# Dining table inspired by the Greene & Greene Thorsen table



## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

*Designing the dining table*

I recently started the design work for my next project- a dining room table inspired by the Greene & Greene Thorsen House table. My wife has been requesting a new dining room table for quite a while. Her biggest requirement is that it "must seat 12 people". I decided to blog the construction of this table, I hope a few folks will be interested in following along and provide advice along the way!

Since I have always liked the Greene & Greene style, I started looking at the various tables they designed for their clients to gather design ideas. At first, the Robinson table caught my eye, but the ability to extend that table to comfortably seat 12 people seemed like a non-starter. Then I came across a photo of the Thorsen table with the two bases- this is a design that I can likely get to extend to seat 12 while still remaining structurally sound.

I have only seen one photo of the original Thorsen table (on the Greene & Greene Virtual Archives) and at first I thought the table was round. Upon closer inspection it is actually slightly elliptical (67.25×62.5), greatly complicating the construction! As I started to get deeper into the design work, I realized that the Greene's probably made the table elliptical to fit the extension slides. Since I plan to use commercially available table slides in my version, I will need to resize the top slightly to allow room for the slides while still maintaining an 18" overhang.

For a project of this complexity I would normally go straight to AutoCAD to do the layout. But as I began thinking about how this table would have been designed over 100 years ago, I decided to go old school and break out my old drafting instruments.










My initial design work was done over the course of a week of evenings after work and got me pretty close to what I think will be the final dimensions.










Fitting in the commercial extension slides required that the base geometry be altered and stretched a bit. This lead to having to increase the size of the top slightly as well to maintain a comfortable 18" of knee room. My top is looking like it will be 75" x 65"










The elliptical top on this table presents some interesting construction challenges. I very nearly went with a round top to simplify the construction, since the ellipse requires four separate routing templates for the table rim pieces. In order to make this top look good the facets cut on the inner table core must be very precisely made, and the length and miters between the rim pieces must be perfect as well. This was shaping up to be a real challenge, so I decided to switch from old school to new school and drew the top up in AutoCAD. A few emails later and I had a quote from a local millwork shop to CNC cut my routing templates from MDF, saving me a lot of work and frustration.

The next challenge was how to construct the inner core for the table. Normally I favor solid wood construction, but with the rim banding on this table the center core really needs to be laminated construction for stability to minimize wood movement. As I was researching ideas on how to do the center core, I came across an article by Tom McFadden in the June 2001 issue of Woodwork magazine. In the article, Tom outlines an interesting technique for creating laminated "boards" using 1/8" thick shop sawn veneers laminated to MDF cores. After laminating, the "boards" are trimmed to width then glued up like solid lumber.

The concept appealed to me, so I contacted Tom to see if he has changed his methods at all in the 15 years since he wrote the article. He hasn't changed it much, although he utilizes Baltic Birch for some of his cores now in addition to MDF. Tom utilizes a small army of clamps to glue up his boards. I plan to vacuum bag mine.

As a test, I grabbed a few scraps of 1/2" MDF I had in the shop, along with some ash cut-offs to test the process. I laminated up four test boards, trimmed them to width on the table saw and glued them up.










After a little cleanup on the drum sander, they looked great so I will use this technique to glue up my center core sections of my table top










The appealing thing about this technique is that I have full control over the wood used for the veneers. I plan to resaw my stock on the bandsaw, then after a few passes through the drum sander to clean up the faces I'll lay them out as either a bookmatch or slip match, which ever looks better.

That's it for now, I hope you will follow along with me as I take on this project. I could sure benefit from your ideas and advice along the way!


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## pintodeluxe (Sep 12, 2010)

TungOil said:


> *Designing the dining table*
> 
> I recently started the design work for my next project- a dining room table inspired by the Greene & Greene Thorsen House table. My wife has been requesting a new dining room table for quite a while. Her biggest requirement is that it "must seat 12 people". I decided to blog the construction of this table, I hope a few folks will be interested in following along and provide advice along the way!
> 
> ...


Looks like a monumental build. I'll be watching this one.


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## abie (Jan 28, 2008)

TungOil said:


> *Designing the dining table*
> 
> I recently started the design work for my next project- a dining room table inspired by the Greene & Greene Thorsen House table. My wife has been requesting a new dining room table for quite a while. Her biggest requirement is that it "must seat 12 people". I decided to blog the construction of this table, I hope a few folks will be interested in following along and provide advice along the way!
> 
> ...


a local furniture maker here in the SF bay area uses bamboo plywood as you are using MDF
finds it completely stable and true for his laminations.


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## sras (Oct 31, 2009)

TungOil said:


> *Designing the dining table*
> 
> I recently started the design work for my next project- a dining room table inspired by the Greene & Greene Thorsen House table. My wife has been requesting a new dining room table for quite a while. Her biggest requirement is that it "must seat 12 people". I decided to blog the construction of this table, I hope a few folks will be interested in following along and provide advice along the way!
> 
> ...


I'm looking forward to following this.


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## Mean_Dean (Oct 13, 2009)

TungOil said:


> *Designing the dining table*
> 
> I recently started the design work for my next project- a dining room table inspired by the Greene & Greene Thorsen House table. My wife has been requesting a new dining room table for quite a while. Her biggest requirement is that it "must seat 12 people". I decided to blog the construction of this table, I hope a few folks will be interested in following along and provide advice along the way!
> 
> ...


It seems you've got this project pretty much under control, so I don't have anything to add right now. I'm following along, though, as this sounds like it's going to be a great project, and a great learning experience!


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## CaptainSkully (Aug 28, 2008)

TungOil said:


> *Designing the dining table*
> 
> I recently started the design work for my next project- a dining room table inspired by the Greene & Greene Thorsen House table. My wife has been requesting a new dining room table for quite a while. Her biggest requirement is that it "must seat 12 people". I decided to blog the construction of this table, I hope a few folks will be interested in following along and provide advice along the way!
> 
> ...


That's an unbelievably beautiful design. You're giving Darrell a run for his money. Can't wait to watch this blog unfold. Thanks for taking the time. Seriously.


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## Kelster58 (Dec 2, 2016)

TungOil said:


> *Designing the dining table*
> 
> I recently started the design work for my next project- a dining room table inspired by the Greene & Greene Thorsen House table. My wife has been requesting a new dining room table for quite a while. Her biggest requirement is that it "must seat 12 people". I decided to blog the construction of this table, I hope a few folks will be interested in following along and provide advice along the way!
> 
> ...


Looking forward to watching this unfold. Would love to see the AutoCAD drawings. (I teach AutoCAD…....I see a teachable moment here)


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## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

*The First Derivative *

I think every project I have ever done has led me on at least one tangent, derivative project. This one has already spawned it's first……

Since I have not used my vacuum bagging system for quite a while, I decided to pull all the equipment out and look it over to make sure everything was still in good working order. When I set up my system originally, I went really basic- an old roughing pump from a mass spec coupled to a home made bag fabricated from heavy plastic drop cloth material sealed up with packing tape. The pump ran continuously during the duration of the glue up, and I had to top off the pump oil level every couple of hours. In addition, oil bath vacuum pumps emit a plume of fine oil mist as they are running- not the sort of thing you want settling on the lumber and tools in the shop, so I had to plumb the exhaust outside to keep things clean.

It was time to upgrade my system with some more sophisticated controls and a proper vacuum bag. I poked around on the internet for a while and came across veneersupplies.com. Joe has put together his "Project: EVS" instructions for putting together a vacuum system with pressure controls that will cycle the pump on and off to maintain vacuum. He also sells a kit of parts that include most of what I needed to assemble the system. Seemed like a good way to go, so I ordered up the parts.

Assembly was easy and took just a few hours.










I changed around the layout slightly to better suit my equipment. In addition, I wanted to fully enclose my electrical for safety so I added a junction box big enough to house the switch, relay and vacuum switch.










I started up the system and adjusted the vacuum switch to shut off at 21" Hg, the recommended setting.










I let the system sit overnight and checked it in the morning and had only lost about 5" Hg, so I'm pleased that my piping is well sealed.

I also ordered a heavy duty vacuum bag kit. I'm ready to start vacuum bagging my table top cores.

That's it for now!


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## CaptainSkully (Aug 28, 2008)

TungOil said:


> *The First Derivative *
> 
> I think every project I have ever done has led me on at least one tangent, derivative project. This one has already spawned it's first……
> 
> ...


"Derivative" gave me shivers remembering my Differential Equations class in college.

I bought the large vacuum bag kit from Roarockit and love it. Less moving parts and easier to store.


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## Mean_Dean (Oct 13, 2009)

TungOil said:


> *The First Derivative *
> 
> I think every project I have ever done has led me on at least one tangent, derivative project. This one has already spawned it's first……
> 
> ...


It's gonna be interesting seeing this vacuum process in action!


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## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

*A Visit to the Hardwood Dealer*

Now that my table design is finalized, it was time to head to the hardwood dealer to pick up materials. Hearne Hardwoods in Chester Country, PA is my hardwood dealer of choice for projects requiring very fine wood. They have an extensive selection including figured woods, which I wanted for the top on this table.

I loaded up the trailer with 75 bf of 8/4 and 35 bf of 5/4 sapele, along with 40 bf of highly figured 8/4 to be resawn for my top veneers.










I unloaded everything and brought it into the shop.










I was curious to get a better look at the highly figured boards, so I lightly hand planed one of the boards to get a peek. Wow, the figure is amazing and the chatoyance is unbelievable!










Everything is neatly loaded onto my wood rack to allow the wood to acclimate to my shop humidity. I checked the moisture level on one of the 8/4 boards that was cross cut to fit onto my trailer and it was a nice 7.7% .

Next stop- my sheet goods supplier to pick up baltic birch for the cores of the top. That's it for now!!


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## Kelster58 (Dec 2, 2016)

TungOil said:


> *A Visit to the Hardwood Dealer*
> 
> Now that my table design is finalized, it was time to head to the hardwood dealer to pick up materials. Hearne Hardwoods in Chester Country, PA is my hardwood dealer of choice for projects requiring very fine wood. They have an extensive selection including figured woods, which I wanted for the top on this table.
> 
> ...


You have been a great help to me already. I am going to visit Hearne Hardwoods very soon. Thanks so much for the tip. According to Google Maps I am an hour and fifty minutes drive away but the website looks like it would be worth the trip. Thanks so much.


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## EarlS (Dec 21, 2011)

TungOil said:


> *A Visit to the Hardwood Dealer*
> 
> Now that my table design is finalized, it was time to head to the hardwood dealer to pick up materials. Hearne Hardwoods in Chester Country, PA is my hardwood dealer of choice for projects requiring very fine wood. They have an extensive selection including figured woods, which I wanted for the top on this table.
> 
> ...


Good lumber makes all the difference. Sooooo jealous that you live within driving distance of Hearne Hardwoods. Their lumber looks amazing. Shipping costs to IA would kill my budget.


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## Mean_Dean (Oct 13, 2009)

TungOil said:


> *A Visit to the Hardwood Dealer*
> 
> Now that my table design is finalized, it was time to head to the hardwood dealer to pick up materials. Hearne Hardwoods in Chester Country, PA is my hardwood dealer of choice for projects requiring very fine wood. They have an extensive selection including figured woods, which I wanted for the top on this table.
> 
> ...


Looks like you got a good looking load of lumber there!


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## DaShickGuy (Mar 9, 2017)

TungOil said:


> *A Visit to the Hardwood Dealer*
> 
> Now that my table design is finalized, it was time to head to the hardwood dealer to pick up materials. Hearne Hardwoods in Chester Country, PA is my hardwood dealer of choice for projects requiring very fine wood. They have an extensive selection including figured woods, which I wanted for the top on this table.
> 
> ...


Wow, Hearne looks legit! Thanks for sharing.


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## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

*Veneer Thickness*

With my materials procured, it's time to start planning the cuts to make the veneers for the table top. If I'm careful, I can plan the cuts to yield all of the veneer used for the top from a single board. This will give me the best grain and color match across the table, especially important when using figured materials.

My table top is designed around 5" wide boards- the veneered cores for each half of the ellipse are made up of seven 5" wide boards totaling 35" and the leaves are each made up of four 5" wide boards totaling 20" wide. The figured material I will be using for the top is 9/4, a little over 6-1/2" wide and 16' long. This leaves me with two options:

1) Stay with my current design utilizing 5" wide boards. No design changes, but I will have quite a bit of unused material and to get the needed 26 pieces of veneer I will need to resaw a little thinner than I would like.
2) Adjust my design to utilize wider 6" boards. This will require a redesign, but would make better use of the board by utilizing more of the available material. In addition, I would need less veneer pieces to cover the top allowing me to resaw a bit thicker.

My bandsaw has sufficient capacity to resaw either width, but option 1 is more appealing to me since I already placed the order for the CNC templates. Before I can finalize my decision, I need to test out resawing thinner veneers. My 16' board can be cut into 3 lengths, so I will need to get 9 pieces of veneer from each length. Assuming I have 2" of usable thickness, each veneer will need to be cut to 7/32" thick (veneer + saw kerf).

I ran a quick resaw test on the bandsaw with some scraps of ash I had handy to check the width of the kerf with my resaw blade.









The kerf is a little under 1/16", not too bad.

I cut two test strips to get a feel for how much material I would need to remove with the drum sander to clean up the bandsaw marks.



















My test strips cleaned up just slightly over 1/8". I was hoping for a little more thickness in the veneers before glue up to give me a bit more meat for final cleanup, but I think I can make this work. The key will be getting very even thickness when I resaw so I don't have a lot of unevenness to clean up. This will be easier with a 5" finished veneer width than with a 6" width. I will probably incorporate biscuits in the glue up to help with alignment as well.

Next step is to start resawing to produce the veneers. I will start with the veneers for the bottom, which will be cut from some non-figured (and far less expensive) 8/4 sapele. If all goes well with the bottom veneers I will move on to the tops.


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## Kelster58 (Dec 2, 2016)

TungOil said:


> *Veneer Thickness*
> 
> With my materials procured, it's time to start planning the cuts to make the veneers for the table top. If I'm careful, I can plan the cuts to yield all of the veneer used for the top from a single board. This will give me the best grain and color match across the table, especially important when using figured materials.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the update. This is a fascinating and very detailed process for sure.


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## Mean_Dean (Oct 13, 2009)

TungOil said:


> *Veneer Thickness*
> 
> With my materials procured, it's time to start planning the cuts to make the veneers for the table top. If I'm careful, I can plan the cuts to yield all of the veneer used for the top from a single board. This will give me the best grain and color match across the table, especially important when using figured materials.
> 
> ...


Looks like you're making progress!


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## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

*Veneer Resawing- Bottoms*

I spent some time this weekend setting up to resaw my veneers. I put together a quick jig to help assure my veneer thickness came out as even as possible.










Since even a variance of just 0.005" over ten slices of veneer could add up to nearly 1/16", I made sure my jig was parallel to the blade. In addition, I flipped the board for each slice of veneer to cancel out any error accumulation.

Each veneer slice is 5-1/4" wide and 5' long. The cuts take about 18 minutes per slice so I spent most of the weekend cutting the 30 slices of veneer for the bottoms. I'm satisfied with the consistency of the slices which are 5/32" thick. Between slices I made a light pass on the jointer to eliminate any high spots so they would not propagate through the remaining veneer cuts.










Even though I was being careful not to overload my bandsaw, I still managed to break a 1/2" 3 TPI resaw blade. I was surprised to see that the blade had not broken at the weld.










Fortunately I had a backup so I was back in business after a quick blade change.

My bottom slices are complete and I'm satisfied with the results so far.










Next step is to start slicing up the expensive figured material for the top veneers.


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## WoodwolfAtl (Jan 2, 2014)

TungOil said:


> *Veneer Resawing- Bottoms*
> 
> I spent some time this weekend setting up to resaw my veneers. I put together a quick jig to help assure my veneer thickness came out as even as possible.
> 
> ...


Looks great!! What bandsaw did you use for resawing veneers?


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## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

TungOil said:


> *Veneer Resawing- Bottoms*
> 
> I spent some time this weekend setting up to resaw my veneers. I put together a quick jig to help assure my veneer thickness came out as even as possible.
> 
> ...


Bandsaw is my old Craftsman 12". It has a resaw capacity of about 7" but I can't imagine trying it on that machine.


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## Mean_Dean (Oct 13, 2009)

TungOil said:


> *Veneer Resawing- Bottoms*
> 
> I spent some time this weekend setting up to resaw my veneers. I put together a quick jig to help assure my veneer thickness came out as even as possible.
> 
> ...


Looks like you're making some good progress!

And 10 hours of resawing would be enough for anyone-I'd take a couple of days to get through all that! I've heard good things about the Wood Slicer blades, and since you seem to need a new one, you might want to look into those.

Keep up the good work!


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## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

TungOil said:


> *Veneer Resawing- Bottoms*
> 
> I spent some time this weekend setting up to resaw my veneers. I put together a quick jig to help assure my veneer thickness came out as even as possible.
> 
> ...


Yeah it was a long weekend. I should be able to get through the top veneers this weekend. My CNC templates should be done this week as well. I need to pick up the BB ply for the cores and get everything glued up over the next two weeks or so and I will be on schedule.


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## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

*Resawing Top Veneers & CNC Forms*

This weekend I was able to resaw all the veneers for the top from the figured sapele. These three boards started out as a single 9/4 board 16' long. There was quite a bit of bow and twist to take out, but light passes with the jointer flattened one face with minimal chip out.

Once I had a flat face I was able to resaw into veneer. The figured sapele proved to be far more difficult to resaw than the quarter sawn I used for the bottom veneers. The blade had more of a tendency to wander and the boards moved a bit after each cut and required a few light passes on the jointer to obtain a flat face for the next resaw.

