| Blog series by Sawdustonmyshoulder | updated 347 days ago | 13 parts | 5142 reads | 53 comments total |
Part 1: Let's get started with big slabs
I have been commissioned by a local church member to build a conference table. She and her husband are supplying the lumber and I am supplying the design work and the woodworking. I have been working on the table for several weeks now so I will get you up-to-date. First the lumber: Quartersawn Southern Red Oak – Sawn from an estimated 500 year old red oak tree that measured over 6 feet in diameter. After it was blown over in a wind storm, it was sawn and left to air dry about 4 ye...
Part 2: Legs, Legs, Legs
I have some photos now of the parts that have been finished to date and some that are still in the works. I have complete the three leg sets for the conference table and the four leg sets for the side tables. I have mortised the inside of the conference table legs that will receive the tenons on the stretchers. I have drilled three holes in each mortise to form draw bore tenons. The holes in the tenons are about 1/32 inch closer to the shoulder. I will taper the oak pins and this should dr...
Part 3: Inlay Test and Big Planks Planed
The leg sets are made from full 1 inch stock. The lumber was sawed into 5/4 slabs, 10 feet long and widths around 20 inches to 16 inches. There were a few 12/4 slabs but were limb pieces. What I did to make the leg sets were to joint and plane the stock to 1 inch and glue up the pieces to make the 4×4 and 4×6 pieces. I was not pleased with the look of the glued up pieces so I trimmed the pieces to be 3 inch wide. I then picked out pieces of lumber that had grain patterns matching...
Part 4: Small Tops
Well, I haven’t been doing anything earth shattering as of late to the table. Just gluing up the small table tops and sanding them smooth and planing the bread boards. Oh, um. But it’s getting closer to getting done. I will start working on the big table top soon. I am waiting on a couple of new tools to come in before I start this phase. I just won a Stanley No. 7 jointing plane on eBay and am waiting a few more minutes to see if I win a No. 8. I started by bidding on the No. ...
Part 5: More on Jointing
I just got off the phone with the manufacturing company of the 12 foot straight edge clamp. Well, the shipping is going to be more than the clamp itself. A lot more! I think I am going to have to either go into the straight edge business (rental and sales) or go to Plan B (from Outer Space) or if any of you LJ’s that are driving from Whittier, CA to Tupelo, MS or Little Rock or Memphis, Nashville next week, I’ll drop a C note on the gas bill if you will bring it on over. PM and le...
Part 6: Straight edge problem solved...for now.
OK. You guys in the freight industry hit the back button. You don’t want to read this blog. Now that those guys are gone… the cost of shipping the 144 inch straight edge clamp is $252.00! Making to total bill around $345.00. Can’t do that so, I made some calls. I found this piece of aluminum straight stock for $62.00 locally. I picked it up this morning. It’s 3” wide, 1/4” thick and 12 feet long. I took a picture of it with my 4 foot ruler to give you...
Part 7: Got a Really BIG Panel out in the Shop!
Sunday evening and it’s time to blog about the weekend in the shop. First on the agenda was to move the big tools around to make room to make a 54” by 144” table top in a two-car garage. Went to the blue box store and picked up a couple of 2×6 x 12’s and three sheets of 5/8 particleboard. I extended my workbench to be 4 foot by 12 foot. Works great! I took all of the 1×12’s out of the dinning room and straightened and made both edges paralle...
Part 8: Made the Supports and Fit the Legs
Worked this weekend on fabrication of the supports for under the table top and fitted the legs to these supports. Here’s the project at the end of the day… Hey, Quixote, can you see the curl? Between the first two ribs? Here, let me zoom in… :-) That came off the big ole No. 8 jointer! I made up 8 double-tapered supports or ribs to hold the top flat and allow a mechanism for attaching the legs to table top. After rough cutting stock to size, I jointed the face a...
Part 9: Lots of sawdust and chips but not much to look at...
The table is taking shape. This weekend was HOT!! Heat index to 107 on Saturday in Mississippi. So, I had to work 30 minutes or so and come in and cool off for 15. I worked on the table’s skirt which will be 2 inches thick and 3 inches tall when finished. The sides will be 11 feet 4 inches long and the ends will be 46 inches long. I had to glue up the pieces because the longest stock I had was 10 feet and a little over 1 inches thick. After I glued up the blanks, I glued on a 1/4 ...
Part 10: Breadboards on, Skirt on. Ready to Inlay.
Sorry to be so long in adding to the blog on this project. Down South has been hit by tropical storm after tropical storm. Now up here in Northeastern Mississippi, we have had only rain but the coast, New Orleans, and Houston have been pounded. Our prayers are with you all!!! When I left you last, I was preparing (down South we say, “fixin”) to work on the breadboards on the big table. Well, I have attached them, and attached the breadboards to the smaller tables also. I have m...
Part 11: Testing My Inlay Skills. (?)
I started testing my inlay skills tonight. I used a piece of 3/4 inch MDF and 1/4 inch Luan plywood with Delta’s router inlay kit to do the test. I made the male parts with 45 degree cuts to form an “X” in the center. (See photo below) Well, first the kit has an 1/8 inch downcut spiral bit. Have you ever used an 1/8 inch downcut with MDF? “How’d that turn out, Sawdustonmyshoulder?” “Not too good!” That little puppy did cut the MDF...
Part 12: Cross Inlay Done!
Alrighty then! The Cross inlay is done! My theory on flipping the template to cut the inlay piece worked. Here are the photos of the process…. With the template clamped in place, I cut the female part of the inlay with a Delta Inlay kit. I cut the outside of the area with the 1/8 inch bit in the kit and used a 3/8 inch bit with a 1 inch bushing to finish cutting the waste. I did cut the outside deeper. I did this to make sure the inlay would lay flat in the space. I did flip th...
Part 13: The Tables Are Done!
After my clients chose a clear natural finish for the table, I used a natural-colored grain filler and 5 coats of satin Minwax Wipe On Poly to complete the tables. It took about 10 men to lift and move it to my 12 foot trailer to move it to the church. The legs and stretchers were assembled using oak pins using the draw bore pin method. The table top dropped into position nicely and with a few screws to keep it from “floating off”. :-) You can never trust gravity, you know. ...
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