# Conference Table for Local Church



## Sawdustonmyshoulder (Jun 19, 2008)

*Let's get started with big slabs*

I have been commissioned by a local church member to build a conference table. She and her husband are supplying the lumber and I am supplying the design work and the woodworking.

I have been working on the table for several weeks now so I will get you up-to-date.

*First the lumber:* Quartersawn Southern Red Oak - Sawn from an estimated 500 year old red oak tree that measured over 6 feet in diameter. After it was blown over in a wind storm, it was sawn and left to air dry about 4 years. Most of the planks are 10 feet long and average 16 inches wide. I transported 1000 board feet of the oak to a lumber company for kiln drying.










*Randy and Luke helped me load the boards on a trailer for kiln drying. This is one of the top boards. All boards were photographed and numbered.*

*The design:* The table will have a final size of 12 feet long and 54 inches wide and 30 inches high. Since the lumber is only 10 feet long, and the client wanted the lumber to run the length of the table, we settled on a design that incorporated wide bread boards to make up the length. The legs will reflect some of the church's architecture with panels shaped at Gothic arches. The table top will be inlayed with a walnut cross.

*The woodworking:* I have built the three leg sets and the two stretchers for the "under carriage". I am now ready to plane the table top boards. I have decided to build it from 5 boards that will be about 12 inches wide to start off. After jointing, they should be slightly under 11 inches wide. The problem for me is planing this length of lumber in a two car garage. I have built an extension to my workbench to reference the boards. I have also built extensions to load the boards into the planer and to receive the boards coming out of the planer.

My next blog will tell the story of the planing. If you will look at my project called "My First Kitchen", I will explain how I "jointed" a wide board. I only have a 6 inch jointer so I had to improvise the "jointing" procedure.


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## wwbeds (Jul 1, 2007)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *Let's get started with big slabs*
> 
> I have been commissioned by a local church member to build a conference table. She and her husband are supplying the lumber and I am supplying the design work and the woodworking.
> 
> ...


Sounds interesting. Look forward to more post.


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## JohnR (Apr 11, 2008)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *Let's get started with big slabs*
> 
> I have been commissioned by a local church member to build a conference table. She and her husband are supplying the lumber and I am supplying the design work and the woodworking.
> 
> ...


Sawdust,

Having looked at your other projects, I am anxious to see your progress on this one. I would also like to see photos of the leg sets and stretchers.

Wow, for someone to quartersaw such a rare find as a 6' diameter old oak shows a true desire for a beautiful finished product down the line. Terrific.


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## teenagewoodworker (Jan 31, 2008)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *Let's get started with big slabs*
> 
> I have been commissioned by a local church member to build a conference table. She and her husband are supplying the lumber and I am supplying the design work and the woodworking.
> 
> ...


sounds interesting! can't wait to see some pix of the construction, thanks for the post!


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## toddc (Mar 6, 2007)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *Let's get started with big slabs*
> 
> I have been commissioned by a local church member to build a conference table. She and her husband are supplying the lumber and I am supplying the design work and the woodworking.
> 
> ...


Oh boy, I can't wait to see this one!


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## RjGall (Jun 16, 2008)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *Let's get started with big slabs*
> 
> I have been commissioned by a local church member to build a conference table. She and her husband are supplying the lumber and I am supplying the design work and the woodworking.
> 
> ...


WoW now thats a bigga one ,What a project.= Lots a Sawdust )
I also Can't wait to see it !


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## FatherHooligan (Mar 27, 2008)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *Let's get started with big slabs*
> 
> I have been commissioned by a local church member to build a conference table. She and her husband are supplying the lumber and I am supplying the design work and the woodworking.
> 
> ...


Sounds real interesting, some incredible wood to work with. Looking forward to your progress photos!


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## Sawdustonmyshoulder (Jun 19, 2008)

*Legs, Legs, Legs*

I have some photos now of the parts that have been finished to date and some that are still in the works.

I have complete the three leg sets for the conference table and the four leg sets for the side tables. I have mortised the inside of the conference table legs that will receive the tenons on the stretchers. I have drilled three holes in each mortise to form draw bore tenons. The holes in the tenons are about 1/32 inch closer to the shoulder. I will taper the oak pins and this should draw the tenon in very tight to the legs. I will not use glue on this joint so that when the church folks decide to move it, they can just remove the pins and the stretchers will come out.










*This photo is of one of the conference table leg sets.*










*This photo is the inside of the leg set. Notice the mortise and holes drilled in the opposite side of the center upright.*

The client asked that the table seat 20 people. Well, this would have made the table around 16 feet in length and since the wood was only 10 feet long the table would have had to be constructed with the boards running across the width of the table and she felt that this was not what she envisioned. What we can up with was to build two smaller tables that could be moved to each end of the table making it accommodate the number of folks. Below is one of the leg sets for these smaller tables.


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## gwurst (Nov 28, 2007)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *Legs, Legs, Legs*
> 
> I have some photos now of the parts that have been finished to date and some that are still in the works.
> 
> ...


I wish I had access to thick boards like that! Looking good so-far!


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## Sawdustonmyshoulder (Jun 19, 2008)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *Legs, Legs, Legs*
> 
> I have some photos now of the parts that have been finished to date and some that are still in the works.
> 
> ...


