LumberJocks Woodworking Forum banner
23K views 247 replies 35 participants last post by  Brit 
#1 ·
The Problem

The long and short of it can be presented in two words: Cracked Tabletop. But the table is old. Not a family heirloom of mine, maybe someone else's at one time, but I only came by said table a couple weeks ago with one easy payment of $60 cash at a local auction. I recognized it as being made of walnut; it's also what's called a hall table, with a single drawer at one end. Drop leaf too. Couldn't do without it, apparently, because I brought it home. So a few glamor shots.









Here's a picture of the underside of the table, showing the wooden hinged drop leaf support and the glue block system holding the top to the aprons.



And a closer pic of said blocks, also showing the crack that is the problem that gives this blog entry a name.



From the underside.



From the top.



Lots to explore with this table. The legs have wheels I haven't seen before. The top's underside is scalloped; evidence of hand planing. Hand cut tongue and groove work on the drawer. And another construction detail that was a surprise to me. So, there's exploration of the table as well as a solution to the 'crack' in the offing. I know, not a big deal for the pros on this site. But it's a big deal to me, because I'd like to do a fix that allows the top to move (unlike the 'glue it in place' build style that didn't figure for wood movement).If you're interested, follow along. If not, no problem. Thanks for looking, more to come!
 
See less See more
8
#82 ·
Scraping By on a Formerly Split Top

Top is glued up and stable as of this afternoon. Looks reasonably good, all told.





The question now is how to 'refinish' the top. Now I know what you're saying. Just the top, Smitty? What about the rest of the table? Well, I'm going to concentrate on the top and edges of the top for now, and see what happens before complicating my thoughts with turned leg refinishing. So there. It's the KISS principle at it's best…

Andy suggested hitting the top with alcohol to test for shellac. Did that, results were limited to a dirty rag only. If there was shellac used, it's not the only thing remaining. So that didn't pan out. Rats.

I then decided to go radical. Scraping is not something I've done with any success. I mean, I've used my #80 on the cabinetmaker's bench to get grit off that maple work surface, but I wasn't that impressed with either my ability or the outcome. (Both, really, but I digress.) I didn't go for the #80 this time, but did reach into the bench cabinet for my high-dollar 'old hand saw blade cut into squares' scraper and headed to the tabletop. Why scrape and not sand? Well, I didn't want to run through all the grits and associated gummy papers (due to the finish being present), AND I wanted to learn a new skill, AND the glue joint had a few high and low spots along the run (should have used biscuits for alignment, maybe?) that a scraper would certainly be able to address. Enough wordiness. To the pictures…

First cut didn't look bad at all. Scratches deeper than I ever expected, but the scraper was doing it's thing!



Before too long it was clear that the whole top had to be done, as I was past the point of no return. In the second pic that follows, the #83 scraper 'plane' is in the background. Worthless for this application, let me tell you. Maybe I have the blade sized wrong (it's not an original), but if this was gonna get done I had to do by hand (steady, Al).





I reversed the table so it was braced against my workbench and light from the window could help. The scratches are actually gouges in the right (wrong?) light.



I kept going, but it was clear the scraper needed a fresh edge.



How did I 'sharpen' the scraper? It varied until I got consistent results, but here's the one that got me the furthest between touch ups. First, 400 grit paper on a limestone block (hard and flat) to clean the edge, front and back.





The a couple passes with the clamshell jointer…



... before burnishing straight across, then to each side at a slight (10 degree??) angle.



A fresh edge gets you shavings, not dust.





This patch took two freshenings of the iron to get through.



And here's the final scraped top, four blisters and two burned thumbs later! :)



Glamour shots, then, after hitting the top with the ROS and 220 grit paper. Yes, I sanded. I don't feel good about it, but there's no way I was planing this thing OR leaving just the scraped surface. So actually I do feel good about it.







I cleaned the top with a series of clean cotton rags (old T shirts are great shop towels…) then wiped it down with mineral spirits to see what it'd look like with a finish. OMG! Very sweet! Sorry, no picture of that 'til next time.

After getting through this brute force exercise, I feel like I passed a test of sorts with the scraper. It's a great tool, simple yet effective, and I know how to use one now. Am I an expert? Hardly. But now, whenever the old timers gather 'round and talk about sore thumbs from scraping, I know what they mean. :)

As always, thanks for looking!
 
#83 ·
That is a labor of love my man! Awesome.

I covet the clamshell.

I scraped a finish off today as well. What are the chances. I can hardly believe you resisted the urge to reach for a smoother.

A toast to those you bring new life to old furniture. Well done sir.
 
#116 ·
A Serious Setback

Not a good situation, my friends, with the finish. The pores (that's what I'll call them, I assume that's what they're referred to, pls enlighten) are light in color and the finish is at a stand still.

First, a grainy picture taken yesterday with mineral spirits applied…



Now, after four applications of wipe-on poly, severe ugliness.





This is a severe blow… The clear grain is where there was more sanding, to clear the deep scratches seen in earlier pics. Arghh… Need input, not happy. Sad, in fact. This is not what I wanted…
 
#181 ·
It's Mahogany, Man! And it's Porous!

When I left this project it was sanded down and waiting on a product by the name of Timbermate, a wood filler product recommended by fellow LJ gfadvm. Why filler? Because scraping and sanding, followed by wiping varnish, looked like this:



So it sat like this until today.



I bought the mixing base, the mahogany filler, and the dark cherry stuff gfadvm recommended as one he uses to fill mahogany to a deeper, more natural-looking tone. Yeah, I know, cherry for more natural mahogany… but get on board, okay?



I thinned it down to a malted consistency, and spread it with a putty knife, first across the grain the with it to ensure coverage.









At this point I remembered the time I had a toothache and complained to my brother about it. He stomped on my foot, and I cried. Why did you do that?? It HURT!!

Well, you're tooth doesn't hurt anymore, does it??

Hah.

Well, the compound dried and looked scary… This all started with a split top, what the h*ll is going on??

Once dry, I sanded. And sanded a bit more. Then I got the top to a point that it seemed to make sense, the look of what was going on between wood and residual filler. Took it back into the shop and applied my super-secret 3-2-1 formula, made up super-special for just this project. And here are a couple pictures of the 'wet' table. The first for a wider shot, the second that is a more reflective of the actual color of the table.





I LOVE IT! More to come when it goes final, but Thank You to gfadvm, and all the LJs that offered support. Off to finish, cya!!
 
#218 ·
It's Mahogany, and it's Done!

Here's the top before any of this started.



After dis-assembly of the top from the base, jointing the edges, re-gluing, re-attaching, scraping and re-re-re-finishing (thanks again, Andy!), this table got the fifth and final coat of 3-2-1 and is DONE.





Now to find a place for it in the house, because it's too nice to sit in the shop! Thanks for looking.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top