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#1 ·
Progess is very slow...cutting the new plywood, the angles and the splines

This is actually the second in the series but I didn't understand how the blog system works. The first in the series is a separate blog entitled TV stand.

I will eventually put this on my website in more detail but here's a shorter version of some of the problems and success of making my TV stand.

I wish I had some plans or I had more knowledge about building furniture. Because I don't the project just isn't moving along very fast. What started me on this project was when I helped my parents with their TV stand. They were purchasing a new TV and their current TV set in a cabinet but the new TV wouldn't fit to they wanted something similar but lower so they could set the TV on the top of the cabinet and not inside. I told them I could disassemble it and cut it down to the size they want, and then reassemble it. I worked very well and it also gave me an opportunity to see how the cabinet was constructed. I've needed a table stand for years but not having the knowledge how to construct one and not locating any plans for one that I like, I've been putting it off. I've built a lot of cabinets but all the corners have been cut at 90 degrees. This type of project is completely new to me so it's going along very slow.

I received my new plywood.

Wood Rectangle Wood stain Hardwood Flooring


I took at photo of the two plywood boards. The top is the imported plywood, which actually looks good in this photo. The bottom is the domestic plywood.

Wood Wood stain Hardwood Beige Rectangle


I cut the plywood and it worked much better than the other plywood. I cut the angles and cut the space of the splines. I had some problems cutting the splines since they are not at a 45 degree angle. After some test cut I ended up cutting them at a 90 degree angle.

Insect Table Wood Beige Hardwood


Window Table Wood Shelf Hardwood


I used my test boards to help support my boards while I cut the boards at a 90 degree angle. I used double sided tape to secure the boards together.

Table Wood Rectangle Publication Book


Rectangle Wood Composite material Hardwood Wood stain


I then cut the splines using hardboard. I did some research and some testing and found hardboard to be perfect to use in my case. Here's what I found based on my research.

Splined Edge-to-Edge Joint
This is a variation of a biscuit joint. Instead of using numerous smaller biscuits, splines are essentially a single long biscuit used to align the two pieces. The spline is a piece of plywood or hardboard that is placed in a slots that are cut in the adjoining edges. These slots can be stopped so they do not show if the ends are to be exposed. One thing to keep in mind is to ensure the spline is slightly narrower than the depth of the slot. Making the spline exactly the depth of the slot can lead to splitting of the wood as the surrounding wood shrinks, but the hardboard spline does not . A gap of 1/32 (1/64th on either slot) is sufficient to prevent this problem.

There's a very good article I located regarding splines.

SPLINES

Hood Wood Building Flooring Automotive exterior


Hood Vehicle Motor vehicle Automotive tire Automotive design


I really like my tablesaw gripper. I see someone on LJ has designed and made their own. I figure I spend most of my time building things to organize my garage so I didn't want to take the time to make one. I highly recommend getting one of these or at least building one.
 

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#2 ·
Progess is very slow...cutting the new plywood, the angles and the splines

This is actually the second in the series but I didn't understand how the blog system works. The first in the series is a separate blog entitled TV stand.

I will eventually put this on my website in more detail but here's a shorter version of some of the problems and success of making my TV stand.

I wish I had some plans or I had more knowledge about building furniture. Because I don't the project just isn't moving along very fast. What started me on this project was when I helped my parents with their TV stand. They were purchasing a new TV and their current TV set in a cabinet but the new TV wouldn't fit to they wanted something similar but lower so they could set the TV on the top of the cabinet and not inside. I told them I could disassemble it and cut it down to the size they want, and then reassemble it. I worked very well and it also gave me an opportunity to see how the cabinet was constructed. I've needed a table stand for years but not having the knowledge how to construct one and not locating any plans for one that I like, I've been putting it off. I've built a lot of cabinets but all the corners have been cut at 90 degrees. This type of project is completely new to me so it's going along very slow.

I received my new plywood.

Wood Rectangle Wood stain Hardwood Flooring


I took at photo of the two plywood boards. The top is the imported plywood, which actually looks good in this photo. The bottom is the domestic plywood.

Wood Wood stain Hardwood Beige Rectangle


I cut the plywood and it worked much better than the other plywood. I cut the angles and cut the space of the splines. I had some problems cutting the splines since they are not at a 45 degree angle. After some test cut I ended up cutting them at a 90 degree angle.

Insect Table Wood Beige Hardwood


Window Table Wood Shelf Hardwood


I used my test boards to help support my boards while I cut the boards at a 90 degree angle. I used double sided tape to secure the boards together.

Table Wood Rectangle Publication Book


Rectangle Wood Composite material Hardwood Wood stain


I then cut the splines using hardboard. I did some research and some testing and found hardboard to be perfect to use in my case. Here's what I found based on my research.

Splined Edge-to-Edge Joint
This is a variation of a biscuit joint. Instead of using numerous smaller biscuits, splines are essentially a single long biscuit used to align the two pieces. The spline is a piece of plywood or hardboard that is placed in a slots that are cut in the adjoining edges. These slots can be stopped so they do not show if the ends are to be exposed. One thing to keep in mind is to ensure the spline is slightly narrower than the depth of the slot. Making the spline exactly the depth of the slot can lead to splitting of the wood as the surrounding wood shrinks, but the hardboard spline does not . A gap of 1/32 (1/64th on either slot) is sufficient to prevent this problem.

There's a very good article I located regarding splines.

SPLINES

Hood Wood Building Flooring Automotive exterior


Hood Vehicle Motor vehicle Automotive tire Automotive design


I really like my tablesaw gripper. I see someone on LJ has designed and made their own. I figure I spend most of my time building things to organize my garage so I didn't want to take the time to make one. I highly recommend getting one of these or at least building one.
Its looking good
 

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#3 ·
Making the front face frame... Next Step..... Ideas Welcomed

If anyone has a suggestion or idea, please feel free to add a comment. As I said I'm sort of making it up as I go along.

If took me a while to decide on how to secure the face frame. As I mentioned before I received this idea from re-assembling my parents TV stand. Once thing I was surprise to notice when I disassembled theirs, was how little glue was used. I believe their TV cabinet was from Ethan Allen.

I contemplated using a tenon joint, and then I settled on dowels. After thinking some more I ended up using pocket holes so I wouldn't have to use glue and it would allow for wood movement.

Since the rails of the frame are cut at an angle I was worried that the screws recommended, 1-1/4", would be too long so I first tried the pocket hole in some scrap wood.

Brown Table Rectangle Wood Flooring


I cut, marked and laid out the pieces.

Wood Rectangle Automotive exterior Wood stain Hardwood


I cut the pocket holes and assembled the pieces.

Wood Table Flooring Hardwood Plank


Wood Automotive exterior Hardwood Wood stain Flooring


The project isn't glued together yet. I stopped at this point to think what my next step should be. The bottom board will be about 3" off the ground and there will be a shelf where the middle part of the face frame is. So I'm looking at ways to secure and support these pieces. My parents had support blocks that were stapled and screwed into place. I'm thinking of doing something similar.