These pieces are not made from large boards. They are glue ups. I will address this in my next blog entry. Thanks.


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## toddc (Mar 6, 2007)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *Legs, Legs, Legs*
> 
> I have some photos now of the parts that have been finished to date and some that are still in the works.
> 
> ...


I like the gothic architectural element that you have captured. It looks like you will have a great project. I can't wait to see more.


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## JohnR (Apr 11, 2008)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *Legs, Legs, Legs*
> 
> I have some photos now of the parts that have been finished to date and some that are still in the works.
> 
> ...


Sawdust,

Thanks for the update. I am still anxious to see the end result.

Would it be possible for you to amplify (with pictures) the draw bore tenons structure. I am new to woodworking and need more info to appreciate fully what you are doing.

Thanks, again.


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## croessler (Jun 22, 2007)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *Legs, Legs, Legs*
> 
> I have some photos now of the parts that have been finished to date and some that are still in the works.
> 
> ...


Sawdust… You stated 20 people = 16ft table; From a design perspective how much personal space should be allowed for each person? Is there a rule of thumb for this?


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## Sawdustonmyshoulder (Jun 19, 2008)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *Legs, Legs, Legs*
> 
> I have some photos now of the parts that have been finished to date and some that are still in the works.
> 
> ...


JohnR, I will attempt to explain the draw bore tenons. I saw this demoed on a Lie-Neilson video. You make your mortise and tenon joint. Remove the tenon from the mortise. Drill a hole through the side of the mortise. You can go all the through or not. My sides of the piece is thick enough so I don't have to. Insert the tenon into the mortise and clamp it so you get a good tight fit. With a bradpoint bit, insert it into the holes and use the point to of the bit to mark the center of the hole in the tenon. DON'T DRILL INTO THE TENON. Remove the tenon from the mortise. Position the bradpoint bit on the tenon so that the point of the bit is 1/32 inch CLOSER TO THE SHOULDER OF THE TENON from the mark you made earlier. Drill the hole(s) in the tenon. When you insert the tenon back into the mortise the hole in the tenon should be offset. Select a dowel that is the same size as the hole drilled. With sandpaper, rasp or plane, taper the pin so that it will fit through hole in the mortise and the tenon. Drive home the dowel. This should draw the tenon in tight into the mortise. Only a small amount of glue will be needed. If this joint fails, it will be the least of your worries. Cause an F5 tornado just demolished your house.

I hope this is a help. Does anyone of you LJ's have a better way? Thanks, guys and gals.


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## Sawdustonmyshoulder (Jun 19, 2008)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *Legs, Legs, Legs*
> 
> I have some photos now of the parts that have been finished to date and some that are still in the works.
> 
> ...


Chris,

I figured on giving folks 24 inches. I saw where on your dining tables allow 21 but you know conference rooms have arm chairs and folks like to spread out, so gave them an extra 3.

With 8 people on each side, that's 16 feet and with the table being 54 inches wide, I allowed one on each end.

My resource was a Fine Woodworking article on proper and customary furniture design.


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## Sawdustonmyshoulder (Jun 19, 2008)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *Legs, Legs, Legs*
> 
> I have some photos now of the parts that have been finished to date and some that are still in the works.
> 
> ...


http://www.greenwoodworking.com/Drawbored%20M&T%20Joint.htm

draw-bored mortise and tenon UPDATE. Check here for a really long article on how to do this.

I make mine with power tools, these guys are doing it with traditional hand tools.


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## Sawdustonmyshoulder (Jun 19, 2008)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *Legs, Legs, Legs*
> 
> I have some photos now of the parts that have been finished to date and some that are still in the works.
> 
> ...


More draw-bore info.

http://www.woodcentral.com/bparticles/drawbore1.shtml

http://www.wkfinetools.com/contrib/cSchwarz/z_art/drawBoring/drawBoring1.asp

http://www.woodworking-magazine.com/blog/More+On+Drawboring++Not+Entirely+Boring+Either.aspx

Love the google search. some have pictures. I can read these.


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## Sawdustonmyshoulder (Jun 19, 2008)

*Inlay Test and Big Planks Planed*

The leg sets are made from full 1 inch stock. The lumber was sawed into 5/4 slabs, 10 feet long and widths around 20 inches to 16 inches. There were a few 12/4 slabs but were limb pieces.

What I did to make the leg sets were to joint and plane the stock to 1 inch and glue up the pieces to make the 4×4 and 4×6 pieces. I was not pleased with the look of the glued up pieces so I trimmed the pieces to be 3 inch wide. I then picked out pieces of lumber that had grain patterns matching the quartersawn pieces and glued these to the sides of the parts. This gives the look of quartersawn grain pattern on all sides. The only place I couldn't do this was on the rounded areas of the lower horizontal parts.

I was worried that the client would find these area unacceptable. She and her husband came over this Monday afternoon and was very pleased with the progress and made a positive comment about the endgrain showing in these rounded areas.

This past weekend I did get a lot of planing done on the table top parts. Even though these were the most beautiful quartersawn lumber,










there were places that were, for lack of better terms, undulating. I did get these planed to 7/8 inch thick. Some of the piece have areas that didn't get planed but these will be under the table top. You can see these areas on the piece leaning against the buffet. For the areas that really got too thin (under or close to 3/4 inch thick), I plan on making Dutchman inserts to beef up the wood. I practiced this on the stretcher. Worked out really well. First time I used my router inlay/insert kit.










