Now I start the full-size conference table for a client. This table will be 2X the size of this one I shared here, and submitted to the Winter 2009 Woodworking Awards:
But I will change the edge treatment as follows:
I want to be able do preliminary grain matching, before cutting the boards closer to size. Since at this stage I am not flattening the boards, the #3 is perfect and fast for the job:
Rough boards are not perfectly flat, so my planing stop did not do its job. Time to bring out something more substantial – the Gramercy holdfast – one good WHACK!, and I can resume planing:
Cleaned up, so I could use the floor to match the boards before cutting them to length plus about 6 inches:
Now I can better match the boards, and decide where to cut them:
Once cut, I use the power jointer and planer to make these perfectly flat. The edges needed a little tweaking, so I used the “other” jointer, to create a little “spring” in the joint, to minimize the risk of gaps developing near the ends of the table; the boards in the clamps are already done, and the surface between them is perfectly flat; but I still must do the third and fourth boards:
At the end of the day I had to peek at the grain on one of the boards for the aprons:
The build continues… Thanks for following along!
Al
-- Al Navas, St Joseph, MO, http://sandal-woodsblog.com
6 comments so far
Scott Bryan
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20586 posts in 715 days
posted 300 days ago
This is off to an interesting start and it looks like this is going to be a nice series to see. I am looking forward to the next installment. Construction posts like this give a lot of detail and add a lot of interest in the completed project post.
-- With God's help all things are possible- even woodworking. Woodworking is not just a hobby, it is an (expletive deleted) expensive hobby.
woodworm
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8183 posts in 483 days
posted 300 days ago
Wow I salute you Al ( since I don’t wear hat) for doing board truing (from roughing… to smoothing) all by hand planing. I appreciate your effort and hardwork. Because not only I do not have the skill, I have two small hands with no muscle to flex.
I’m following your progress – since I started to like working with wood mostly by hand.
Great work Al!
Thanks for sharing.
-- masrol, kuala lumpur, MY.
tenontim
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1319 posts in 637 days
posted 300 days ago
Looks like you’re off to a good start, Al. I always love it when you get the flake exposed on white oak, then the fun of matching all the pieces together. Waiting for the next installment.
-- Tim -- http://tmuli.com
Dusty56
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3458 posts in 581 days
posted 300 days ago
Excellent blog so far ….I can’t wait to see the final results : )
-- You know you're getting old when you know the difference between you're (you are) and your (belonging to you) AND how to use them in a sentence .
Thos. Angle
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4013 posts in 855 days
posted 300 days ago
looking good, Al.
-- Thos. Angle
Al Navas
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289 posts in 768 days
posted 300 days ago
Thanks, Scott! I will be posting from time to time, but mostly as I make true progress.
Woodworm,
Thanks! I did the first joining and planing using power tools, and then switched to the hand plane to refine the edges to get a sprung joint.
Tim,
It is truly exciting to see those flakes come up – agreed!
Thanks, Dusty!
And my thanks to you, Thomas!
-- Al Navas, St Joseph, MO, http://sandal-woodsblog.com