# Live Edge Cherry Coffee Table from the Beginning



## CharlesA (Jun 24, 2013)

*Choosing a Board, Initial Flattening*

Four months ago I asked some advice on how to construct a waterfall leg on a live edge table. I'm finally beginning construction after several things got in the way.

The first step was finding the right board. The nearest sawmill to me (19 vs. 45 miles one way) was clean out of live edge pieces. I called the next closest sawmill and he was looking at $150-200 for a slab, so I decided to take a "chance on two 1 boards on CL on Craigslist. They had been sitting in a barn for good little while. They were surprising flat, so I picked up two for $25/each to see if I could make them work.
















I thought the shapes were okay, the length was just barely long enough, and the price was right. Got them home, cleaned them up with the plane . . . and . . . they wood grain is just kind of plain. It's not repulsive, but this table is for a wedding gift, and neither has the look that you want for a presentation kind of furniture.

So, I checked a third sawmill, and his prices were a little more reasonable. This place was not that far out of the way returning from Lexington last Thursday when I picked up my nephew, so I picked up a 2" slab for $100. Now we have something to work with:









I was able to re-use the router jig I set up for my first live edge project a little over a year ago. I am using some pieces of plywood to raise the level of the slab so I don't have to re-make the side supports for the jig. The first step is to make the bottom flat enough not to wobble on the table. it was concave on the bottom, so I could do that pretty quickly.









I was able to get that done pretty quickly, flipped it over and began flattening the top with the jig. The slab was concave on the top, so I needed to take the top middle out first. 

























After two passes, I had a pretty broad middle flat, with some curvature on the edges. I like some curvature, but after looking at it a bit, I decided that I will take a bit more off to get a broader flat top and see how I like that.









Let me know if you have any thoughts or questions.


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

CharlesA said:


> *Choosing a Board, Initial Flattening*
> 
> Four months ago I asked some advice on how to construct a waterfall leg on a live edge table. I'm finally beginning construction after several things got in the way.
> 
> ...


My main thought is that it is a very nice slab and that it will look even better when you are done with it. I also like your short side support rails for you router jig. Easy to build and easy to store. I would probably want stops at both ends of each knowing my sloppy ways, but they look very useful. Nice blog, keep up the good work.


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## CharlesA (Jun 24, 2013)

CharlesA said:


> *Choosing a Board, Initial Flattening*
> 
> Four months ago I asked some advice on how to construct a waterfall leg on a live edge table. I'm finally beginning construction after several things got in the way.
> 
> ...


Never even thought about stops. I just keep a watch and keep moving them along.


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## CharlesA (Jun 24, 2013)

*More Flattening, coming up with a plan*

I'm not an expert in Live Edge work. I'm doing this blog because I'm making this as a wedding gift, and I thought the recipients might find it interesting after they receive it. Perhaps some folks on LJ might find it helpful as they work through similar issues.

I found an image on the net that serves as an inspiration
It will not be a copy at all, since I'll be using a thinner slab, different wood, and a variation on the design. I'd already decided to do a waterfall leg on one side. Like this image, I'll do the shelf (requested) and the other leg in a darker wood-walnut that I've darkened using this dye method.

I will not do a wraparound of this leg, but will inset it a couple of inches like a more conventional leg.









I've been asking for help for ideas on how to cut the slab for the waterfall leg. I've decided to try with the circular saw an an edge guide. Bought a new blade today for the attempt.









Today I spent more time flattening it, partially to make it a bit thinner for the crosscutting. It started out at 1 5/8", and it is about 1 15/32". I took a pretty good layer off the bottom first, making it easier for attached the conventional leg when the time comes. I got almost all of the convex out of it.








I then flipped it over and took a thinner layer of the top off. 








This took most of the curve left on the edges, but left just a little in places (which I like). I think the board is looking really, really good at this point.









