The live edge walnut that forms the top of this table was one of two pieces acquired from the back of a sawmill owner’s pick up truck on a road trip through North Carolina. We fell in love with the piece without any specific plan for how to use it. Later on that same trip we acquired several small pieces of Peruvian walnut, one of which became the lower shelf on this table. The hard maple from which we made the legs and apron is cut from a slab we found in a lumber yard in Virginia. And the spalted maple from which we created the curvy leg embellishments came from a wood store in Maryland. We had seen furniture that combined walnut and maple elsewhere and wanted to try this pairing for ourselves; we like the high contrast of dark, almost black, with white. When we began this project, we did not have as many woodworking tools as we have now—electric or hand. Thus, this piece was created with nothing more than a jigsaw, a jack plane, and a drill. The top and shelf were obviously the easy parts. We hand planed them level and sanded them smooth. The maple legs and apron were all cut from a single, very rough, slab of hard maple. They don’t call it hard maple for nothing. They were then hand planed until all like pieces were of equal dimension and sanded smooth. The structure is held together with carefully hidden pocket screws, and the spalted maple flourishes are attached with hidden dowels for extra support. The live edge walnut top received multiple coats of a natural rub on oil finisher/sealer, and the maple legs and Peruvian walnut shelf were finished with natural brush on polyurethane. This table measures 50” long x 34” high x 14” deep. It is a nice size for running along the back of a sofa or for use against a wall, and shows off practical items such as lamps and books or treasured keepsakes from travels with equal grace.