Project Information
I recently completed a trestle table for my daughter-in-law and delivered it this last Saturday. Oak, dyed with Transtint to match a new set of chairs, and finished with General Finishes Arm-R-Seal.
The finish gave me fits, never worked with oak before & it soaked up the wiping varnish like a sponge with water. I came to LJs for advise on this, and ended up following the expert advise of Charles Neil, "simply wait". You can view all the great responses by fellow LJs here.
The legs are very hefty, solid 8/4 oak, with feet & upper cross members almost as wide as the top's 43", and secured with 1/2" oak dowel pins - top & bottom. The top is secured by wooden buttons, or clips as shown in the last photo above, to help keep it flat. Breadboard ends also add to keeping the top flat, with 1/4" oak dowel pins as shown here:
I started finishing this table with the top first as described above, and took the advise of fellow LJs by using Zinssr's Seal Coat shellac sanding sealer first on the legs and stretcher, then the wiping varnish - work like a charm.
When I put the tenons on the leg uprights, I used my router sled that I typically use to flatted boards. This can be seen here, and it too worked well on this thick stock.
Well, thanks for looking, and I hope what I've learned and described here will help others.
The finish gave me fits, never worked with oak before & it soaked up the wiping varnish like a sponge with water. I came to LJs for advise on this, and ended up following the expert advise of Charles Neil, "simply wait". You can view all the great responses by fellow LJs here.
The legs are very hefty, solid 8/4 oak, with feet & upper cross members almost as wide as the top's 43", and secured with 1/2" oak dowel pins - top & bottom. The top is secured by wooden buttons, or clips as shown in the last photo above, to help keep it flat. Breadboard ends also add to keeping the top flat, with 1/4" oak dowel pins as shown here:
I started finishing this table with the top first as described above, and took the advise of fellow LJs by using Zinssr's Seal Coat shellac sanding sealer first on the legs and stretcher, then the wiping varnish - work like a charm.
When I put the tenons on the leg uprights, I used my router sled that I typically use to flatted boards. This can be seen here, and it too worked well on this thick stock.
Well, thanks for looking, and I hope what I've learned and described here will help others.