Because of the router jig, I can't use dust collection. So, if you'd like to see how much is created in wood chips from two layers off the bottom and three layers off the top of this board, this is what it looks like. That's a full-size broom in the pic, btw.









Next will be to take the bark off with an edge grinder (what I haven't already knocked off), sanding it a bit, and preparing the big crosscut. I'm considering making a jig for the router to cut the hidden splines in the joint. All that comes next.


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

CharlesA said:


> *More Flattening, coming up with a plan*
> 
> I'm not an expert in Live Edge work. I'm doing this blog because I'm making this as a wedding gift, and I thought the recipients might find it interesting after they receive it. Perhaps some folks on LJ might find it helpful as they work through similar issues.
> 
> ...


Looks good. I really like the design which is inspiring you. I'm always amazed at how much waste is created with planing and in your case using a router.


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## paxorion (Oct 19, 2012)

CharlesA said:


> *More Flattening, coming up with a plan*
> 
> I'm not an expert in Live Edge work. I'm doing this blog because I'm making this as a wedding gift, and I thought the recipients might find it interesting after they receive it. Perhaps some folks on LJ might find it helpful as they work through similar issues.
> 
> ...


Very nice. I see the Preppin Weapon is working well for you?


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## gfadvm (Jan 13, 2011)

CharlesA said:


> *More Flattening, coming up with a plan*
> 
> I'm not an expert in Live Edge work. I'm doing this blog because I'm making this as a wedding gift, and I thought the recipients might find it interesting after they receive it. Perhaps some folks on LJ might find it helpful as they work through similar issues.
> 
> ...


Slab is lookin good! Your router flattening jig looks like it works great. I'll be copying this when I get something that won't fit through the big planer.


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## CharlesA (Jun 24, 2013)

CharlesA said:


> *More Flattening, coming up with a plan*
> 
> I'm not an expert in Live Edge work. I'm doing this blog because I'm making this as a wedding gift, and I thought the recipients might find it interesting after they receive it. Perhaps some folks on LJ might find it helpful as they work through similar issues.
> 
> ...


This is where I first discovered the flattening jig. Seen it other places since.

http://www.thewoodwhisperer.com/videos/flattening-workbenches-and-wide-boards-with-a-router/


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## CharlesA (Jun 24, 2013)

*Removing the Bark*

I left the bark on the piece for my coffee table, but thought if it ever became a problem, I'd take it off. My understanding is that the bark is safe to keep on if the slab has been kiln dried. Air dried bark will have bugs. Since this is a gift, I'm taking the bark off from the beginning.

The bark was pretty stubborn on this piece. i'd heard that some folks find an angle grinder handy to do this. I found it helpful, but not as helpful as a more sophisticated tool I have.

The angle grinder was taking a long time on some of the thick bark, and this piece had pretty thick bark. I tried my dead blow mallet, but it was fairly ineffective, and then I thought of another solution.

When I was in Ghana last summer I had a craftsman make me a ebony mallet just like he used in his work to chisel figures. It weighs a ton. This thing was the bomb, knocked off big hunks. I then used the angle grinder to take off the remaining bark, and then my ROS with 60 grit paper to shape the edge a bit. I still need to finish this last step around the entire board.










After this step I need to cut the waterfall leg and make the jig for the hidden splines. Fun, fun.


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

CharlesA said:


> *Removing the Bark*
> 
> I left the bark on the piece for my coffee table, but thought if it ever became a problem, I'd take it off. My understanding is that the bark is safe to keep on if the slab has been kiln dried. Air dried bark will have bugs. Since this is a gift, I'm taking the bark off from the beginning.
> 
> ...


That mallet looks heavy!


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## CharlesA (Jun 24, 2013)

CharlesA said:


> *Removing the Bark*
> 
> I left the bark on the piece for my coffee table, but thought if it ever became a problem, I'd take it off. My understanding is that the bark is safe to keep on if the slab has been kiln dried. Air dried bark will have bugs. Since this is a gift, I'm taking the bark off from the beginning.
> 
> ...


