Figured Teak Redwood Coffee Table

A few months back I helped a friend of mine build a deck in Martinez. At the end of the project when it was time to clean up he sent me to the dump with all the demo lumber. That's where I looked a little closer and found a few very nice old growth 4 X 6 Redwood beams. Lots of nails and paint but just looking at the end grain I knew this was worth keeping. We've been in the need of a coffee table in our living room for a while so I finally broke into the Redwood. The top is part of the figured Teak I've had for a while veneered on 3/4" MDF. The design is on the fly, as usual. Here are the first few weeks:

Here the top and the rough redwood lumber.

Original Stamp.

Milling the table legs.

Table leg jig.

Cutting out the profile.

Time to clean up the rough band saw cut with the jig.

Final sanding before finish.

Since this is reclaimed Redwood I want it to look that way after milling and shaping it. A good way to do this is to oxidize the wood just like it does naturally. To do this i mix vinegar with steel wool and let it sit for a week. Then I apply it with a lint free rag just like stain. It oxidizes immediately.  

The dried oxidized weathered look with no finish.

Here the legs have a coat of oil finish. No finish on the legs looks more realistic but i like having some protection on my lumber and depth as well. 

 This is the teak top with a coat of sealer.

Time to cut the dado in the redwood legs with a slider on the table saw.

Since all the parts were finished I taped off the exposed edges with painters tape and epoxied
the legs onto the tabletop.