To be sure I kept the individual pieces of veneer in order, the ends were marked to show which board they came from (using lines on the left- this is board 4) and orientation (using the "V").










I then switched to a 60 grit belt on the drum sander and cleaned up the sawn face.










I had to remove more material than I had hoped to clean up a few errant saw marks, but I ended up with veneers about 3/32" thick. I was amazed by the amount of sawdust produced by resawing and sanding these veneers, I filled up an entire dust collector bag!










By the end of the weekend I had 60 pieces of veneer sliced, sanded and ready to laminate.










Next step is to laminate the veneers into "boards" to be used for the top. My cores will consist of two layers of 3/4" Baltic birch plywood with a quarter sawn veneer on the bottom and a figured veneer on the top. This will require 5 sheets of Baltic birch, so I headed off to the plywood distributor for material. After I saw up the plywood core strips, I can start vacuum bagging the boards.

My CNC routing templates were ready, so I picked them up. There are two templates for the top. The faceted template will be used to route the laminated cores. Each facet will get a border of quarter sawn sapele. The larger elliptical template will be used to route the final table profile after the border segments are all attached.










Since this table is elliptical, each of the segments is slightly different. The templates marked E1 - E4 in the photo below will be used to pattern route the segmented border pieces. B1 and B2 are the templates for routing the base components and have the usual cloud lift along the top. The small bundle of templates in the lower left are for the ebony splines. Like the segmented border, each spline is slightly different to match the ellipse profile correctly.










Things are starting to take shape!


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## PPK (Mar 8, 2016)

TungOil said:


> *Resawing Top Veneers & CNC Forms*
> 
> This weekend I was able to resaw all the veneers for the top from the figured sapele. These three boards started out as a single 9/4 board 16' long. There was quite a bit of bow and twist to take out, but light passes with the jointer flattened one face with minimal chip out.
> 
> ...


"CNC templates were ready to be picked up" What does this mean? You didn't make the templates? Looks pretty fancy.


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## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

TungOil said:


> *Resawing Top Veneers & CNC Forms*
> 
> This weekend I was able to resaw all the veneers for the top from the figured sapele. These three boards started out as a single 9/4 board 16' long. There was quite a bit of bow and twist to take out, but light passes with the jointer flattened one face with minimal chip out.
> 
> ...


Pete-

Correct, I did not make the routing templates, I had them cut by a local millwork shop on their CNC router. Since the larger pattern for cutting the outside profile of the table top is 35" x 65", I needed to find someone with an industrial size CNC to handle these parts. I did all of the design work in AutoCAD and supplied the drawings have the templates cut.

I considered purchasing a small bench top CNC to make these templates. That would have worked OK, but I would have had to make the templates in smaller "puzzle pieces" and assembled them. Not really ideal. The cost of having the templates cut was minimal compared to the cost of buying even a small CNC so it was a no-brainer.


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## PPK (Mar 8, 2016)

TungOil said:


> *Resawing Top Veneers & CNC Forms*
> 
> This weekend I was able to resaw all the veneers for the top from the figured sapele. These three boards started out as a single 9/4 board 16' long. There was quite a bit of bow and twist to take out, but light passes with the jointer flattened one face with minimal chip out.
> 
> ...


Hmm, Cool. I never even thought of doing that. I'm way behind the times with technology. I draw a picture on a peice of paper with a pencil still… And then measure and lay out and cut with rulers and pencils and saws! Lol. Its fun watching how many ways there are to do the same thing.


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## Mean_Dean (Oct 13, 2009)

TungOil said:


> *Resawing Top Veneers & CNC Forms*
> 
> This weekend I was able to resaw all the veneers for the top from the figured sapele. These three boards started out as a single 9/4 board 16' long. There was quite a bit of bow and twist to take out, but light passes with the jointer flattened one face with minimal chip out.
> 
> ...


Nice to have all that re-sawing and sanding done, huh?!

Looks like you're making some good progress, and I'm enjoying following along!


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## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

*Preparing Cores and First Test Bagged Board*

Now that all of the veneer material is ready it is time to prepare the baltic birch plywood cores. Each finished board consists of two 3/4" baltic birch center cores with a sapele veneer top and bottom. I first cut each 5'x5' sheet roughly in half for easier handling.










The cut is placed slightly off center to be sure I get the maximum number of strips from each piece of plywood. The top shelf on my parts cart is high enough to allow large parts to pass over my jointer and table saw so I can easily move items around the shop.

I cut the plywood strips on the table saw and stack them on my parts cart along with the veneers.










I use UltraCat PPR veneer glue for my veneer work. UltraCat is a urea formaldehyde adhesive that works very well for vacuum pressing veneer. The open time is fairly long, about 40 minutes, which takes the stress off when trying to get a layup ready and loaded into the bag.

The UltraCat comes in powder form and is activated by water. A Respirator, eye protection and gloves are mandatory when handling this material. I mix small batches by weight and use a 10ml oral syringe to add precise amounts of water to the mix.










Since this table will not have an apron near the edge, it is critical that the veneered boards are perfectly straight out of the bag. I recently flattened my workbench top so I will use that as my flat reference surface.

For my platen I cut a piece of pre-finished birch plywood slightly larger than the veneered board. The pre-finished surface of the plywood will release any adhesive squeeze out. For breather I use felt strips glued to some poly drop cloth material placed on top of the veneered part.










The parts to be veneered are placed on the platen, under the breather. This whole 'sandwich' is slipped into the vacuum bag, then the top is weighted to assure the parts come out straight and flat. I turn on the vacuum pump and pull a partial vacuum and double check the alignment of the veneers and cores to be sure nothing was knocked out of alignment while loading. After I'm satisfied with the alignment, I pull the rest of the vacuum and check for leaks.

The UltraCat adhesive must be at 70 deg. F or higher to properly cure. My shop is in an unheated section of my basement. March in Pennsylvania is still quite chilly and my shop is right around 60 deg. F right now. To assure the adhesive will properly cure, I put a heating blanket over the parts to raise the temperature above 70 deg. F.










I let the glue set for 6 hours, then I pulled the test part out of the vacuum bag. Looks nice and straight.


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## PPK (Mar 8, 2016)

TungOil said:


> *Preparing Cores and First Test Bagged Board*
> 
> Now that all of the veneer material is ready it is time to prepare the baltic birch plywood cores. Each finished board consists of two 3/4" baltic birch center cores with a sapele veneer top and bottom. I first cut each 5'x5' sheet roughly in half for easier handling.
> 
> ...


Dang! I missed seeing everything after this post. I've got some catching up to do! Is there a way you can "watch" the whole series of posts?? Great work! I want to be like you when I get big!


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## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

TungOil said:


> *Preparing Cores and First Test Bagged Board*
> 
> Now that all of the veneer material is ready it is time to prepare the baltic birch plywood cores. Each finished board consists of two 3/4" baltic birch center cores with a sapele veneer top and bottom. I first cut each 5'x5' sheet roughly in half for easier handling.
> 
> ...


Maybe I should publish them in a book when I'm done!


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## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

*Bagging the Leaves and a Design Change*

Time to start vacuum pressing the boards. I start with the leaves on the theory that if something does not come out quite right, the mistake will be hidden away most of the year. I spread out all of the veneers to arrange and number them in the preferred sequence on the ping pong table, which makes a convenient work surface for sorting and arranging.










For this table I like the look of a slip match arrangement over book match.

My original design has three 20" wide leaves. One issue with such wide leaves is what to do with them when they are not in the table? As I arrange the veneer for the leaves, they look too wide. Sometimes what looks good on paper just doesn't work in the real world. The solution is a design change to four 15" wide leaves. The narrower leaves look better and will be easier to handle. In addition, by decreasing the width of each leaf they are now narrow enough to fit inside a 'storage bench' when not in use that will also act as additional seating when needed. Problems solved.

The exposed edges of the table an leaves need a finished edge. I begin by vacuum pressing the plywood cores without veneer then glue on some 1/2" wide sapele edging.










The edging is left slightly proud of the plywood surface and trimmed later with a flush trim bit in the router table.










With the veneer sorted and arranged I start bagging the leaves.










Working within the 40 minute open time of the adhesive, I can prepare and bag two boards at a time. Since the adhesive requires 6 hours to cure completely, I can get 2 to 4 boards completed in a day. Here I have boards for three of the four leaves vacuum pressed.


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

TungOil said:


> *Bagging the Leaves and a Design Change*
> 
> Time to start vacuum pressing the boards. I start with the leaves on the theory that if something does not come out quite right, the mistake will be hidden away most of the year. I spread out all of the veneers to arrange and number them in the preferred sequence on the ping pong table, which makes a convenient work surface for sorting and arranging.
> 
> ...


I am curious as to why you don't assemble the leaves before veneering them ….... or am I missing something.


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## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

TungOil said:


> *Bagging the Leaves and a Design Change*
> 
> Time to start vacuum pressing the boards. I start with the leaves on the theory that if something does not come out quite right, the mistake will be hidden away most of the year. I spread out all of the veneers to arrange and number them in the preferred sequence on the ping pong table, which makes a convenient work surface for sorting and arranging.
> 
> ...


Hi Paul-

My original plan was to cut thicker (~1/8") shop sawn veneer, laminate up 'boards' then treat them like solid lumber by edge gluing them for assembly. In hindsight, my veneers finished up thinner than originally planned (they are just a bit over 1/16" thick) so I probable could have used traditional veneering techniques instead. The idea is to be able to flatten everything with the drum sander after glue up, but with the thinner veneers I'm losing that advantage. I'm still going forward with this method.

If I were doing this again, I would go the traditional route and veneer up the whole top or leaf in one go. I would also buy the veneers, not shop saw them. I was unaware that I could get 1/16" sapele veneer from Certainly Wood until after I had cut my own. Although they only have QS in the heavier veneer, no highly figured. Hindsight is always 20/20 I suppose.


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

TungOil said:


> *Bagging the Leaves and a Design Change*
> 
> Time to start vacuum pressing the boards. I start with the leaves on the theory that if something does not come out quite right, the mistake will be hidden away most of the year. I spread out all of the veneers to arrange and number them in the preferred sequence on the ping pong table, which makes a convenient work surface for sorting and arranging.
> 
> ...


That's answers my question. I think you are on the right track and have learned from your experience. IMHO there are more pitfalls in veneering first and assembling "like boards" than in veneering whole pieces.
Keep an eye on Certainly Wood's stock. It changes all the time and what they have (or don't have) today can change tomorrow.


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## EarlS (Dec 21, 2011)

TungOil said:


> *Bagging the Leaves and a Design Change*
> 
> Time to start vacuum pressing the boards. I start with the leaves on the theory that if something does not come out quite right, the mistake will be hidden away most of the year. I spread out all of the veneers to arrange and number them in the preferred sequence on the ping pong table, which makes a convenient work surface for sorting and arranging.
> 
> ...


Once again I learned something. I've been making my own version of veneer, or using solid wood because I couldn't find plywood with a thick enough veneer to stand up to finish sanding and wear and tear. I will be checking out Certainly Wood as I work on projects that need large panels.

this is one of those times when I wonder if making veneer is any less time consuming or expensive than making large flat panels from solid wood.


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## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

TungOil said:


> *Bagging the Leaves and a Design Change*
> 
> Time to start vacuum pressing the boards. I start with the leaves on the theory that if something does not come out quite right, the mistake will be hidden away most of the year. I spread out all of the veneers to arrange and number them in the preferred sequence on the ping pong table, which makes a convenient work surface for sorting and arranging.
> 
> ...


Hi Earl-

Certainly Wood is a great resource for veneer for sure!

I wish I could have used solid materials. On this table that would have been a disaster however, since the edge border runs cross grained to most of the top. It would have come apart in under a year with the humidity swings we get here in eastern PA.


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

TungOil said:


> *Bagging the Leaves and a Design Change*
> 
> Time to start vacuum pressing the boards. I start with the leaves on the theory that if something does not come out quite right, the mistake will be hidden away most of the year. I spread out all of the veneers to arrange and number them in the preferred sequence on the ping pong table, which makes a convenient work surface for sorting and arranging.
> 
> ...


Certainly Wood "special thickness" veneers.
https://www.certainlywood.com/woodmenu2.php?category=Special%20Thickness%20Veneers


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## horky (May 18, 2010)

TungOil said:


> *Bagging the Leaves and a Design Change*
> 
> Time to start vacuum pressing the boards. I start with the leaves on the theory that if something does not come out quite right, the mistake will be hidden away most of the year. I spread out all of the veneers to arrange and number them in the preferred sequence on the ping pong table, which makes a convenient work surface for sorting and arranging.
> 
> ...


20/20 hind sight is a great thing. Table is going to be beautiful for sure. I did a very similar thing with shop made veneers, cut to about 1/16, and did edge glue them after running through a drum sander. Then vacuum pressed them for a table top










I also did it for the bottom veneer (Purchased) ... about 0.020" thick …





































That leaf is 18×40+. I did the same with the ends … 36 ish x 40+. All worked well. Some scrapping/sanding, flat as a pancake. Note, I only used one layer of plywood.

Project: http://lumberjocks.com/projects/235914
I hope the pics show up … don't know what happened to them.


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## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

TungOil said:


> *Bagging the Leaves and a Design Change*
> 
> Time to start vacuum pressing the boards. I start with the leaves on the theory that if something does not come out quite right, the mistake will be hidden away most of the year. I spread out all of the veneers to arrange and number them in the preferred sequence on the ping pong table, which makes a convenient work surface for sorting and arranging.
> 
> ...


horky, looks great!

I'll likely veneer the two large ends of the table as a single layup instead of making individual boards. I'll need to order some veneer tape tonight.


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## Mean_Dean (Oct 13, 2009)

TungOil said:


> *Bagging the Leaves and a Design Change*
> 
> Time to start vacuum pressing the boards. I start with the leaves on the theory that if something does not come out quite right, the mistake will be hidden away most of the year. I spread out all of the veneers to arrange and number them in the preferred sequence on the ping pong table, which makes a convenient work surface for sorting and arranging.
> 
> ...


I guess you can call this a learning process-for all of us!

Thanks for sharing this project with us!


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## Kelster58 (Dec 2, 2016)

TungOil said:


> *Bagging the Leaves and a Design Change*
> 
> Time to start vacuum pressing the boards. I start with the leaves on the theory that if something does not come out quite right, the mistake will be hidden away most of the year. I spread out all of the veneers to arrange and number them in the preferred sequence on the ping pong table, which makes a convenient work surface for sorting and arranging.
> 
> ...


Seems like you are making great progress…..Thanks for allowing us to look in on your build.


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## htl (Mar 24, 2015)

TungOil said:


> *Bagging the Leaves and a Design Change*
> 
> Time to start vacuum pressing the boards. I start with the leaves on the theory that if something does not come out quite right, the mistake will be hidden away most of the year. I spread out all of the veneers to arrange and number them in the preferred sequence on the ping pong table, which makes a convenient work surface for sorting and arranging.
> 
> ...


Very interesting project and problems.
There's all ways a hundred ways to get er done and reading Lumber Jocks we get exposed to many of the different ways things can get done.
Ways I have never hear of before but now add them to my list of [this could work here].
Got to love it!!!


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## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

*Gluing Up the Leaves*

The next step is gluing up the four leaves. Each of the leaves consists of three of the laminated boards edge glued.










I contemplated adding biscuits to help with alignment for the glue ups. When I dry fit the boards before gluing, everything was extremely flat and well aligned, so biscuits were not needed. The glue ups came out very consistent, I measured no more that 1/64" misalignment after I pulled the four leaves out of the clamps.










The random orbit sander quickly leveled out any misalignment between the boards.

In a previous entry I discussed changing from 20" to 15" wide leaves. After lifting the glued up leaves that was a good decision. Each leave is essentially half a sheet of 3/4" Baltic Birch plywood and weighs about 35 pounds. The wider 20" leaves would have been much too heavy.

The next step is to laminate and veneer the two elliptical halves of the table.


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## 000 (Dec 9, 2015)

TungOil said:


> *Gluing Up the Leaves*
> 
> The next step is gluing up the four leaves. Each of the leaves consists of three of the laminated boards edge glued.
> 
> ...


That's looking good.
Looking forward to seeing the elipticals


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## Mean_Dean (Oct 13, 2009)

TungOil said:


> *Gluing Up the Leaves*
> 
> The next step is gluing up the four leaves. Each of the leaves consists of three of the laminated boards edge glued.
> 
> ...


As Norm would say, you're gain'n on it!


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## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

*Gluing Up and Pattern Routing the Table Halves *

With my four leaves glued up it is time to move to the elliptical table halves. Each half consists of seven boards and is 35" wide. With so many glue joints to align I break the glue up into two parts. First I glue up four boards,










and after that assembly is dry I add the remaining three adjacent boards to complete one half of the table top.










A little cleanup with a belt sander levels the glue joints, then I switch to the ROS with an 80 grit disk to clean up the belt sander marks and get the table halves ready for rough cutting.

I trace around the routing template to establish guidelines for the rough cuts.










Each table half is quite heavy, about 75 lbs. before trimming. The best way to rough cut the segmented border is with a circular saw and guide. It is much easier to move the tool instead of the work in this case. I flip the cores over to minimize chip out of the top veneers.










The core is now ready for pattern routing to final size.










The top is rough cut between 1/32" to 1/16" oversize.










After rough cutting each half, I clamped the routing template to the top in several places for final pattern routing. Multiple clamps hold the template in a fixed position relative to the table top and allow repositioning smaller clamps to route each facet without inadvertently moving the template.










To assure I don't get any blow out on the end grain, I take a tapered scrap and wedge it tightly between the table top and a bar clamp before I route the end segments.