Here is a photo of the boards stickered and my dining room. I put them in here to help maintain a humidity level that is pretty low. It's 95 degrees outside with a relative humidity getting close to 90%. Muggy!! My wife loves me. She must to allow me to stack lumber in the dining room along with her fine chinia.










I went out the climate controlled storeroom I have rented and picked up 3 more boards to plane. I want to plane these boards just in case I have problems on the table top construction. I will have to break down my planing stand that I have built just to plane these monster boards to do the jointing and glue up. I did promise to blog on the planing of the board later. I will take some photos of the stand and how I joint these boards without a 12 inch jointer. Stay tuned.


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## sbryan55 (Dec 8, 2007)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *Inlay Test and Big Planks Planed*
> 
> The leg sets are made from full 1 inch stock. The lumber was sawed into 5/4 slabs, 10 feet long and widths around 20 inches to 16 inches. There were a few 12/4 slabs but were limb pieces.
> 
> ...


This is looking pretty good so far. I can tell you without a doubt that you have a very understanding wife. If I tried to store lumber in our dining room I can assure you that I and the wood would be tossed out in the driveway. 

Keep us posted on your progress.


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## Sawdustonmyshoulder (Jun 19, 2008)

*Small Tops*

Well, I haven't been doing anything earth shattering as of late to the table. Just gluing up the small table tops and sanding them smooth and planing the bread boards. Oh, um. But it's getting closer to getting done.

I will start working on the big table top soon. I am waiting on a couple of new tools to come in before I start this phase. I just won a Stanley No. 7 jointing plane on eBay and am waiting a few more minutes to see if I win a No. 8. I started by bidding on the No. 8 and then I found the No. 7 and the No. 7 ended first. The No. 7 is described as being manufactured somewhere between 1885 and 1888. (If you were bidding against me, sorry, but I just had to have it) I am also going to order a 144 1/2" straight edge clamp to joint the edges of the boards for the big top.

My plans are to screw two of the top boards together using cross members and leaving a space between them with a maximum of 3/8". Then position the straight edge clamp so that my router equipped with a 1/2" spiral bit will trim both sides of the boards. I hope that any movement off straight will be mirrored on the opposite board. I hope this will form a tight joint for gluing.

This big straight edge has to come from California and the estimated shipping charge is going to be HUGE! I hope to offset this cost by also ordering a 54" and a 100" model. Maybe if one of you wants this big straight edge later, we can do some swapping business.

Oh, I mentioned in an earlier blog about draw bore tenons. Well, I found the video showing it. It's on www.woodworkingchannel.com in the videos area under Lie-Neilsen. I hope this helps.


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## lew (Feb 13, 2008)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *Small Tops*
> 
> Well, I haven't been doing anything earth shattering as of late to the table. Just gluing up the small table tops and sanding them smooth and planing the bread boards. Oh, um. But it's getting closer to getting done.
> 
> ...


Sounds as if things are moving right along!

Congrats on the plane.

Lew


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## Sawdustonmyshoulder (Jun 19, 2008)

*More on Jointing*

I just got off the phone with the manufacturing company of the 12 foot straight edge clamp. Well, the shipping is going to be more than the clamp itself. A lot more! I think I am going to have to either go into the straight edge business (rental and sales) or go to Plan B (from Outer Space) or if any of you LJ's that are driving from Whittier, CA to Tupelo, MS or Little Rock or Memphis, Nashville next week, I'll drop a C note on the gas bill if you will bring it on over. PM and let me know.

Plan B: I call my local lumber store and I will be buying a 16 foot 1 by 6 piece of MDF and a 16 foot piece of aluminum straight edge and making my own straight edge. I think I will make the straight edge 13 feet long for use on this table and then cut it into two pieces, 100 inches and 56 inches to use cutting plywood sheets. Got my next blog subject. See you next week. Thanks for reading.


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## hack6500 (Mar 26, 2008)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *More on Jointing*
> 
> I just got off the phone with the manufacturing company of the 12 foot straight edge clamp. Well, the shipping is going to be more than the clamp itself. A lot more! I think I am going to have to either go into the straight edge business (rental and sales) or go to Plan B (from Outer Space) or if any of you LJ's that are driving from Whittier, CA to Tupelo, MS or Little Rock or Memphis, Nashville next week, I'll drop a C note on the gas bill if you will bring it on over. PM and let me know.
> 
> Plan B: I call my local lumber store and I will be buying a 16 foot 1 by 6 piece of MDF and a 16 foot piece of aluminum straight edge and making my own straight edge. I think I will make the straight edge 13 feet long for use on this table and then cut it into two pieces, 100 inches and 56 inches to use cutting plywood sheets. Got my next blog subject. See you next week. Thanks for reading.


a 12' clamp? why not just go buy some 3/4" Bessy pipe clamp heads, and some 12' lenghts of black pipe?
if you need wider faces for the claps, cut some larger hard wood faces. you could get real creative and make say a 3' face that accepted 3 pipe clamp heads. just remember to seal the pipes in spray paint and get on with your project!