Wood Floor Flooring Table Rectangle


I tried to draw what I plan on doing. I though instead of just a support block that are stapled to the side for the bottom I'd use 3" pieces so they would go to the floor. I'd use support blocks for the shelf and support blocks, for the corners to secure the top piece with screws. The top is going to be about 7/8" thick and really wood that I glued together.

Nothing too heavy is going to be stored inside the stand. My Xbox will go on the top shelf then I have a surround sound system and a DVD VCR combo that will go on the lower part. The TV is 50".

The widest part of the stand is 46" so I'm not sure if I need a support board for the board. I added it in my drawing. Although the drawing isn't great, it just showing one side to give an idea of where I'm going next.

Slope Font Art Parallel Triangle
 

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#4 ·
Making the front face frame... Next Step..... Ideas Welcomed

If anyone has a suggestion or idea, please feel free to add a comment. As I said I'm sort of making it up as I go along.

If took me a while to decide on how to secure the face frame. As I mentioned before I received this idea from re-assembling my parents TV stand. Once thing I was surprise to notice when I disassembled theirs, was how little glue was used. I believe their TV cabinet was from Ethan Allen.

I contemplated using a tenon joint, and then I settled on dowels. After thinking some more I ended up using pocket holes so I wouldn't have to use glue and it would allow for wood movement.

Since the rails of the frame are cut at an angle I was worried that the screws recommended, 1-1/4", would be too long so I first tried the pocket hole in some scrap wood.

Brown Table Rectangle Wood Flooring


I cut, marked and laid out the pieces.

Wood Rectangle Automotive exterior Wood stain Hardwood


I cut the pocket holes and assembled the pieces.

Wood Table Flooring Hardwood Plank


Wood Automotive exterior Hardwood Wood stain Flooring


The project isn't glued together yet. I stopped at this point to think what my next step should be. The bottom board will be about 3" off the ground and there will be a shelf where the middle part of the face frame is. So I'm looking at ways to secure and support these pieces. My parents had support blocks that were stapled and screwed into place. I'm thinking of doing something similar.

Wood Floor Flooring Table Rectangle


I tried to draw what I plan on doing. I though instead of just a support block that are stapled to the side for the bottom I'd use 3" pieces so they would go to the floor. I'd use support blocks for the shelf and support blocks, for the corners to secure the top piece with screws. The top is going to be about 7/8" thick and really wood that I glued together.

Nothing too heavy is going to be stored inside the stand. My Xbox will go on the top shelf then I have a surround sound system and a DVD VCR combo that will go on the lower part. The TV is 50".

The widest part of the stand is 46" so I'm not sure if I need a support board for the board. I added it in my drawing. Although the drawing isn't great, it just showing one side to give an idea of where I'm going next.

Slope Font Art Parallel Triangle
It seems that an easy thing to do would be to use pocket hole screws on the undersides of the bottom and middle shelves to attach them to the sides and to the face frame. As I recall, Kreg propaganda claimes that pocket screws at 4" to 6" spacing provides a fairly strong joint. At my house those shelves would not see a great deal of weight so I wouldn't think the extra glue blocks are necessary. On the other hand adding glue blocks would be easy and wouldn't hurt anything. Buscuits would also work well for attaching these shelves to the sides and would be invisible, although maybe a bit more effort than pocket hole screws.

I'm guessing the top is going to rest on the top edges of the sides. Pocket holes in the sides up to the top would work, but would be kinda visible. I might lean towards dowels or buscuits.
 

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#7 ·
Moving along...gluing corners, cutting bottom and shelf.

In planning to glue to corners I cut some angle blocks to assist in holding the clamps in place.

Wood Gas Auto part Bicycle part Machine


I also used a special clamp for angles that I highly recommend if you have to glue up unusual corners or large miter corners.

Toy Wheel Aircraft Wood Monoplane


I then tried to figure out how to cut the bottom and shelf. I decided to use my circular saw. Before having a table saw, I used a circular saw to cut the wood so I have a good blade for plywood. I also own a forrest blade but I didn't use it for this, don't ask me why because I don't know.

I first designed a circular saw cutting jig. The jig allows me to know exactly where the blade will cut. I marked the angles on the bottom by placing the side and front pieces on top of the wood. I then marked the angles.

Gas Wood Machine Auto part Carmine


Saw Motor vehicle Wood Automotive design Gas


I cut the angles on one side then placed the side and front back on top of the wood and marked the other side. Maybe I should have done this differently since there's a little problem now. (see below)

Wood Flooring Hardwood Wood stain Rectangle


I cut the bottom piece to size. I then cut the shelf piece the same way. I used the bottom piece to mark the shelf piece so the angles would be exact.

Rectangle Wood Flooring Wood stain Floor


I stopped here to think what I want to do next.

I must have done something wrong because the angle on the back of one of the side pieces is perfect 90 degrees but the other side is a little off. It might be because the side pieces glued up slightly different and threw it off. I'm not sure.

Wood Rectangle Floor Flooring Wood stain


Wood Floor Flooring Rectangle Hardwood


Now I'm not sure if I'm going to make the back piece or attach the bottom or glue the front onto the sides.

A comment I received from LJ member GregD mentioned securing the bottom board and shelf with the Kreg pocket hole system. I actually never thought of this but I think it will work perfect. I won't have to use support blocks because I've used the Kreg screws on the back piece of a project I made where I made a mistake on the measurements and it was the only method I could use. I was amazed how strong it was. I never thought about using Kreg screws to assemble this project but it should work great. Also Amazon.com has 1000 1-1/4" course screws for $22.50.

Feel free to add your two cents, tell me how you would have done something different or even what to do next.

Angela
 

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#8 ·
Moving along...gluing corners, cutting bottom and shelf.

In planning to glue to corners I cut some angle blocks to assist in holding the clamps in place.

Wood Gas Auto part Bicycle part Machine


I also used a special clamp for angles that I highly recommend if you have to glue up unusual corners or large miter corners.

Toy Wheel Aircraft Wood Monoplane


I then tried to figure out how to cut the bottom and shelf. I decided to use my circular saw. Before having a table saw, I used a circular saw to cut the wood so I have a good blade for plywood. I also own a forrest blade but I didn't use it for this, don't ask me why because I don't know.

I first designed a circular saw cutting jig. The jig allows me to know exactly where the blade will cut. I marked the angles on the bottom by placing the side and front pieces on top of the wood. I then marked the angles.

Gas Wood Machine Auto part Carmine


Saw Motor vehicle Wood Automotive design Gas


I cut the angles on one side then placed the side and front back on top of the wood and marked the other side. Maybe I should have done this differently since there's a little problem now. (see below)

Wood Flooring Hardwood Wood stain Rectangle


I cut the bottom piece to size. I then cut the shelf piece the same way. I used the bottom piece to mark the shelf piece so the angles would be exact.

