Here’s proof of what a little ingenuity can achieve when it comes to woodworking. And proof that successful projects can be carried out in small spaces.
Husband and wife duo Catherine and Brian Lieb, both lifelong woodworkers and new SDFWA members, are bragging about their 62-inch long river table which sits in their dining room. The table features two joined mappa wood slabs with a river of resin flowing between the two live edges – a work of art mostly crafted in their two-bedroom condo in a high-rise facing the Convention Center.
The Liebs, who split their time between San Diego and hometown Copley, Ohio, had to resort to a little footwork to complete the project. One challenge was breaking down the two slabs in the parking lot at TH&H, so that they‘d fit into the couple’s smallish Honda CRV. That homecoming was not the last time the slabs took a ride. During the build, Brian had to perform some of the work outdoors at Caesar Chavez Park close by using battery-driven power tools.
The two performed all other tasks in a bedroom dedicated to the project. Catherine took the lead on the resin pour and final finish while Brian did most of the woodworking. Fortunately, the bedroom is somewhat isolated from neighbors. The loudest noise came from the shop vac during cleanup, Catherine says. After a month of effort, the new table sits proudly in their dining room.
“We’re used to doing woodworking projects in our large workshop in Ohio, so we took on this as a challenge,” the pair said. We’re confident we could do the job, but being the realists we are, if it didn't come up to our standards, we'd start over and do it again.”
Written by Columnist Tom York