I was up until 5:00 AM. Yea, 5 AM.
I was gonna work on my table all day today but I got called into work because my boss is sick. I really wanted to work on my table so I thought I would do a little woodworking last night before bed. Well, a little turned into a lot. The hours flew by and when I looked at the clock and it said 5. I was pretty sure that 5 PM had passed long ago… yup, it had. Anyway, here are a few photos I took but I sort of forgot to pick up the camera most of the time… sorry.
Cutting the curves: I bent a scrap of hardwood in a clamp and tied a string between both ends to keep it bowed.
Then I clamped it down to my apron and drew the curves:
And then cut them on the bandsaw:
I started sanding for a while and then said to myself… “what am I thinking? This is stupid. I’m gonna get my scraper.” So I scraped all the legs and apron pieces.
Anyway, I wasted about 45 minutes sanding (and only got about half way done) before I decided to start over with a scraper. It took me about 1/2 hour to finish all the parts (legs and apron) with the scraper.
I glued up the legs and apron in three stages with epoxy. Here is the first stage:
Here is the final glue up:
The table top did need to be sanded because of that cat-fur-like Mahogany. So I spent 45 minutes or so stepping down grits, etc. Then I beveled the edges on my router table with a 45 deg chamfer bit. (Sorry no photos for any of this.)
Finally I made my “buttons” and fastened the table to the legs:
I couldn’t resist wiping the top down with some oil before calling it a night (or morning).
I am still going to sand that top quite a bit more. I am going to step it down to at least 600 grit for a glassy smooth finish.
Anyway, I’m pretty much done with the table… now I just have to make those bent lamination arches.
Another 7 1/2 hours this morning. Total project time: 18 hours
-- Check out my new website! http://www.blakeweberwoodworking.com
16 comments so far
Bill Akins
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236 posts in 593 days
posted 399 days ago
Now thats a beautiful table.
-- Bill from Lithia Springs, GA I love the smell of sawdust in the morning.
Karson
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25801 posts in 1296 days
posted 399 days ago
Gtreat Blake. Sorry for having to go to work. Just think what you could have done with having to replace your boss.
-- What happens in the workshop stays in the workshop. No wait that doesn't sound right. Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †
SCOTSMAN
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2244 posts in 480 days
posted 399 days ago
really prety I like the design and dimensions would look good in my hall well done Alistair
-- excuse my typing as I have a form of parkinsons disease
Dennis Zongker
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1016 posts in 487 days
posted 399 days ago
Great Blog Blake!!! Working all night is better then drinking all night.
-- Dennis Zongker
Kindlingmaker
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1471 posts in 422 days
posted 399 days ago
Only 18 hours! Beautiful table! ...and the going to work part, well maybe we all can work and do what we what someday.
-- Never board, always knotty, lots of growth rings
Blake
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2757 posts in 769 days
posted 399 days ago
Dennis…
Woodworking + staying up all night = projects
Staying up all night + Drinking = no projects
Drinking + Woodworking = no fingers
-- Check out my new website! http://www.blakeweberwoodworking.com
bfd
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419 posts in 702 days
posted 399 days ago
Blake you are both totally dedicated and crazy. Did all the cupcakes keep you going in the early morning? This is fantastic! Did you cut mortises in the aprons to accept the wood buttons? I love the delicate scale of this piece.
-- Brian, Folsom, CA http://www.brianfullerdesigns.com
Blake
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2757 posts in 769 days
posted 399 days ago
I just made slots with my trim router and a rabbet bit.
-- Check out my new website! http://www.blakeweberwoodworking.com
FritzM
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106 posts in 707 days
posted 399 days ago
Insane man! You are a machine! Looks great so far. The bent-lam accents are really gonna set it off!
-- Fritz Oakland, Ca http://www.muegenburg.com (dedicated to my other hobby)
Karson
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25801 posts in 1296 days
posted 399 days ago
Blake. I’ve used a biscuit jointer to cut the slots before. It does a great job also.
-- What happens in the workshop stays in the workshop. No wait that doesn't sound right. Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †
Grant Davis
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481 posts in 803 days
posted 399 days ago
Blake, that is beautiful already. I am looking forward to seeing the added leg pieces.
-- Grant...."GO BUCKEYES"
brianinpa
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1365 posts in 618 days
posted 399 days ago
Looks great Blake. The all nighters are great, but how did work go today?
-- Brian, Lebanon PA, If you aren’t having fun doing it, find something else to do.
Douglas Bordner
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3423 posts in 959 days
posted 399 days ago
Gotta love a guy with that much fire for the craft. Blake, you rock!
Nice work too.
-- "Bordnerizing" perfectly good lumber for over a decade.
Damian Penney
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1030 posts in 886 days
posted 399 days ago
I think you got more done in a night than I get done in a year :)
-- I am always doing that which I can not do, in order that I may learn how to do it. - Pablo Picasso
Tony
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811 posts in 925 days
posted 398 days ago
WORKING + PART-TIME WORKING + DRINKING + STAYING UP ALL NIGHT + WOODWORKING = NO FAMILY LIFE!
It is looking really nice – Oh what it is to be young and have the energy to work ALL day and night and day again!
It sounds like you need some fresh sand paper in the orbital sander – it should whiz through that maple – Have you thought about using your thickness sander for the parallel thickness parts (rails) could have saved you a lot of time.
Looking forward to seeing the finished project soon.
-- Tony - All things are possible, just some things are more difficult than others! - SKYPE: Heron2005 (http://www.poydatjatuolit.fi)
Blake
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2757 posts in 769 days
posted 398 days ago
Tony,
I actually change sandpaper in my Random Orbit Sander every few minutes. But to do it right (without little sanding circles that show up after finishing) it takes time to step down the grit appropriately, etc. since I had so many parts with multiple sides. Anyway, the scraper is just so much faster.
I can’t find sandpaper that fits my thickness sander in less than 150 grit so I don’t use it for the final sanding. Mostly I use it for thicknessing.
Thanks to everyone for the comments.
-- Check out my new website! http://www.blakeweberwoodworking.com