This is Bonsai Display Table #4 - redwood, honey locust top, with Watco Teak Oil very recently applied. It's 36 1/4” tall, 20 1/2” wide and 11 “ deep. The apron is very wide because the bottom was going to be “cloud” cut like the previous three tables. But the grain pattern of the board for the apron was just too pretty to do anything with other than oiling it to pop the grain a bit. No still image of this grain figure can do it justice - just way too active to be caught by a still image.

Because the apron is so tall, there's room under the table top for a water tray. We’d had over a week of high 90s to low 100s and that got me thinking - “It would sure be nice if there was some way to humidify the air around the bonsai sitting on this thing. Hmmmm- if I put four slats - mortises and loose tenoned to the inside of the apron - there’s still be 3” above the slats but below the bottom of the table top for a water tray. Now if I route some decorative slots through the table top - a) you could refill the tray when you water the bonsai and b) when it gets hot the water in the tray will evaporate - up into the underside of the bonsai!”

SO - some loose tenoned tray supports . . .

The top of this table is Honey Locust - a pretty rot resistant wood - important because the bonsai sitting on it is watered several times a day. Now because, on this bonsai table, not only will the top get watered daily, having a tray of water below it poses a potential expansion contraction / cupping problem. While "Z-clips" coould be used to accomodate the wood movement, they'd be a PITA when you need to get to the water tray under the table top. Here's how that potential problem was solved. Note in the image above, that there's plenty of room between the inside of the apron and the outside water tray supports - easy access to the table top "hold downs" - which can be slid back to allow the top to be removed easily

I'm betting I'll be making a few more of these things so I'll use these web pages as reminders of what TO DO as well as what NOT TO DO. Was fun wingin' it - again.