Rectangle Wood Flooring Wood stain Floor


I stopped here to think what I want to do next.

I must have done something wrong because the angle on the back of one of the side pieces is perfect 90 degrees but the other side is a little off. It might be because the side pieces glued up slightly different and threw it off. I'm not sure.

Wood Rectangle Floor Flooring Wood stain


Wood Floor Flooring Rectangle Hardwood


Now I'm not sure if I'm going to make the back piece or attach the bottom or glue the front onto the sides.

A comment I received from LJ member GregD mentioned securing the bottom board and shelf with the Kreg pocket hole system. I actually never thought of this but I think it will work perfect. I won't have to use support blocks because I've used the Kreg screws on the back piece of a project I made where I made a mistake on the measurements and it was the only method I could use. I was amazed how strong it was. I never thought about using Kreg screws to assemble this project but it should work great. Also Amazon.com has 1000 1-1/4" course screws for $22.50.

Feel free to add your two cents, tell me how you would have done something different or even what to do next.

Angela
My experience seems to be that the glue-up process introduces a lot of variability in the final result. Even if the parts are cut accurately you still need to plan your glue-up process so the assembly "lands" where it is supposed to. With good quality bar clamps I have been impressed at how much I can pull my assemblies into - or out of - square while keeping the joints acceptably tight. So whenever I need something to land precisely a certain way I put stuff in my glue-up procedure to force that outcome. I probably would have clamped the side pieces to the shelves during the glue up.

Do I understand the pictures correctly? It looks like on one side the front edge of the shelf lands 3/8" proud and on the other it is 1/16" short. If you get a good fit between the shelf and the sides otherwise, I'd just recut the front edge so it isn't proud on the one side. If you want to get fussy, rip a thin strip of face frame material and glue it on the front edge of your shelf so it is proud on both sides. The gap will then be eliminated when you mark/recut the front edge. Since it will be quite thin, sanding it flush (before assembly) should be a simple task.

Once the shelves fit I would drill out the pocket holes. Then clamp together the sides and shelves. I would rip spacers the same width as the distance from the bottom edge of the sides and the bottom surface of the bottom shelf. I'd clamp these in place and add a couple of clamps to pull the bottom shelf firmly against them. I'd also rip some spacers the same width as the distance from the top surface of the bottom shelf and the bottom surface of the middle shelf. Clamp those spacers in place and put the middle shelf firmly on top of that. Use your band clamp (two if you have them) to pull the assembly together. Where ever you can see to do it, add clamps to force parts (the shelves) into the proper location. Remember that the pocket screws are going to want to push the joint apart before pulling it together, and the more tightly you have the parts clamped the less this can throw off your assembly. I try to minimize this by running my drill on a very slow speed when driving the pocket screws, but even then they still try to force apart the joint. You also want the assembly firmly on a flat surface so you don't introduce a twist. To avoid any chance of strip-out I don't seat the screws using the drill, I do that by hand.

Looks good!
 

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#12 ·
Bottom and Shelf added

I'm ready to add the bottom. As member GregD suggested I'm going to use Kreg pocket holes to secure the bottom and shelf in place.

I cut some support boards at a height that would allow me to rest the bottom on them and then screw the bottom in place. I turned the work piece upside down to make it easier to screw it in place.

Wood Floor Flooring Hardwood Wood stain


Wood Floor Line Flooring Hardwood


Wood Floor Flooring Composite material Gas


Once the bottom was secured, I cut the support boards down to the height I needed for them to support the shelf. I then installed the shelf.

Table Furniture Desk Wood Rectangle


I've never added molding to any of my projects before so I've been looking into that. I wasn't sure about the size of the molding but I figured I'd use 3" X 3/4" for the base. This is the size of the wood piece at the bottom front of the cabinet in the photo above. Although 3/4" seems rather thick so I might go down to 1/2".

I'm also working on the top piece. I figure it will be about 7/8" thick. I'm still planing it down. Once down to size I'll either try to joint it on my router table or take it to the mill and have them do it so then I can glue the boards together. I've also been looking at the different router bits to form the edge of the table top.

The last thing I'll make is the doors. I've made a lot of rail and stile door frames but not with raised panel so this will be something else new.

Angela
 

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#13 ·
Bottom and Shelf added

I'm ready to add the bottom. As member GregD suggested I'm going to use Kreg pocket holes to secure the bottom and shelf in place.

I cut some support boards at a height that would allow me to rest the bottom on them and then screw the bottom in place. I turned the work piece upside down to make it easier to screw it in place.

Wood Floor Flooring Hardwood Wood stain


Wood Floor Line Flooring Hardwood


Wood Floor Flooring Composite material Gas


Once the bottom was secured, I cut the support boards down to the height I needed for them to support the shelf. I then installed the shelf.

Table Furniture Desk Wood Rectangle


I've never added molding to any of my projects before so I've been looking into that. I wasn't sure about the size of the molding but I figured I'd use 3" X 3/4" for the base. This is the size of the wood piece at the bottom front of the cabinet in the photo above. Although 3/4" seems rather thick so I might go down to 1/2".

I'm also working on the top piece. I figure it will be about 7/8" thick. I'm still planing it down. Once down to size I'll either try to joint it on my router table or take it to the mill and have them do it so then I can glue the boards together. I've also been looking at the different router bits to form the edge of the table top.

The last thing I'll make is the doors. I've made a lot of rail and stile door frames but not with raised panel so this will be something else new.

Angela
It's looking good
 

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#15 ·
Problems with the top....and the heat

Heat
Well I haven't written an update because it's been too hot in my garage in So. Ca. I have a detached, 1938, garage without air condition. The heat never bothered me but as I get older it's been getting to me.

Problems
Another problem I'm having is with the top of the TV stand. I mentioned before that I purchased 14' of 6/4 African mahogany rough wood. I cut the wood into 3 pieces. (4', 4', and 6')

Because it's been about 100 degrees in my garage, I decided to take it to my local lumberyard and have the yard finish the 1/8" left to plane and use their jointer on the boards.

They told me they don't have a jointer instead they use their table saw to do all their glue ups. Now that I have the boards home there's no way I can glue up the board based on their table saw cut. The ends of the boards match up but the center part of the boards concave away from each other.

They planed the boards but when I got them home, one board is twisted. It wasn't like this before and I planed most of the rough wood but since my planer is small I thought I'd have them take off the last 1/8". Before taking the boards in they all were flat. They all came from the same one board but now I have one that's twisted.

So I'm a little frustrated. I need to spend some time fixing everything but it's too hot in the garage right now. All this well take some time so it will be awhile for the next update.

