Finally got a nice turntable. My shou sugi ban experience.

[Johnathan]

Okay so after stealing the lazy Susan out the pantry enough times, my wife finally agreed to let me make a proper bonsai turntable. Partly because I told her she could use it when repotting her rare plants

I remember @Bonsai Nut saying he spends $50 for chairs..... So after hours checking and searching I finally was able to secure a barber chair for just that amount. Only had to drive about 40 minutes 1 way to get it.

A quick trip to the depot, and it was time to get started!



First of all, and you experienced guys probably know this, but... holding the torch like this doesn't really work. That great



After realizing this and coming up with something else, NOW.... it's time to get started



Oh yeah, burn baby burn



Sooooooo after burning, It was looking really good. I was digging it.



the next step was to brush the soot and char off, and sand.... i probably should've just stopped at this step, but hey... live and learn right



So I wanted something that looked a little more "Japanese ", I apologized if thats not politically correct, but hey that's what I was thinking. So I went ahead and dropped a little stain on it.



Next thing was to mount it to the base. Not quite easy peasy, this will probably rip off the base, but until I figure out a better way to anchor it to the base this will have to do, just remember not to pick the table up, by the table top



And I can't remember who posted it, but someone gave a heads up about the babrber chairs not being level, and recommend using composite shims. They worked great. Still not quite 100% level, but close enough for this first go at it.



Now I'm still not finish, I think I will sand the top once again, and try to bring out some of those highlights that got covered with the rush job of stain and poly.

So now my question is, how do you guys store these things? In the garage? Outside all year round? Cover with a barbecue grill cover?

 

[AaronThomas]

Nicely done!
Here in Zona I would keep a pine top like that inside. Sun kills wood fast out here.... cedar and red wood just a bit slower than the rest.

 

[InstilledChaos]

Beautiful! I just made a bonsai shelf with this method. Lots of fun playing with a blow torch!

 

[just.wing.it]

Very nice!
Here's my counter top turntable....its got a heavy lacquer on it to keep the wood from rotting.

Custom Lazy Susan/ Bonsai Turntable Top

My buddy made this awesome tabletop for me. I haven't put a measure to it but I think its about 18 inches in diameter. Tons of paint coated many times with a clear lacquer. Its hard to get a good picture without glare from the flash. Without the flash, its harder to see because it reflects like...

www.bonsainut.com

I think I never posted the end result, but I use it daily....love a good spinner!

 

[GreatLakesBrad]

Nice work on this! Looks great!
For future reference can you explain/show a pic of what the composite shins are?
I ended up using a 4x4, cut at the correct angle to counteract the salon chair bracket not being level. But I’m sure this won’t be my last one.

 

[Johnathan]

@B-rad in GR they are comparable to old school wooden shims, but oddly they were like a buck cheaper. I think it was like 2 or 3 bucks for this 12 pack. Just like a wooden shim and snap it off if desired. Here's a couple picks including the selling points lol







@AaronThomas thats why I was considering a grill cover or something. I wouldn't leave it im direct sun. We aren't AZ hot, but OKC can easily see 100+ on some summer days

@Katharsus definitely definitely fun. I feel like I need to do more things in this style now the wife already asked when I was going to build her a table now

@just.wing.it bro thats insane. Insanely artistic. I'm definitely digging it. Looks almost like a dragon made of water. Water dragon!

 

[GreatLakesBrad]

Thank you much!

 

[sorce]

until I figure out a better way to anchor it to the base

What was the interface between the stand and the actual chair?

More pics! That burner one is dope!

Sorce

 

[MrWunderful]

I leave mine outside but I coated the wood in a few thick coats of clear exterior lacquer.

 

[Johnathan]

What was the interface between the stand and the actual chair?

More pics! That burner one is dope!

Sorce

So over the last couple days I went back and sanded a little more to get the highlights to pop a bit better. Dropped on 3 coats of poly and today got a little break in the clouds so I pulled it out of the garage.










Remembered you guys wanted to see underneath. I'd snap a couple using the front camera of how it's screwed together. Here you can see the shims just shoved in there, I didn't bother snapping them off. I'm a cheap ass, and I may redo this tabletop using a better more sound method to attach it so I can use these for something else so I just left them. I got tired of messing with it and was just like it, so you can see the outcome of that, there are 2 different types of screws, with 2 different lengths.







As I was moving it back inside, I grabbed it by the top and it pulled right off the damn base!! My heart sank, because I thought the screws had ripped out of the table, but luckily the top of barber chairs just pulls right off naturally...... which I knew, because I took this one apart, sooooo I had a good laugh and recomposed myself as the wife came running out to the garage after hearing the base slamming into the concrete. But this allowed me to get some better pictures





Anyway, I sat the table top back on the base. And that was that.

 

[sorce]

Bro!

I was at the Depot today and saw a dude walk out with 3 wood rounds like that, got to thinking about this.

Countersink a hole for a nut at the top side, and use a thru bolt.

Or you can just drill up the bottom and epoxy in the female part of small wall anchor. Something like.

Oh, BTW...I always think about how you have to go and switch your keyboard to be "black", bogus, they should...you should make an app that reads your face and applies the keyboard accordingly! $
Better than that? I found the person that snagged the Illinois "Black" license plate today!
That sucks and is cool! Lol!
Can't give it up, can't go to Missouri!

I never knew ya'll turnt white when you laugh and cry though! Lol!

Sorce

 

[PiñonJ]

And I can't remember who posted it, but someone gave a heads up about the babrber chairs not being level, and recommend using composite shims.

That’d be me. Looking good! But that finish might be a little too fancy for the kind of abuse I subject it to!

Edit: Just drill through the shims, like I did. It’s very secure. I pick it up by the top all the time.

 

[Johnathan]

@sorce 1 of the main things is that I wanted to keep the table top intact so I didn't want to screw all the way through it.

Like @PiñonJ said, I intend to put this thing through normal hell lol also, I've considered the fact that I do most of my work outside, so I will probably have to drag this table outside for spring and summer and leave under the patio shade.... Or, I may need to make another table. 1 that I can bolt down and leave outside year round and then just keep this table in the garage and setup an area for photos.

Of course, this definitely won't go over well with the wife lol

 

[sorce]

won't go over well with the wife

Nothing does except, "I made Breakfast".

Sorce