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## Sawdustonmyshoulder (Jun 19, 2008)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *More on Jointing*
> 
> I just got off the phone with the manufacturing company of the 12 foot straight edge clamp. Well, the shipping is going to be more than the clamp itself. A lot more! I think I am going to have to either go into the straight edge business (rental and sales) or go to Plan B (from Outer Space) or if any of you LJ's that are driving from Whittier, CA to Tupelo, MS or Little Rock or Memphis, Nashville next week, I'll drop a C note on the gas bill if you will bring it on over. PM and let me know.
> 
> Plan B: I call my local lumber store and I will be buying a 16 foot 1 by 6 piece of MDF and a 16 foot piece of aluminum straight edge and making my own straight edge. I think I will make the straight edge 13 feet long for use on this table and then cut it into two pieces, 100 inches and 56 inches to use cutting plywood sheets. Got my next blog subject. See you next week. Thanks for reading.


Thanks, Michael, but I need the clamp as a straight edge. I was going to use it to joint the edges of the boards. See it here: http://www.microfence.com/pages/P%26PZoom/AllInOneUltra.html

See my other blogs on this subject to get the low down on how I plan to attempt this feat.

Well, I went to the steel company and bought a 1/4" x 3" x 144" piece of aluminum for only $62.00 instead of the $442.00 the straight edge clamp was going to cost. Here is a photo of this straight edge with my 48 inch ruler next to it:










I do plan on buying some long pipes when I go to glue up the top and to add on the breadboards.


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## Sawdustonmyshoulder (Jun 19, 2008)

*Straight edge problem solved...for now.*

OK. You guys in the freight industry hit the back button. You don't want to read this blog.

Now that those guys are gone… the cost of shipping the 144 inch straight edge clamp is $252.00! Making to total bill around $345.00. Can't do that so, I made some calls.

I found this piece of aluminum straight stock for $62.00 locally. I picked it up this morning. It's 3" wide, 1/4" thick and 12 feet long. I took a picture of it with my 4 foot ruler to give you some sense of scale.

Here it is:










I sharpened up the new/old planes, Stanley 7 and 8 this morning. Made some nice curls! I also had to tell my wife about the No. 6 I bought Friday. This is getting out of hand (planes)! Maybe this will be last one for a while. Let me nurse those blisters in a few days and we will be able to judge my hand plane collection.

Thanks for taking a look.


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## bobdurnell (Sep 24, 2007)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *Straight edge problem solved...for now.*
> 
> OK. You guys in the freight industry hit the back button. You don't want to read this blog.
> 
> ...


Sawdustonmyshoulder- way to go on that straight edge, that was a hefty price for your original one. You made me curious about ebay so I took a look. There are some really bad planes there and of couse some better ones. Right now my shelf is full but what I did notice was the amount of Porter-Cable porta planes for sale. I guess if someone wants something bad enough then the bid is high. I use a Porter-Cable no 126 Porta Plane for hanging doors, but there was a time I used my trusty old no.5 Stanley. Some of them were in pretty bad shape or really old. Later, bob


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## Karson (May 9, 2006)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *Straight edge problem solved...for now.*
> 
> OK. You guys in the freight industry hit the back button. You don't want to read this blog.
> 
> ...


I've used an aluminum extrusion that is used to make door frames for commercial doors. they are big and straight. The longest one that I have is 8' long. I got it for salvage aluminum, prices about 5 years ago.


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## Sawdustonmyshoulder (Jun 19, 2008)

*Got a Really BIG Panel out in the Shop!*

Sunday evening and it's time to blog about the weekend in the shop.

First on the agenda was to move the big tools around to make room to make a 54" by 144" table top in a two-car garage.

Went to the blue box store and picked up a couple of 2×6 x 12's and three sheets of 5/8 particleboard.

I extended my workbench to be 4 foot by 12 foot. Works great!

I took all of the 1×12's out of the dinning room and straightened and made both edges parallel using the big straightedge and a circular saw.

The boards were fairly straight…









...but not quite. This photo is from the middle of the board before jointing.









I attached the two boards to 2 by's with drywall screws and spaced them apart 3/8" apart using a brass set up bar.









I clamped the aluminum straightedge to the assembly.









With a 1/2" upcut spiral bit chucked into the router, I made sure that the bit would be cutting around 1/16" off both boards at the same time.









After attaching a clamp and block in the middle of the straightedge to prevent flexing, I am ready for the jointing cut. I made the cut.









I unscrewed the outside board and moved it close to the other board to test the fit. You be the judge. It is really tight all the way down the board. Here's the same place as above after the cut.









A small amount of clamp pressure closed up the joints tight.

I cut biscuit slots every 12 inches down the board and glued them using Gorilla Glue and a light spray of water. I applied clamps every 18 inches and let it dry.

Now, that's one big panel glue up!









Next, I will be putting on the breadboards. Since the lumber is 124 inches long and after some trimming, it will only be 118 inches long. I will have to make the breadboards 13 inches wide to make the table the final length of 144 inches.


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## trifern (Feb 1, 2008)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *Got a Really BIG Panel out in the Shop!*
> 
> Sunday evening and it's time to blog about the weekend in the shop.
> 
> ...


Wow, that is one big project. I'll be looking for your updates. Thank you for sharing.


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## rsharp (May 6, 2008)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *Got a Really BIG Panel out in the Shop!*
> 
> Sunday evening and it's time to blog about the weekend in the shop.
> 
> ...


