter, and the edge has been hand hammered cold with a ball peen, this pic does not show the hammering to well, but when it's finished, I will take some better photos, now I just have to figure out what legs to put on it. Edited June 12, 2009 by divermike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 Man, it's hard to believe an experienced married man and blacksmith STARTED with the RoundToIt! Frosty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
divermike Posted June 29, 2009 Author Share Posted June 29, 2009 So I had a plan for the legs, and as fortune would have it, I tried a test piece, quick and dirty, to give her a sense of where I wanted to go. Good thing I did, she didn't at all, like it!! So now I have this piece, chiseled with decorative holes in it, and am wondering what to do with it, at least I did not spend hours slitting and drifting holes, 3 per leg, that she would not have liked, whew!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlotte Posted June 29, 2009 Share Posted June 29, 2009 Bistro tables, as they appear in the french quarter have legs twisted of Looped 5/16 rod, usually attached to the rim with rivets. about 1/3 of the distance from the floor there is a cross brace also of rod. This is one popular style that get elaborated with arches and warps of 1/4 stock. Chair often have the same style of legs. The style also appears in some ice cream parlors. Althouh it may be cheating in your eyes you could go to Bistro Tables, Chairs, Sets - Glass, Wood, Wrought Iron for example that are contemporary. The stuff displayed there is more patio than bisto for my taste it may be what she is thinking about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
divermike Posted July 24, 2009 Author Share Posted July 24, 2009 Ok so I thought of a different plan, My wife said she wanted big legs on the table, and she had seen a little scroll and twist piece I did, and said "oooh I like that, can you make legs like that?" So away I go, to get some 3" by 1/4" pieces, I lay them out, start the feet, the mark on the anvil is a guage to be sure the spread feet are close to each other in size. So after cross peening the feet, and doing some ball peen design, I go for a twist in the top section, it took my 16 year old boy and myself to twist it where the pic shows, and it was tough, and then my wife says "do the legs have to be that big ?" even though she wanted them big, and we agreed on 3 inch material, and she was with me when I bought it, so now I'll have to untwist it, and do a RDC and make 4 legs, I'm planning a computer table out of some black walnut I got at an auction, so it looks like I'll go to plan 3 (2" material) on her bistro table, agh! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigfootnampa Posted July 25, 2009 Share Posted July 25, 2009 I like the twist! Looks like this could be a long thread. How well I understand your frustration! The trick is to grasp the image that she has in her mind. The execution of the design then is up to the artist (that's YOU). I have often had customers asking for things that I knew they wouldn't like... it is neccessary to resist when faced with such unenlightened tasking. Start over... stand back... talk (this is a really hard part)... LISTEN (this part is SUPER difficult)... seize the ESSENCE of the project and design around that. Your finished piece may well diverge from the customers imaginings yet still be fulfilling IF it is true to the proper feel and truly beautifully done! PS your wife is the CUSTOMER do NOT think of her as a design partner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beast Posted July 25, 2009 Share Posted July 25, 2009 The problem here is that its not just a customer you can get rid of when your done, its a female, and his wife. Which means her mind will change a dozen times before SHE realizes what she is thinking, let alone him, and then will probably change a few more times before hes done making them. I understand i'm married as well. I'm sorry, and good luck, and I can't wait to see the final product. :confused::D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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