When I saw it, I asked if he could make me a bigger one. Then I handled one this size and realized the bigger one would be way too heavy to use.

It's great for using with a chisel.


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## CharlesA (Jun 24, 2013)

*Thinking through the Full Blind Miter Jig*

For the waterfall leg, I'm using Full Blind Multiple Splined joinery as described by Tage Frid.

I discovered this method by asking a question in a forum post here on LJ. Thanks to Woodendeavor and Randy-ATX for directing me this way. I purchased three of his books. This description is found on pp. 102ff of Tage Frid Teaches Woodworking, Book 1: Joinery

The joint looks like this:









The two biggest keys will be to cut the slab correctly and building the jig so the miters line up correctly.

I don't know if you can read these well, but here are the directions for building the jig (in this case for the half-blind joints, but the jig is the same.


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## Mahdeew (Jul 24, 2013)

CharlesA said:


> *Thinking through the Full Blind Miter Jig*
> 
> For the waterfall leg, I'm using Full Blind Multiple Splined joinery as described by Tage Frid.
> 
> ...


I am going to order that book for my wife… lol


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## CharlesA (Jun 24, 2013)

*Finishing off the bark, Marking the Cut*

I don't usually sand with 60 grit, but I went through disc after disk getting the last of the bark off the sides and getting it rough sanded. I've left a tiny bit of the inner layer of bark here and there because it is quite difficult to get all of it off. I will apply a bit of finish over a section at some point to see how it looks before deciding if I need to go the extra mile. Because of the sharp angle on most of the edge, it will not be particularly visible day to day. Here is a picture of the bottom of the slab with the edge sanded:









I also marked off the line for the crosscut for the waterfall leg. Following Mr.Jinx's suggestion, I marked the midpoint of each end, drew a line the length of the board, and then used that mid-line to place the perpendicular line for the crosscut.


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## gfadvm (Jan 13, 2011)

CharlesA said:


> *Finishing off the bark, Marking the Cut*
> 
> I don't usually sand with 60 grit, but I went through disc after disk getting the last of the bark off the sides and getting it rough sanded. I've left a tiny bit of the inner layer of bark here and there because it is quite difficult to get all of it off. I will apply a bit of finish over a section at some point to see how it looks before deciding if I need to go the extra mile. Because of the sharp angle on most of the edge, it will not be particularly visible day to day. Here is a picture of the bottom of the slab with the edge sanded:
> 
> ...


Probably too late now, but I use a stiff wire wheel in a 4" hand grinder to remove bark from live edge pieces. Always stay parallel to the grain and it leaves a nice 'textured' surface. Wear a full face shield as these wheels will shed some wire fragments. Gloves and long sleeves are a good idea as well.

This is going to be a beautiful piece!


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## CharlesA (Jun 24, 2013)

CharlesA said:


> *Finishing off the bark, Marking the Cut*
> 
> I don't usually sand with 60 grit, but I went through disc after disk getting the last of the bark off the sides and getting it rough sanded. I've left a tiny bit of the inner layer of bark here and there because it is quite difficult to get all of it off. I will apply a bit of finish over a section at some point to see how it looks before deciding if I need to go the extra mile. Because of the sharp angle on most of the edge, it will not be particularly visible day to day. Here is a picture of the bottom of the slab with the edge sanded:
> 
> ...


Thanks. That's what I should have done. This worked . . . eventually


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## CharlesA (Jun 24, 2013)

*Filling in the Knot; making the Spline Jig; choosing the Cut-Line*

The board had one large knot at the end of the board. The knot was fairly soft, so I dug it out a bit and filled it with epoxy mixed with the router shavings from flattening it. I did not like the look I got-looked like melamine.










I dug out the knot from the other side and used finer sawdust instead of the router shavings (what I've done before). But the knot is so large that it now looked like I had filled it with MDF.