Brutiful job Marte'


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## Betsy (Sep 25, 2007)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *Got a Really BIG Panel out in the Shop!*
> 
> Sunday evening and it's time to blog about the weekend in the shop.
> 
> ...


That's an interesting way to joint the boards. I've done one board at a timr but never two like that. Food for thought. Looking forward to more progress updates.


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## Sawdustonmyshoulder (Jun 19, 2008)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *Got a Really BIG Panel out in the Shop!*
> 
> Sunday evening and it's time to blog about the weekend in the shop.
> 
> ...


Betsy,

This is the first time I jointed boards this also. It's really neat! If the straightedge flexes or the router has a little movement, these movements are reflected in the opposite side of the cut and they match up perfectly.

I don't think I will ever put a board longer that say 4 to 5 feet long on the jointer again when I am gluing up panels.

More blogs to come.


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## rtb (Mar 26, 2008)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *Got a Really BIG Panel out in the Shop!*
> 
> Sunday evening and it's time to blog about the weekend in the shop.
> 
> ...


WOW, and perfectly timed as I am having a similar problem with some smaller boards for a door and they are just a tad too long to handel with the jointer. Thanks. I'm adding you to my buddy list since you have so much to share.


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## Quixote (Jun 9, 2008)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *Got a Really BIG Panel out in the Shop!*
> 
> Sunday evening and it's time to blog about the weekend in the shop.
> 
> ...


I've been watching for your progress on this project.

I like how you set these up, I'm sure the finished edges will be excellent.

I was suprised to notice a distinct lack of long curly shavings on the floor…I take it you 're saving those planes for another project?

Q


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## gizmodyne (Mar 15, 2007)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *Got a Really BIG Panel out in the Shop!*
> 
> Sunday evening and it's time to blog about the weekend in the shop.
> 
> ...


Awesome. I love huge projects. Great jointing technique. How do you ensure parallel pieces with that technique?


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## Sawdustonmyshoulder (Jun 19, 2008)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *Got a Really BIG Panel out in the Shop!*
> 
> Sunday evening and it's time to blog about the weekend in the shop.
> 
> ...


rtb, thanks for the positive comments.

Quixote, well I have curls on the floor now. I am hand planing the top this week. I ended up not using my jointer planes to joint the edges. I tested the technique of using the straightedge for getting the edges relatively straight and the boards edges parallel. As you see above, I got close but no banana using just the straightedge and a router or circular saw. Tried both. So when I used the method of routing both edges at the same time, it worked beautifully.

gizmodyne, when I rough cut the boards edges, I did some careful measurements to get the edges parallel and when I set up the "jointing" cut, I used the brass set up bars to make the gap so the boards stayed parallel for the most part. Over the 10 feet, the panel is only 1/16" off parallel. What I am going to have to do is add about 4 more inches to the panel (Final size is going to be 54" and I am at 51 inches and change right now) so when that lumber is added, I will trim panel to final size and parallel. Thanks. More blogging to come.


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## Sawdustonmyshoulder (Jun 19, 2008)

*Made the Supports and Fit the Legs*

Worked this weekend on fabrication of the supports for under the table top and fitted the legs to these supports.

Here's the project at the end of the day…










Hey, Quixote, can you see the curl? Between the first two ribs? Here, let me zoom in…  That came off the big ole No. 8 jointer!










I made up 8 double-tapered supports or ribs to hold the top flat and allow a mechanism for attaching the legs to table top.

After rough cutting stock to size, I jointed the face and planed to 1" thick and jointed the edges. I used the jointer to taper the sides using the method in this video from Popular Woodworking's website. Works like a charm! *See the link at the bottom of this blog. * On the first cut, I did set up a stop block on the outfeed table held all the marking and measuring to a minimum.

I screwed them to the bottom side of the table. NO GLUE was used for this part of the construction.










I used my Kreg K3 Master jig to cut 8 pocket holes in each rib. I drilled 1/2" holes, 3/8" deep on the underside of the ribs to allow for wood movement. This photo of the cross section shows the pocket hole and the relief cut.










The ribs were notched to keep the stretcher from flexing when weight is applied to the table top.










Note: You see in these photos that the boards have large voids or dished out areas in them. They still have the air dried patina on them. These are the areas of the wood that are where a limb come out of the trunk and caused a large area of switchback grain and BIG undulations in the edge of the board. My client saw them and wanted me to not patch them over. She wanted these to show that the table was handmade and not a big chunk of plywood. I obliged her wish. After all, the customer is alway right.

Next week and weekend, I will be making the 3" deep skirt and rough cut the breadboard ends and edge boards.

I am going to have to hire some of my youngest son's friends to help me turn the table top back over. Going to cost me some cash or maybe just a pizza or two. Nineteen year olds have an appetite!

Tapered leg video: http://fw_woodworking.permissiontv.com/index.html?showid=115402


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## trifern (Feb 1, 2008)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *Made the Supports and Fit the Legs*
> 
> Worked this weekend on fabrication of the supports for under the table top and fitted the legs to these supports.
> 
> ...


It is really starting to take shape. I look forward to seeing more. Thank you for sharing.


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## Quixote (Jun 9, 2008)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *Made the Supports and Fit the Legs*
> 
> Worked this weekend on fabrication of the supports for under the table top and fitted the legs to these supports.
> 
> ...


