Jesse McMahon Stands

I've never been a professional woodworker, except the summer I spent in my Godfathers cabinet shop, but my Dad taught me to build and work with wood from a pretty early age. A couple of years ago on his birthday we were hanging out having a fire and right before he threw in a well cured Juniperus Virginiana stump he turned and asked me if I could do anything with it. I'd been starting to learn about Bonsai display and looking at stands a lot, so I took it and set to work on a root stand. It wasn't long after that before I was testing our humble collection of woodworking tools to see what kind of tolerances I could get out of them and scheming on designs for some simple Shohin sized tables.

Here is a collection of some of the things I've managed to produce the last couple of years. I have a great admiration for the tables and stands I see produced by some of the IBC members. Y'all let me know what you think.

My first one ever. J. Virginiana. 4 x 2.5 x 5"

image by writeofwhey, on Flickr

This was my first Shohin table attempt. Oak. 9.25 x 7 x 2.5"

image by writeofwhey, on Flickr

My second attempt at a root stand. I harvested and cut this piece of Dogwood myself. 5 x 3 x .75"

image by writeofwhey, on Flickr

Cherry wood. My first attempt at a true mitred top and some square rails.11 x 7.25 x 2.5"

image by writeofwhey, on Flickr

I believe this to be Red Oak. I found the board at a local resale shop. The Shohin table is the same wood. This is my latest and largest table yet. 14.75 x 10.25 x 6"

image by writeofwhey, on Flickr

I've got a few more I could post, if y'all like. Figured this would get the thread going. Cheers!

very nice stands. Let's see the rest.
Do you have a whole workshop or is this just a side hobby?

Thanks for the reply and compliments, Cockroach! I'll get the others up tomorrow. I think there are a couple other unsanded/unfinished tables and a few blades that need legs and lower assemblies made in the works right now.

It started as a hobby.    I'm open to possibilities, but lately I have a whole lot of fun just doing it for love of the game. I'll keep posting what I get built in this thread. Y'all let me know how I'm doing.

We're watching you, Jesse. <g>

Your proportions are off on the tables, but the root stands are INCREDIBLE!! Nice job.

R

Jessie, could you post a little about how you preserve slabs like that dogwood? I have several cedar slabs and some hickory logs that I'll cut into slabs that I'd like to preserve.

Russell Coker wrote:Your proportions are off on the tables

can you expound ?

and yeah jessie - the root stands are pretty gott dang nice !
any of them for sale ?
i will be in your neck-o-the woods end of this month...

Very nice. They and others inspire me to make some of my own. I would like to suggest that the stretchers between the legs be stopped short of the outside surface of the leg. The ones in the last picture which are mounted in dados just don't look as good as the ones that are inset even though they are far easier to make.

Jesse just finished this elegant large table for me. I'll have a landscape on it at the Carolina Expo.

Good work Jesse. Glad to see some exceptional (NC) native talent. Please join us at the Expo in Asheville this weekend. Many of the best in the bonsai world will be there and venders with great items. Many for you to learn from. See you there and keep us informed on your work and a web site or contact for you.

Thanks, everybody! I haven't been adding to this thread like I should, but today I made some time to get a few photos. Good lighting was hard to come by. Bear with me and answers to questions will be coming after the photo session.

My first Walnut table. 12.5" x 10.25" x 2.5" Did NOT like the lighting today.


Cherry wood unstained. Roughly 9.25" x 6.5" x 2.25" This is the first table I've gotten the top plate thin enough to look very bonsai, I think. Tools and infrastructure have grown this year, so coming attempts will hopefully be more aesthetically pleasing in that regard. That being said, I like this table. The one piece top is something I'm still mulling over.


Here are the two together, showing a better profile for details. The groove on the Walnut table is a little deep in retrospect...live and learn.  


My first, and so far only, attempt a cascade table. Red Oak. 8" square x 20" tall.


And the top...I love the way this came out.


And lastly, something a little different. Maple. 9" x 14" x 3.75"


Details. In retrospect this shot doesn't show how the side stringers are lower than the front ones. Makes a nice effect. I'll have to line up a shot later today if I have some time.

ramblingwreck - So far I've been fortunate. That slice of dogwood came out of the forest behind my home and had been standing upright for years. I harvested that piece and cut it after a good long dry spell so all that I've had to do since the shaping is to treat it with Tung oil once in a while. I'm sure there are more professional opinions to be had on the IBC, but my best advice to you is do the shaping work as quickly as you can and then get it sealed or finished. Hopefully that answers your question.

Marty-Yeah, I definitely agree. That was a lark, and in retrospect I could have had a much finer piece of table than I ended up with. I chalk that one up to a learning experience at this point. It now has a happy home with my mother as a decorative piece.

Kevin-I'm sorry to say I won't have any root stands to bring to the expo this year. That's a time consuming thing for me, even if it may be my favorite of all the display building styles. I'm hoping to find some time over the winter to craft some, though. Come find me at the expo and we can talk about it over a beer. And again, thankee sir!

Doug-I'll be there all weekend! Now I just have to get all this homework off my plate and I can relax and enjoy what should be an excellent time.

Hope to meet y'all there. Thanks again for all the feedback. Helps keep me motivated and making time to build.
Now if I can just get Russel to elaborate I can work on getting my proportions right...

Jesse McMahon wrote:
Kevin-I'm sorry to say I won't have any root stands to bring to the expo this year. That's a time consuming thing for me, even if it may be my favorite of all the display building styles. I'm hoping to find some time over the winter to craft some, though. Come find me at the expo and we can talk about it over a beer. And again, thankee sir!

dang... i would love to knock one back with you and yak at the expo, but i wont be out that way until the last week of this month...

if you are near asheville though, mayhaps we could connect.

re: the last series of pictures, i dont think that groove was too deep in the walnut table...
again, a point of interest as long as the eye doesnt get trapped there

and the maple one is super cool, along with the top of the cascade...
i also like the feet you give most of them... very nice touch

if that maple one is available for sale when i get out there, i might be interested
(price dependent of course )

dang... i would love to knock one back with you and yak at the expo, but i wont be out that way until the last week of this month...

Well, Jesse is attending TWO colleges at the same time, so his time is limited lately, but maybe I can drag him up there when we have that beer, Kevin.

sounds good jim... looking frwrd to it.

The stand with my landscape on it at the Carolina Expo:

re the stand: nice !
re: the landscape - do you have any more detailed pics ?
(maybe for a separate thread)

https://ibonsaiclub.forumotion.com/t5712-since-i-can-t-live-in-the-desert-any-more?highlight=desert

Very early in its life. The trees have matured. I've added deadwood. The succulents have to be regularly weeded now.

Jesse McMahon wrote:ramblingwreck - So far I've been fortunate. That slice of dogwood came out of the forest behind my home and had been standing upright for years. I harvested that piece and cut it after a good long dry spell so all that I've had to do since the shaping is to treat it with Tung oil once in a while. I'm sure there are more professional opinions to be had on the IBC, but my best advice to you is do the shaping work as quickly as you can and then get it sealed or finished. Hopefully that answers your question.

Yep, thanks!