So, I used a chisel again and shaved off a 1/16" or so and tried again. This time I mixed some ebony MinWax stain with the epoxy. I am very happy with how it came out. The color is very close to the color of the knot that was there.









I then went about making the jig for the splines. I am using a 5/8" bushing with a 1/2" router bit to make the mortises for the splines. I laid it out on a 1/4" piece of plywood.








I then carefully measured a dado stack to correspond to the bushing size, and cut out the jig on the table saw.









I had laid out the cut for the leg a couple of days ago. My daughter came into the shop tonight and we looked over the board, and she convinced me to switch the waterfall leg to the other end, so I laid out a new line. My next step will be to cut the leg and then cut the spline mortises with the jig.


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## TheWoodenOyster (Feb 6, 2013)

CharlesA said:


> *Filling in the Knot; making the Spline Jig; choosing the Cut-Line*
> 
> The board had one large knot at the end of the board. The knot was fairly soft, so I dug it out a bit and filled it with epoxy mixed with the router shavings from flattening it. I did not like the look I got-looked like melamine.
> 
> ...


Looks great so far. I agree with you on the knot. The one you settled on looks the best in my opinion.


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## abie (Jan 28, 2008)

CharlesA said:


> *Filling in the Knot; making the Spline Jig; choosing the Cut-Line*
> 
> The board had one large knot at the end of the board. The knot was fairly soft, so I dug it out a bit and filled it with epoxy mixed with the router shavings from flattening it. I did not like the look I got-looked like melamine.
> 
> ...


I Like super glue ,CA, and a mix of coffee grounds (wet) and some other colored saw dust.
Pound the grounds in after placing tape on the under side , smooth with a spachula and then sand.
It might take several times but the color is dark and natural looking.


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## CharlesA (Jun 24, 2013)

CharlesA said:


> *Filling in the Knot; making the Spline Jig; choosing the Cut-Line*
> 
> The board had one large knot at the end of the board. The knot was fairly soft, so I dug it out a bit and filled it with epoxy mixed with the router shavings from flattening it. I did not like the look I got-looked like melamine.
> 
> ...


Never would have thought of coffee grounds. i've filled several cedar knots with cedar sawdust, but these knots were much smaller. This large cherry knot showed the artificial nature of the fill. I am very pleased with the ebony and epoxy.


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## CharlesA (Jun 24, 2013)

*Preparing the the big cut; dying the walnut*

Because woodworking is a hobby, I only get an hour or two a night (at most) in the shop on weekdays, and I travel a fair bit, so sometimes progress is a bit slow. Tonight I did a fair amount of cleaning in the shop (the spray of wood chips from flattening the boards went everywhere).

The most important task was setting up the crosscut. As you can probably tell, I feel like this is the single most important task of the entire project, so I am taking it slowly. Tonight I drew the line to align the guide for the cut. I found a piece of slick plastic I had and made sure the edge was flat and slick with a jointer plane. I am using the opening of my end vise to support the cut with a roller stand supporting the end.

















I also set the angle on the circular saw with the cut. I have it at exactly 45° according to my digital bevel angle, but I will make a test cut with scrap before jumping in.









My other task for tonight was to check to see if the finishing method for the Walnut leg and shelf would be acceptable. I took a piece of scrap walnut, applied a dark walnut transtint dye mixed with denatured alcohol, then applied a thin coat of shellac, then applied and immediately wiped off a coat of General Finishes Spiced Walnut oil based stain. This method worked pretty well. I gave the scrap a quick sand, but nothing like I would a finished board. I just wanted to see if the color darkened well and evened out. I'm happy with the rushed experiment.


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## jawqn87 (Apr 14, 2011)

CharlesA said:


> *Preparing the the big cut; dying the walnut*
> 
> Because woodworking is a hobby, I only get an hour or two a night (at most) in the shop on weekdays, and I travel a fair bit, so sometimes progress is a bit slow. Tonight I did a fair amount of cleaning in the shop (the spray of wood chips from flattening the boards went everywhere).
> 
> ...