Angela
 
#26 ·
Finally gluing up the top

I last left off where my boards for the top where seriously warped. I also was waiting for my new jointer.

I received my new Powermatic Jointer and I love it. I wish I knew how to use it better but it will come in time.
Wood Motor vehicle Automotive design Table Automotive exterior


Jointing Problem
One question I wondered about it when I tried to flatten a board. I jointed just one side of the board until it was flat. The only problem was to get the board flat the jointer removed so much wood that I wasn't able to use the board because it became to thin.

Automotive tire Wood Flooring Rim Wood stain


Automotive tire Wood Font Grass Tire


Tire Plant Automotive tire Tread Wheel


Ruler Tape measure Office ruler Tread Wood


Glue Up
I have only done a couple of minor glue ups before so for this project I decided to make some cauls and bar clamp supports.

Furniture Table Rectangle Wood Wall


Wood Flooring Floor Hardwood Gas


I did a dry run of the glue up to make sure everything was set up right. I haven't glued it together yet because I first wanted to find out what glue everyone else uses for there glue ups. I posted my question on LJ.
Wood Floor Flooring Engineering Machine


I also posted the question asking about how much the top should overhang. I received a couple of good responses.

Molding
After I glue up the table I'll start on the molding. I plan on making my own molding from the African Mohogany and using a router bit. I figured around the bottom would be 3" high molding with an ogee router cut. I thought of using a cove or another ogee piece to accent under the top of the table. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with the edge of the table top.

Doors
I figure I'll do these last. I've done rail and stile but I've never done raised panel so it will take awhile with all the trial and error work.

Thanks
Angela
 

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#27 ·
Finally gluing up the top

I last left off where my boards for the top where seriously warped. I also was waiting for my new jointer.

I received my new Powermatic Jointer and I love it. I wish I knew how to use it better but it will come in time.
Wood Motor vehicle Automotive design Table Automotive exterior


Jointing Problem
One question I wondered about it when I tried to flatten a board. I jointed just one side of the board until it was flat. The only problem was to get the board flat the jointer removed so much wood that I wasn't able to use the board because it became to thin.

Automotive tire Wood Flooring Rim Wood stain


Automotive tire Wood Font Grass Tire


Tire Plant Automotive tire Tread Wheel


Ruler Tape measure Office ruler Tread Wood


Glue Up
I have only done a couple of minor glue ups before so for this project I decided to make some cauls and bar clamp supports.

Furniture Table Rectangle Wood Wall


Wood Flooring Floor Hardwood Gas


I did a dry run of the glue up to make sure everything was set up right. I haven't glued it together yet because I first wanted to find out what glue everyone else uses for there glue ups. I posted my question on LJ.
Wood Floor Flooring Engineering Machine


I also posted the question asking about how much the top should overhang. I received a couple of good responses.

Molding
After I glue up the table I'll start on the molding. I plan on making my own molding from the African Mohogany and using a router bit. I figured around the bottom would be 3" high molding with an ogee router cut. I thought of using a cove or another ogee piece to accent under the top of the table. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with the edge of the table top.

Doors
I figure I'll do these last. I've done rail and stile but I've never done raised panel so it will take awhile with all the trial and error work.

Thanks
Angela
Turning a board wedge shaped usually happens when the outfeed table is not lined up with the blade. If you turn off the jointer/unplug it and then hold a straightedge from the outfeed table it should be the same height as the cutters when they are at their highest point.
 

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#28 ·
Cauls, jigs, molding and doors

Bottom Molding
I cut a long piece of the African mahogany 3" wide. I original use Âľ" but didn't like the way it looked so I planed it down to 5/8". I ran it through my router table using a Freud Roman Ogee router bit # 38362.

Wood Hardwood Flooring Wood stain Plywood


Automotive tire Tread Wood Synthetic rubber Road surface


I first cut the front piece. I used the same angles that I used on the main case. After cutting the side angles, the pieces didn't fit based on the angles I cut them.

Wood Rectangle Flooring Floor Table


When I glued the sides of the main case together the angles came out different from what I original designed. I used my digital protractor/angle finder against the case to discover the new angles.

Wood Rectangle Flooring Beige Composite material


I then divided it in two and used that angle to cut a new side piece.

Furniture Table Wood Rectangle Wood stain


The fit was much better. Although the photo still shows a gap, it's the uneven floor. When the piece is pushed together it fits perfect.

I left extra on the back because I'll finish it later.

Wood Rectangle Hardwood Wood stain Natural material


Doors
I was having problem with the doors. I made a prototype and didn't like the way it looked. I know the prototype doesn't look that good but I still wouldn't like it if I had made it perfect.

Rectangle Wood Hardwood Beige Font


It took a couple of days studying the doors to figure out what was wrong. I though of using a slab door but didn't really like that idea. When I came across this photo, I realized what the problem was.

Furniture Cabinetry Computer desk Output device Rectangle


I discovered I didn't like the doors because the design of the doors, with the rails and stiles, were square. If I miter cut the corners the door looked like I wanted it to. I started with a long 2" wide by Âľ" thick piece. I used a miter drawer frame router bit from MLCS. Since my door frame had to be smaller than the usual 2-1/2", instead of using the usual door bit I used the smaller miter drawer bit (Item # 8778).

I used a wider board than I needed so once it was routed I cut it to length on the table saw. I then sanded the piece.

To cut the miter corners I decided to make a table saw miter cutting jig. The jig worked perfect to cut the door frame.

Table Wood Flooring Floor Rectangle


Wood Rectangle Shelf Floor Wood stain


I'm waiting on a router bit I order online to cut the slot in the side of the frame where the raised panel will fit.

I cut the raise panel section to size then routed it with a Rockler Ogee raised panel bit # 60971, which has a back cutter.

I'm not sure what type of hinge I'll use.

Miter Cutting Jig
I used a ¾" Baltic Birch piece of plywood (15-7/8" X 13-1/4"). ½" plywood could be used be I didn't have a piece the size I needed. It's an unusual size because I didn't cut the piece I had on hand. I cut some cherry wood; I had on hand, and cut it to size to use as the miter sled. The miter guide bars came to ¾" wide X 5/16" deep X 19-3/8" long.

I read different articles about building one of these sleds, and some talking about aligning the plywood exactly at 90 degrees to the miter slots. I don't see a need for this because even it you install the plywood at an angle it still wouldn't matter. The key to the jig's accuracy is installing the miter fences precisely at 90°.

If you would like further information about this jig, you can go to my website where I put the instructions in detail.
Wood Rectangle Floor Flooring Hardwood


Top
For the top I made some cauls and special cauls for my pipe clamps.
To read more about this you'll need to go to my web site.

Furniture Table Rectangle Wood Wall


Wood Engineering Gas Machine tool Machine


I ended up using liquid Hide glue to glue up the top. I purchased some flakes but didn't use them for this product. The reason I decided on hide glue was because I first ran a test with the different glues.
I've always had some problems cleaning the glue so it doesn't show through the stain unless I ran the wood through a planer and removed a lot of wood. I don't have this opinion in this piece. I can sand it but I can't remove too much wood.