That's the biggest smile I've had today.

I can just imagine that that had to be just as much fun to do.

Q


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## rsharp (May 6, 2008)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *Made the Supports and Fit the Legs*
> 
> Worked this weekend on fabrication of the supports for under the table top and fitted the legs to these supports.
> 
> ...


Cash…pizza….cash…pizza. You sure know to recruit young people!


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## Quixote (Jun 9, 2008)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *Made the Supports and Fit the Legs*
> 
> Worked this weekend on fabrication of the supports for under the table top and fitted the legs to these supports.
> 
> ...


Since we're in a smiling mood, I have to say to Randy that I laugh and tell my wife your tag line. "Honest Honey.." Every time I see one of your posts.

It makes her happy too, but I think it's because she knows that at least I'm not hanging out on E-Bay…

Q


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## Sawdustonmyshoulder (Jun 19, 2008)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *Made the Supports and Fit the Legs*
> 
> Worked this weekend on fabrication of the supports for under the table top and fitted the legs to these supports.
> 
> ...


Ditto, there, Quixote. My wife can look out the garage door and see where her husband is. Not fishing or "hunting dears".

But really, I know old Randy, and he's right. He ain't thinkingl. Well, not about anything outside of frisbee golf or woodworking. Right, Randyman? And in that order? *:*-)


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## gwurst (Nov 28, 2007)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *Made the Supports and Fit the Legs*
> 
> Worked this weekend on fabrication of the supports for under the table top and fitted the legs to these supports.
> 
> ...


The table's looking-good. Nice work on the pocket holes to allow for wood expansion.


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## rsharp (May 6, 2008)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *Made the Supports and Fit the Legs*
> 
> Worked this weekend on fabrication of the supports for under the table top and fitted the legs to these supports.
> 
> ...


Quixote would really laugh if he saw what I really look like. The picture I use is nothing more than a stock photo from a "World's Greatest Hunks" modeling website. No one could be that handsome.


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## jeanmarc (Mar 23, 2008)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *Made the Supports and Fit the Legs*
> 
> Worked this weekend on fabrication of the supports for under the table top and fitted the legs to these supports.
> 
> ...


The table's looking-good. Nice work


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## Sawdustonmyshoulder (Jun 19, 2008)

*Lots of sawdust and chips but not much to look at...*

The table is taking shape. This weekend was HOT!! Heat index to 107 on Saturday in Mississippi. So, I had to work 30 minutes or so and come in and cool off for 15.

I worked on the table's skirt which will be 2 inches thick and 3 inches tall when finished. The sides will be 11 feet 4 inches long and the ends will be 46 inches long. I had to glue up the pieces because the longest stock I had was 10 feet and a little over 1 inches thick.

After I glued up the blanks, I glued on a 1/4 inch thick book-matched veneer.

Here is the veneer being glued.










Here is the bookmatched veneer and the seam.










With this seam in the middle of the long sides so I am considering an insert of walnut in the shape of a keystone. This should contrast nicely and match the inset walnut cross on the table top.

I also started on the breadboard ends to the large table. They are going to have to be 14 inches wide to make the final table top 12 feet long.

Here are the blanks. 15 inches wide and 60 inches long.










Since, I only have a 12 1/2 inch planer, I will use my Performax 16/32 drum sander with 36 grit, 60 grit, and 80 grit sandpaper to get them to thickness.

I have an idea on how to mate the breadboards to the table top. I will blog it in a couple of weeks.

Thanks for looking.

Quixote, sorry, no visible curls tonight. I took about an hour sweeping up all of the mounds of sawdust on the floor. There are few under the workbench on the other side. I guess I could have kicked them out and into the photos. Next week. OK?


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## Karson (May 9, 2006)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *Lots of sawdust and chips but not much to look at...*
> 
> The table is taking shape. This weekend was HOT!! Heat index to 107 on Saturday in Mississippi. So, I had to work 30 minutes or so and come in and cool off for 15.
> 
> ...


Looks like a massive undertaking. Good luck on the completion.


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## Quixote (Jun 9, 2008)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *Lots of sawdust and chips but not much to look at...*
> 
> The table is taking shape. This weekend was HOT!! Heat index to 107 on Saturday in Mississippi. So, I had to work 30 minutes or so and come in and cool off for 15.
> 
> ...


My last project left me with a 5 gallon bucket of lovely curls…My 3 year old helped with her toy chest, picking the lumber etc…

The 1×12's seemed to have warped somewhere between selection, glue up and casing, but that was ok because I turned my daughter loose on the high spots with a block plane.

While the contribution was negligeble in production terms, the afternoon, photos and memories were priceless. She tells everyone how she helped build the project, with pictures too! I saved some of the curls she made, along with the picture, put in a ziplock and and taped it to the bottom of the chest.

On the other hand, if I'd had a powermax super sander, that lid would have run through that instead. 

Thanks for sharing your progress, this is awesome to watch..

Q


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## Sawdustonmyshoulder (Jun 19, 2008)

*Breadboards on, Skirt on. Ready to Inlay.*

Sorry to be so long in adding to the blog on this project. Down South has been hit by tropical storm after tropical storm. Now up here in Northeastern Mississippi, we have had only rain but the coast, New Orleans, and Houston have been pounded. Our prayers are with you all!!!

