# Mission to two Mission Coffee Tables



## Everett1 (Jun 18, 2011)

*Material to rough size*

Starting the build of two matching Mission Coffee (Cocktail) tables. I was originally going to make one out of Cherry for my mother, but our living room could really use a new table, so I will be making a second one out of Walnut as well.









Nothing too exciting so far. Just dealing with the challenge of trying to get the least amount of waste from the wood supply. Nothing is more aggrevating than going through all your pieces for planning, then realizing that your last piece of two would work so much better if i took one part from this piece, etc etc. I've just come to accept the future of scrap and a lot of picture frames, eventually…

I prefer breaking down my good with the Jig saw. So much lighter than the circular saw, and it makes so much less dust to boot.


















OK, OK, I have to ask that everyone stop being jealous of my "workbench"...



















There is less Walnut on the table, as my wife likes the idea of attempting a framed copper panel with a patina for the top. If anyone has ever seen Woodworks and/or has seen David Marks work, that is where I got the idea, and I really want to try it.










My work is cut out for me when I get home; putting the jointer and planer to really good work.

Ev


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## BTimmons (Aug 6, 2011)

Everett1 said:


> *Material to rough size*
> 
> Starting the build of two matching Mission Coffee (Cocktail) tables. I was originally going to make one out of Cherry for my mother, but our living room could really use a new table, so I will be making a second one out of Walnut as well.
> 
> ...


Well, your "workbench" may not be up to snuff, but consider the plight of us woodworkers that have a workable bench, but no jointer or planer yet.


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## Everett1 (Jun 18, 2011)

Everett1 said:


> *Material to rough size*
> 
> Starting the build of two matching Mission Coffee (Cocktail) tables. I was originally going to make one out of Cherry for my mother, but our living room could really use a new table, so I will be making a second one out of Walnut as well.
> 
> ...


Touche
I was lucky enough for my birthday to get the big planer and jointer for my 30th birthday/Xmas last year


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## PurpLev (May 30, 2008)

Everett1 said:


> *Material to rough size*
> 
> Starting the build of two matching Mission Coffee (Cocktail) tables. I was originally going to make one out of Cherry for my mother, but our living room could really use a new table, so I will be making a second one out of Walnut as well.
> 
> ...


looking good so far… as for the workbench - I'm sure many here don't even have THAT… so don't be too hard on yourself


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## davidroberts (Nov 8, 2008)

Everett1 said:


> *Material to rough size*
> 
> Starting the build of two matching Mission Coffee (Cocktail) tables. I was originally going to make one out of Cherry for my mother, but our living room could really use a new table, so I will be making a second one out of Walnut as well.
> 
> ...


your workbench represents two of my favorite things, eating and woodworking, in no particular order. the view of that big mechanics? vice on a table with turned legs is priceless. It's not the bench that makes a woodworker, otherwise I would be a gardener. Well, truth be told, I'm probably a better gardener than a woodworker. But that's beside the point.


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## Everett1 (Jun 18, 2011)

Everett1 said:


> *Material to rough size*
> 
> Starting the build of two matching Mission Coffee (Cocktail) tables. I was originally going to make one out of Cherry for my mother, but our living room could really use a new table, so I will be making a second one out of Walnut as well.
> 
> ...


haha, I forgot my vises and how ghetto-ly they are attached to my kitchen table workbench

I actually stick an old bathroom towel in the jaws and clamp wood pieces in there for cutting or shaping, haha


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## Everett1 (Jun 18, 2011)

*Jointing Until my Joints hurt*

Only about 3 hours of jointing, no big deal…

Can't complain too much. The Jointer my parents got me for my b-day/x-mas has made it much more enjoyable than my old Porter-Cable bench top jointer









There is the stack, beautiful right angles on one side. Passing every board through the Planer tommorrow, one after another for same thickness is going to be a nice long night. My Neighbors must hate me…









Quick side note: Multi-tasked tonight. Finishing up a table for my Wife's Great Aunt. Anyone who said you couldn't fume with household Ammonia is a liar (but I still love you, since I've heard David Marks say this)


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## BrandonW (Apr 27, 2010)

Everett1 said:


> *Jointing Until my Joints hurt*
> 
> Only about 3 hours of jointing, no big deal…
> 
> ...


WOw you fumed that with household ammonia? Did it take a while? You should write a separate blog post about that. I'm intrigued.

Congrats on the jointer-it must make things easier.


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## Everett1 (Jun 18, 2011)

*Tenons Tenons Tenons...*

It's been a busy and productive past two days. Got all my stock to dimension and ready to go. 









Cut everything to length with my uber awesome "miter station"...









Oh yeah, look at my built in stop blocks baby!









I'm a tenon's first kind of guy. My only reasoning, and not sure how good it is, is I like to take the pieces with tenons, and use those in 3D for the layouts of my Mortises. With a piece like this with a lot of slats, I feel it's easier that way, at least for me.

I use a Tenon Jig and Mortise jig that I built with plans I bought from Proven Woodworking: http://www.provenwoodworking.com/woodworking-jigs.html. The guy there is super nice, and these two jigs allow me to make my tenons and mortises with a rabbet bit in my router (the mortise jig will be seen in my next progress report, since mortising 96 holes is in my future…)









just have to make sure everything is 90, and use something as a spacer when clamping the work piece. I use a penny, but that proved problematic for my drawer dividers, which are only 5 inches (including tenons) long, so I used a bearing from my router bits I had in the drawer









The rabbet bit I have was quite a big space for the small pieces for the project, so I ended up taking a flush trim bit and slapping a smaller bearing on it, worked great. Shoulder is a LITTLE small, but It will do. I'd rather that then tiny tenons, but my margin for error on the mortises is lower, but that is what test legs are for









Then for my pieces with through tenons, they have to be much longer to reach through the 1 3/4" legs. I got this 2" Freud flush bit, and again, just put a smaller bearing on it. I've learned, with the method I use, on wider pieces, it's best to make the cut from every witch way possible, so I cut, flip the board, cut, turn the board around, and repeat. Annoying, and I might venture the table saw method, but I really like making them this way. 









And there we have it folks, I think I counted right, I made 96 tenons today, in the sun. But I got a little bit of a tan for once…


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## Cato (May 1, 2009)

Everett1 said:


> *Tenons Tenons Tenons...*
> 
> It's been a busy and productive past two days. Got all my stock to dimension and ready to go.
> 
> ...


Wow, you have a lot of joinery ahead of you with all those tenons.

You make yours a lot thicker than I make mine. I usually make mine to conform with my router bit sizes.

I make my tenons on the router table, but I cut my mortises first with the plunge router most of the time and then cut and shape my tenons to fit.

I do go in stages as you do though, batch cutting pieces, marking them for their position in the project, and everybody in their respective pile.


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## groovy_man_6 (Mar 9, 2010)

Everett1 said:


> *Tenons Tenons Tenons...*
> 
> It's been a busy and productive past two days. Got all my stock to dimension and ready to go.
> 
> ...


dude, that's INSANITY! I can't believe you did that in 1 day! I never even thought to try a router for that… you'll have to show me. I bought a tenon jig for my table saw but haven't tried it yet. I usually go the hardwood dowel route rather than mortise tenon.. once you go dowelmax, it's hard to go back.

Looking good man, Can't believe it's all together already.


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## Everett1 (Jun 18, 2011)

Everett1 said:


> *Tenons Tenons Tenons...*
> 
> It's been a busy and productive past two days. Got all my stock to dimension and ready to go.
> 
> ...


yeah, i started it in the summer, then we had 5 weddings to go to this year, so every weekend was travel and time away, ugh.


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