The 2" long top/bottom bearing pattern bit does a good job cleaning up the edges of the table cores without tearing out the veneers.










Next step: making the segmented border edges.


----------



## Mean_Dean (Oct 13, 2009)

TungOil said:


> *Gluing Up and Pattern Routing the Table Halves *
> 
> With my four leaves glued up it is time to move to the elliptical table halves. Each half consists of seven boards and is 35" wide. With so many glue joints to align I break the glue up into two parts. First I glue up four boards,
> 
> ...


I'd be a bit nervous about pattern routing that veneer, but it looks like it went smoothly for you. I understand the best bit to use is a spiral up-cut bit-it that what you used?


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## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

TungOil said:


> *Gluing Up and Pattern Routing the Table Halves *
> 
> With my four leaves glued up it is time to move to the elliptical table halves. Each half consists of seven boards and is 35" wide. With so many glue joints to align I break the glue up into two parts. First I glue up four boards,
> 
> ...


I wanted to use a spiral carbide bit but the biggest I have has a cutting face of 1-1/2" and my table thickness is 1-5/8". I could not find a spiral bit anywhere that was bigger than 1-1/2" so I went with a top/bottom bearing pattern bit with a 2" cutting face. Rough cutting within 1/32" or so was helpful and I backed up the ends to prevent blow out there.


----------



## Mean_Dean (Oct 13, 2009)

TungOil said:


> *Gluing Up and Pattern Routing the Table Halves *
> 
> With my four leaves glued up it is time to move to the elliptical table halves. Each half consists of seven boards and is 35" wide. With so many glue joints to align I break the glue up into two parts. First I glue up four boards,
> 
> ...


Do you find that you get better results with the larger-diameter pattern bits?

I have a 1/2" flush-trim bit, and am wondering if I should switch to a larger-diameter bit.

Thanks!


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## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

TungOil said:


> *Gluing Up and Pattern Routing the Table Halves *
> 
> With my four leaves glued up it is time to move to the elliptical table halves. Each half consists of seven boards and is 35" wide. With so many glue joints to align I break the glue up into two parts. First I glue up four boards,
> 
> ...


I'm not experienced enough with the different diameter bits to say definitively if diameter makes a big difference. I theory a larger diameter cutter should produce a smoother cut since the cutting path is "flatter" so to speak.

The bit I used above is the 3/4" diameter x 2" long top/bottom bearing Katana. It did the job just fine, although it already needs to be sharpened after cutting a little under 20 linear feet of Baltic Birch- the urea glue in that stuff is like steel, very hard on cutters. I just ordered a replacement so I can get a clean cut on the final pattern route for the exterior edge.

I also have a solid carbide spiral pattern bit that is 1/2" diameter- that bit produces a beautiful cut, far better than any of the straight cutters I have. I would have much preferred to use that bit or a spiral compression bit for this job, I just couldn't find one with a long enough cutting face to do the job.


----------



## Mean_Dean (Oct 13, 2009)

TungOil said:


> *Gluing Up and Pattern Routing the Table Halves *
> 
> With my four leaves glued up it is time to move to the elliptical table halves. Each half consists of seven boards and is 35" wide. With so many glue joints to align I break the glue up into two parts. First I glue up four boards,
> 
> ...


Thanks for the info, TungOil. The larger-diameter bit makes sense to me, so I'll add that to my ever growing shopping list…......

By the way, as I understand it, sharpening a pattern/flush trim bit will reduce the diameter of the bit below the diameter of the bearing, which can cause problems. Might be better to just replace the bit.

Anyway, thanks again!


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## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

TungOil said:


> *Gluing Up and Pattern Routing the Table Halves *
> 
> With my four leaves glued up it is time to move to the elliptical table halves. Each half consists of seven boards and is 35" wide. With so many glue joints to align I break the glue up into two parts. First I glue up four boards,
> 
> ...


That is true, sharpening will reduce the diameter of the bit slightly. Only a problem if you need to pattern route a part to an exact size (as I need to for my tops above and the edge parts). I have a new one on order for the rest of the parts, but I'll still get this one sharpened for cutting less critical items like cutting boards, etc.


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## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

*Pattern Routing the Segmented Table Edges*

In laying out the segmented edges for the top, my goal is to highlight the figured grain in the center of the table without drawing attention to the edge border. I select a single 8/4" quarter sawn board long enough to cut all of the border parts in sequence. The quarter sawn material has a distinctly different appearance and displays the classic ribbon strip pattern. By cutting the borders from a single board I get the best color consistency around the table. By laying out the parts in sequence on the board, I get a nearly perfect grain match that flows around the table nicely.

After I rip the rough stock to width, I true up one edge and one face on the jointer then lay out the border segments for rough cutting on the bandsaw.










I trace around the routing templates.










I carefully label each piece to be sure they stay in the proper order.










By keeping the parts just a bit more than a saw kerf apart, I get a good grain match from part to part.










Pattern routing the parts needs to be done carefully to avoid blowing out the end grain and ruining the piece. To keep the grain match I cannot afford to lose any pieces to careless machining, so I support both edges when I route the end grain with the scraps from rough cutting on the bandsaw. The routing pattern is held firmly to the part with double sided tape.










By using a top/bottom bearing pattern bit I can adjust the router height and flip the part so each cut is properly with the grain.










After completing the end grain, I finish the parts by routing the long edges.










The end result is a nearly perfect fit.










I finish out the remaining parts and carefully label each one, then move on to a quick test fit of all seven segments around one of the table halves. First I try a Merle band clamp around the perimeter of the top, but the tightening action of the clamp stretches the band enough to separate the segments. Next I try some ratcheting strap clamps, one over each segment. This works much better to pull all the segments up tight to the center core without any gaps. The strap clamps will be the best way to draw the segments tight to the table core while maintaining alignment between the parts.










Next step: drill and punch the holes for the square ebony plugs, then attach the edges to the table cores.


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## EarlS (Dec 21, 2011)

TungOil said:


> *Pattern Routing the Segmented Table Edges*
> 
> In laying out the segmented edges for the top, my goal is to highlight the figured grain in the center of the table without drawing attention to the edge border. I select a single 8/4" quarter sawn board long enough to cut all of the border parts in sequence. The quarter sawn material has a distinctly different appearance and displays the classic ribbon strip pattern. By cutting the borders from a single board I get the best color consistency around the table. By laying out the parts in sequence on the board, I get a nearly perfect grain match that flows around the table nicely.
> 
> ...


Well thought out approach to the curved ends. With the plywood cores, you shouldn't have to worry about wood movement. Thanks for posting all the details.


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## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

TungOil said:


> *Pattern Routing the Segmented Table Edges*
> 
> In laying out the segmented edges for the top, my goal is to highlight the figured grain in the center of the table without drawing attention to the edge border. I select a single 8/4" quarter sawn board long enough to cut all of the border parts in sequence. The quarter sawn material has a distinctly different appearance and displays the classic ribbon strip pattern. By cutting the borders from a single board I get the best color consistency around the table. By laying out the parts in sequence on the board, I get a nearly perfect grain match that flows around the table nicely.
> 
> ...


Yep, the border treatment required a plywood core. Doing the veneer work was a lot more work than a solid wood core for sure!


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## Mean_Dean (Oct 13, 2009)

TungOil said:


> *Pattern Routing the Segmented Table Edges*
> 
> In laying out the segmented edges for the top, my goal is to highlight the figured grain in the center of the table without drawing attention to the edge border. I select a single 8/4" quarter sawn board long enough to cut all of the border parts in sequence. The quarter sawn material has a distinctly different appearance and displays the classic ribbon strip pattern. By cutting the borders from a single board I get the best color consistency around the table. By laying out the parts in sequence on the board, I get a nearly perfect grain match that flows around the table nicely.
> 
> ...


Looks like she's coming along nicely-can't wait to see the finished project!


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## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

*Table Edge Assembly*

With the pattern routing complete, it's time to drill and punch the holes for the square ebony plugs and attach the edges to the table cores.

First I layout full scale ebony plugs on pieces of post-it paper so I can make any final adjustments to the location and size before I commit to drilling and punching the holes. I also layout for screws to attach the edges to the table.










I set up drill press stops to drill the pilot holes for the square punches to be sure they are all consistently spaced.










With all of the holes drilled I use a 3/8" slot cutter in the router table to rough in the slots for the straight segments of the leaves. I wait to cut the slots on the elliptical segments until after the edges are glued to the table core to be sure they will be perfectly aligned after assembly.










To clean up the radius left by the cutter, I use a square punch followed by a little hand chisel work.










With the edges complete, I move on to the square holes in the top face of the edge border. It is critical to keep the plugs square to the mitered joint between the edges, any misalignment is very noticeable after the contrasting ebony plugs are installed. The Veritas saddle square is a useful tool to align the edge of the square chisel. With the drill bit back in the hole, I slide the square chisel down the bit and align it using the saddle square. I press the square chisel lightly into the wood to register positon and remove the drill bit and square before I drive the punch to depth.










I stop about 1/8" to 1/16" before reaching the end of the ground face of the chisel. I'm careful not to drive the chisel too far to prevent flaring the edges of the square hole as this will be very visible after the plugs are installed.










After punching over 150 square holes, the edges are ready to assemble to the table cores.










I first dry fit the edge segments to the core to be sure the fit is exactly right. By utilizing seven strap clamps, one for each segment, I can adjust each individually. Once I'm satisfied with the alignment, I remove one strap clamp at a time to glue and screw that segment to the core. This allows me to use the adjacent edges to assure the segment returns exactly where it belongs. I start with the center segment, and work alternating sides until I reach the edge.










Next step: pattern route the outside edge, final sand the edge segments and cut the slots for the splines between each segment.


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## RichT (Oct 14, 2016)

TungOil said:


> *Table Edge Assembly*
> 
> With the pattern routing complete, it's time to drill and punch the holes for the square ebony plugs and attach the edges to the table cores.
> 
> ...


Coming along nice, Tung. I'm enjoying watching it progress.


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## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

TungOil said:


> *Table Edge Assembly*
> 
> With the pattern routing complete, it's time to drill and punch the holes for the square ebony plugs and attach the edges to the table cores.
> 
> ...


thanks, it's been a challenging build in some ways. Always good to stretch a bit.


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## EarlS (Dec 21, 2011)

TungOil said:


> *Table Edge Assembly*
> 
> With the pattern routing complete, it's time to drill and punch the holes for the square ebony plugs and attach the edges to the table cores.
> 
> ...


Looks great and your attention to the details as well as taking the time to explain things is also much appreciated.

150 square plug holes means 150 square ebony plugs too. This is one of the reasons that G&G takes so long to build but it is worth it. I appreciate your reference to the Veritas saddle square. My approach has generally been to set up a mortising chisel on the drill press and use it. Problem with that is the holes don't always wind up just square or there is tear out. I have the square punches for projects with fewer plugs but that has also been less than satisfactory. I will definitely get the saddle square to help keep things in line and hopefully make things go a bit faster too.

I will be very interested to see how you cut your ebony splines.


----------



## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

TungOil said:


> *Table Edge Assembly*
> 
> With the pattern routing complete, it's time to drill and punch the holes for the square ebony plugs and attach the edges to the table cores.
> 
> ...


Earl, Thanks for following along.

The saddle square is really handy for squaring up these chisels. Unfortunately any of the mortisers I have used in the past are not accurate enough for these plugs- they really need to be perfectly square and placed exactly since they are such a focal point of the piece. So, I take the extra time and do them by hand.

Making the plugs is going to be monotonous at best. I have not even started the base yet, that will be another 50+ plugs.

For the splines, I have CNC templates cut for the outer edges to get the curve to perfectly match the top. since the top is elliptical, each spline is slightly different so there are 5 templates. I'll rough them on the bandsaw, then pattern route the visible edge and trim each one to fit by hand.


----------



## EarlS (Dec 21, 2011)

TungOil said:


> *Table Edge Assembly*
> 
> With the pattern routing complete, it's time to drill and punch the holes for the square ebony plugs and attach the edges to the table cores.
> 
> ...


Tung,

If I recall, William Ng has a really good video on making curved splines in place. I think there was a jig and a special bit that you can buy for the roundover.


----------



## Mean_Dean (Oct 13, 2009)

TungOil said:


> *Table Edge Assembly*
> 
> With the pattern routing complete, it's time to drill and punch the holes for the square ebony plugs and attach the edges to the table cores.
> 
> ...


Looks like you're really making some good progress!

As for the Veritas squaring jig, I'm kind of paranoid, and would be concerned about it slipping out of alignment, and would use a clamp to make sure it didn't move!


----------



## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

TungOil said:


> *Table Edge Assembly*
> 
> With the pattern routing complete, it's time to drill and punch the holes for the square ebony plugs and attach the edges to the table cores.
> 
> ...


Dean- The saddle square is very stable due to it's design. I don't feel a need to clamp it when I'm using it. Hard to describe in words except to say that in use it feels very stable and does not want to move. But I get your point, better safe than sorry!

Earl- I'll look for William Ng's video. now that you bring it up, I do recall watching that one a while ago.


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## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

*Final Table Edge Routing*

With the table edges assembled, the next step is the final pattern routing of the outside profile. I route the final shape after the edges are assembled to be sure the ellipse is smooth and continuous. I start by leveling any minor misalignment between the edges with an 80 grit disk on the random orbit sander. The assembled table top is about 1/16" larger than the outside pattern to allow for the final shaping.










I use a solid carbide spiral upcut bit to get the smoothest finish on the outside edge and minimize any issues with end grain tear out.










To be sure I do not tear out the end grain, I add a backer made from one of the table edge scraps off the bandsaw. I use a tapered shim against another scrap to be sure the backer is tight against the table edge before I route the end grain.










The spiral bit produces a very clean cut.










After the final pattern routing is completed, I add a 1/8" radius to the outside edge.










Even with a fresh spiral bit, the edges of some of the square holes show some tear out after the final pattern route. There was no tear out on any of the drilled holes, so the cutting action of the square chisels must weaken the material around the hole enough that the router pulls it away.










Lesson learned- do not punch the square holes until after all of the routing is complete. It's a simple fix- my 3/8" square plugs will be opened up to 7/16".

I put the table halves together to take a look at how the finished table will appear. So far so good.










Next step: Route the slots for the splines, enlarge the 3/8" plug holes to 7/16 then assemble the edges on the leaves.


----------



## pintodeluxe (Sep 12, 2010)

TungOil said:


> *Final Table Edge Routing*
> 
> With the table edges assembled, the next step is the final pattern routing of the outside profile. I route the final shape after the edges are assembled to be sure the ellipse is smooth and continuous. I start by leveling any minor misalignment between the edges with an 80 grit disk on the random orbit sander. The assembled table top is about 1/16" larger than the outside pattern to allow for the final shaping.
> 
> ...


That's quite an undertaking! Good job on this detailed and complex project.


----------



## EarlS (Dec 21, 2011)

TungOil said:


> *Final Table Edge Routing*
> 
> With the table edges assembled, the next step is the final pattern routing of the outside profile. I route the final shape after the edges are assembled to be sure the ellipse is smooth and continuous. I start by leveling any minor misalignment between the edges with an 80 grit disk on the random orbit sander. The assembled table top is about 1/16" larger than the outside pattern to allow for the final shaping.
> 
> ...


The picture of the edge with the round over really shows how precise your work is and how tightly everything fits together. Spiral bits aren't cheap but they sure do make a nice finish.

I'm looking forward to seeing how you route the spline slots.


----------



## Mean_Dean (Oct 13, 2009)

TungOil said:


> *Final Table Edge Routing*
> 
> With the table edges assembled, the next step is the final pattern routing of the outside profile. I route the final shape after the edges are assembled to be sure the ellipse is smooth and continuous. I start by leveling any minor misalignment between the edges with an 80 grit disk on the random orbit sander. The assembled table top is about 1/16" larger than the outside pattern to allow for the final shaping.
> 
> ...


She's coming along beautifully!


----------



## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

*Assembling the Leave Edges*

Now that the table ends are assembled, I have all the final dimensions needed to finish the leaves. By waiting until the table ends are completed, I can adjust the size of the leaves as needed to match the ends exactly.

I start by sizing the inner cores. After striking a cut line square to the edge, I clamp a waste piece to the leave to prevent blow out.










I carefully line up a straight reference edge to route the end of the leave straight.










The finished cuts are clean and tear-out free using a 3/4" diameter pattern router bit. The cores are now ready to attach the edge trim pieces.










After applying a bead of glue, I use a strap clamp to hold the edge trim pieces in place. Two scraps of ash with an offset step make setting the reveal on the top quick and foolproof. I finish up by driving some screws to fasten.










I arrange the leaves in order and wait for the glue to dry.










The veneer is slip matched and the edge trim pieces are in sequence so the grain flows uninterrupted from one leave to the next.










Next step is to trim the long edges of the leaves, cut the slots for the splines on the leaves and table ends and break the hard edges with a round over bit.


----------



## EarlS (Dec 21, 2011)

TungOil said:


> *Assembling the Leave Edges*
> 
> Now that the table ends are assembled, I have all the final dimensions needed to finish the leaves. By waiting until the table ends are completed, I can adjust the size of the leaves as needed to match the ends exactly.
> 
> ...


I had to back and re-read a couple of times before I realized the screws went into the square holes and slots. It's Monday so I'm a bit slow.


----------



## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

TungOil said:


> *Assembling the Leave Edges*
> 
> Now that the table ends are assembled, I have all the final dimensions needed to finish the leaves. By waiting until the table ends are completed, I can adjust the size of the leaves as needed to match the ends exactly.
> 
> ...


Good point Earl, I should have been more clear about the screw locations. Each end piece is held on with three screws, driven in from the edge. There is one behind the center square plug and one behind each slot on the end.