That finishing method for walnut is by far my favorite, It isn't as dark as a full stain and hides the pale sapwood of walnut great.


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## TheWoodenOyster (Feb 6, 2013)

CharlesA said:


> *Preparing the the big cut; dying the walnut*
> 
> Because woodworking is a hobby, I only get an hour or two a night (at most) in the shop on weekdays, and I travel a fair bit, so sometimes progress is a bit slow. Tonight I did a fair amount of cleaning in the shop (the spray of wood chips from flattening the boards went everywhere).
> 
> ...


Those 45 degree cuts are a bugger. I did one for my standing desk I posted a while back. I ended up making a 45 degree crosscut sled.


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## CharlesA (Jun 24, 2013)

*Waterfall Leg Cut*

I know I make mistakes when I get hurried, so I wanted to make this important cut when I first came into the shop. I finally took the plunge.

Covered the cut lines with tape to eliminate splintering:









How's it look?









Now it its time to cut the corresponding angle on the leg.









And . . ?









Wonder if it will fit together?









This might actually work!


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## gfadvm (Jan 13, 2011)

CharlesA said:


> *Waterfall Leg Cut*
> 
> I know I make mistakes when I get hurried, so I wanted to make this important cut when I first came into the shop. I finally took the plunge.
> 
> ...


Looks like it worked exactly as planned! Overthinking this cut paid dividends for this 'one chance' cut.

Your spline plan still makes me a little nervous though.


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## CharlesA (Jun 24, 2013)

CharlesA said:


> *Waterfall Leg Cut*
> 
> I know I make mistakes when I get hurried, so I wanted to make this important cut when I first came into the shop. I finally took the plunge.
> 
> ...


Why does does spline plan make you nervous?


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## gfadvm (Jan 13, 2011)

CharlesA said:


> *Waterfall Leg Cut*
> 
> I know I make mistakes when I get hurried, so I wanted to make this important cut when I first came into the shop. I finally took the plunge.
> 
> ...


Just looked a little complicated from here. Lots of opportunities to make mistakes with all those splines. BUT it should be a strong joint. I had envisioned a single hidden spline running across the table.

You are getting along fine so ignore my concerns. I'm a worrier!


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## kaerlighedsbamsen (Sep 16, 2013)

CharlesA said:


> *Waterfall Leg Cut*
> 
> I know I make mistakes when I get hurried, so I wanted to make this important cut when I first came into the shop. I finally took the plunge.
> 
> ...


Love reading blogs about projects about projects explores new methods. Looking forward to more!
Thanks for sharing


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## CharlesA (Jun 24, 2013)

*Turning to the Walnut. How do I clamp this?*

I will cover a few days in this entry, a little time working each day over the last few days.

I needed to mill the walnut to two glued up 3/4" thick pieces for the shelf and second leg. The boards were not completely flat nor straight, so a little jointing was necessary before putting them in the thickness planer. Who says one has to have a power jointer to get it done?










Got a nice pile of shavings out of this board:









There were 3 knots on the backsides of the board I had to fill in-there is almost no walnut available near Louisville right now-so the second board was not as clean as I'd like. The one larger not extended slightly to the good side of the board. Filled it in like I did the cherry earlier. 









One thing I've been thinking about the last few days is, "How am I going to clamp the waterfall leg?" I hadn't come up with a really good idea yet, so before I posted a question on LJ, I decided to google it and see if there was a good commercial clamp I should consider. In the process, I came up with the perfect answer-these shop-made clamp jigs from Wood Magazine. I had a 12×13 piece of 3/4" plywood scrap-took me all of 10 minutes to make two. These are perfect for what I need. I did notice that the notches are big enough for quick-clamps and not for parallel clamps. I wonder if I should make those notches bigger to allow for parallel clamp usage?