I've never used hide glue so wasn't sure about it. The old story about wanting to stay in my comfort zone. With the test I glued two piece together of the same wood I'm using. I did one with TB III and the other with TB liquid Hide glue. I removed the TBIII as it started to harden like I normally do. With the hide glue I also waited until it started to harden, then I used warm water to remove the squeeze out. I left both clamped overnight. The following day I used 400 grit and sanded each very little. I then stained both piece and couldn't believe how the hide glue didn't show at all anywhere on the wood. When I glued the piece together I purposely got glue everywhere to see if it would clean up. The Hide glue worked so much better than the TB III I can't wait to try the flakes.

Hide glue also has a long open time, which I also needed so set all the cauls in place. Once the top was glued and clamped I let it set overnight.

Wood Rectangle Composite material Bumper Gas


Once the top was glued together and the glue residue was removed, I drew the outline of the top on the back. I marked an extra couple of inched out from this line for the overhang. I used a circular saw with a straight edge to cut the top to shape. The corners are still unfinished and I'm trying to figure out what router bit to use on the top and what molding to go with it.

Tape measure Wood Ruler Rectangle Office ruler


Table Rectangle Wood Natural material Wood stain


Finishing
Since I've never finished Mahogany before I'm not sure what would look best. I searched the web and LJ for ideas. Based on what I learned it appears I'll first use no wax Shellac (cut in half with denatured alcohol). Then I stain it and the last step is to fill it. I thought filling would be first but since its solvent based and not water based, the filling is done last.

I purchased about $100 worth of different type and colors of stain.

I'm not sure what type of router bit I'll be using for the table top edge. I know I'm going to add some molding under the table top but I'm not sure what is going to be yet.

I welcome any suggestions, ideas, or comments.

Thanks
Angela
 

Attachments

#29 ·
Cauls, jigs, molding and doors

Bottom Molding
I cut a long piece of the African mahogany 3" wide. I original use Âľ" but didn't like the way it looked so I planed it down to 5/8". I ran it through my router table using a Freud Roman Ogee router bit # 38362.

Wood Hardwood Flooring Wood stain Plywood


Automotive tire Tread Wood Synthetic rubber Road surface


I first cut the front piece. I used the same angles that I used on the main case. After cutting the side angles, the pieces didn't fit based on the angles I cut them.

Wood Rectangle Flooring Floor Table


When I glued the sides of the main case together the angles came out different from what I original designed. I used my digital protractor/angle finder against the case to discover the new angles.

Wood Rectangle Flooring Beige Composite material


I then divided it in two and used that angle to cut a new side piece.

Furniture Table Wood Rectangle Wood stain


The fit was much better. Although the photo still shows a gap, it's the uneven floor. When the piece is pushed together it fits perfect.

I left extra on the back because I'll finish it later.

Wood Rectangle Hardwood Wood stain Natural material


Doors
I was having problem with the doors. I made a prototype and didn't like the way it looked. I know the prototype doesn't look that good but I still wouldn't like it if I had made it perfect.

Rectangle Wood Hardwood Beige Font


It took a couple of days studying the doors to figure out what was wrong. I though of using a slab door but didn't really like that idea. When I came across this photo, I realized what the problem was.

Furniture Cabinetry Computer desk Output device Rectangle


I discovered I didn't like the doors because the design of the doors, with the rails and stiles, were square. If I miter cut the corners the door looked like I wanted it to. I started with a long 2" wide by Âľ" thick piece. I used a miter drawer frame router bit from MLCS. Since my door frame had to be smaller than the usual 2-1/2", instead of using the usual door bit I used the smaller miter drawer bit (Item # 8778).

I used a wider board than I needed so once it was routed I cut it to length on the table saw. I then sanded the piece.

To cut the miter corners I decided to make a table saw miter cutting jig. The jig worked perfect to cut the door frame.

Table Wood Flooring Floor Rectangle


Wood Rectangle Shelf Floor Wood stain


I'm waiting on a router bit I order online to cut the slot in the side of the frame where the raised panel will fit.

I cut the raise panel section to size then routed it with a Rockler Ogee raised panel bit # 60971, which has a back cutter.

I'm not sure what type of hinge I'll use.

Miter Cutting Jig
I used a ¾" Baltic Birch piece of plywood (15-7/8" X 13-1/4"). ½" plywood could be used be I didn't have a piece the size I needed. It's an unusual size because I didn't cut the piece I had on hand. I cut some cherry wood; I had on hand, and cut it to size to use as the miter sled. The miter guide bars came to ¾" wide X 5/16" deep X 19-3/8" long.

I read different articles about building one of these sleds, and some talking about aligning the plywood exactly at 90 degrees to the miter slots. I don't see a need for this because even it you install the plywood at an angle it still wouldn't matter. The key to the jig's accuracy is installing the miter fences precisely at 90°.

If you would like further information about this jig, you can go to my website where I put the instructions in detail.
Wood Rectangle Floor Flooring Hardwood


Top
For the top I made some cauls and special cauls for my pipe clamps.
To read more about this you'll need to go to my web site.

Furniture Table Rectangle Wood Wall


Wood Engineering Gas Machine tool Machine


I ended up using liquid Hide glue to glue up the top. I purchased some flakes but didn't use them for this product. The reason I decided on hide glue was because I first ran a test with the different glues.
I've always had some problems cleaning the glue so it doesn't show through the stain unless I ran the wood through a planer and removed a lot of wood. I don't have this opinion in this piece. I can sand it but I can't remove too much wood.

I've never used hide glue so wasn't sure about it. The old story about wanting to stay in my comfort zone. With the test I glued two piece together of the same wood I'm using. I did one with TB III and the other with TB liquid Hide glue. I removed the TBIII as it started to harden like I normally do. With the hide glue I also waited until it started to harden, then I used warm water to remove the squeeze out. I left both clamped overnight. The following day I used 400 grit and sanded each very little. I then stained both piece and couldn't believe how the hide glue didn't show at all anywhere on the wood. When I glued the piece together I purposely got glue everywhere to see if it would clean up. The Hide glue worked so much better than the TB III I can't wait to try the flakes.

Hide glue also has a long open time, which I also needed so set all the cauls in place. Once the top was glued and clamped I let it set overnight.

Wood Rectangle Composite material Bumper Gas


Once the top was glued together and the glue residue was removed, I drew the outline of the top on the back. I marked an extra couple of inched out from this line for the overhang. I used a circular saw with a straight edge to cut the top to shape. The corners are still unfinished and I'm trying to figure out what router bit to use on the top and what molding to go with it.