----------



## rfbilliards (May 21, 2017)

TungOil said:


> *Assembling the Leave Edges*
> 
> Now that the table ends are assembled, I have all the final dimensions needed to finish the leaves. By waiting until the table ends are completed, I can adjust the size of the leaves as needed to match the ends exactly.
> 
> ...


Cant wait to see it with a finish


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## Mean_Dean (Oct 13, 2009)

TungOil said:


> *Assembling the Leave Edges*
> 
> Now that the table ends are assembled, I have all the final dimensions needed to finish the leaves. By waiting until the table ends are completed, I can adjust the size of the leaves as needed to match the ends exactly.
> 
> ...


You're making some good progress-I can't wait to see the finished project!


----------



## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

TungOil said:


> *Assembling the Leave Edges*
> 
> Now that the table ends are assembled, I have all the final dimensions needed to finish the leaves. By waiting until the table ends are completed, I can adjust the size of the leaves as needed to match the ends exactly.
> 
> ...


I have been playing with finish options over the past few weeks. I made up three sample boards from cut-off's. Each was stained on the right side using General Finish water based dye, the left side is unstained. Top coats tested are Minwax satin wiping poly, Arm-R-Seal satin and Waterlox. So far I'm liking the stained Arm-R-Seal sample the best. So, I expect it will look a lot like the dark sample on the right.


----------



## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

*Leaves and Tops- Finishing Touches*

With the edge pieces assembled to the leaves, I can finish up trimming the long edges. I start by making up a straight edge with a shallow rabbet to guide the router. Clamped to the leave, I route the ends of the edge pieces flush.










The rabbet allows the straightedge to lay flat and clear the slightly raised edge pieces. I trim the edges with a flush trim pattern bit.










For now I will leave the outside edges of the leaves about 1/16" oversize and trim to final size after I have the table assembled. This way I can make any final minor adjustments to be sure everything aligns perfectly.

Next I route the slots for the splines in the table edge. I set up the router with a slot cutter.










By carefully positioning stop blocks along the table edge I can control the length of the slots. I route the slots very slowly and carefully as any tipping of the router will ruin the slot.










The finished slots mill away the screw holes and will be filled with ebony splines.










For now I will hold off on the ebony accents and finish sanding until after I complete the pedestal bases.

Next I start working on the pedestal bases. The bases for this table have unusual, angled geometry. As I have been looking over my design drawings and comparing them with the original design by the Greene brothers, I came to the conclusion that my legs might be too heavy visually. The geometry of the base exacerbates the problem visually since the legs will be viewed at an angle. The viewer sees two sides of the leg, making it seem visually larger than it is.

I decided to redesign the base with smaller legs, closer to the original Greene design in cross section. A quick revision in AutoCAD yielded the new design. I sort through the scrap bin and find some 3/4" plywood to create a quick prototype so I can validate that my new design looks correct.










I place one of the elliptical tops on the prototype base to be sure the everything looks good and to check the overhang is comfortable. Everything looks good so far.










Next Step: Selecting and rough cutting the material to fabricate the two pedestal bases.


----------



## rodk1 (Oct 2, 2009)

TungOil said:


> *Leaves and Tops- Finishing Touches*
> 
> With the edge pieces assembled to the leaves, I can finish up trimming the long edges. I start by making up a straight edge with a shallow rabbet to guide the router. Clamped to the leave, I route the ends of the edge pieces flush.
> 
> ...


This has been, truly, one of the best series that I have viewed on this site ! Thank You for sharing it with us mere mortals.


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## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

TungOil said:


> *Leaves and Tops- Finishing Touches*
> 
> With the edge pieces assembled to the leaves, I can finish up trimming the long edges. I start by making up a straight edge with a shallow rabbet to guide the router. Clamped to the leave, I route the ends of the edge pieces flush.
> 
> ...


It has been an interesting build for me so far and I'm glad you are enjoying it. Thanks for following along!


----------



## Mean_Dean (Oct 13, 2009)

TungOil said:


> *Leaves and Tops- Finishing Touches*
> 
> With the edge pieces assembled to the leaves, I can finish up trimming the long edges. I start by making up a straight edge with a shallow rabbet to guide the router. Clamped to the leave, I route the ends of the edge pieces flush.
> 
> ...


I like that you're taking your time and being methodical-you're going to end up with a table you can be very proud of!


----------



## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

*Starting the pedestal bases*

In preparation for all of the angled mortise and tenon work in the base, I've been watching Craig's List for a few months. I picked up a nearly new Leigh FMT Pro and a second Bosch 1613 EVS plunge router to dedicate to the jig. Both were hardly used.










I spent a few hours setting everything up. After aligning the router to the mounting plate on the FMT, I ran a few test cuts with some scrap oak to dial in the templates.










The FMT is a well engineered jig and is pretty fool proof. After a few adjustments I had a nice fitting mortise and tenon on my sample pieces.










Time to get back to the project at hand. I pick out a board of quarter sawn 8/4" sapele for the legs. This single 10 foot board is large enough to cut 8 legs plus a few spares. It has a nice ribbon stripe and a long section of straight grain, but the grain takes a strong curve at one end of the board.










After rough cutting the board to shorter lengths, I skip plane each piece to get a better view of the grain.










I cut a template from scrap plywood to aid in laying out the legs. By aligning the template along the grain, I lay out each leg and 'straighten' the grain, bringing a more uniform appearance to the legs.










Each leg is rough cut on the bandsaw. The board yields 13 rough cut legs, plenty to get the 8 legs needed for the table bases.










I now rough cut the aprons and stretchers. I select a wide quarter sawn 5/4" sapele board large enough to cut all of the aprons and stretchers from. Again there is a strong ribbon stripe and curved grain, but careful layout of the parts will straighten and align the grain. I carefully align the routing templates with the stripes and trace with a yellow lumber crayon. I angle the templates to best align the parts with the grain.










I rough cut the parts on the bandsaw.










After jointing one face and one edge flat and square, I mill the parts to final thickness with the planer. The top apron is a simple rectangle so I trim to width on the table saw then a light pass through the jointer cleans up the remaining edge nicely. Same treatment for the legs, except I pay particularly close attention to making sure all the edges are perfectly square as the tightness of the angled joinery later depends on it.

The lower stretchers have a cloud lift milled in the tops. I bandsaw away most of the waste and clamp the parts in the pattern routing fixture to mill the cloud lift detail. A bottom bearing spiral bit leaves a very clean finished cut.










I have a stack of parts ready for cutting the mortise and tenons.










Next I miter the stretchers to 30 degrees. I set up the table saw carefully since it is critical that the miters be perfectly square and exactly 30 degrees. If the cuts are out of square the joints will have gaps. If they are not cut exactly to 30 degrees, the accumulation of error across the eight joints could be significant and also cause gaps.










It is also crucial to have similar parts cut exactly the same size. I set up a stop block on the table saw to make the final cut on each part.










To cut the mortises and tenons I set up the Leigh FMT. After a few test cuts to dial in the fit, I lay out and cut the tenons on the ends of the stretchers.










The Leigh FMT produces a very nice tenon without any chipping around the shoulder.










A quick adjustment to the jig and I cut the mortises in the legs. The first set of joints are now complete. The fit looks good so far.










Next Step: Complete the remaining mortise and tenon joints


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## 000 (Dec 9, 2015)

TungOil said:


> *Starting the pedestal bases*
> 
> In preparation for all of the angled mortise and tenon work in the base, I've been watching Craig's List for a few months. I picked up a nearly new Leigh FMT Pro and a second Bosch 1613 EVS plunge router to dedicate to the jig. Both were hardly used.
> 
> ...


Nice clean work,
Thanks for sharing. I'll be waiting for the next installment.


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## EarlS (Dec 21, 2011)

TungOil said:


> *Starting the pedestal bases*
> 
> In preparation for all of the angled mortise and tenon work in the base, I've been watching Craig's List for a few months. I picked up a nearly new Leigh FMT Pro and a second Bosch 1613 EVS plunge router to dedicate to the jig. Both were hardly used.
> 
> ...


Nice find on the Leigh FMT Pro and the router. Craigslist around my area never has anything that nice on it. One of these days I think I'm going to have to break down and get one. How do you like it?


----------



## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

TungOil said:


> *Starting the pedestal bases*
> 
> In preparation for all of the angled mortise and tenon work in the base, I've been watching Craig's List for a few months. I picked up a nearly new Leigh FMT Pro and a second Bosch 1613 EVS plunge router to dedicate to the jig. Both were hardly used.
> 
> ...


Earl,

So far so good on the FMT Pro. I'll have a better opinion on it after I complete this project. I was looking for a multi-router for the longest time but nothing ever came up. As I was researching alternatives the FMT looked promising and sure enough this one appeared on CL not long after I started looking. The guy I bought it from never actually used it- he bought it and mounted his router to it but never got to the project he intended it for so decided to sell it. If I can pull off all the angled joinery on these bases without any gaps I'll give it an A+.

The router was a pretty good deal as well. I already had a 1613 so I knew it was a decent router. the guy I bought it from was a retired general contractor- he bought if because his cabinet supplier told him he needed it. He said he never got good results with it- too much burning, etc. He gave me a bag of router bits as well- all super cheap HSS bits so it's no wonder he got bad results. I doubt he used this router more than a dozen times.


----------



## Mean_Dean (Oct 13, 2009)

TungOil said:


> *Starting the pedestal bases*
> 
> In preparation for all of the angled mortise and tenon work in the base, I've been watching Craig's List for a few months. I picked up a nearly new Leigh FMT Pro and a second Bosch 1613 EVS plunge router to dedicate to the jig. Both were hardly used.
> 
> ...


Looks like your new equipment is giving you good results!


----------



## EarlS (Dec 21, 2011)

TungOil said:


> *Starting the pedestal bases*
> 
> In preparation for all of the angled mortise and tenon work in the base, I've been watching Craig's List for a few months. I picked up a nearly new Leigh FMT Pro and a second Bosch 1613 EVS plunge router to dedicate to the jig. Both were hardly used.
> 
> ...


Tung,

Looks like you scored a great deal. Definitely want to hear what you think of the FMT on the angled joinery. I've also been looking at the Domino though it seems even more spendy. Either way, it will be a while.


----------



## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

TungOil said:


> *Starting the pedestal bases*
> 
> In preparation for all of the angled mortise and tenon work in the base, I've been watching Craig's List for a few months. I picked up a nearly new Leigh FMT Pro and a second Bosch 1613 EVS plunge router to dedicate to the jig. Both were hardly used.
> 
> ...


I cut all of the angled tenons tonight. The cuts are very clean and the shoulders stayed almost perfectly square- I think the worst was out less than 1/32" over the 5-3/4" wide stretcher. Pretty good results at 30 degrees. Didn't have enough time to cut the mortises. The real test is if it all fits together in a few days!


----------



## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

*Completing the remaining mortise and tenon joints*

With the first set of mortise and tenon joints finished its now time to complete the remaining mortise and tenon joinery. To maximize strength, I cut a double 2" tenon in my stretchers and aprons.










The tenons are offset to the outside to maximize the tenon size on the 30 degree angle.










The Leigh FMT Pro handles angled tenons up to 30 degrees easily.










There are six angled joints on each pedestal base. Any error in the angle of the setup will be multiplied across the six joints so I set up the Leigh jig carefully. To assure accuracy, I use a 30 degree machinists angle to set up the jig.










The extra effort assures tight fitting joints.










I make up a quick routing template for an interior apron that must clear the slides and route away the clearance openings.










A quick dry fit shows everything comes together nicely so far.










28 mortise and tenon joints completed so far.










Next step: cut the finger joints and fit the top apron


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## RichT (Oct 14, 2016)

TungOil said:


> *Completing the remaining mortise and tenon joints*
> 
> With the first set of mortise and tenon joints finished its now time to complete the remaining mortise and tenon joinery. To maximize strength, I cut a double 2" tenon in my stretchers and aprons.
> 
> ...


Looking good, Tung. That's an impressive jig. I have their old MMT jig that fits on my original D4, but have never used it. I use the D4 all the time, but the MMT seemed like more of an afterthought, using a stop for the router base rather than the router bushing.

You're a talented guy. Thanks for sharing.


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## Mean_Dean (Oct 13, 2009)

TungOil said:


> *Completing the remaining mortise and tenon joints*
> 
> With the first set of mortise and tenon joints finished its now time to complete the remaining mortise and tenon joinery. To maximize strength, I cut a double 2" tenon in my stretchers and aprons.
> 
> ...


Those angled joints are really turning out nicely! This is going to be an amazing looking table when it's finished!


----------



## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

TungOil said:


> *Completing the remaining mortise and tenon joints*
> 
> With the first set of mortise and tenon joints finished its now time to complete the remaining mortise and tenon joinery. To maximize strength, I cut a double 2" tenon in my stretchers and aprons.
> 
> ...


thanks guys! It's starting to look like a table now, there is light at the end of the tunnel.


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## EarlS (Dec 21, 2011)

TungOil said:


> *Completing the remaining mortise and tenon joints*
> 
> With the first set of mortise and tenon joints finished its now time to complete the remaining mortise and tenon joinery. To maximize strength, I cut a double 2" tenon in my stretchers and aprons.
> 
> ...


Wow those are some clean tenons. Bases look great. Are you also sanding things as you go?


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## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

TungOil said:


> *Completing the remaining mortise and tenon joints*
> 
> With the first set of mortise and tenon joints finished its now time to complete the remaining mortise and tenon joinery. To maximize strength, I cut a double 2" tenon in my stretchers and aprons.
> 
> ...


Thanks Earl. Yes, I will sand everything to 220 before final assembly. I still have a good bit of milling to do before that, need to cut the slots, round over all the edges, cut the square holes for the plugs, etc.

I'm also a bit concerned about sturdiness of the base. I plan to clamp up one of the bases and put one of the top halves on it to see if I need to add any additional bracing. It would be disappointing to glue everything up only to find its a bit wobbly for some reason. I'm worried about it not having sufficient torsional strength (twisting motion of the top, looking down from above).


----------



## EarlS (Dec 21, 2011)

TungOil said:


> *Completing the remaining mortise and tenon joints*
> 
> With the first set of mortise and tenon joints finished its now time to complete the remaining mortise and tenon joinery. To maximize strength, I cut a double 2" tenon in my stretchers and aprons.
> 
> ...


"Torsional strength" - only time I hear that is when I'm reviewing structural drawings at work.

I think it will depend on how the outer leg section attaches to the top since the inner legs will have the center of the table top to hold things in place. Worst case, you might need a support between the top of the outer legs and the cross brace of the inner ones.


----------



## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

TungOil said:


> *Completing the remaining mortise and tenon joints*
> 
> With the first set of mortise and tenon joints finished its now time to complete the remaining mortise and tenon joinery. To maximize strength, I cut a double 2" tenon in my stretchers and aprons.
> 
> ...


I dry clamped one of the bases tonight. Pretty rigid even with a just few bar clamps holding it together. I think my concerns are unfounded. I plan to run cleats along the insides of both top stretchers so I can screw the base securely to the top.


----------



## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

*Clamping Cauls, Finger Joints and Square Plug Stock*

In preparation for the glue up of the angled joints in the two bases, I make up some special clamping cauls. The cauls allow me to position clamps to pull the mortise and tenon joints together parallel to the tenons. The cauls have a 60 degree block glued to them to complement the 30 degree angle of the joints. Each has a piece of sandpaper glued to the back to prevent slipping.










There are 6 large cauls for the lower stretchers and two small ones for the top stretcher. To check the cauls I do a quick dry fit of one of the bases.










The cauls work well and everything pulls up tight.










To create the finger joints I use a modified version of the routing jig developed by Darrell Peart for his Greene & Greene blanket chest in Fine Woodworking magazine #243. Darrell's design calls for two separate jigs, one for each set of fingers. Darrell uses two separate jigs to allow building in a 1/64" clearance between the fingers to ease the fit.

In my version I combine both sets of fingers into opposite ends of the same jig. I cut strips of Baltic birch ply into strips the exact size of each finger and insert two strips of paper between each during the glue up. This allows about 0.010" clearance between fingers.










After the glue dries I clean up and flatten the jig with the drum sander.










I do a quick test cut with some scraps to verify the fit. Looks good.










Next I use the finger joint template and a circle template to layout the fingers.










I rough out most of the waste on the bandsaw, leaving about 1/32" to clean up on the router table.










I use double sided tape to hold the template to the part. A 1/4" spiral pattern bit in the router table cleans up the cut and leaves a tight 1/8" radius in the corners.










I use a special Amana rounding bit to put the 1/8" radius on the fingers. This Amana bit has a bearing smaller than the 1/4" diameter cut by the spiral pattern bit. Everything looks good when dry fit.










Next I cut the slots in the lower stretchers. I drill two holes with a Forstner bit and waste out the center with a sabre saw.










After taping on the pattern, I clean up the cuts on the router table with the 1/4" spiral pattern bit.










After pattern routing the slots I round over the edges.










I add the square holes for the ebony plugs next. I pre-drill the fingers on the drill press with clearance holes for the trim head screws that will be used later to assemble the breadboard joint. The drill press and fence assure the plugs will be perfectly aligned later.










I insert the drill back into the hole to align the square punch. The edge of a combination square simultaneously squares the punch and aligns the plugs to one another.










The lower legs call for a pattern of four square plugs arranged in a rectangular pattern. The ebony plugs are a strong focal point with the Greene & Greene style and naturally draw the eye. Any misalignment will be easily noticeable. I fabricate a quick jig for use in conjunction with the stops on my drill press fence. The "L" shaped jig is sized to properly offset the leg to drill all four holes in the proper location. With the leg up against the fence and the jig against the first stop, I drill the outside hole.










By flipping the jig and placing it between the fence and the leg I drill the inside hole with the proper offset.










