This is three projects in one -- a crocodile sculpture, four feet long (life-size for a dwarf crocodile), a tile mosaic and a black walnut table over 2' x 4'. The walnut came from rough slabs in my friend Jan's pig barn in Iowa. Finish is Danish oil and beeswax. The crocodile's 22 mm glass eyes were ordered from a taxidermy supplier who caters to embalmers of the exotic. Mosaic designs were borrowed from Ed Sibbett's excellent book of Art Nouveau stained glass patterns -- colors, textures and arrangement are my own.
The table weighs probably around 100 pounds -- underneath the tile mosaic is ½" masonry HardyBacker, and under that is a bed of full-dimension 1x6 decking lumber braced across with more of the same. And then of course the ¾"x 4½" walnut border dovetailed and Gorilla-glued in place. I built it extra solid so that moving it around wouldn't crack the tile grout. About two months' work. Between the weight and the price, I expect this is going to be my own coffee table for the next 25 years and I'll enjoy it every day.
This product was added to our catalog on Tuesday 01 July, 2008.
