LumberJocks Woodworking Forum banner

Stickley Dining Table no. 622

32K views 48 replies 34 participants last post by  TheSpinster 
#1 ·
History

History
We had a maple kitchen table that was very nice, but not the style we wanted for our house.
After I made the mahogany coffee table, I was feeling confident to tackle something larger.

Kristin and I enrolled in a "work completion lab" at the community college.
I looked through several plans. I really wanted to make one with curved stretchers and a top that was held on by massive sliding dovetails. (I still want to make it). We decided it was beyond our skills.

So we picked a basic Stickley trestle dining table, but scaled it down for our living room. It features a massive top and through/keyed tenons.

I spent one day running to Bonhoff Lumber to buy the rought 8/4 1/4sawn oak material.

Here it is so far:


Challenges
  1. Chopping the through tenons by hand as the thickness of the legs prohibited the use of the mortiser. The chips were flyin.
  2. Keyed tenons
  3. Learned to resaw: Veneered quartersawn oak to two faces of each leg so that all faces are quartersawn.
  4. Jointing huge pieces

To come
  1. Sand top
  2. Ease edges and corners of top
  3. Sand tenon keys
    #Apply Finish
  4. Attach top

We stopped working on it because we needed to find the right finish. (Plus, see all my other excuses on prior post). I have been experimenting with a billion different stains. I also acquired ammonia (the real stuff) from a parent in my class who runs a blueprint shop. I have not had time to fume some samples. I am also not sure what type of clear finish to put over the whole thing. Shellac is out due to the sloshing beer/wine problem. Any advice? (Yes I have seent the twelve step process).

I will post some of my 50 stain samples sometime.

By the way: I have a new policy. No starting a project until a finish schedule is in place.
 
See less See more
2
#4 ·
That is really coming together nicely… Will be looking forward to seeing the finished product. What type of finish are you planning on using? I would recommend some kind of Poly for a durable finish that will stand up….
 
#5 ·
I am not sure… what to do….

I have another small table that I am working on out of the same batch of wood.

I have tried the Minway Wipe-on Poly… I am worried it will look to plastic…
 
#9 ·
Sketchup Animations, Plans, and Erasing the Past...

Plans

I geared up today to finish the table that was started three years ago. I began by reviewing all of the original plans. Starting with the book "The Furniture of Gustav Stickley" by Joseph J. Bavaro & Thomas L. Mossman.


This book is a great Stickley starter book for furniture making.

I modified the original table by making it shorter in length. My old style drawings…..


I also wanted to try a few new things in SketchUp that I had learned over at the Fine Woodworking Design Click Build Blog

Here is my rendering complete with a Sketchy Lined watermark


I also tried tying some scenes together in an animation. We will see if I can get it to post here.

http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=55430

If not here is the link

Erasing the Past
All of the parts have been in storage in my office for a long time. I originally sanded the base parts to 400 but they have gotten some damage, and I have discovered that I like to finish the oak at 220 so back they go.


I took a closer look at the through tenon and noticed I have some clean up to do. But I also thought, clever me, I put a dowel through the end of the tenon to prevent slitting before mortising. It is only visible from the underside. Someone must have told me to do that.


My buddy Juan came over and we muscled the table top into the shop. It is so heavy at 1 1/2" x 42" x 78".

Some genius (me) had stained the entire top by using it before it was finished.
Cereal bowl stain.


Water stains and my pencil marks for sanding.


It took an entire album (Vampire Weekend) to sand the top to 80 grit. I went cross grain slowly, then with the grain, and then hand sanded lightly.
Halfway.

One side

Inspecting with light.


The flip side was not as messed up, so it only took about 2/3 of an album (Radiohead - In Rainbows).
It has the main piece of wood from Grandpa's Box
Great knots, so we will have to decide which side to use…. Hmm..

This side has a nice pattern write up the middle but the other side has better ray flecks.


Next time.. More grits and I visit a professional finisher to see how he does it.
 
#19 ·
Finish: Fuming, Waiting, and Shellac


After about one week of sanding. It took forever!

I will be attaching the top with countersunk lag screws.



The holes are over sized to handle movement. The screws will only bite into the top.

I put the base together to test it.



I built a large tent this time from plywood strips and extra bender board left over from the garden.

Here is a shot of the table going into the tent.


Suited up for ammonia.


Here are the test pieces. Left to Right: After four hours with no finish, with Boiled Linseed Oil, 6 hours with BLO


It has been humid here, so I waited a few days for the air to dry out. I use a first coat of very thin shellac.
Here is a shot with one leg assembly first coated.


Wet top.

After all parts coated once.


The colors are very different in the florescent lights. Here is a shot with natural light and the flash.



Next time : a little dye and blending? More shellac, poly for the top, wax…
 
#35 ·
The Inspector! Plus World's Most Boring Woodworking Video

Which Wax?
I bought a new kind of wax by Howards based on a recommendation from a friend. It is called Walnut. I compared it to the Briwax (Dark Brown) which I have have used previously. The Briwax is much darker. The Howards smells like citrus and claims to provide u.v. protection. It does seem a little more gritty, but applies smoothly.



Here is a shot with one base assembly (right) finished with the wax. The other is not (left)


Booooooooooring.
After finishing the base and the underside of the top, I turned my attention to the top of the top.

I began with two coats of de-waxed shellac (Zinser Seal-Coat)


Here you can see the raw wood vs. sealed.

Watch a really boring video of me shellacing. Witness my careful maneuvers with the shellac pad. Warning: slow action.



Sapwood!
There were two prominent sapwood streaks to deal with.


When you fume with ammonia the sapwood is not affected. I ordered a different dye from Tools for Woodworking



It is relatively close to Actual Fumed oak, though it could use a little brown. I bought a couple of other colors but have not mixed them yet. Any who. Here is the sapwood with a little dye. It is not possible to totally disguise it. I just wanted to reduce the contrast. If you add too dark a dye it will bleed into the surrounding areas. One way to deal with this is to tint all of the shellac so that the entire piece has the dye's tone. I was not willing to alter the color of the entire table. I add the dye to a little shellac and then paint it on the sapwood. I carefully wipe the borders.


Top Coast
I used my stash of Minwax Wipe-On Poly for the top coat. It is a satin but still fairly Glossy. Also, you can't get it anymore in Los Angeles County due to VOC regulations. It is easy to apply and looks nice with added protection.


After three coats of the poly I rubbed the top with steel wood and then a cloth. Finally the Walnut wax which tones down the poly and adds more brown to the top.


Inspector
We have been debating the sheen of the piece. Here is the boss inspecting the table.

http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=55430

Next time
Project post once I get someone to help me haul it to the dining room.
 
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