I slide the leg down to the next stop and repeat to drill the two remaining holes. The holes are perfectly aligned.










I finish up the legs by punching the square holes.










The parts for the base are now ready for final sanding and assembly.

Next I prepare the Gabon Ebony for the plugs and splines. After jointing two adjacent edges flat I resaw on the bandsaw slightly oversize and bring the ebony to final thickness with the drum sander.










I need 3/8" thick stock for the curved splines in the table edge, so I leave that stock full width for now. The remaining 1/4" and 3/16" stock is resawn again and the rough edge sized on the drum sander to produce the stock for the square plugs.










Next step: finish sand all of the base parts through 220 and assemble.


----------



## RichT (Oct 14, 2016)

TungOil said:


> *Clamping Cauls, Finger Joints and Square Plug Stock*
> 
> In preparation for the glue up of the angled joints in the two bases, I make up some special clamping cauls. The cauls allow me to position clamps to pull the mortise and tenon joints together parallel to the tenons. The cauls have a 60 degree block glued to them to complement the 30 degree angle of the joints. Each has a piece of sandpaper glued to the back to prevent slipping.
> 
> ...


Nice work Tung. Several useful tips in those photos, especially your angled cauls.


----------



## rodk1 (Oct 2, 2009)

TungOil said:


> *Clamping Cauls, Finger Joints and Square Plug Stock*
> 
> In preparation for the glue up of the angled joints in the two bases, I make up some special clamping cauls. The cauls allow me to position clamps to pull the mortise and tenon joints together parallel to the tenons. The cauls have a 60 degree block glued to them to complement the 30 degree angle of the joints. Each has a piece of sandpaper glued to the back to prevent slipping.
> 
> ...


Excellent Post ! Thanks for all the Great Tips


----------



## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

TungOil said:


> *Clamping Cauls, Finger Joints and Square Plug Stock*
> 
> In preparation for the glue up of the angled joints in the two bases, I make up some special clamping cauls. The cauls allow me to position clamps to pull the mortise and tenon joints together parallel to the tenons. The cauls have a 60 degree block glued to them to complement the 30 degree angle of the joints. Each has a piece of sandpaper glued to the back to prevent slipping.
> 
> ...


Thanks for checking in!


----------



## sras (Oct 31, 2009)

TungOil said:


> *Clamping Cauls, Finger Joints and Square Plug Stock*
> 
> In preparation for the glue up of the angled joints in the two bases, I make up some special clamping cauls. The cauls allow me to position clamps to pull the mortise and tenon joints together parallel to the tenons. The cauls have a 60 degree block glued to them to complement the 30 degree angle of the joints. Each has a piece of sandpaper glued to the back to prevent slipping.
> 
> ...


I'm enjoying every chapter of this blog…


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## EarlS (Dec 21, 2011)

TungOil said:


> *Clamping Cauls, Finger Joints and Square Plug Stock*
> 
> In preparation for the glue up of the angled joints in the two bases, I make up some special clamping cauls. The cauls allow me to position clamps to pull the mortise and tenon joints together parallel to the tenons. The cauls have a 60 degree block glued to them to complement the 30 degree angle of the joints. Each has a piece of sandpaper glued to the back to prevent slipping.
> 
> ...


I'm amazed at how much you get done between posts. Everything is looking great.

I've always cut the finger joints using a dado stack and then hand sanded the roundovers. your way is much faster and more accurate. I'm also going to use that technique on the girds on the desk I'm going to be starting this week (and maybe doing a blog since yours has been so helpful). I'm also going to shamelessly use your caul idea too.

Your drill top looks like it came from Woodpeckers. How well do you like their version?


----------



## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

TungOil said:


> *Clamping Cauls, Finger Joints and Square Plug Stock*
> 
> In preparation for the glue up of the angled joints in the two bases, I make up some special clamping cauls. The cauls allow me to position clamps to pull the mortise and tenon joints together parallel to the tenons. The cauls have a 60 degree block glued to them to complement the 30 degree angle of the joints. Each has a piece of sandpaper glued to the back to prevent slipping.
> 
> ...


thanks Earl. I looked a couple of ways to cut the finger joints and settled on this idea which is mostly Darrell Peart's technique modified with the paper shims, an idea I picked up from YouTube (of all places).

My drill press table is a home made top with Woodpeckers parts added. TheWoodpeckers hardware works well. I laminated two layers of 3/4" baltic birch and topped it off with some leftover Formica I had, then added the Woodpeckers parts. what you can't see from the pictures is that I added four jig knobs underneath that pass through the slots in the top. this allows me to pull it off quickly if necessary. I originally added that setup for boring 35mm homes in cabinet doors to accept Blum hinges and it works superbly for that. Works good for this type of thing as well of course.


----------



## Mean_Dean (Oct 13, 2009)

TungOil said:


> *Clamping Cauls, Finger Joints and Square Plug Stock*
> 
> In preparation for the glue up of the angled joints in the two bases, I make up some special clamping cauls. The cauls allow me to position clamps to pull the mortise and tenon joints together parallel to the tenons. The cauls have a 60 degree block glued to them to complement the 30 degree angle of the joints. Each has a piece of sandpaper glued to the back to prevent slipping.
> 
> ...


You've really got a knack for fabricating jigs for this project! I'm getting some good ideas from your blog, and will put them to good use in future projects!


----------



## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

TungOil said:


> *Clamping Cauls, Finger Joints and Square Plug Stock*
> 
> In preparation for the glue up of the angled joints in the two bases, I make up some special clamping cauls. The cauls allow me to position clamps to pull the mortise and tenon joints together parallel to the tenons. The cauls have a 60 degree block glued to them to complement the 30 degree angle of the joints. Each has a piece of sandpaper glued to the back to prevent slipping.
> 
> ...


yeah, the stack of jigs is getting pretty deep. It's starting to feel like I need a jig for every step. Glad you found something you can use on your projects.


----------



## PPK (Mar 8, 2016)

TungOil said:


> *Clamping Cauls, Finger Joints and Square Plug Stock*
> 
> In preparation for the glue up of the angled joints in the two bases, I make up some special clamping cauls. The cauls allow me to position clamps to pull the mortise and tenon joints together parallel to the tenons. The cauls have a 60 degree block glued to them to complement the 30 degree angle of the joints. Each has a piece of sandpaper glued to the back to prevent slipping.
> 
> ...


So correct me if I'm wrong - When you make pegged holes, you aren't using the square peg to actually peg the joint, just as a filler to cover a screw that's pegging the joint. Is this correct? I built a morris chair, and ran into problems with getting a square hole through my tenons after assembling the chair. Obviously my chair didn't fit on the mortiser anymore, and I don't trust my chisel work enough for a 5/16" hole that's 2" deep…


----------



## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

TungOil said:


> *Clamping Cauls, Finger Joints and Square Plug Stock*
> 
> In preparation for the glue up of the angled joints in the two bases, I make up some special clamping cauls. The cauls allow me to position clamps to pull the mortise and tenon joints together parallel to the tenons. The cauls have a 60 degree block glued to them to complement the 30 degree angle of the joints. Each has a piece of sandpaper glued to the back to prevent slipping.
> 
> ...


PPK- The square plugs are mostly decorative. A few do cover screws, particularly around the table edge and at the finger joints on the aprons, but most do absolutely nothing.


----------



## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

*Finish Sanding and Assembly of the Bases Plus Some Ebony Plugs*

In preparation for glue up I sand all the parts with 120 then 220 using a random orbit sander. I split the work between the Bosch ROS65EVS which is a nice sander to use (very little vibration) and the smaller Bosch ROS20EVS which is more like a palm sander in ROS format and better for the smaller parts. To clean up the round overs and other details I have a few sanding blocks I like as well as the ubiquitous folded sheet. It's boring work but crucial to getting a nice finish later.

Once sanding is complete, I prepare the parts for glue up. Due to the nature of the angled joinery in this base I do each base as a single glue up rather than sub-assemblies. With 14 mortise and tenon joints it is important to have everything organized so the glue up can go quickly before the glue starts to set. I arrange the parts for the back part of the base on my bench along with a number of bar clamps, clamp pads, glue, clamping cauls and spacer blocks to align the lower stretchers.










The front part of the base is staged on the table saw . I clamp on the cauls so they are ready to go.










I work very quickly to get everything aligned and in clamps before the glue begins to set. Staging the parts and clamps is key. Start to finish takes 23 minutes 53 seconds and 24 clamps.










After the glue sets on the main parts of the base I add the apron. The finger joints are lightly glued between the fingers but the primary fastening method is by screws under each square plug. Number 6 cabinet trim screws just fit under a 1/4" square plug.










The bases look good and the joinery fits together satisfactorily.










While the glue is setting on the bases I work on the ebony plugs. I use Darrell Peart's technique for creating the ebony plugs. I begin at the disc sander, using the jig described in Darrell's book. The jig sits at a shallow angle and by spinning the ebony rod between the fingers and applying light pressure against the disc a very shallow point is created on the end of the rod. I shape both ends of multiple ebony rods at the same time, working in batches.










After the initial shaping is completed, I work through 220, 400 and 600 grit sandpaper to refine the pillow shape. I hold the ebony rod like a pencil and with a sweeping pendulum motion lightly sand the end to shape. After a few sweeps, I rotate the rod 90 degrees and repeat.










Once the rod ends are sanded to shape, I move to the buffing wheel. I use a rouge designed for plastics to buff the pillow shape to a nice glossy sheen.










Using a tiny miter box, I cut the plugs to length with a Dozuki saw.










Each batch yields ten plugs, then back to the disc sander to create another batch.










It is easy to damage the square hole when inserting the plugs. To minimize the chance for damage, I put a small chamfer on the bottom edge of each plug with a chisel. The small plugs are hard to hold safely so I use a thin piece of wood with a V notch clamped on top of a scrap as an aide. I use a very sharp chisel and make a shallow 1/32" chamfer on each edge.










I use a bamboo skewer to apply a small amount of glue to the plug holes and tap the plugs partially in with a plastic head hammer. To set the plugs to final depth, I use a simple jig with a shallow dado set over the plug and tap it flush, leaving the plugs slightly proud.










The finished plugs are all set to a consistent depth.










All that remains is to add some mounting strips to attach the tops and the bases will be ready for stain and finish.










Next steps are to mount the table slides, align and mount the bases to the tops and add alignment pins for the leaves.


----------



## RichT (Oct 14, 2016)

TungOil said:


> *Finish Sanding and Assembly of the Bases Plus Some Ebony Plugs*
> 
> In preparation for glue up I sand all the parts with 120 then 220 using a random orbit sander. I split the work between the Bosch ROS65EVS which is a nice sander to use (very little vibration) and the smaller Bosch ROS20EVS which is more like a palm sander in ROS format and better for the smaller parts. To clean up the round overs and other details I have a few sanding blocks I like as well as the ubiquitous folded sheet. It's boring work but crucial to getting a nice finish later.
> 
> ...


Nice plugs, Tung. Boy, those must take some patience.


----------



## splintergroup (Jan 20, 2015)

TungOil said:


> *Finish Sanding and Assembly of the Bases Plus Some Ebony Plugs*
> 
> In preparation for glue up I sand all the parts with 120 then 220 using a random orbit sander. I split the work between the Bosch ROS65EVS which is a nice sander to use (very little vibration) and the smaller Bosch ROS20EVS which is more like a palm sander in ROS format and better for the smaller parts. To clean up the round overs and other details I have a few sanding blocks I like as well as the ubiquitous folded sheet. It's boring work but crucial to getting a nice finish later.
> 
> ...





> Nice plugs, Tung. Boy, those must take some patience.
> 
> - RichTaylor


And some serious tolerance for wrist pain 8^)

Your commitment to quality at these levels of detail is inspiring!


----------



## CaptainSkully (Aug 28, 2008)

TungOil said:


> *Finish Sanding and Assembly of the Bases Plus Some Ebony Plugs*
> 
> In preparation for glue up I sand all the parts with 120 then 220 using a random orbit sander. I split the work between the Bosch ROS65EVS which is a nice sander to use (very little vibration) and the smaller Bosch ROS20EVS which is more like a palm sander in ROS format and better for the smaller parts. To clean up the round overs and other details I have a few sanding blocks I like as well as the ubiquitous folded sheet. It's boring work but crucial to getting a nice finish later.
> 
> ...


This is the best installment yet! I love it when you start to add the ebony plugs. I got Darrell's book at the Gamble House and is a great souvenir and wonderful source of information. I've got some nice mahogany just waiting for a G&G project. Thanks for taking the time to do this!


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## htl (Mar 24, 2015)

TungOil said:


> *Finish Sanding and Assembly of the Bases Plus Some Ebony Plugs*
> 
> In preparation for glue up I sand all the parts with 120 then 220 using a random orbit sander. I split the work between the Bosch ROS65EVS which is a nice sander to use (very little vibration) and the smaller Bosch ROS20EVS which is more like a palm sander in ROS format and better for the smaller parts. To clean up the round overs and other details I have a few sanding blocks I like as well as the ubiquitous folded sheet. It's boring work but crucial to getting a nice finish later.
> 
> ...


Nicely done!!!
Love any and all G&G projects.


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## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

TungOil said:


> *Finish Sanding and Assembly of the Bases Plus Some Ebony Plugs*
> 
> In preparation for glue up I sand all the parts with 120 then 220 using a random orbit sander. I split the work between the Bosch ROS65EVS which is a nice sander to use (very little vibration) and the smaller Bosch ROS20EVS which is more like a palm sander in ROS format and better for the smaller parts. To clean up the round overs and other details I have a few sanding blocks I like as well as the ubiquitous folded sheet. It's boring work but crucial to getting a nice finish later.
> 
> ...





> Boy, those must take some patience.
> 
> - RichTaylor


That's an understatement…..I have not timed it but I'd guess that it takes about 5-10 minutes to make a single plug when I figure in preparing the square rods, sanding and polishing the ends, chamfering and installation. There are 28 square plugs on each base, 28 on each table half and another 32 for the four leaves. Thats 144 square plugs and that doesn't count the curved splines and rectangular plugs for the table edges what are much harder to make.

And the entire time I'm making these square plugs I'm thinking "there has got to be a faster way to make these…." I'm thinking about getting a 4 jaw chuck for the lathe.


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## htl (Mar 24, 2015)

TungOil said:


> *Finish Sanding and Assembly of the Bases Plus Some Ebony Plugs*
> 
> In preparation for glue up I sand all the parts with 120 then 220 using a random orbit sander. I split the work between the Bosch ROS65EVS which is a nice sander to use (very little vibration) and the smaller Bosch ROS20EVS which is more like a palm sander in ROS format and better for the smaller parts. To clean up the round overs and other details I have a few sanding blocks I like as well as the ubiquitous folded sheet. It's boring work but crucial to getting a nice finish later.
> 
> ...


Seem like I remember a post here where he was making plugs and spinning them with a drill.


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## abie (Jan 28, 2008)

TungOil said:


> *Finish Sanding and Assembly of the Bases Plus Some Ebony Plugs*
> 
> In preparation for glue up I sand all the parts with 120 then 220 using a random orbit sander. I split the work between the Bosch ROS65EVS which is a nice sander to use (very little vibration) and the smaller Bosch ROS20EVS which is more like a palm sander in ROS format and better for the smaller parts. To clean up the round overs and other details I have a few sanding blocks I like as well as the ubiquitous folded sheet. It's boring work but crucial to getting a nice finish later.
> 
> ...


Nicely done and described 
Hours of work and a beautiful result
tnx for sharing


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## splintergroup (Jan 20, 2015)

TungOil said:


> *Finish Sanding and Assembly of the Bases Plus Some Ebony Plugs*
> 
> In preparation for glue up I sand all the parts with 120 then 220 using a random orbit sander. I split the work between the Bosch ROS65EVS which is a nice sander to use (very little vibration) and the smaller Bosch ROS20EVS which is more like a palm sander in ROS format and better for the smaller parts. To clean up the round overs and other details I have a few sanding blocks I like as well as the ubiquitous folded sheet. It's boring work but crucial to getting a nice finish later.
> 
> ...





> And the entire time I m making these square plugs I m thinking "there has got to be a faster way to make these…." I m thinking about getting a 4 jaw chuck for the lathe.
> 
> - TungOil


There is a jig that I have book marked that uses a router bit to get proper pillow plug profiles. Next time I need to hand sand more then a dozen of these buggers, I'll make the jig 8^)


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## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

TungOil said:


> *Finish Sanding and Assembly of the Bases Plus Some Ebony Plugs*
> 
> In preparation for glue up I sand all the parts with 120 then 220 using a random orbit sander. I split the work between the Bosch ROS65EVS which is a nice sander to use (very little vibration) and the smaller Bosch ROS20EVS which is more like a palm sander in ROS format and better for the smaller parts. To clean up the round overs and other details I have a few sanding blocks I like as well as the ubiquitous folded sheet. It's boring work but crucial to getting a nice finish later.
> 
> ...





> There is a jig that I have book marked that uses a router bit to get proper pillow plug profiles.
> 
> - splintergroup


Now you tell me!


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## EarlS (Dec 21, 2011)

TungOil said:


> *Finish Sanding and Assembly of the Bases Plus Some Ebony Plugs*
> 
> In preparation for glue up I sand all the parts with 120 then 220 using a random orbit sander. I split the work between the Bosch ROS65EVS which is a nice sander to use (very little vibration) and the smaller Bosch ROS20EVS which is more like a palm sander in ROS format and better for the smaller parts. To clean up the round overs and other details I have a few sanding blocks I like as well as the ubiquitous folded sheet. It's boring work but crucial to getting a nice finish later.
> 
> ...