This project was my daughter's idea, and she has had a say in the design. Today she came out and helped me cut the split mortises in the walnut leg. If she's available, I'll get her to cut the other two sets of split mortises.


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## gfadvm (Jan 13, 2011)

CharlesA said:


> *Turning to the Walnut. How do I clamp this?*
> 
> I will cover a few days in this entry, a little time working each day over the last few days.
> 
> ...


I use those shop made squares with my F style clamps when I need more holding strength. I'd also use some strapping tape.


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## CharlesA (Jun 24, 2013)

CharlesA said:


> *Turning to the Walnut. How do I clamp this?*
> 
> I will cover a few days in this entry, a little time working each day over the last few days.
> 
> ...


Right. I read somewhere that Irwin quick clamps actually have more clamping pressure than F clamps. And I'm assuming I'm going to need a fair amount on that joint. Maybe I'm overthinking it.

BTW, given your concerns on my multiple miter joint, I've decided that if the miters don't work, I'll just cut the splines diagonally and glue in to make the surface smooth again, then cut a long horizontal spline.


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## gfadvm (Jan 13, 2011)

CharlesA said:


> *Turning to the Walnut. How do I clamp this?*
> 
> I will cover a few days in this entry, a little time working each day over the last few days.
> 
> ...


Both my smaller HF F 
clamps and my big Jorgensen F clamps exert a LOT more force than my quick clamps. Those big Jorgensen F clamps are REALLY stout and I have to be careful not to crush wood with them!

I was leaning toward the long horizontal spline from the start as it seemed easier to do and more idiot proof (always a consideration in my shop). If you go with the single long spline, just remember to orient the grain across the joint (you already knew that)


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## CharlesA (Jun 24, 2013)

CharlesA said:


> *Turning to the Walnut. How do I clamp this?*
> 
> I will cover a few days in this entry, a little time working each day over the last few days.
> 
> ...


I found one article, but my memory must be a bit fuzzy (unless this wasn't the one I remember). Doesn't meantion F claps, but does say that quick clamps clamp with more pressure than parallel clamps. Huh.


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## TheWoodenOyster (Feb 6, 2013)

CharlesA said:


> *Turning to the Walnut. How do I clamp this?*
> 
> I will cover a few days in this entry, a little time working each day over the last few days.
> 
> ...


When I did my long miter glue up on my standing desk project, all I used was blue tape. I know it sounds totally wacky, but I figured clamps would just complicate things, so I just held the corners together with a lot of blue tape. Worked out great. I also just did a smooth cut, no joinery or anything. After dried, the joints are nice and strong. Obviously you are past that step, but should you ever run across it again, you could give my way a shot if you were in a bigger hurry.


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## CharlesA (Jun 24, 2013)

*The hidden multiple spline miter joint!*

I had to re-make the spline jig because I made it out of 1/4" ply and my bushing is just shy of 1/2" tall. So it just took a few minutes to make one out of 1/2" ply. I measured and measured. Using a combination square set to 2", I carefully marked the location of the jig. After doing one side of the joint, I then flipped the jig, used the square to precisely set it in place, and then cut the mortises on the other side of the joint wit the router.










Then came squaring them up with a chisel.










After making the splines from some scrap maple, I fit them to the individual miters. That took a while. My first effort at putting it together looked really good from the outside,










but from the inside of the angle, not so good.










I realized I had cut the splines too close to the size of the mortises, and so I trimmed them a bit and cut a 45° angle on the inside corner of the spline. I, of course, did not have an exact match between the splines and the mortises, but the sum of the all the imperfections is that, across the board, this is a very snug fit.

Getting closer . . .









closer . . .









I think I got it.









Now that the biggest task is done, I think I'll see if my daughter can cut the mortises for the shelf in the waterfall leg and in the underside of the top for the other leg. Cutting tenons and gluing the whole up us all that remains before final sanding and finishing.


