Woodworker: Kevin Rodel

Rodel didn’t want to make yet another coffee table so this one is called a chai table after the Indian-style spice tea. The slat-topped table is his homage to John Scott Bradstreet, a Minnesota Arts and Crafts designer who traveled extensively in Japan in the late 1880s. Bradstreet’s designs inspired Rodel to try the Japanese jin-di-sugi finish featured on the top of the table, in which the wood is abraded to create a deeply textured, topographic surface. Rodel crafted the piece from cypress and dyed white oak. He also employed rope joints and finished the table with a light coat of linseed oil.

Photo: Dennis Griggs

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