You almost snuck this installment past me. I use the same method on the plugs, I work off both ends of the rod but for some reason it isn't twice as fast…...

How many times did you dry fit the glue-up to whittle down the time? It usually takes 3-4 test runs before I start the actual glue-up on a complicated assembly. What kind of glue did you use?


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## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

TungOil said:


> *Finish Sanding and Assembly of the Bases Plus Some Ebony Plugs*
> 
> In preparation for glue up I sand all the parts with 120 then 220 using a random orbit sander. I split the work between the Bosch ROS65EVS which is a nice sander to use (very little vibration) and the smaller Bosch ROS20EVS which is more like a palm sander in ROS format and better for the smaller parts. To clean up the round overs and other details I have a few sanding blocks I like as well as the ubiquitous folded sheet. It's boring work but crucial to getting a nice finish later.
> 
> ...





> You almost snuck this installment past me. I use the same method on the plugs, I work off both ends of the rod but for some reason it isn t twice as fast…...
> 
> How many times did you dry fit the glue-up to whittle down the time? It usually takes 3-4 test runs before I start the actual glue-up on a complicated assembly. What kind of glue did you use?
> 
> - EarlS


Making the plugs is definitely time consuming. I have a 4 jaw chuck on the way, hoping to speed the process up a bit.

Just one dry fit to make sure all of the joints closed up cleanly. The key to reducing the time was to pre-stage everything- clamps, parts, etc. Glue is TB3. I use it pretty much for everything except veneer work and natural maple.


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## EarlS (Dec 21, 2011)

TungOil said:


> *Finish Sanding and Assembly of the Bases Plus Some Ebony Plugs*
> 
> In preparation for glue up I sand all the parts with 120 then 220 using a random orbit sander. I split the work between the Bosch ROS65EVS which is a nice sander to use (very little vibration) and the smaller Bosch ROS20EVS which is more like a palm sander in ROS format and better for the smaller parts. To clean up the round overs and other details I have a few sanding blocks I like as well as the ubiquitous folded sheet. It's boring work but crucial to getting a nice finish later.
> 
> ...


Do you notice any glue line creep from it? I routinely discover that the glue has expanded or something, usually a couple of months after the project is finished, leaving ridges along the glue lines on table or desk tops where the boards are glued side to side with biscuits.

Your 4 jaw chuck reminded me that I will also use my drill and slide the rod into the end of it and run it into a piece of psa sandpaper mounted on a rubber mat like you use under project. I stick the various grits to the mat and let the drill do the rotating. William Ng used that trick in his G&G video.


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## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

TungOil said:


> *Finish Sanding and Assembly of the Bases Plus Some Ebony Plugs*
> 
> In preparation for glue up I sand all the parts with 120 then 220 using a random orbit sander.  I split the work between the Bosch ROS65EVS which is a nice sander to use (very little vibration) and the smaller Bosch ROS20EVS which is more like a palm sander in ROS format and better for the smaller parts. To clean up the round overs and other details I have a few sanding blocks I like as well as the ubiquitous folded sheet. It's boring work but crucial to getting a nice finish later.
> 
> ...


yes, I did have a few glue lines that raised slightly. I knocked them back down with 220 grit on the ROS, hopefully that will be the end of it. are you noticing that it comes back again after you knock it down?

My 4 jaw chuck arrived today. I quickly mounted it and made a batch of plugs. I definitely got faster and more consistent results, so I will finish up the rest this way.


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## Mean_Dean (Oct 13, 2009)

TungOil said:


> *Finish Sanding and Assembly of the Bases Plus Some Ebony Plugs*
> 
> In preparation for glue up I sand all the parts with 120 then 220 using a random orbit sander. I split the work between the Bosch ROS65EVS which is a nice sander to use (very little vibration) and the smaller Bosch ROS20EVS which is more like a palm sander in ROS format and better for the smaller parts. To clean up the round overs and other details I have a few sanding blocks I like as well as the ubiquitous folded sheet. It's boring work but crucial to getting a nice finish later.
> 
> ...





> ...
> 
> I stick the various grits to the mat and let the drill do the rotating. William Ng used that trick in his G&G video.
> 
> - EarlS


Earl beat me to it, but William Ng has a video out that shows how he contours his ebony plugs that's simple and quick-about 15 seconds for each plug


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## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

TungOil said:


> *Finish Sanding and Assembly of the Bases Plus Some Ebony Plugs*
> 
> In preparation for glue up I sand all the parts with 120 then 220 using a random orbit sander. I split the work between the Bosch ROS65EVS which is a nice sander to use (very little vibration) and the smaller Bosch ROS20EVS which is more like a palm sander in ROS format and better for the smaller parts. To clean up the round overs and other details I have a few sanding blocks I like as well as the ubiquitous folded sheet. It's boring work but crucial to getting a nice finish later.
> 
> ...


I tried William Ng's drill method, but I kept damaging the corners of the square rod with the drill chuck and had trouble getting consistent results. That's why I ordered the 4 jaw chuck for the lathe. Seems to work well and is pretty fast too. I'm still fine tuning the process but at the moment the best way seems to be to use a mill bastard file to do the initial shaping of the pillow, then touch it with a few progressively finer grit sanding sponges to 600 grit, them polish.

Here's a photo. The plug on the left was done by hand, the one on the right was done using the lathe as outlined above. In general the lathe made plugs are more consistent.


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## EarlS (Dec 21, 2011)

TungOil said:


> *Finish Sanding and Assembly of the Bases Plus Some Ebony Plugs*
> 
> In preparation for glue up I sand all the parts with 120 then 220 using a random orbit sander. I split the work between the Bosch ROS65EVS which is a nice sander to use (very little vibration) and the smaller Bosch ROS20EVS which is more like a palm sander in ROS format and better for the smaller parts. To clean up the round overs and other details I have a few sanding blocks I like as well as the ubiquitous folded sheet. It's boring work but crucial to getting a nice finish later.
> 
> ...


Tung - I don't have a lathe so the drill is my version of the lathe. I have a Dewalt cordless and I don't tighten the chuck down very tight. I don't mind the little variances in the plugs. If anyone comments I tell them that shows that they were hand made.

As for the glue - yes I have some tops that had glue lines come back even after I sanded them down. It isn't something that consistently happens so I can't point to one variable or another as the primary cause. On the desk I'm starting now I will likely use Gorilla Glue (polyurethane) for the top to avoid the lines since they will stick out from the ebony surface like a sore thumb. I haven't really compared Gorilla's standard wood glue to TB to see which one is better. This might be a good forum or review topic.


----------



## PPK (Mar 8, 2016)

TungOil said:


> *Finish Sanding and Assembly of the Bases Plus Some Ebony Plugs*
> 
> In preparation for glue up I sand all the parts with 120 then 220 using a random orbit sander. I split the work between the Bosch ROS65EVS which is a nice sander to use (very little vibration) and the smaller Bosch ROS20EVS which is more like a palm sander in ROS format and better for the smaller parts. To clean up the round overs and other details I have a few sanding blocks I like as well as the ubiquitous folded sheet. It's boring work but crucial to getting a nice finish later.
> 
> ...


Oh, never mind my question about your plugs. You answered it in this post 

For making my pegs, I use William Ng's method, but use a socket from my socket set that fits the square stock. I just slip the square stock in, and there's no time required to chuck/unchuck the stock, and it doesn't chew up the end so bad either.


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## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

*Top Assembly, and Ebony Plugs & Splines *

With the bases complete I now assemble the two halves of the top with the table slides and temporarily attach the bases. This allows me to fit the alignment pins for all of the leaves.










To bore the holes for the alignment pins I make up a jig that locates the holes precisely. With five sets of pins and sockets it is critical to get them all aligned.










With the alignment pins in place I can now accurately mark the edges of the leaves for final trimming, which I do with a straight edge and a spiral pattern bit.

Not much room to move in my shop with this table fully assembled. Adding the four leaves extends the table an extra 60". I use metal slides since they are the only ones strong enough to allow this much extension without a center leg.










Next I move on to making the curved ebony splines. The curve of the splines must match the curve of the table edge. Since the top is elliptical, each spline is different around the table quadrant. I make up four jigs to hold the ebony blanks for pattern routing. I had a CNC template made to match the four different spline shapes. The templates attach to the top with double sided tape.










The curve and spline profile are formed simultaneously on the router table.










The splines that meet the separation between the table halves are made with a small tab to allow precise fitting along the inside edge.










In addition to the splines, I need additional square ebony plugs for the table top. Making them by hand is very labor intensive, so I utilize a four jaw chuck on the lathe to help speed the process. I first rough the basic pillow shape with a mill bastard file, then sand with sanding sponges to 220, 400 and 600 grit before the final polish with the buffing wheel.










Using this method I can make the plugs in less than half the time and they are more consistent in shape. The plug on the right is made on the lathe, compared to the plug on the left which is made by hand. I like the consistent shape of the lathe turned plug.










Next step: Fabricate additional square plugs, rectangular plugs and straight splines for the leaves and table tops then fit and install.


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## Mean_Dean (Oct 13, 2009)

TungOil said:


> *Top Assembly, and Ebony Plugs & Splines *
> 
> With the bases complete I now assemble the two halves of the top with the table slides and temporarily attach the bases. This allows me to fit the alignment pins for all of the leaves.
> 
> ...


Man you're as bad as Norm-you've got a jig for everything!

Well, you're really making some good progress on this table, and it truly will be a masterpiece that'll get handed down to future generations!


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## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

TungOil said:


> *Top Assembly, and Ebony Plugs & Splines *
> 
> With the bases complete I now assemble the two halves of the top with the table slides and temporarily attach the bases. This allows me to fit the alignment pins for all of the leaves.
> 
> ...


I believe I have made more jigs for this project and the last set of G&G tables I made than I did in the entire 40+ years before hand.


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## EarlS (Dec 21, 2011)

TungOil said:


> *Top Assembly, and Ebony Plugs & Splines *
> 
> With the bases complete I now assemble the two halves of the top with the table slides and temporarily attach the bases. This allows me to fit the alignment pins for all of the leaves.
> 
> ...


Well at least we know who to ask about jigs for a G&G table, or splines, or plugs, or….well just about anything that has to do with G&G. The plugs and splines are one of the elements that really makes G&G furniture stand out. Can't wait to see the finished project.


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## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

TungOil said:


> *Top Assembly, and Ebony Plugs & Splines *
> 
> With the bases complete I now assemble the two halves of the top with the table slides and temporarily attach the bases. This allows me to fit the alignment pins for all of the leaves.
> 
> ...


I'm happy to talk about my jigs for G&G in more detail of there is interest, and there are certainly quite a few, but the real experts are Darrell Peart and William Ng and many others here on LJ.


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## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

*Fitting Ebony Splines and Plugs*

The next step is to Fit the ebony splines around the perimeter of the table edge and install the remaining square plugs.

The splines where the table opens for the leaves have both a curved face and one end exposed, requiring careful fitting. For these splines, I leave a tab that will be sanded for a precise fit along the inside edge. To set the splines, I first adjust the curved end for a clean fit. Then, I gradually sand the tab on the disc sander until the spline has an even reveal along the table edge. Finally, I scribe the end and carefully trim and sand it flush to the table edge. The outside, pillowed edge of the spline is then finish sanded, followed by a quick polish on the buffing wheel. The end of the spline is not pillowed as it must be flush when installed.










The splines are installed with a bit of glue carefully applied to the inside of the groove. I then install the square plugs in the top, setting the final depth using a simple jig with a shallow dado to set the plugs to a consistent depth.










Fitting the curved splines along the rest of the table edge is easier since they only need to be fit for length and an even reveal along the curved table edge.










To finish up the ebony details, I fit the rectangular plugs. I again use the disc sander to sneak up on the proper length for each plug and sand a very slight taper into the ends of the plug ro assure a tight fit.










With all of the splines and plugs installed the main table is now ready for a final going over then stain and finish.










With the main table completed, I move on to the ebony details in the leaves. Each leave gets 4 splines, 2 rectangular plugs and 8 square plugs. The end of each spline is fit first, then the tab, then finishing up with the open end. A white fabric pencil makes a high visibility mark on the ebony to help sneak up on the final length at the disc sander.










The square and rectangular plugs are installed as above.










With all of the ebony details installed, I put the leaves in to do one last alignment check before I disassemble everything to stain and finish. At 135" long and 65" wide with all four leaves installed, this is about the biggest project that will fit in my current shop space.










It took nearly a full board foot of ebony to make the splines and plugs for this project, which total up to 142 square plugs, 32 splines and 22 rectangular plugs.

Next steps: Add identification pins to the leaves to identify the proper order, stain and finish.


----------



## RichT (Oct 14, 2016)

TungOil said:


> *Fitting Ebony Splines and Plugs*
> 
> The next step is to Fit the ebony splines around the perimeter of the table edge and install the remaining square plugs.
> 
> ...


Looks good, Tung. You're a talented guy.


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## 000 (Dec 9, 2015)

TungOil said:


> *Fitting Ebony Splines and Plugs*
> 
> The next step is to Fit the ebony splines around the perimeter of the table edge and install the remaining square plugs.
> 
> ...


Looks like things are going great. 
Now all you have to do is sand everything flat and you will be done… 

Very nice work. The craftsmanship is outstanding.


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## rodk1 (Oct 2, 2009)

TungOil said:


> *Fitting Ebony Splines and Plugs*
> 
> The next step is to Fit the ebony splines around the perimeter of the table edge and install the remaining square plugs.
> 
> ...


This is one very Impressive project. Thanks so much for sharing it with us.


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## edapp (Jun 27, 2014)

TungOil said:


> *Fitting Ebony Splines and Plugs*
> 
> The next step is to Fit the ebony splines around the perimeter of the table edge and install the remaining square plugs.
> 
> ...


This project is out of this world! Has been a joy to read and follow.


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## splintergroup (Jan 20, 2015)

TungOil said:


> *Fitting Ebony Splines and Plugs*
> 
> The next step is to Fit the ebony splines around the perimeter of the table edge and install the remaining square plugs.
> 
> ...


Lots of detailed work! I bet it feels good to finally be "bringing it home". Kinda sad that the leaves (typically) will be kept in a closet and only brought out for a few days every year. This table will 'pop' once that finish gets applied. I assume you are going to spray? (I know, wait and see 8^)


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## Northwest29 (Aug 1, 2011)

TungOil said:


> *Fitting Ebony Splines and Plugs*
> 
> The next step is to Fit the ebony splines around the perimeter of the table edge and install the remaining square plugs.
> 
> ...


Simply beautiful and excellent craftsmanship. Well done.


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## EarlS (Dec 21, 2011)

TungOil said:


> *Fitting Ebony Splines and Plugs*
> 
> The next step is to Fit the ebony splines around the perimeter of the table edge and install the remaining square plugs.
> 
> ...


It keeps looking better with every post. Did you make runners or supports for the leaves when the table is fully open? Also, how are the leaves being held together? I know our dining table has clasps that pull the sections tightly together. I can't recall seeing any details of the bottom side of the table. I'll be looking back through the series to see if I missed those details.

I found the slides - guess I didn't read the opening lines and look at the first picture close enough on Part #20. Did I miss the clasps too?


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## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

TungOil said:


> *Fitting Ebony Splines and Plugs*
> 
> The next step is to Fit the ebony splines around the perimeter of the table edge and install the remaining square plugs.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the kind words all, much appreciated!

Splinter- leave storage will be the subject of a future project….won't be the closet….stay tuned. Stain and Finishing is up next, still undecided on what system to use for the topcoat. Based on my stain samples, you are correct- the pommelle really pops with some stain.

Earl- yes, I opted for the commercial metal slides to be sure they would be strong enough to handle the 60" additional table length. I would have preferred wooden slides, but in this case function over form. You didn't miss the keepers, they are not installed yet. I'll install them as I'm assembling the table up in the dining room after the finishing is complete. They are just some brass keepers from Rockler.


----------



## Mean_Dean (Oct 13, 2009)

TungOil said:


> *Fitting Ebony Splines and Plugs*
> 
> The next step is to Fit the ebony splines around the perimeter of the table edge and install the remaining square plugs.
> 
> ...


The table is looking absolutely amazing! Nice to be on the home stretch, huh?!


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## PPK (Mar 8, 2016)

TungOil said:


> *Fitting Ebony Splines and Plugs*
> 
> The next step is to Fit the ebony splines around the perimeter of the table edge and install the remaining square plugs.
> 
> ...


"It took nearly a full board foot of ebony to make the splines and plugs for this project, which total up to 142 square plugs, 32 splines and 22 rectangular plugs."

Ouch… my hardwood store sells Gabon ebony for about $125/bf… If you factored in the price to fabricate those plugs also, you could practically just call 'em black gold


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## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

*ID Pins and Setting Up the "Spray Booth"*

The last step before finishing is to add the identification pins to the leaves. The pins are made from brass rod stock turned on the lathe. After truing up one end, I cut them off roughly 1/4" long.










The pins are let into the edges of the table and leaves then held in place with a bit of glue. One edge of the table gets a single pin and the adjoining edge of the adjacent leave also gets a single pin. On the other side of that leave, two pins, and so forth up to five pins.










The order for the leaves is maintained by matching the number of pins in the edge of the leave with the same number of pins in the adjacent leave, maintaining the grain match. Kudos to jbay for the idea of using pins.

With construction complete, I give the shop a good cleaning and prepare for the finishing steps. I set up my temporary spray booth, which consists of plastic Zip walls and a fan in the window. With this arrangement I have an area of about 10' x 15' to work in.










