Here starts something I always wanted to make. A pie crust table. This picture will give you an idea of what it will look like.
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Now mine will have a top that looks like this one, but I plan on doing something different for the legs. I will be unique. It’s something that just came to me.
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Lets start with the top. I had the perfect piece of 6/4 mahogany that I have been saving for this. The problem is that it was a little too short for the diameter top I wanted to make.
Here is a way to get more from your lumber.
Suppose you are using one piece of lumber to make a round table top, and you want as big a diameter as you can get.
Lets take 3 pieces my example. You could divide the length by 3 and make your cuts. That would work but you are wasting wood. I wanted a 34” diameter top but my lumber was only 97”. About 5” short if I were to cut 3 equal pieces
Look at the following example:
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Notice that the center piece is longer than the side pieces. What I did was to mark the center of the piece of lumber and draw a 34” circle. Cutting the pieces apart following the diameter of the circle allows the lenght to overlap making my effective length longer.
Look at how much wood I would have wasted making a straight cut:
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Now look how much extra lenght I gain. More than the 5” I needed.
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Here they are glued up. I just use my bench for a flat surface with pieces of wax paper to keep the glue off the bench. I let the squeezed out glue dry completely and scrape it off.
In the background you can see part of my collection of PC routers.
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-- Gary - Never pass up the opportunity to make a mistake look like you planned it that way - Tyler, TX

















22 comments so far
Dan'um Style
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10790 posts in 2151 days
#1 posted 1481 days ago
Wow … that’s some beautiful lumber. Very thoughtful tip on the material utilization.
-- keeping myself entertained
a1Jim
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87138 posts in 1746 days
#2 posted 1481 days ago
Good use of material Gary I look forward to more on your Pie crust. I’ve started my first pie crust also I thought I would give it a go in poplar first then fallow up with a more suitable figured wood on my second one.
-- W James Brokenbourgh Custom furniture maker http://artisticwoodstudio.com/
Joe Lyddon
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6393 posts in 2221 days
#3 posted 1481 days ago
A very logical way to approach the problem of getting the Mostest out of what you have…
Very good!
How are you going to cut the Special edge sections on the top?
Look like a very nice project…
Will be nice watching the blow-by-blow building process…
Thank you…
-- Have Fun! Joe Lyddon - Alta Loma, CA USA - Home: http://www.WoodworkStuff.net ... My Small Gallery: http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/showgallery.php?ppuser=1389&cat=500"
Joe Lyddon
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6393 posts in 2221 days
#4 posted 1481 days ago
heirloomJim,
Did you prepare a 1/4 Pattern and Route it with a router Four times?
If not, how?
Gary, how are you going to attack it?
-- Have Fun! Joe Lyddon - Alta Loma, CA USA - Home: http://www.WoodworkStuff.net ... My Small Gallery: http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/showgallery.php?ppuser=1389&cat=500"
Gary
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3546 posts in 1601 days
#5 posted 1481 days ago
Man…do a Norm show..take us thru step by step. I’d watch the whole thing. Looking forward to the end results.
-- Gary, DeKalb Texas only 4 miles from the mill
PurpLev
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7749 posts in 1817 days
#6 posted 1481 days ago
very good use of lumber
-- ㊍ When in doubt - There is no doubt - Go the safer route.
TopamaxSurvivor
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13192 posts in 1844 days
#7 posted 1481 days ago
Good move, More than one way to skin a cat :-)) Guess I’ll have to buddy you to keep track of this. I saw one of these just the other day and thought it would be kool do to!
-- "some old things are lovely, warm still with life ... of the forgotten men who made them." - D.H. Lawrence Wake Up America!! Please read; http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/01/26-0
Russel
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2199 posts in 2108 days
#8 posted 1481 days ago
The ability to see a few steps ahead serves you well. This is a great example of the value of planning your cuts.
-- Working at Woodworking http://www.VillageLaneFurniture.com
Karson
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34370 posts in 2569 days
#9 posted 1481 days ago
Gary: A great way to increase the length of your boards.
Nice job.
-- I've been blessed with a father who liked to tinker in wood, and a wife who lets me tinker in wood. Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †
sIKE
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1268 posts in 1922 days
#10 posted 1481 days ago
Gary,
I have to agree with everyone else very nice tip about making longer boards for circles. Looking forward to your progress on this project.
-- //FC - Round Rock, TX - "Experience is what you get just after you need it"
lew
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8982 posts in 1924 days
#11 posted 1481 days ago
Gary,
Great to see you you have been able to find some time to get back into the workshop! Looking forward to seeing how you handle the legs/feet on this table!!
Lew
-- Lew- Time traveler. Purveyor of the world's finest custom rolling pins!
Charles Mullins
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94 posts in 1880 days
#12 posted 1481 days ago
Gary,
Thanks for posting the idea. I’ve run into this problem before and I think this is just CLEVER!
Love it!
Charlie Mullins
-- God makes the wood beautiful--I simply rearrange it to make it more useful, hopefully.
pommy
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1695 posts in 1860 days
#13 posted 1481 days ago
As always Gary you astound us with your skill and as gary said please do a step by step blog i would love to see this through to the finish
Andy
-- cut it saw it scrap it SKPE: ANDREW.CARTER69
GaryK
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10263 posts in 2157 days
#14 posted 1481 days ago
Joe – I have no idea how I am going to do a particular thing until I get there. We’ll just have to find out together.
Thank you all for your kind comments.
-- Gary - Never pass up the opportunity to make a mistake look like you planned it that way - Tyler, TX
Dick, & Barb Cain
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8681 posts in 2468 days
#15 posted 1480 days ago
A board stretcher! ”Unique”.
I did something similar to this once for a curved bed headboard.
-- -** You are never to old to set another goal or to dream a new dream ****************** Dick, & Barb Cain, Hibbing, MN. http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.com/gallery/member.php?uid=3627&protype=1
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