| Blog series by jstewart | updated 592 days ago | 6 parts | 1792 reads | 28 comments total |
Part 1: The First Cuts
I made my first cuts with my new table saw today. I had no particular need to cut any wood. I just really couldn’t wait. I grabbed an old piece of scrap 3/4” pine that I had laying around from a little project I did a couple of years ago. I put on my eye and ear protection, grabbed my push stick, and plugged in the saw. (As always, safety first.) I started it up and pushed the board through. I only have a 1.5 HP saw, but it cut through the pine like a warm knife through but...
Part 2: The First Project Begins
I’ve decided to build a simple nightstand as my first project (or at least my first project since buying a table saw and joining LumberJocks.com). The basic design of the nightstand comes from a fellow LuberJock. Check out the original here. Last weekend I bought the lumber, $65 of Red Oak from the local lumberyard with a great hardwood selection. I highly recommend this place (Schutte Lumber) to anybody in the Kansas City area. I pulled out the mitre saw to chop everything dow...
Part 3: A Few Firsts for Me
I’ve now completed my first mortise and tenon joints. I’ve also put together my first glue-up panels for the nightstand top and bottom shelf. I had a few problems with the mortiser which were easily fixed with some sharp hand chisels. The tenons were fairly easy with the help of a tenoning jig. (I decided to layout each tenon individually to match the mortise it was going in. If I could produce consistent mortises then I think I could batch cut all of the tenons which would m...
Part 4: Fun with a Dado Blade
Today I made more progress in learning woodworking. I ran to Woodcraft and picked up a zero-clearance insert for my table saw. I installed a Freud SD208 dado blade, 3/4” wide. I installed the insert, adjusting the fit using all of the set screws on the top, front and side. Once the insert fit snuggly, I clamped a 2”x4” across the top, from side to side. (I tried clamping it from front to back but the saw motor and fence rails made it harder to do it that way.) I turned...
Part 5: Starting the Final Assembly
I’ve finally started the final assembly on the basic nightstand I’m building. I’ve glued up both of the sides and put them in clamps to dry for the night. Tomorrow I’ll put the other apron boards in as well as the bottom shelf. Then It’s just some finishing work. I’m still trying to decide what type of finish to use. I like to keep wood looking its natural color, so I might not use any stain at all.
Part 6: The Finished Product
Based on the size, I plan to use this more as an end table than a nightstand, its original intent. I’m fairly happy with the way things came out. I’ve posted it as my first LumberJocks project. So, without further ado… I have a short series of project photos on Flickr. Here’s a link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/joshuastewart/sets/72157600298401235/
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