I've been working on finish test samples on and off for a while. I've always liked the 'close to the wood' look and color from oil and varnish type wiping finishes like Waterlox and Arm-R-Seal, but for large projects such as this table spraying is a must. My usual go-to finish for a spray application would be a solvent based nitrocellulose lacquer. Lacquer is easy to apply, forgiving and dries quickly, all good characteristics when applying top coats without the benefit of a proper spray booth. The down side of any solvent based finish is the flammability, toxicity, and messy cleanup. A water based finish is in order. The trick will be to find a water based finish that will not be high build and provide the chatoyance of an oil/varnish.

Next steps: Preparing test samples of various finish options then applying finish.


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## pintodeluxe (Sep 12, 2010)

TungOil said:


> *ID Pins and Setting Up the "Spray Booth"*
> 
> The last step before finishing is to add the identification pins to the leaves. The pins are made from brass rod stock turned on the lathe. After truing up one end, I cut them off roughly 1/4" long.
> 
> ...


I'd stick with lacquer for this one. You just can't beat the way it lays down when sprayed. I have two dining tables in the house that I sprayed with two coats of lacquer years ago. One is a formal dining table, and the other gets used every day. Other than a few dents, they both look like new.

I like Rudd Duracat 550 VOC in the satin sheen.

Good luck finishing up this massive and excellent project.


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## EarlS (Dec 21, 2011)

TungOil said:


> *ID Pins and Setting Up the "Spray Booth"*
> 
> The last step before finishing is to add the identification pins to the leaves. The pins are made from brass rod stock turned on the lathe. After truing up one end, I cut them off roughly 1/4" long.
> 
> ...


Can't wait to see the finished table. Take lots of pictures!!!

I tend to prefer Arm-R-Seal for the look as well as the durability. With your set up you should be able to keep your spray area "clean" and dust free for the longer dry time.

My finishing approach is to spray the first coat on Sunday, wait until Monday after work and take care of any light sanding, and clean off any nubs or dust. Then spray again Tuesday night after wiping the project down a second time. Wednesday is sanding and cleaning, Thursday is spraying, then Friday is more sanding and cleaning with the final coat being sprayed on Saturday. Sunday, I take everything down and do a really light wet sand with super fine paper (6000-8000 grit) if needed and follow up with Behlens Duplexing wax and a really good rub down.


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## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

TungOil said:


> *ID Pins and Setting Up the "Spray Booth"*
> 
> The last step before finishing is to add the identification pins to the leaves. The pins are made from brass rod stock turned on the lathe. After truing up one end, I cut them off roughly 1/4" long.
> 
> ...


Willie- it is really risky for me to move away from my 'tried and true' finish (nitrocellulose lacquer) for a project with this much time and effort in it for sure. However, my current dining table was sprayed with lacquer and the finish has failed in a few places and the table my mom has is also starting to experience finish failure as well. Both are lacquer and both are 30+ years old at this point. In addition, what ever I choose to spray this table out with will need to carry over to 12 chairs, a sideboard, two corner cabinets and something for storing the leaves. So I need to choose wisely.

Earl- are you spraying Arm-R-Seal? If so how are you reducing it, and with what?


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## splintergroup (Jan 20, 2015)

TungOil said:


> *ID Pins and Setting Up the "Spray Booth"*
> 
> The last step before finishing is to add the identification pins to the leaves. The pins are made from brass rod stock turned on the lathe. After truing up one end, I cut them off roughly 1/4" long.
> 
> ...


I hate finishing 8^)


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## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

TungOil said:


> *ID Pins and Setting Up the "Spray Booth"*
> 
> The last step before finishing is to add the identification pins to the leaves. The pins are made from brass rod stock turned on the lathe. After truing up one end, I cut them off roughly 1/4" long.
> 
> ...


I hate sanding more. Since most of my early experiences woodworking were paid commissions, I learned to like finishing. It's the step right before getting a check!


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## DS (Oct 10, 2011)

TungOil said:


> *ID Pins and Setting Up the "Spray Booth"*
> 
> The last step before finishing is to add the identification pins to the leaves. The pins are made from brass rod stock turned on the lathe. After truing up one end, I cut them off roughly 1/4" long.
> 
> ...


When you mentioned pegs for your table leaves, I thought you might be talking about these ones from Hafele


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## 000 (Dec 9, 2015)

TungOil said:


> *ID Pins and Setting Up the "Spray Booth"*
> 
> The last step before finishing is to add the identification pins to the leaves. The pins are made from brass rod stock turned on the lathe. After truing up one end, I cut them off roughly 1/4" long.
> 
> ...





> I hate sanding more. Since most of my early experiences woodworking were paid commissions, I learned to like finishing. It s the step right before getting a check!
> 
> - TungOil


Sanding and finishing is the most important part. It's not that I so much like doing it, but since it is the most important part, I do get into it. I'm doing a job now that is kicking my butt. It's a 9'x 9' wall unit, painted black.
So far, 4 coats of primmer, sanding to a powder baby butt smooth surface to 2 coats of clear. Not happy with the outcome so far so I'm sanding and prepping for a 3rd coat, hoping this is it.

I'm not suggesting you switch to pre-cat for this table, 
but you will be much happier with the build and feel and look of pre-cat. 
Plus it's way more durable than nitrocellulose. I've used it on more than a few tops.

Good Luck whatever way you go, It's a very nice table


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## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

TungOil said:


> *ID Pins and Setting Up the "Spray Booth"*
> 
> The last step before finishing is to add the identification pins to the leaves. The pins are made from brass rod stock turned on the lathe. After truing up one end, I cut them off roughly 1/4" long.
> 
> ...





> When you mentioned pegs for your table leaves, I thought you might be talking about these ones from Hafele
> 
> - DS


DS- I added the alignment pins for the leaves a few weeks ago. I didn't use the Hafele that you show but very similar style.


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## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

TungOil said:


> *ID Pins and Setting Up the "Spray Booth"*
> 
> The last step before finishing is to add the identification pins to the leaves. The pins are made from brass rod stock turned on the lathe. After truing up one end, I cut them off roughly 1/4" long.
> 
> ...





> I'm not suggesting you switch to pre-cat for this table,
> but you will be much happier with the build and feel and look of pre-cat.
> Plus it s way more durable than nitrocellulose. I ve used it on more than a few tops.
> 
> - jbay


jbay- I do intend to switch to pre-cat for this series of projects, water based if at all possible. I'm experimenting with the Target products right now, not quite fully happy with the results yet but getting there. the WB stuff behaves differently than solvent based, need to fine tune my technique to get a really exceptional finish but I can see that it is very possible with this system.


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## EarlS (Dec 21, 2011)

TungOil said:


> *ID Pins and Setting Up the "Spray Booth"*
> 
> The last step before finishing is to add the identification pins to the leaves. The pins are made from brass rod stock turned on the lathe. After truing up one end, I cut them off roughly 1/4" long.
> 
> ...


Tung - I don't thin Arm-R-Seal when I spray. It actually seems to go on thinner and with less runs/drips/sags/ than regular poly does. That being said, I also make sure and adjust the spray knob so it is a really fine spray.

I would like to hear your opinion of water based finishes after you try some. I've not been too happy with the way the water raises the grain, even after sanding, conditioner, sealers, and multiple coats.


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## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

TungOil said:


> *ID Pins and Setting Up the "Spray Booth"*
> 
> The last step before finishing is to add the identification pins to the leaves. The pins are made from brass rod stock turned on the lathe. After truing up one end, I cut them off roughly 1/4" long.
> 
> ...


Earl- I'm working on some samples of the WB finishes and I'll post the results with my next update. I'll also try spraying some Arm-R-Seal as well, thanks for the tip.


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## Mean_Dean (Oct 13, 2009)

TungOil said:


> *ID Pins and Setting Up the "Spray Booth"*
> 
> The last step before finishing is to add the identification pins to the leaves. The pins are made from brass rod stock turned on the lathe. After truing up one end, I cut them off roughly 1/4" long.
> 
> ...


Interesting finishing discussion-I'm definitely staying tuned for that!

As others have mentioned, I can't wait to see the finished project-it's gonna be a DT3 for sure!


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## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

*Testing Finish Options*

For a project this large, spraying is the only option to getting an even finish. Solvent based finishes are dangerous for a home shop and messy to clean up. I have been wanting to switch to a water borne finish system for a while so now is the time. Ideally I'd like one that behaves like a traditional solvent based lacquer; quick drying, easy to apply and provide good clarity and chatoyance.

The Target Coatings products have gotten consistent praise from many users. I ordered some quart size containers of the EM6000 Production Lacquer, EM8000 Conversion Varnish and EM9300 Polycarbonate Urethane for testing.

I prepared some test samples with the 6000, 8000 and 9300 as well as control samples using Arm-R-Seal (wiped) and Waterlox Original (wiped). The top sample in the image below is Arm-R-Seal over General Finishes dye stain. The samples below it are the 8000 and 9300 Target products.










My first samples sprayed nicely, but then I started having trouble getting the Target products to lay down nicely like the solvent based lacquers I'm used to spraying. I tried various air pressure and fluid nozzle settings without any luck. Each subsequent sample seemed to get worse, not better, and I was getting a lot of orange peel. After some head scratching, I decided to take apart my trusty DeVilbiss MBC and found that the water borne finishes has built up inside and started to corrode my fluid nozzle. A quick bath in paint stripper removed the offending build up but there is still some corrosion present. Clearly these water borne products are not compatible with my older gun's internal components.










The two samples below were shot after cleaning the nozzle. While there is still a touch of grain raise evident, I was able to get a nice finish with no orange peel. I am pleased with the way the Target products sprayed and pulled down tightly to the wood while still allowing the grain to show through- I prefer a 'close to the wood' finish over a heavy build.










Time for a new gun. After investigating many spray gun options, I decided to order a CA Technologies Jaguar 100H HVLP gravity gun. This gun appears to be a good option for me since it can run on as little as 6 CFM @ 40 PSI which will work well with my 6.9 CFM Rolair compressor. It is also designed for water borne finish systems so corrosion should not be an issue. My finish testing is on hold until my new gun arrives.

Next steps: Complete my finish testing to sort out my finish schedule, then stain and finish off this table and 'deliver' it to the customer.


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## RichT (Oct 14, 2016)

TungOil said:


> *Testing Finish Options*
> 
> For a project this large, spraying is the only option to getting an even finish. Solvent based finishes are dangerous for a home shop and messy to clean up. I have been wanting to switch to a water borne finish system for a while so now is the time. Ideally I'd like one that behaves like a traditional solvent based lacquer; quick drying, easy to apply and provide good clarity and chatoyance.
> 
> ...


That top piece is pretty stunning, Tung. I'll be following this to see how the new gun performs. I'm always in the market for a new toy.


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## EarlS (Dec 21, 2011)

TungOil said:


> *Testing Finish Options*
> 
> For a project this large, spraying is the only option to getting an even finish. Solvent based finishes are dangerous for a home shop and messy to clean up. I have been wanting to switch to a water borne finish system for a while so now is the time. Ideally I'd like one that behaves like a traditional solvent based lacquer; quick drying, easy to apply and provide good clarity and chatoyance.
> 
> ...


I'm curious to see what you settle on for the stain and finish and how it turns out. This might just be the nudge I need to try WB again and get away from traditional poly and oil based stains.

How did the finish feel after you worked out the orange peel? Was there much roughness from the grain raising? My experience with WB finishes has been less than ideal since they always seem to raise the grain significantly and the extra sanding is a pain.


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## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

TungOil said:


> *Testing Finish Options*
> 
> For a project this large, spraying is the only option to getting an even finish. Solvent based finishes are dangerous for a home shop and messy to clean up. I have been wanting to switch to a water borne finish system for a while so now is the time. Ideally I'd like one that behaves like a traditional solvent based lacquer; quick drying, easy to apply and provide good clarity and chatoyance.
> 
> ...


Rich- I already changed my mind on the gun brand. Canceled the order for the CAT and instead ordered a DeVilbiss. They have performed beautifully for me for 40 years I see no reason to change horses at this point. Should arrive Saturday.

Earl- Jeff Weiss from Target called me this morning with some additional tips to help me fine tune the finish. He indicated that the EM6000 product does lay down just a bit easier than the others but that a good finish can be achieved with any of them. At this moment I'm inclined to spray the entire project out with the EM6000. It will not see daily use and I especially like the 100% burn in capability so repairs down the road would be easy. Jeff's support is exceptional and he is very knowledgable.

Regarding roughness, at this point I'm still working through the details of my finish schedule to get the best surface. I still have some very slight grain raise coming through which should be easy to eliminate with an additional round of sanding. The majority of the grain raise is coming from the dye stain. The last test I did I applied three coats of dye stain, then a topcoat of clear followed by a heavy sanding to flatten everything out. After three more topcoat layers the grain had raised again very slightly so I will likely add another somewhat heavy sanding just before the last topcoat.


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## PPK (Mar 8, 2016)

TungOil said:


> *Testing Finish Options*
> 
> For a project this large, spraying is the only option to getting an even finish. Solvent based finishes are dangerous for a home shop and messy to clean up. I have been wanting to switch to a water borne finish system for a while so now is the time. Ideally I'd like one that behaves like a traditional solvent based lacquer; quick drying, easy to apply and provide good clarity and chatoyance.
> 
> ...


Mmm… I think the Arm R Seal in the top picture still looks the best. It's got that glow to it that I've never seen in a water-based finish… I have yet to try spraying Arm R Seal, but I think next project I'm going to.


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## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

TungOil said:


> *Testing Finish Options*
> 
> For a project this large, spraying is the only option to getting an even finish. Solvent based finishes are dangerous for a home shop and messy to clean up. I have been wanting to switch to a water borne finish system for a while so now is the time. Ideally I'd like one that behaves like a traditional solvent based lacquer; quick drying, easy to apply and provide good clarity and chatoyance.
> 
> ...


PPK- Agreed, the top sample looks great, but it also has the advantage of having the best grain of all the sample pieces as well. I'm determined to get the water borne to work on this project. Jeff Weiss at Target has been very helpful and I greatly appreciate his guidance and help getting me to a better finish.


----------



## PPK (Mar 8, 2016)

TungOil said:


> *Testing Finish Options*
> 
> For a project this large, spraying is the only option to getting an even finish. Solvent based finishes are dangerous for a home shop and messy to clean up. I have been wanting to switch to a water borne finish system for a while so now is the time. Ideally I'd like one that behaves like a traditional solvent based lacquer; quick drying, easy to apply and provide good clarity and chatoyance.
> 
> ...


Oh dear. I was trying to post this on the Furniture maker's forum. Sorry for the mix up.


----------



## Mean_Dean (Oct 13, 2009)

TungOil said:


> *Testing Finish Options*
> 
> For a project this large, spraying is the only option to getting an even finish. Solvent based finishes are dangerous for a home shop and messy to clean up. I have been wanting to switch to a water borne finish system for a while so now is the time. Ideally I'd like one that behaves like a traditional solvent based lacquer; quick drying, easy to apply and provide good clarity and chatoyance.
> 
> ...


I've always liked the oil-based finishes, and am very interested in hearing about your experiences with the water-based ones!


----------



## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

*Testing Finish Options, Part 2*

After determining that I had a corrosion issue with my older spray gun, I ordered a replacement. My original order was for a CAT HVLP gun, but I ended up ordering a DeVilbiss GFG-670 Plus conversion gun instead. While waiting for the new gun to arrive, I completed a few projects in preparation for spraying.

First, I prepared a large batch of stain using General Finishes water based dye stain, mixed using Darrell Peart's formula of 7 parts orange to 4 parts medium brown. I mixed up about a half gallon to be sure I don't run out part way through the project.










Next I built a finishing turntable to make spraying easier. I picked up a 12" lazy Susan bearing at the local hardware store.










I pulled some scrap plywood out of my inventory and created a 18" x 60" rectangular lazy Susan. By spinning the piece being sprayed, I can keep the overspray headed in the general direction of the exhaust fan and also take advantage of the raking light from my halogen work light.










Finally, I added some tank capacity to my compressed air system with a 10 gallon Air Keg from Rolair. The extra 10 gallons will help out when I start spraying out the large tops, since the 9 CFM requirement for this gun slightly exceeds my compressor capacity.










After the new spray gun arrived I prepared some test samples. I started with a 1.3mm tip. The pattern seemed heavy in the center and after I sprayed out two samples the orange peel confirmed that I needed to move down a tip size. I took the ROS to one of the samples to sand out the orange peel and shot another coat using a 1.2mm tip which went down much more smoothly (left sample below).










For the next sample, I changed out the tip to a 1.0mm and applied 3 coats of stain, scuffing lightly with 600 between coats to knock back the raised grain. I then switched to the 1.2mm tip to apply the topcoat layers. Three applications of EM6000 gloss followed by a coat of satin. For this sample, I sanded the top half of the triangle with a 400G Abranet pad before applying the final coat of satin. The result was a much smoother finish that still allows some grain to come through.










I like the close to the wood appearance for the base, but for the top I might prefer a smoother finish that does not allow the grain to peek through. For my next sample I will try a grain filler.

While waiting on the grain filler I decided to get the pedestal bases stained. I sprayed an initial coat of dye stain on both bases which raised the grain significantly. The color is a lighter brown after just one application of stain, and the ribbon striping of the quarter sawn sapele is just starting to show.










After a heavy block sanding I applied a second coat of dye stain. This time the grain raise was minimal and required a lighter block sanding. I then applied the third and final coat of stain. For each coat of stain I work with the spray gun in one hand and a blue shop towel in the other. I spray a section, then wipe off the excess and blend while the dye is still liquid. By the third application of stain, the bases take on a deep brown that really highlights the grain nicely.










To spray the bases I used the 3 oz. Dekups system. Dekups is a disposable cup system that fits in place of the normal aluminum cup. This is the smallest cup available and is intended for auto touchup work. The small size allows me to spray in the tight spaces inside the base.










Next step: Test the grain filler and finalize my finish schedule, stain the top and leaves and apply the topcoat.