When I left you last, I was preparing (down South we say, "fixin") to work on the breadboards on the big table. Well, I have attached them, and attached the breadboards to the smaller tables also. I have made tables with breadboards before and this time I decided to see if I could come up with an easier more accurate method of cutting the table top. What I did different this time was to cross cut the table top with a router and straightedge instead of a circular saw. I aligned the straightedge on the top of the table and put another straightedge on the bottom. I aligned the bottom straightedge with the one on top. I used a 1/2 inch downcut spiral bit to cut across the grain to the depth of the shoulder of the tongue. I then marked the width of the tongue and plunged the bit to cut the tongue off. Usually, I cut this tongue off with a saw but I have never had much success with this method. Then I turned to top over and cut the lower shoulder on the tongue. After cutting tabs on the tongue, I cut the mortise in the breadboards and used the hollow chisel mortiser to finish the mortises. I used a draw bored tenon method to attach the breadboards with 1/4 inch walnut dowels all the way through the joint. Here is a photo of the top of the table showing the walnut dowels.










I have also finished the skirts…









*before inlay*









*after inlay*

The above photos shows before and with the walnut inlay on the big table skirts.










I mitered the corners on the skirts and reinforced the joint with screws and plugged the holes with walnut plugs.

I really like the way the oak and the walnut work together.










The photo above shows the template in place for the cross inlay. I cut the template with a router and a pattern out of a 4 by 8 sheet of 1/4 inch tempered hardboard. The cross will be 62 inch tall and 31 inch wide and 1 inch in width. I think I will use the grain of the walnut inlay in same orientation as the table top. The walnut for the inlay has been under the table for about 3 weeks. The atmosphere has been so humid down here, the table top has expanded about 1/2 mm on each side. Not bad for a 54" table top to expand only 1 mm over its width. I will check the moisture content on the table and the walnut before I cut the inlay. They should be really close now.

Well, next thing is to route the inlay space, cut the inlay, glue in the inlay and finish sanding the table tops. Then, route the edge treatments and start the finishing.

Thanks for looking.


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## HokieMojo (Mar 11, 2008)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *Breadboards on, Skirt on. Ready to Inlay.*
> 
> Sorry to be so long in adding to the blog on this project. Down South has been hit by tropical storm after tropical storm. Now up here in Northeastern Mississippi, we have had only rain but the coast, New Orleans, and Houston have been pounded. Our prayers are with you all!!!
> 
> ...


What a huge project (literally and figuratively). I've enjoyed following along. Keep up the excellent work!


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## trifern (Feb 1, 2008)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *Breadboards on, Skirt on. Ready to Inlay.*
> 
> Sorry to be so long in adding to the blog on this project. Down South has been hit by tropical storm after tropical storm. Now up here in Northeastern Mississippi, we have had only rain but the coast, New Orleans, and Houston have been pounded. Our prayers are with you all!!!
> 
> ...


Looking good! Thanks for sharing.


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## Sawdustonmyshoulder (Jun 19, 2008)

*Testing My Inlay Skills. (?)*









I started testing my inlay skills tonight. I used a piece of 3/4 inch MDF and 1/4 inch Luan plywood with Delta's router inlay kit to do the test.

I made the male parts with 45 degree cuts to form an "X" in the center. (See photo below)

Well, first the kit has an 1/8 inch downcut spiral bit. Have you ever used an 1/8 inch downcut with MDF?

"How'd that turn out, Sawdustonmyshoulder?"

"Not too good!"

That little puppy did cut the MDF alright, but it packed the sawdust back into the kerf so tight that I thought the bit had broken or wasn't deep enough. After I used another bit to clean out the female part of the inlay, I had to take a chisel and cut out the original kerf.









The only trouble I had in cutting the male part of the inlay was when I was turning the corner in the center of the cross. The bit wanted to stray off coarse pretty bad. (*See the detail shot below*) I am glad this happens on the male part as opposed to the female. I can recut the male blanks. I can't remake this table top.









_

The router kit really makes the inlay fit REALLY TIGHT!!!!

I think I will try this on another attempt at the male part. I didn't cut all the way through the plywood the first time and I had to do a great deal of trimming. What I will do is cut the female part of the inlay then turn the template over to cut the male part. That way the male part will not have to be trimmed before I inlay it.

*Has anybody had any experience with this?*


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## Dwain (Nov 1, 2007)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *Testing My Inlay Skills. (?)*
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Sawdustonmyshoulder,

I am afraid I can't help with you inlay, but I am glad you have updated this project. This is better than any of the soap operas my wife watches. Please keep us posted.


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## Sawdustonmyshoulder (Jun 19, 2008)

*Cross Inlay Done!*

Alrighty then! The Cross inlay is done! My theory on flipping the template to cut the inlay piece worked.

Here are the photos of the process….









With the template clamped in place, I cut the female part of the inlay with a Delta Inlay kit. I cut the outside of the area with the 1/8 inch bit in the kit and used a 3/8 inch bit with a 1 inch bushing to finish cutting the waste. I did cut the outside deeper. I did this to make sure the inlay would lay flat in the space.

I did flip the template and cut the inlay using the 1/8 inch bit. I did make the cut in three passes. Making sure when I cut the corners in the middle that I slowed the feed rate and held the bushing tight again the template. It worked and I was able to cut the inlay in one attempt.