Tape measure Wood Ruler Rectangle Office ruler


Table Rectangle Wood Natural material Wood stain


Finishing
Since I've never finished Mahogany before I'm not sure what would look best. I searched the web and LJ for ideas. Based on what I learned it appears I'll first use no wax Shellac (cut in half with denatured alcohol). Then I stain it and the last step is to fill it. I thought filling would be first but since its solvent based and not water based, the filling is done last.

I purchased about $100 worth of different type and colors of stain.

I'm not sure what type of router bit I'll be using for the table top edge. I know I'm going to add some molding under the table top but I'm not sure what is going to be yet.

I welcome any suggestions, ideas, or comments.

Thanks
Angela
I like the design. Thanks for sharing.
 

Attachments

#33 ·
Raised Panel Doors, Soss Invisible Hinges, Table Top Edge, Getting Ready for the Finish

Yes it's been over a month since I've posted an update but I'm still working on my TV stand.

Raised Panel Doors

Since my last blog, I finished the raised panel portion of my doors. This is the first time I'm doing a raised panel and I was having a problem getting the panel flush with the frame.

Wood Rectangle Table Flooring Wood stain


Wood Rectangle Grey Wood stain Floor


To correct this problem I disassembled the panel router bit and raised the back cutter.

Hood Motor vehicle Vehicle Gas Bumper


Automotive tire Tire Wheel Gas Engineering


Now I would be able to remove more of the back.

Automotive tire Fluid Tire Gas Wood


Now the panel fit exactly where I wanted it to.

Wood Rectangle Floor Flooring Wood stain


I cut the slot in the frame for the panel.

Wood Rectangle Stairs Beige Hardwood


Hinges

I decided on using Soss invisible hinges. If I were to do it over I would either install the hinges before putting everything together or I would use different hinges. Because everything already together they were difficult to install. I couldn't use a router because the lack of space so I used a Dremel tool and chisel. It worked but it would have looked much better if I had been able to used a template and router bit.

Wood Wood stain Hardwood Trunk Tints and shades


Musical instrument Wood Household hardware Magenta Metal


Table Top Edge
I purchased several different router bits for the edge of the top. I ended up using a Lonnie Bird Table Edge router bit. It cost a small fortune but I couldn't find a company that made a similar router bit.

Brown Wood Rectangle Wood stain Composite material


I also made a cove for under the table top but I don't think I'm going to use it because the measurements of my top are off. I sort of screwed things up. I have designed a pattern for the TV stand but when I glued up the sides the angles went off. When I cut the bottom and the shelf I used the actually case to determine the size. When I went to cut the top I used the pattern, which was a mistake since the angles had changed. Because of this the over hang of the top isn't even and therefore I think the cove wouldn't look right.

Brown Wood Window Beige Wood stain


Misc.
I added a few pieces in the back to cover the plywood.

Wood Table Shelf Computer desk Shelving


Finishing
I still haven't decided on a finish. I haven't been satisfied with anything I've tried. The closest thing I've found so far is General Finishes Rosewood. I've order a few more colors from W.D. Lockwood.

I have sanded everything to 180. Then I wiped everything down with water, let it dry and sanded everything with 220. The edges of the table I continued sanding with 220, 320 and 400. I used a vacuum and air compressor but there still seemed like there was a lot of dust so I wiped it down with mineral spirits. I'm going to wipe on a 1 pound cut of shellac then I'm going to fill the wood. I'm using an oil based wood filler. The wood filler company says to stain the project first then use the filler. I tried this on a sample and didn't like the out come so I tired using the filler before the stain and like they way it looked so that's why I'm doing it this way.

Wood Drawer Rectangle Wood stain Shelf


Wood Rectangle Wood stain Hardwood Varnish


The doors are not glued together yet. I want to stain the door panel before I glue them up.

So hopefully my next posting will be the finished project and not about how I ruined my nice TV stand with a bad finish.

Angela
 

Attachments

#34 ·
Raised Panel Doors, Soss Invisible Hinges, Table Top Edge, Getting Ready for the Finish

Yes it's been over a month since I've posted an update but I'm still working on my TV stand.

Raised Panel Doors

Since my last blog, I finished the raised panel portion of my doors. This is the first time I'm doing a raised panel and I was having a problem getting the panel flush with the frame.

Wood Rectangle Table Flooring Wood stain


Wood Rectangle Grey Wood stain Floor


To correct this problem I disassembled the panel router bit and raised the back cutter.

Hood Motor vehicle Vehicle Gas Bumper


Automotive tire Tire Wheel Gas Engineering


Now I would be able to remove more of the back.

Automotive tire Fluid Tire Gas Wood


Now the panel fit exactly where I wanted it to.

Wood Rectangle Floor Flooring Wood stain


I cut the slot in the frame for the panel.

Wood Rectangle Stairs Beige Hardwood


Hinges

I decided on using Soss invisible hinges. If I were to do it over I would either install the hinges before putting everything together or I would use different hinges. Because everything already together they were difficult to install. I couldn't use a router because the lack of space so I used a Dremel tool and chisel. It worked but it would have looked much better if I had been able to used a template and router bit.

Wood Wood stain Hardwood Trunk Tints and shades


Musical instrument Wood Household hardware Magenta Metal


Table Top Edge
I purchased several different router bits for the edge of the top. I ended up using a Lonnie Bird Table Edge router bit. It cost a small fortune but I couldn't find a company that made a similar router bit.

Brown Wood Rectangle Wood stain Composite material


I also made a cove for under the table top but I don't think I'm going to use it because the measurements of my top are off. I sort of screwed things up. I have designed a pattern for the TV stand but when I glued up the sides the angles went off. When I cut the bottom and the shelf I used the actually case to determine the size. When I went to cut the top I used the pattern, which was a mistake since the angles had changed. Because of this the over hang of the top isn't even and therefore I think the cove wouldn't look right.

Brown Wood Window Beige Wood stain


Misc.
I added a few pieces in the back to cover the plywood.

Wood Table Shelf Computer desk Shelving


Finishing
I still haven't decided on a finish. I haven't been satisfied with anything I've tried. The closest thing I've found so far is General Finishes Rosewood. I've order a few more colors from W.D. Lockwood.

I have sanded everything to 180. Then I wiped everything down with water, let it dry and sanded everything with 220. The edges of the table I continued sanding with 220, 320 and 400. I used a vacuum and air compressor but there still seemed like there was a lot of dust so I wiped it down with mineral spirits. I'm going to wipe on a 1 pound cut of shellac then I'm going to fill the wood. I'm using an oil based wood filler. The wood filler company says to stain the project first then use the filler. I tried this on a sample and didn't like the out come so I tired using the filler before the stain and like they way it looked so that's why I'm doing it this way.

Wood Drawer Rectangle Wood stain Shelf


Wood Rectangle Wood stain Hardwood Varnish


The doors are not glued together yet. I want to stain the door panel before I glue them up.

