In our October issue #192 of this year, I showed you how to make a little table that my father-in-law had given me from Portugal. It was a nice project because it was easy to make a production run of this useful table out of scraps from the shop.
Last week, Tom Moss, one of our readers, sent me a picture of the tables that he made for Christmas gifts. Whereas I made two tables out of scrap poplar and plywood from the shop, Tom took it to the next level by making 14 tables and using some gorgeous woods.
Great job, Tom! The tables look beautiful and I am sure they were well appreciated as gifts.
If you have a recent project that you would like to share with the online community, send me a jpeg file of the work. My email address is ajax.alexandre@fwmedia.com, or you can click on my name below.
Here are some supplies and tools we find essential in our everyday work around the shop. We may receive a commission from sales referred by our links; however, we have carefully selected these products for their usefulness and quality.
Ajax, thanks for sharing. Your table design caught my eye from scan of the magazine. Someday…
Hey Moss Family, thanks for sharing your joy in family, craft and each other.
Well done.
I am truly my father’s daughter. From the time I could walk, I spent my childhood following him around his workshop proud, amazed–thinking “…my dad is so smart and cool!”. When I grew tall enough that my nose reached the side of his workbench, he began teaching me little things that with which I was capable of helping him; to this day I have dreams about sandpaper and his voice echoing, “…sand the whole thing one more time.” I didn’t mind, I loved it. I loved the smell of freshly cut wood, the growing pile of thinly planed wood curls, the effervescence of sawdust in the air, how he always smelled like soap and varnish, and the pride I felt in being able to say, “…and I helped!”. I still savour those aromas when I visit their house. Trips to Home Depot felt like trips to the toy store, but better! The older I grew, the more tools he taught me to use. I am proud to say that I can use any tool in his workshop! However, the tools don’t guarantee the outcome; the man (or woman) does.
Two months before Christmas this year, I remembered telling my gentleman friend that I really needed a couple of small tea tables for in front of my couch. I told him how hard it is to buy furniture because of the quality of craftsmanship I grew up around. He agreed, having seen my father’s handiwork. So on Christmas morning, I eagerly anticipated the one present I cherish most every year–the project Daddy spents months creating and perfecting to give us as a Christmas present. When he brought it out, it was folded and though at first I didn’t know what it was, I leapt up into his arms to express my well-earned gratitude. Then he told me to “open” it. I was very careful as not to try and move any unmovable piece. As I lifted and brought the halves together, I screamed in delight, “How’d you know!?”. His strawberry-blonde, Tom Sellack like mustache stretched outward and lifted the corners of his mouth into a big smile. He just shrugged not knowing what I was talkig about. I relayed to him the discussion I had previously about needing a table and the satisfaction beamed from him like a lighthouse in a gray harbour. “Good. ‘Cause that’s what I made” was his familiar, yet mildly stoic response.
My father, I am flattered to divulge is Tom Moss. He’s been on my pedestal for years and will remain there forever; not only because of his passion translated into wood, but also because of the many life lessons he taught me while telling me to “…just sand it once more.”
Thank you Daddy! You are an inspiration and your work will live on for generations! I love you!
Your proud first born,
Jan Moss
The corrected measurements were in the latest magazine.
Tom Moss
My husband and I were two of the lucky recipients of these tables! This photo does not even come close to showcasing how beautiful these little folding tables are. We have really been enjoying them as “TV tables” in our living room.
It was only this Christmas when I worked with my dad out in his workshop for the first time that I realized how talented he is, not just in the manufacture of his projects but in his design. He thinks like an engineer, designs as an architect and executes all of his projects with incredible precision.
Great job, Daddy! I’m so proud of your work and so happy to showcase it in my home.
Sincerely,
Dr. Kari Moss Vinuela
Ajax,
I followed your article in the October issue for the folding table, and now I have a lot more scraps because of the errors.
Who does your proof reading?
Missing parts. Wrong dimensions.
I got it figured out, and obviously so did Tom Moss, and he did a great job.
But come on man.