----------



## splintergroup (Jan 20, 2015)

TungOil said:


> *Testing Finish Options, Part 2*
> 
> After determining that I had a corrosion issue with my older spray gun, I ordered a replacement. My original order was for a CAT HVLP gun, but I ended up ordering a DeVilbiss GFG-670 Plus conversion gun instead. While waiting for the new gun to arrive, I completed a few projects in preparation for spraying.
> 
> ...


Good to see the "testing on scraps" aspect of finishing. I like how you are dialing in your tip sizes and chemistry, nice methodical approach.


----------



## EarlS (Dec 21, 2011)

TungOil said:


> *Testing Finish Options, Part 2*
> 
> After determining that I had a corrosion issue with my older spray gun, I ordered a replacement. My original order was for a CAT HVLP gun, but I ended up ordering a DeVilbiss GFG-670 Plus conversion gun instead. While waiting for the new gun to arrive, I completed a few projects in preparation for spraying.
> 
> ...


Tung, I especially like the fact that even your scraps are G&G right down to the ebony plugs ;+D


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## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

TungOil said:


> *Testing Finish Options, Part 2*
> 
> After determining that I had a corrosion issue with my older spray gun, I ordered a replacement. My original order was for a CAT HVLP gun, but I ended up ordering a DeVilbiss GFG-670 Plus conversion gun instead. While waiting for the new gun to arrive, I completed a few projects in preparation for spraying.
> 
> ...


SG- it's a good thing I'm getting close to having the finish schedule dialed in, I only have two scraps left from the table top!



> Tung, I especially like the fact that even your scraps are G&G right down to the ebony plugs ;+D
> 
> - EarlS


Just staying in character! Actually I wanted to be sure that if I needed to sand around the plugs that I would be able to do it satisfactorily.

My first few coats on the grain filled sample went down tonight. The filler made a huge difference in the finish quality. This sample has 3 coats of gloss applied and still needs a final coat of satin but the finish is nicely smooth:


----------



## Mean_Dean (Oct 13, 2009)

TungOil said:


> *Testing Finish Options, Part 2*
> 
> After determining that I had a corrosion issue with my older spray gun, I ordered a replacement. My original order was for a CAT HVLP gun, but I ended up ordering a DeVilbiss GFG-670 Plus conversion gun instead. While waiting for the new gun to arrive, I completed a few projects in preparation for spraying.
> 
> ...


Man this is really looking nice! I agree that the grain filler is a good idea for the top, so you can have a glass-smooth finish. Then let the grain really come through on the bases!


----------



## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

*Finish Schedule Established and Start Spraying*

Now that the grain filler has arrived, I prepare another test sample. After applying three coats of dye stain and a seal coat of EM6000 gloss I squeegee on three coats of Aqua Seal grain filler using an old hotel key card as a applicator. The Aqua Coat is a gel about the consistency of petroleum jelly and applies easily. It does lift the color some. A light sanding is required between coats to smooth.










I allow the Aqua Coat 24 hour to fully dry then apply three coats of EM6000 gloss to build the base followed by a topcoat of EM6000 satin to achieve the desired sheen.










The grain filler makes a big difference in the appearance of the final finish. Each coat goes down very flat. The finished surface is exceptionally smooth yet the grain still peeks through just slightly. After 25 test samples, I have the final finish schedule worked out.










Finish schedule:

- Spray 3 coats General Finishes water based dye stain, wipe immediately with blue shop towels to blend and take up the excess. Block sand 220 grit after the first application, then scuff sand with 600 grit silicone carbide paper between coats to knock back the raised grain. 
- Apply 1 light coat of EM6000 gloss as a seal coat. Block sand with 600 grit silicone carbide paper to flatten any raised grain.
- Tops & leaves get three coats of Aqua Coat grain filler (no grain filler on the bases). Lightly sand with 400 grit silicone carbide between coats. 
- Build a finish base with 3 coats of EM6000 gloss , lightly scuff sand 600 grit silicone carbide between coats to denib.
- Apply a final top coat of EM6000 satin to get the desired finished sheen.

With my finish schedule worked out, it's time to spray the topcoat on the pedestal bases. I apply three coats of EM6000 gloss, lightly scuff sanding between coats. For the final topcoat I switch to EM6000 satin to get the final sheen. The final color is a deep reddish brown.










Without the grain filler, the deep grain of the sapele shows through the finish and has a nice close to the wood appearance.










The ebony plugs stand out nicely against the sapele.










I set the pedestal bases aside outside the shop to free up room to spray the leaves next. I finish the bottoms of the leaves with one coat of EM6000 gloss to seal, block sanded smooth. I follow with three coats of EM6000 gloss to build the finish with just a light scuff sanding between coats then a final coat of EM6000 satin.










After letting the leaves dry overnight, I flip them and apply a single coat of EM6000 gloss to seal the tops in preparation for the grain filler. I set the leaves aside to dry.

While the leaves are drying, I apply three coats of stain to each side of the table halves. The first coat of stain just starts to bring up the grain and color. By the third coat of stain, the color is fully developed. I let the stain dry for a few hours then finish off the bottom side the same as the bottom of the leaves.










Next steps: Grain fill the tops and spray the final topcoat.


----------



## EarlS (Dec 21, 2011)

TungOil said:


> *Finish Schedule Established and Start Spraying*
> 
> Now that the grain filler has arrived, I prepare another test sample. After applying three coats of dye stain and a seal coat of EM6000 gloss I squeegee on three coats of Aqua Seal grain filler using an old hotel key card as a applicator. The Aqua Coat is a gel about the consistency of petroleum jelly and applies easily. It does lift the color some. A light sanding is required between coats to smooth.
> 
> ...


25 samples - for a project of this scale and appearance, nothing but a perfect finish will do, and I think you have it. Can't wait to see the final pictures. How long will the finishing take?


----------



## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

TungOil said:


> *Finish Schedule Established and Start Spraying*
> 
> Now that the grain filler has arrived, I prepare another test sample. After applying three coats of dye stain and a seal coat of EM6000 gloss I squeegee on three coats of Aqua Seal grain filler using an old hotel key card as a applicator. The Aqua Coat is a gel about the consistency of petroleum jelly and applies easily. It does lift the color some. A light sanding is required between coats to smooth.
> 
> ...


Earl- I hope to be done with the finishing this week. The spraying goes quick, it's the sanding between coats that takes all the time. and waiting on dry times.


----------



## PPK (Mar 8, 2016)

TungOil said:


> *Finish Schedule Established and Start Spraying*
> 
> Now that the grain filler has arrived, I prepare another test sample. After applying three coats of dye stain and a seal coat of EM6000 gloss I squeegee on three coats of Aqua Seal grain filler using an old hotel key card as a applicator. The Aqua Coat is a gel about the consistency of petroleum jelly and applies easily. It does lift the color some. A light sanding is required between coats to smooth.
> 
> ...


Beautiful!
Can you stain right over the ebony, or do you have to mask if off?


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## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

TungOil said:


> *Finish Schedule Established and Start Spraying*
> 
> Now that the grain filler has arrived, I prepare another test sample. After applying three coats of dye stain and a seal coat of EM6000 gloss I squeegee on three coats of Aqua Seal grain filler using an old hotel key card as a applicator. The Aqua Coat is a gel about the consistency of petroleum jelly and applies easily. It does lift the color some. A light sanding is required between coats to smooth.
> 
> ...


PPK- I stained right over the ebony. I doesn't really pick up any appreciable color.


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## Mean_Dean (Oct 13, 2009)

TungOil said:


> *Finish Schedule Established and Start Spraying*
> 
> Now that the grain filler has arrived, I prepare another test sample. After applying three coats of dye stain and a seal coat of EM6000 gloss I squeegee on three coats of Aqua Seal grain filler using an old hotel key card as a applicator. The Aqua Coat is a gel about the consistency of petroleum jelly and applies easily. It does lift the color some. A light sanding is required between coats to smooth.
> 
> ...


You're really working hard to get this just right! I can't wait to see the finished project!


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## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

*Spraying the Tops and Installation*

With the bottoms of my table halves and leaves complete, I move on to finishing the tops. After spraying on a seal coat of EM6000 gloss I squeegee on a coat of Seal Coat grain filler. The Seal Coat dries quickly and sands easily to a fine white powder with a 400 grit Abranet disk.










After sanding the grain filler, I apply 3 coats of EM6000 gloss to build a base to the finish. The gloss really brings up the pommelle grain in the sapele.










I follow the gloss base coats with a single coat of EM6000 satin to cut the sheen. The top on the right in the image below has the satin topcoat, the left has not been sprayed yet. There is a striking difference in the sheen.










The four leaves get the same finish treatment as the tops.

Next I "deliver" the finished table (upstairs to the dining room) then install the slides and bases. In about a week the finish will be fully cured and I can rub out the lacquer if necessary.










The ebony plugs and splines have just the right amount of contrast against the sapele without standing out too much.










Overall I'm pleased with how this table turned out. There are a few things I would do differently if I were to build another one, but in general the construction went as planned.










Next steps: Rub out the finish and tally up the totals.

Next project: A set of matching dining chairs in sapele. I completed this table just in time as I will be taking the Blacker side chair class at the Marc Adams school, led by Bob Lang, in about a week.


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## sras (Oct 31, 2009)

TungOil said:


> *Spraying the Tops and Installation*
> 
> With the bottoms of my table halves and leaves complete, I move on to finishing the tops. After spraying on a seal coat of EM6000 gloss I squeegee on a coat of Seal Coat grain filler. The Seal Coat dries quickly and sands easily to a fine white powder with a 400 grit Abranet disk.
> 
> ...


This blog has been great! You have done a fantastic job on a challenging project. Thanks for bringing us along!


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## CaptainSkully (Aug 28, 2008)

TungOil said:


> *Spraying the Tops and Installation*
> 
> With the bottoms of my table halves and leaves complete, I move on to finishing the tops. After spraying on a seal coat of EM6000 gloss I squeegee on a coat of Seal Coat grain filler. The Seal Coat dries quickly and sands easily to a fine white powder with a 400 grit Abranet disk.
> 
> ...


Love this project! So glad that your delivery was just upstairs. Can't wait to see your Blacker chairs! Probably the only thing that would get me to go to Indiana…;^)


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## EarlS (Dec 21, 2011)

TungOil said:


> *Spraying the Tops and Installation*
> 
> With the bottoms of my table halves and leaves complete, I move on to finishing the tops. After spraying on a seal coat of EM6000 gloss I squeegee on a coat of Seal Coat grain filler. The Seal Coat dries quickly and sands easily to a fine white powder with a 400 grit Abranet disk.
> 
> ...


I missed all of this over the weekend since I was hard at work in the shop working on the desk. You keep sneaking posts in when I'm not watching 

I'm curious if you sanded the high gloss down before you shot the satin topcoat?


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## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

TungOil said:


> *Spraying the Tops and Installation*
> 
> With the bottoms of my table halves and leaves complete, I move on to finishing the tops. After spraying on a seal coat of EM6000 gloss I squeegee on a coat of Seal Coat grain filler. The Seal Coat dries quickly and sands easily to a fine white powder with a 400 grit Abranet disk.
> 
> ...





> Love this project! So glad that your delivery was just upstairs. Can t wait to see your Blacker chairs! Probably the only thing that would get me to go to Indiana…;^)
> 
> - CaptainSkully


Right, or the Indy 500….


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## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

TungOil said:


> *Spraying the Tops and Installation*
> 
> With the bottoms of my table halves and leaves complete, I move on to finishing the tops. After spraying on a seal coat of EM6000 gloss I squeegee on a coat of Seal Coat grain filler. The Seal Coat dries quickly and sands easily to a fine white powder with a 400 grit Abranet disk.
> 
> ...





> I missed all of this over the weekend since I was hard at work in the shop working on the desk. You keep sneaking posts in when I m not watching
> 
> I m curious if you sanded the high gloss down before you shot the satin topcoat?
> 
> - EarlS


Not really, just scuff sanded between coats to denib.


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## Mean_Dean (Oct 13, 2009)

TungOil said:


> *Spraying the Tops and Installation*
> 
> With the bottoms of my table halves and leaves complete, I move on to finishing the tops. After spraying on a seal coat of EM6000 gloss I squeegee on a coat of Seal Coat grain filler. The Seal Coat dries quickly and sands easily to a fine white powder with a 400 grit Abranet disk.
> 
> ...


All the time and effort you've put into this project has really paid off! Can't wait to see your blog about the Blacker House chairs!

By the way, does anyone know if the Blacker House is open for tours? I'd love to see it now that it's restored to its previous glory!


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## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

TungOil said:


> *Spraying the Tops and Installation*
> 
> With the bottoms of my table halves and leaves complete, I move on to finishing the tops. After spraying on a seal coat of EM6000 gloss I squeegee on a coat of Seal Coat grain filler. The Seal Coat dries quickly and sands easily to a fine white powder with a 400 grit Abranet disk.
> 
> ...


Oops, I mis typed, I'm building Gamble house chairs, not Blacker….


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## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

*Final Wrap Up*

Now that this project is completed, I decided to tally up some totals:

Board feet of Sapele used: 249
4' x 8' sheets of 3/4" baltic birch plywood: 5
Square feet of shop sawn veneer: 108
Hours to complete (estimated): 500 
Number of square ebony plugs: 142
Number of ebony splines: 32
Number of rectangular plugs: 22
Quarts of finish used: 5
Number of new router bits needed to make the joinery: 16

What worked well?

The decision to finalize the design for the elliptical table top in AutoCAD and have a local millwork shop make the pattern routing templates on their CNC was key to having all of the components for the top fit together perfectly. The center field, edge banding components and ebony splines fit precisely right off the pattern routing with no fine tuning required.

The Leigh FMT jig is a very precise tool and worked well for the angled mortise and tenon work needed for the base pedestals on this table.

Carefully planning and thinking through the steps of construction and assembly for this table was key to making sure it came together successfully.

What would I do differently?

I would have bought my veneers instead of taking the time to make shop sawn veneer. Not only would I have been able to better select for grain pattern but it would have saved a tremendous amount of time and labor.

I might consider a semi-gloss finish instead of satin, at least in the Target Coatings line. The satin has just a bit less sheen than I would like.

Overall this was a fun and challenging project and I'm glad I took it on.


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## edapp (Jun 27, 2014)

TungOil said:


> *Final Wrap Up*
> 
> Now that this project is completed, I decided to tally up some totals:
> 
> ...


This was a phenomenal project and a joy for me to read. Thank you for taking the time to post the information here.


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## CaptainSkully (Aug 28, 2008)

TungOil said:


> *Final Wrap Up*
> 
> Now that this project is completed, I decided to tally up some totals:
> 
> ...


Thank you for taking the time to take us along for the ride. I doubt I'll ever make anything so epic.


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## pottz (Sep 15, 2015)

TungOil said:


> *Final Wrap Up*
> 
> Now that this project is completed, I decided to tally up some totals:
> 
> ...


wow doesn't look like it was a cheap project but was sure worth the time and money.just phenominal work buddy.


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## EarlS (Dec 21, 2011)

TungOil said:


> *Final Wrap Up*
> 
> Now that this project is completed, I decided to tally up some totals:
> 
> ...


Tung, I can barely keep up with your blogs, let alone the amount of high quality work you complete. Did I miss your final pictures of the table with all of the leaves in it?

Looks like I need to step up both the quality and quantity of my woodworking just to keep pace…....

Thanks for taking all of the time to post your progress on the table. I always appreciate it when others take the time to show their work and explain their approach to the process.


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## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

TungOil said:


> *Final Wrap Up*
> 
> Now that this project is completed, I decided to tally up some totals:
> 
> ...





> wow doesn t look like it was a cheap project ….
> - pottz


It wasn't, I didn't post the total cost just in case my wife is reading these….


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## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

TungOil said:


> *Final Wrap Up*
> 
> Now that this project is completed, I decided to tally up some totals:
> 
> ...





> Did I miss your final pictures of the table with all of the leaves in it?
> 
> - EarlS


I have not brought the leaves upstairs yet, too busy cutting chair parts!


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## pottz (Sep 15, 2015)

TungOil said:


> *Final Wrap Up*
> 
> Now that this project is completed, I decided to tally up some totals:
> 
> ...





> wow doesn t look like it was a cheap project ….
> - pottz
> 
> It wasn t, I didn t post the total cost just in case my wife is reading these….
> ...


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## pottz (Sep 15, 2015)

TungOil said:


> *Final Wrap Up*
> 
> Now that this project is completed, I decided to tally up some totals:
> 
> ...





> wow doesn t look like it was a cheap project ….
> - pottz
> 
> It wasn t, I didn t post the total cost just in case my wife is reading these….
> ...


tung what happens in the shop stays in the shop buddy!-lol.


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## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

TungOil said:


> *Final Wrap Up*
> 
> Now that this project is completed, I decided to tally up some totals:
> 
> ...


Looks like my hard work paid off, made the top 25-

https://www.oneida-air.com/static.asp?htmltemplate=static/american-craftsman-showcase.html


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## 000 (Dec 9, 2015)

TungOil said:


> *Final Wrap Up*
> 
> Now that this project is completed, I decided to tally up some totals:
> 
> ...


Great Job! 
Looks like you were running with a tough crowd.
Well deserved.


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## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

TungOil said:


> *Final Wrap Up*
> 
> Now that this project is completed, I decided to tally up some totals:
> 
> ...


For those that get Popular Woodworking magazine, I'm pleased to report that my Thorsen table is featured in the current issue (November 2018) as one of the winners of the 2018 design contest. I also managed to take third place in the General Finishes 2018 Design Challenge.

https://contest.generalfinishes.com/entries/2018/greene-greene-thorsen-dining-table


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