So hopefully my next posting will be the finished project and not about how I ruined my nice TV stand with a bad finish.

Angela
looks grand angela. very clean lined and well formed.
 

Attachments

#36 ·
Finishing and finishing

Television Entertainment Entertainment center Flat panel display Wood


Finishing and finishing
I have completed my TV stand and it came out better than I hoped. I learned a lot from this project and can't wait to make my next piece of interior furniture.

Finishing
I wish I could say everything went off smoothly but I had a few problems finishing the project. One major problem was splotching, where one area stains dark than another. I also had a hard time learning to fill the wood. I tested about 12-15 different stains and dyes until I came across two of them that I really liked.

This is something to remember, when making a project, purchase extra wood so you can test various stains and your complete finishing process.

I used a test board and went through my entire finishing process. When I started putting the stain on the project, it was a different color than what was on the test board. It was too dark and I didn't like it. So I sanded the wood and used the second stain I liked and it turned out to be perfect.

Sanding
My last blog left off with my project being sanded with 220 grit.

If I were to do it over again I would sand it all to 320 grit. I think African mahogany needs to be sanded to a higher grit because it's so porous. I read a lot of articles about finishing mahogany but I think the articles are talking about genuine mahogany where as African mahogany is more porous and caused me more problems.

Shellac
Once I finished sanding, I used a vacuum to remove the dust. I then used Mineral Spirits to remove the remaining dust. I wiped on a coat of 1 pound cut dewaxed SealCoat.

This is another thing I would do different. Since I had a problem with splotching I would wipe on a thicker coat of shellac. I would use at least 1.5 pound cut if not a 2 pound cut.

Staining
General Finishes
I tried different stains from General Finishes. They can be purchased from woodcraft or Rockler. I tried a formula that the WoodWhisper suggested. He used Merlot as an under coat then wiped on their gel Brown Mahogany. I tried this and didn't like it. I tried merlot under a lot of other colors but didn't like any of them. I did come across two colors that I really liked but not for this project; their Warm Cherry and Vintage Cherry were beautiful colors. Some people use their Rosewood stain, which I also tried, on Mahogany. I almost decided on this stain because it would give it a very dark, Bombay Furniture, type finish. Since it wasn't exactly what I wanted, I decided to order some powder dyes from Lockwood.

W. D. Lockwood
I read a few articles of Fine Woodworking in which the author used a Lockwood powder dye finish. I was told the Lockwood is also sold by Woodworker Supply but under their brand, J. E. Moser. I purchased 5 different colors; 3 were water based (Colonial Red, Redder Mahogany #333, Standard Red Mahogany #54, Conlonial Dark Red Mahogany #34) and 2 were alcohol based (Bismark Brown, Dark Red #5083, Bismark Brown, Reddish #6288). The two colors I liked were # 333 and # 34 (this is the color I ended up using).

I use Ball glass jars for mixing my stains, shellac and other things. I purchase the 32oz in a 12 jar case and the 64 oz. jars in a 6 jar case. I found the best price for these is at an Ace Hardware. There are so many uses for these jars.

Drinkware Food storage containers Mason jar Plant Food storage


Liquid Mason jar Ingredient Glass bottle Drinkware


I mixed the powder dyes in the jar. I then filter the dye into another jar. I tape the label that came with the dye on the jar.

Shellac
After getting the stain correct, I wiped on a coat of 2 pound cut shellac.

Wood Filler
Water and oil based fillers - In the articles I read if you use water base you use it before you stain where as if you use oil base you stain first, then put a layer of shellac then fill the wood.

Behlen's Mahogany filler
I first tried Behlen's Mahogany filler but no matter what I tried the filler dyed the wood almost black. I tried a bunch of different things but no matter what I tried it ruined the wood. Not only didn't it work but it's a mess to work with. If you notice in the photo below the liquid on the top has to be mixed with the rest of the filler. This makes a complete mess so use gloves, a lot of newspapers and even another mixing cup.

Tin Paint Ingredient Cuisine Drink


Behlen's Natural Filler
Next I tried Behlen's none colored wood filler. This filler is a grey color and needs to be colored. If you don't color it the filler stays grey. Again I tried a bunch of different things but couldn't get it to work. It wasn't as messy because it didn't stain everything it touched but I still didn't like working with it. Someday I'll try it again with a different type of wood.

CrystaLac Clear Waterborne Wood Grain Filler
I tried this filler but didn't like it at all. It covered the wood in a clear coat. When I tried to sand the coat off the top and leave the filler in the pores, the sanding removed some of the stain. I might try this again on something else or try putting a couple of coats of shellac over the stain before I use it but I really didn't like the way it looked.

After trying all these things, including pore filling with rottenstone and pumice, I discovered that if I added a couple more coats of a 2 pound cut shellac to the stained wood, then use the Behlen's Mahogany wood filler on top of that, it wouldn't stain the wood and worked perfectly.

It took a long time getting to this point but after I discovered this, it comes out perfect.
It takes a few days for the wood filler to completely dry. You need to wait until you can't smell it anymore.

Here's a few very good articles about filling Mahogany. Sorry but they are all from FineWoodworking and you need to have a Subscription to view the articles.
1. Making your own filler
2. Finishing Mahogany
3. Bring out the best of Mahogany

More Shellac
Woodcraft had a good sale on the Earlex HV5500 sprayer so I purchased one. I can't say enough good things about it. It's amazing and if you're thinking of getting one, get it. It is well worth the money.

I used the sprayer and sprayer 5 light coats of a 2 pound cut of shellac.

Behlen's RockHard Tabletop Varnish
I wanted something more durable on the top than just shellac so I sprayed 3 light coats of the rockhard table top varnish. I wasn't sure if this stuff could be sprayed because it is thick, but I was advised to thin it 50%, which I did and it worked great.

Table Wood Desk Rectangle Flooring


Attaching the Top
After everything was finished I used table top fasteners (the type of clip that slip into a groove) to secure the top to the case. I didn't fill the backside of the top only the topside. You can tell a big difference between the two sides.

Brown Wood Floor Flooring Wood stain


I used a handheld router and routed small slots for the clips.

Brown Wood Rectangle Flooring Floor


Attaching the front molding
I used screws to attach the molding and only used glue to glue the seems together.

Brown Wood Floor Flooring Wood stain


I installed one of the doors even though I haven't installed the knobs yet, I have some knobs on order.

Brown Furniture Rectangle Wood Wood stain


Rectangle Shelf Wood Shelving Cabinetry


Brown Wood Rectangle Flooring Wood stain


Television Entertainment Entertainment center Flat panel display Wood


I would have like to added some molding under the top edge but since I messed up on the sizing of the top it wouldn't have looked right.

It took awhile to get everything done but I wasn't in a hurry and I learned so much. I hope the sharing of my work helps others.

