| Project by poroskywood | posted 1524 days ago | 5115 views | 15 times favorited | 18 comments | ![]() |
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This was my second attempt at a coffee table. The first was basic. This one I wanted to incorporate a drawer and try using a different finish besides my usual water based poly.
The table was made from some curly Cherry I had been saving in my personal stock pile and the drawer from some left over curly Maple, from my eBay store inventory.
The construction was basic, biscuit join the top, tapered legs four sides on the table saw with a homemade T track and hold down jig. I used dowels for my M&T joint and reinforced them using my Handy Dandy Kreg pocket hole jig. One note about that: I glued up the dowels then locked it together with the pocket hole screws, which eliminated clamping and drying time and gave me extra confidence in handling it as far as strength, I just kept on working and with in an hour I had the legs, top and sides assembled.
I wanted to use a center mount slide on the bottom of the drawer, but it would have made the depth of the drawer less than 2”. I gained a 1/2” by using side mount slides, but was disappointed when the bulky slides took away from my curly box sides.
With advice from the lumberjocks forum I was excited to try a different finish (for me) I applied about 4 wet coats of Watco Danish oil Natural over a 24 hr period. I let it cure all week and then applied 3 coats of Minwax wipe on poly sanding from 320 to 2400 in between coats. I don’t know if that was necessary or not, but I think the finish for my first time came out great. I’ll have a lot more confidence in future projects to try different finish techniques.
Thanks for all the help. Next I’ll try a raised panel toy box for my two boys. I have some ideas and I’m sure I’ll need more advice. Thanks
-- There's many a slip betwixt a cup and a lip.--Scott
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18 comments so far
jeh412
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129 posts in 1547 days
#1 posted 1524 days ago
The wood is gorgeous! Very nice job on the table … the curly maple in the drawer in an unexpected bonus! I really like Watco products and usually top coat with lacquer or poly, just to give it a harder finish.
-- John, co-owner Sawdust 'n Stitches
stanley2
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283 posts in 1967 days
#2 posted 1524 days ago
Scott – the finish on your curly cherry is terrific. You are braver than I, as I would have been worried about blotching. It’s beautiful.
-- Phil in British Columbia
ND2ELK
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13495 posts in 1946 days
#3 posted 1524 days ago
Nice looking table. Love the wood pattern. Thanks for posting.
God Bless
tom
-- Mc Bridge Cabinets, Iowa
GaryK
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10263 posts in 2160 days
#4 posted 1524 days ago
Man, that is one fantastic looking table. Great drawer.
-- Gary - Never pass up the opportunity to make a mistake look like you planned it that way - Tyler, TX
kolwdwrkr
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2821 posts in 1762 days
#5 posted 1524 days ago
This table looks great. Things I would have done: make drawer front flush, use cheaper material for drawer, forgo pocket screws, and skip the guides and make my own runners. Something about attatching a KV guide to the side of curly maple gives me the eeby jeebies. It’s beautiful none the less.
-- ~ Inspiring those who inspire me ~
Blake
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3421 posts in 2046 days
#6 posted 1524 days ago
This is gorgeous. I love curly cherry. Really nice job and clean lines.
-- Happy woodworking! http://www.blakeweber.us
CharlieM1958
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14865 posts in 2390 days
#7 posted 1524 days ago
Great lumber and a great job of putting it all together.
-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"
poroskywood
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612 posts in 1536 days
#8 posted 1524 days ago
Thanks everybody! It feels great to receive accolades from other woodworkers. My wife says “Thats nice” and its over. With my spiral head jointer and planer machining was easy and the sanding was minimal, although I made extra sure I cleaned off all the glue, a lesson from my first try. Since this was my first attempt at a drawer I was not sure how to go about making my own slides. Any suggestions on how to make a drawer slide for a project like this? I’m saving for a Leigh D4, then I would have went flush with the drawer and dovetailed in the Maple. It is a nice surprise when you open up the drawer, Hello Hello what do we have here? I planed the drawer bottom down to 1/4” and made it like a floating panel, leaving some room for expansion. I gave the table to my Dad and his wife Kate for their Rec Room to replace a dinged up pine table my Dad hated. Kate slipped me some cash on the side and Brandy and I took our son Nick to see Elmo and friends today with it. So it all worked out in the end.
-- There's many a slip betwixt a cup and a lip.--Scott
angelis
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54 posts in 2080 days
#9 posted 1524 days ago
Great looking table, the wood selection really catches the eye.
Karson
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34370 posts in 2572 days
#10 posted 1524 days ago
That is some beautiful wood that you’ve selected. The presentation makes it really standout.
A great looking job.
-- I've been blessed with a father who liked to tinker in wood, and a wife who lets me tinker in wood. Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †
Garys
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16 posts in 1563 days
#11 posted 1523 days ago
i like how that came out.. if you want to try another pretty neat oil based finish try Velvet oil..really brings out the figure in wood.good job
Dusty56
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10541 posts in 1860 days
#12 posted 1514 days ago
GORGEOUS ! What are the dimensions , please ? I was expecting to see Cherry drawer glides and I think you could still add them to your piece and get rid of the metal ones . Perhaps a wooden handle would also add to the looks and blend in more with the beauty of the drawer front . Hardware is always an issue as I’ve found out over the years . Do you ever come across any “Flame Birch” in your sawmill business ?
How often do you get Tap Hole Maple ? http://lumberjocks.com/projects/15557
I’d like to see how your project comes out …..Karson found some antique taps on Ebay if you’re interested.
-- When did quiet and quite become the same word ? I'm guessing about the same time as your and you're did.
poroskywood
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612 posts in 1536 days
#13 posted 1514 days ago
Thanks Dusty, The table is 27”wide x 46”long x 19”tall. I’m not really sure how to go about making decent wood glides. If I could see a picture or get some advice I would try them on my next project. I would prefer them, but am also concerned about the the drawer pinching or sticking. I just don’t have any experience in the matter.
-- There's many a slip betwixt a cup and a lip.--Scott
McLeanVA
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443 posts in 1606 days
#14 posted 1481 days ago
Scott, I agree with all of the other comments. This table is awesome. I am about to finish my first real project which is a cherry nightstand. I’m almost to the finishing stage. I’ve read a few threads about the benefits of Watco Danish Oil. Did you use “natural” or tinted oil?
Again, great work. Very inspirational.
-- Measure, cut, curse, repeat.
a1Jim
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87330 posts in 1749 days
#15 posted 1470 days ago
That’s blow your socks off beautiful
-- W James Brokenbourgh Custom furniture maker http://artisticwoodstudio.com/
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