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I just finished my golden stump end table and I love it. Seeing the detailed rings in its smooth surface are worth all the effort it took to make it. Here's how I did it. First find a stump with parallel cuts. My brother was cutting down an oak tree to make room to build a house, so this stump was a gift. Ask around especially in spring when people do a lot of pruning, you may score a free one too. I have heard that to buy a good sized 18 inch round from a firewood lot would be about $40.00. It has to dry out completely before you start, I left my in the garage for months. When it's ready, remove all the bark with a hammer and chisel. Then use a belt sander to grind the surfaces flat. I finished with a rotary sander, progressively moving from a corse paper to a fine one. 50/80/120/220. Depending on the desired smoothness, it could take between 6-12 hours. I set up speakers for my ipod in the garage and just got into it. After vacuuming the crevices, and cleaning it up I applied Tung-oil three separate times. It takes 12 hours between applications. Make sure to scrub it with steel wool before each application. To protect my hard wood floor, I got some felt from Michael's craft store and glued it to the bottom with PVA glue. Make sure it dries before putting it on the floor, the glue could seep through. Then enjoy!