Angela
 

Attachments

#37 ·
Finishing and finishing

Television Entertainment Entertainment center Flat panel display Wood


Finishing and finishing
I have completed my TV stand and it came out better than I hoped. I learned a lot from this project and can't wait to make my next piece of interior furniture.

Finishing
I wish I could say everything went off smoothly but I had a few problems finishing the project. One major problem was splotching, where one area stains dark than another. I also had a hard time learning to fill the wood. I tested about 12-15 different stains and dyes until I came across two of them that I really liked.

This is something to remember, when making a project, purchase extra wood so you can test various stains and your complete finishing process.

I used a test board and went through my entire finishing process. When I started putting the stain on the project, it was a different color than what was on the test board. It was too dark and I didn't like it. So I sanded the wood and used the second stain I liked and it turned out to be perfect.

Sanding
My last blog left off with my project being sanded with 220 grit.

If I were to do it over again I would sand it all to 320 grit. I think African mahogany needs to be sanded to a higher grit because it's so porous. I read a lot of articles about finishing mahogany but I think the articles are talking about genuine mahogany where as African mahogany is more porous and caused me more problems.

Shellac
Once I finished sanding, I used a vacuum to remove the dust. I then used Mineral Spirits to remove the remaining dust. I wiped on a coat of 1 pound cut dewaxed SealCoat.

This is another thing I would do different. Since I had a problem with splotching I would wipe on a thicker coat of shellac. I would use at least 1.5 pound cut if not a 2 pound cut.

Staining
General Finishes
I tried different stains from General Finishes. They can be purchased from woodcraft or Rockler. I tried a formula that the WoodWhisper suggested. He used Merlot as an under coat then wiped on their gel Brown Mahogany. I tried this and didn't like it. I tried merlot under a lot of other colors but didn't like any of them. I did come across two colors that I really liked but not for this project; their Warm Cherry and Vintage Cherry were beautiful colors. Some people use their Rosewood stain, which I also tried, on Mahogany. I almost decided on this stain because it would give it a very dark, Bombay Furniture, type finish. Since it wasn't exactly what I wanted, I decided to order some powder dyes from Lockwood.

W. D. Lockwood
I read a few articles of Fine Woodworking in which the author used a Lockwood powder dye finish. I was told the Lockwood is also sold by Woodworker Supply but under their brand, J. E. Moser. I purchased 5 different colors; 3 were water based (Colonial Red, Redder Mahogany #333, Standard Red Mahogany #54, Conlonial Dark Red Mahogany #34) and 2 were alcohol based (Bismark Brown, Dark Red #5083, Bismark Brown, Reddish #6288). The two colors I liked were # 333 and # 34 (this is the color I ended up using).

I use Ball glass jars for mixing my stains, shellac and other things. I purchase the 32oz in a 12 jar case and the 64 oz. jars in a 6 jar case. I found the best price for these is at an Ace Hardware. There are so many uses for these jars.

Drinkware Food storage containers Mason jar Plant Food storage


Liquid Mason jar Ingredient Glass bottle Drinkware


I mixed the powder dyes in the jar. I then filter the dye into another jar. I tape the label that came with the dye on the jar.

Shellac
After getting the stain correct, I wiped on a coat of 2 pound cut shellac.

Wood Filler
Water and oil based fillers - In the articles I read if you use water base you use it before you stain where as if you use oil base you stain first, then put a layer of shellac then fill the wood.

Behlen's Mahogany filler
I first tried Behlen's Mahogany filler but no matter what I tried the filler dyed the wood almost black. I tried a bunch of different things but no matter what I tried it ruined the wood. Not only didn't it work but it's a mess to work with. If you notice in the photo below the liquid on the top has to be mixed with the rest of the filler. This makes a complete mess so use gloves, a lot of newspapers and even another mixing cup.

Tin Paint Ingredient Cuisine Drink


Behlen's Natural Filler
Next I tried Behlen's none colored wood filler. This filler is a grey color and needs to be colored. If you don't color it the filler stays grey. Again I tried a bunch of different things but couldn't get it to work. It wasn't as messy because it didn't stain everything it touched but I still didn't like working with it. Someday I'll try it again with a different type of wood.

CrystaLac Clear Waterborne Wood Grain Filler
I tried this filler but didn't like it at all. It covered the wood in a clear coat. When I tried to sand the coat off the top and leave the filler in the pores, the sanding removed some of the stain. I might try this again on something else or try putting a couple of coats of shellac over the stain before I use it but I really didn't like the way it looked.

After trying all these things, including pore filling with rottenstone and pumice, I discovered that if I added a couple more coats of a 2 pound cut shellac to the stained wood, then use the Behlen's Mahogany wood filler on top of that, it wouldn't stain the wood and worked perfectly.

It took a long time getting to this point but after I discovered this, it comes out perfect.
It takes a few days for the wood filler to completely dry. You need to wait until you can't smell it anymore.

Here's a few very good articles about filling Mahogany. Sorry but they are all from FineWoodworking and you need to have a Subscription to view the articles.
1. Making your own filler
2. Finishing Mahogany
3. Bring out the best of Mahogany

More Shellac
Woodcraft had a good sale on the Earlex HV5500 sprayer so I purchased one. I can't say enough good things about it. It's amazing and if you're thinking of getting one, get it. It is well worth the money.

I used the sprayer and sprayer 5 light coats of a 2 pound cut of shellac.

Behlen's RockHard Tabletop Varnish
I wanted something more durable on the top than just shellac so I sprayed 3 light coats of the rockhard table top varnish. I wasn't sure if this stuff could be sprayed because it is thick, but I was advised to thin it 50%, which I did and it worked great.

Table Wood Desk Rectangle Flooring


Attaching the Top
After everything was finished I used table top fasteners (the type of clip that slip into a groove) to secure the top to the case. I didn't fill the backside of the top only the topside. You can tell a big difference between the two sides.

Brown Wood Floor Flooring Wood stain


I used a handheld router and routed small slots for the clips.

Brown Wood Rectangle Flooring Floor


Attaching the front molding
I used screws to attach the molding and only used glue to glue the seems together.

Brown Wood Floor Flooring Wood stain


I installed one of the doors even though I haven't installed the knobs yet, I have some knobs on order.

Brown Furniture Rectangle Wood Wood stain


Rectangle Shelf Wood Shelving Cabinetry


Brown Wood Rectangle Flooring Wood stain


Television Entertainment Entertainment center Flat panel display Wood


I would have like to added some molding under the top edge but since I messed up on the sizing of the top it wouldn't have looked right.

It took awhile to get everything done but I wasn't in a hurry and I learned so much. I hope the sharing of my work helps others.

Angela
I think that turned out exceptionally well. Your finishing/grain filling woes would have sorely tried my patience but you won! Next time try TimberMate grain filler. It will go MUCH easier. I promise. Great job. You should be proud of this one.
 

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