Here are the pieces laid out ready to fit. I did have to lightly sand the edges of the inlay pieces, round the corners, and bevel the bottom of the inlay pieces so they would fit easier in the space in the table.









And a close up of the pieces.

I dry fit the pieces to make sure of the fit and then used the holes I drilled in the space and a dowel to gently persuade the inlay out of the space.

I used yellow glue to glue the inlay in the table but I used Gorilla Glue on the miters in the center of the cross. I just applied the Gorilla Glue to the joining edges and NOT to the bottom of the inlay piece because I was afraid that the GG would expand and push the inlay out of the table.









Here is a close up of the center of the cross. Hope you can see the mitered intersection. I think this came out very well.

After using a No. 4 smoothing plane and random-orbital sander, the cross inlay is flush to the table top and the walnut is beautiful. I was very careful to make sure the grainlines in the inlay matched up. Thanks for reading my blog. Now, it's time sand and sand again before using paste wood filler to fill the open grain, staining and top coating.









Here's the completed inlay.


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## trifern (Feb 1, 2008)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *Cross Inlay Done!*
> 
> Alrighty then! The Cross inlay is done! My theory on flipping the template to cut the inlay piece worked.
> 
> ...


Looking good, thanks for the update.


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## DanYo (Jun 30, 2007)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *Cross Inlay Done!*
> 
> Alrighty then! The Cross inlay is done! My theory on flipping the template to cut the inlay piece worked.
> 
> ...


nice work. looking forward to finished piece of work


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## gad5264 (Sep 13, 2007)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *Cross Inlay Done!*
> 
> Alrighty then! The Cross inlay is done! My theory on flipping the template to cut the inlay piece worked.
> 
> ...


Very nice work.


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## wwbeds (Jul 1, 2007)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *Cross Inlay Done!*
> 
> Alrighty then! The Cross inlay is done! My theory on flipping the template to cut the inlay piece worked.
> 
> ...


Man, that is great. Thanks for the info. I don't do much inlay, but that make me what to try it out. Good post and great work.


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## Chipncut (Aug 18, 2006)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *Cross Inlay Done!*
> 
> Alrighty then! The Cross inlay is done! My theory on flipping the template to cut the inlay piece worked.
> 
> ...


Thank you for sharing this beautiful project, great craftsmanship.


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## Sawdustonmyshoulder (Jun 19, 2008)

*The Tables Are Done!*

After my clients chose a clear natural finish for the table, I used a natural-colored grain filler and 5 coats of satin Minwax Wipe On Poly to complete the tables.

It took about 10 men to lift and move it to my 12 foot trailer to move it to the church. The legs and stretchers were assembled using oak pins using the draw bore pin method. The table top dropped into position nicely and with a few screws to keep it from "floating off".  You can never trust gravity, you know.

Thanks for watching my progress through the construction of this project. I learned a great deal from it and hope you have also.

Here it is…. my clients hope that church members will stand aghast at the site of this table and the "lovely" metal chairs and anti up for a gaggle of new ones. Preferably, something in leather and oak. Time will tell.










The two side tables are to be added to each end to make the total length 16 feet long and seat 20 people. When not in use, they will stand against the wall.


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## lew (Feb 13, 2008)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *The Tables Are Done!*
> 
> After my clients chose a clear natural finish for the table, I used a natural-colored grain filler and 5 coats of satin Minwax Wipe On Poly to complete the tables.
> 
> ...


These turned out gorgeous!!


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## Quixote (Jun 9, 2008)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *The Tables Are Done!*
> 
> After my clients chose a clear natural finish for the table, I used a natural-colored grain filler and 5 coats of satin Minwax Wipe On Poly to complete the tables.
> 
> ...


Thank you for sharing the journey. The finished product is inspiring.

Q


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## gwurst (Nov 28, 2007)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *The Tables Are Done!*
> 
> After my clients chose a clear natural finish for the table, I used a natural-colored grain filler and 5 coats of satin Minwax Wipe On Poly to complete the tables.
> 
> ...


The metal chairs really do add a touch of class top an otherwise mundane table. 

JK, I hope they get some decent chairs to match. Maybe they can get you to make them?


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## Dusty56 (Apr 20, 2008)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *The Tables Are Done!*
> 
> After my clients chose a clear natural finish for the table, I used a natural-colored grain filler and 5 coats of satin Minwax Wipe On Poly to complete the tables.
> 
> ...


Beautiful projects indeed . God bless you . Happy Holidays to you and yours !


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## Sawdustonmyshoulder (Jun 19, 2008)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *The Tables Are Done!*
> 
> After my clients chose a clear natural finish for the table, I used a natural-colored grain filler and 5 coats of satin Minwax Wipe On Poly to complete the tables.
> 
> ...


Greg, let me stop laughing…....................

You are right. I think they will get some nice ones.

Thanks for the funny post.

Merry Christmas, all.


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## Kindlingmaker (Sep 29, 2008)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *The Tables Are Done!*
> 
> After my clients chose a clear natural finish for the table, I used a natural-colored grain filler and 5 coats of satin Minwax Wipe On Poly to complete the tables.
> 
> ...


Wonderful work and a perfect design for your customer! HH's


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