This is a half-scale table I made to fully visualize proportions. And I got away with hand planing the bevel, as the grain reversed at the knot near the corner. This little table is the model on which I will base a full-scale table I just started building. The table is fashioned after Frank Klausz’s famous table with a beveled edge. In the full-scale table, the bevel gives a comfortable feel to the arm as it lays on the edge. Joinery: Mortise & tenon. Top thickness is 3/4 inch; the square legs are 1-1/2 inches; aprons are 2 inches wide; table height is 15.5 inches. The top is attached to the base using buttons inserted into a groove machined on the aprons – to allow for wood movement I provided a clearance of just under 1/8-inch on both of the long edges; I used screws to hold the buttons in place.

The lighter wood is quarter-sawn white oak, and the dark wood is walnut. The finish for the white oak is as follows: First, I sanded to 150 grit, followed by two thin coats of Zinsser Seal Coat applied with a rag, followed by 4 spray coats of Target Coatings’ EM2000wvx waterborne alkyd varnish, in satin sheen. I sanded to 320 grit between every coat. This finish schedule imparts a straw color to the white oak; it is reminiscent of a vintage finish. The finish for the walnut consisted of two thin coats of garnet shellac, followed by four coats of Target Coatings’ EM2000wvx waterborne alkyd varnish, satin sheen.

From my blog:

Some time ago I posted three videos on the design and build of a prayer kneeler. We donated the kneeler to the local church where our daughter is a parishioner, to help raise funds for their little school in a Silent Auction.

Due to last-minute events, I completely forgot to document the finished piece, as I delivered it to the fund raiser committee just days before the auction. But, as luck would have it, the highest bidder lives less than 10 minutes away from us. Since the lady is a friend of our daughter, I requested she let the winner know I was interested in taking photos of the finished piece, in her own home. She graciously agreed!

So, finally, I can share with you the prayer kneeler in its final location. We purchased the fabric for the kneeling pad during one of treks through the Far East; Sandy made the pad in such a way that, if need be, it could be easily detached and replaced by the lucky high bidder at the Silent Auction. This was not required, as the lady loved it:

Al

From my blog:

Two years ago our daughter mentioned she had some tiles she bought and “…sure would love to see them put into some kind of woodworking project…”, or something like that. I show this on the blog now, to prove that something simple can be made into something striking (at least, in my mind…)

I found an article in a very old issue of ShopNotes magazine for a nice, plain serving tray. That particular article was really an exercise in hand-cut dovetails; of course, I wanted to use my Leigh D4 dovetail jig, as I just don’t do the hand-cut variety. And the project languished for a couple of weeks.

Side note: ShopNotes magazine is an AugustHome publication; AugustHome also sponsors the WoodNet woodworking forum, which I frequent.

Eventually I decided to make the tray, and also made a subconscious decision to somehow attach the tiles to the flat surface after I made the tray. Well, that turned into a nightmarish experience; I selected a high-temperature silicone smeared into a somewhat even layer on the backs of the tiles, using spacers I removed as I placed the tiles on the bottom of the tray. Then I filled in the space between the tiles, to give it a finished look. What a mess! Can anyone suggest a good way to do this without smearing the silicone into thinner and thinner layers? I seem to remember using two full rolls of shop towels to make the tiles shiny again.

It turns out that the high-temperature silicone takes a long time to cure. But it does cure, eventually. Of course, at the time I did not know this; but it was a good experience, from which I learned to just leave well alone, and to be very patient. It worked!

Some details about this little tray project:

1. Wood: Sycamore; some is quarter-sawn, some is plain-sawn
2. Sanding: 150 grit on the drum sander, then 220 to 320 grit with the random orbital sander
3. Finish: Sprayed 2 coats shellac, followed by 6 coats of Target’s satin USL lacquer _ ; sanded to 400 grit after the shellac, and to 600 after the fifth USL coat
4. Handles: Cut using a 30-year old jigsaw (edit to change this…)_; I used the oscillating spindle sander to refine the shape of the handles
5. All other curves cut on the 17-inch band saw with a 1/8-inch blade in place

Here is the outcome of that project, in full, living color:

The finished tray:

Some joinery detail:

Some detail of the inside of the tray:

From my blog:

In our front yard we have a wonderful 20-foot tall flag pole, the second one in the yard. The following is the replacement flag pole, installed last year – make a mental note of the golden ball at the very top of the pole:

The old flag pole failed during a storm last year; strong winds brought it down. But Sandy kept it, knowing what she wanted to do with it. Her instructions to me were something like this: “Get some 2 X 4s, cut them so each half is about 4 feet long, and make me something with four corners, preferably overlapping in the middle. And please drill a hole in the middle, to accept a 1/2-inch dowel. Oh – NO finish on this piece!”

At this point I had NO idea what she was up to; I headed for the shop, cut the 2 X 4s into two separate pieces 45 inches long, marked the center line for each length, measured the average width at the center of each piece, and took them to the table saw. After 10 minutes on the table saw I had perfectly-fitting cross laps in each half to accept the other; added a little glue, and clamped for about 2 hours.

I removed the clamps, marked the center point accurately, and drilled the hole with a 1/2-inch Forstner bit. At this point I realized that the assembly was to be mounted on top of the old flag pole, where the ball on the tip above the flag was. It was a little bit of a job to remove the aluminum ball from the 1/2-inch shaft, but I managed, by banging away with a mallet while holding the ball in a metal vise.

With the ball now removed, I tested the fit of the shaft in the wooden cross pieces. Perfect! A little snug, but a nice fit. A design note: To minimize the possibility of water getting in the glue line, I placed the wood assembly such that all the glued edges pointed downward. I have only one regret: There is no finish on this first unit; it is bare 2×4 pine – a real test of the suitability of bare pine outdoors in NW Missouri.

I took the whole thing back to the house, and Sandy proceeded to attach four purpose-purchased pizza pans lined on the top surfaces with some kind of mesh. She used rivets hammered through the pans into the wood, and pretty soon we were ready to install the new item, Patent Pending:

Sandy even dug the 3-foot deep hole to accept the old flag pole with the new bird feeder system, I mixed two bags of concrete, and poured. After a few hours we tried to raise the pole and lock it in place – a ball bearing is supposed to pop, to lock the inner tubes. In this manner the pole can be raised to its full 20-foot height. But, after sitting on the ground in one of the flower beds for several months, the ball bearing does not want to pop, even after applications of WD-40. We are still trying to figure out what to do.

I keep telling her she should apply for a patent, since we have a working prototype in place (even if we cannot raise the pole to its full height). Unfortunately, applying for a patent would require a few thousand dollars…

I hope the design of this sharpening station cabinet will be use to some of you – it is posted on my blog; click on this link:

The box sitting on our harvest table, prior to delivery:

The shiplapped boards that make up the back of the box, with the edges beveled to 45°:

I have a 10-minute video of the “build” of this box on my blog. Thanks for looking!

These are now complete, but I have not taken photos of them finished. I will donate them to a Silent Auction, which will take place this coming Saturday, at our daughter’s church.

I used quarter-sawn sycamore; the finish will be Waterlox Original, buffed to a satin finish. The top photo shows the box after the first light coat of Waterlox, while still in the finishing room. The box on the right has a walnut base.

I am working on a video tutorial on how to make the inlaid dovetails. The video will reside at my blog. Thanks for looking!

Al
http://sandal-woodsblog.com