A current project is a low table of sorts to hold cable boxes, DVD players, audio equipment, etc.  This is about the first part of the project.

The table is made of a cherry slab floating on a copper frame, with boxes suspended below to hold the components.  One side will serve as a place for books or a seating area, depending on the situation. Love cherry & copper together.

First thing was to get a big slab of wood.

After a little research, found Willard Brothers down in Trenton, and after a few emails, headed down on the train.  That place is amazing. Any sort of exotic wood you need - they got it, acres of it. My plan was to find the right piece and bring it back on the train. I did. But was a bit ridiculous. Subway turnstiles were tricky.

Next I needed some cherry veneer plywood to make the boxes and a piece of cherry lumber to extend the width of the slab to 20" or so.  Thankfully Rosenzweig's delivers.

The boxes are simple - pieces of the plywood glued up with biscuits, with some pieces of cherry attached to front and sanded flush. There are small openings at the base in the back for cords to pass through, and it is open at the top rear for cords to go up to the TV (and those openings aren't visible when viewed from the front).

Here is what will be the eventual design - just replace the Ikea stools with a frame made of 2" copper pipe. None of the wood is finished (note the bark is still on the slab and the boxes look pretty light). The large gap in the back of the boxes has since been filled in.

Next, to make the slab a bit wider, I ripped the live edge off the back of the slab, and an edge off of the lumber, and glued them both together, trying to match the grain.

Here it is - drying glue!  Neat-o.

Part II will be finishing the surface of the slab and inlaying some copper along the seam the length of the slab... ]]>