The Finish

The final finish is when the transformation really happens.

Multiple coats of wiping varnish deepens the maple's natural warmth and highlights the grain that had been hiding just beneath the surface all along. It's one of my favorite moments in any build—the instant the wood seems to come alive.

By the time the last notes of Holding Space (Lizz Wright live in Berlin) faded from the speakers, the coffee table was well on its way from rough slab to finished piece.

Bringing Out the Figure