Woodworker: John Robert PortmantWorking as an electrician in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, Portman started to save the lath that was being thrown out when walls were demolished. When he learned about the Salvations contest, he decided to make a table out of the strips. This table (26 in. deep by 45 in. wide by 35 in. tall) has more than 125 pieces of pine lath laminated together. The top panel is plaster with a lime wash finish, and the image transfer was made from a photograph he took of New Orleans oak trees. The finish is Pratt & Lambert Varmor, a urethane finish that Portman bought from the Green Project for $1. from Fine Woodworking #221