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## BTimmons (Aug 6, 2011)

CharlesA said:


> *The hidden multiple spline miter joint!*
> 
> I had to re-make the spline jig because I made it out of 1/4" ply and my bushing is just shy of 1/2" tall. So it just took a few minutes to make one out of 1/2" ply. I measured and measured. Using a combination square set to 2", I carefully marked the location of the jig. After doing one side of the joint, I then flipped the jig, used the square to precisely set it in place, and then cut the mortises on the other side of the joint wit the router.
> 
> ...


Nice job.


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## CharlesA (Jun 24, 2013)

CharlesA said:


> *The hidden multiple spline miter joint!*
> 
> I had to re-make the spline jig because I made it out of 1/4" ply and my bushing is just shy of 1/2" tall. So it just took a few minutes to make one out of 1/2" ply. I measured and measured. Using a combination square set to 2", I carefully marked the location of the jig. After doing one side of the joint, I then flipped the jig, used the square to precisely set it in place, and then cut the mortises on the other side of the joint wit the router.
> 
> ...


Thanks. My feelings of relief and satisfaction are doing well.


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## gfadvm (Jan 13, 2011)

CharlesA said:


> *The hidden multiple spline miter joint!*
> 
> I had to re-make the spline jig because I made it out of 1/4" ply and my bushing is just shy of 1/2" tall. So it just took a few minutes to make one out of 1/2" ply. I measured and measured. Using a combination square set to 2", I carefully marked the location of the jig. After doing one side of the joint, I then flipped the jig, used the square to precisely set it in place, and then cut the mortises on the other side of the joint wit the router.
> 
> ...


You got past the part I was worried about. Should be a cakewalk from here! 
And looking GOOD.


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## CharlesA (Jun 24, 2013)

CharlesA said:


> *The hidden multiple spline miter joint!*
> 
> I had to re-make the spline jig because I made it out of 1/4" ply and my bushing is just shy of 1/2" tall. So it just took a few minutes to make one out of 1/2" ply. I measured and measured. Using a combination square set to 2", I carefully marked the location of the jig. After doing one side of the joint, I then flipped the jig, used the square to precisely set it in place, and then cut the mortises on the other side of the joint wit the router.
> 
> ...


I'm going to check that joint one more time to make sure before I glue it up, although I won't glue it up until I glue the whole thing.


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## CharlesA (Jun 24, 2013)

*It's been a while--gluing up and finishing*

I haven't written an entry for over two weeks, the combination of being on the road (I happen to be among the select few ever to ride in a commercial jet from Montgomery AL to Columbus GA, not that either airport was scheduled in my itinerary) and attending the wedding of the couple to whom this table will be given.

Since the last entry, dry fit the whole table, decided what radius to put on the shelf on the waterfall edge (the inside of the leg is narrower than the shelf), and darkening the walnut with the method I outlined in a previous post. I'm really pleased with the way the walnut turned out.

Today I glued and clamped the table









Took off the clamps.

















And put on the first coat of Arm-R-Seal gloss(still wet in the pic). The last two coats will be satin. 









When it is finished, I'll get someone who is better than me to take some final pics. It's only the Arm-R-Seal left!


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

CharlesA said:


> *It's been a while--gluing up and finishing*
> 
> I haven't written an entry for over two weeks, the combination of being on the road (I happen to be among the select few ever to ride in a commercial jet from Montgomery AL to Columbus GA, not that either airport was scheduled in my itinerary) and attending the wedding of the couple to whom this table will be given.
> 
> ...


You're at the finish line. Looks wonderful.


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## CharlesA (Jun 24, 2013)

CharlesA said:


> *It's been a while--gluing up and finishing*
> 
> I haven't written an entry for over two weeks, the combination of being on the road (I happen to be among the select few ever to ride in a commercial jet from Montgomery AL to Columbus GA, not that either airport was scheduled in my itinerary) and attending the wedding of the couple to whom this table will be given.
> 
> ...


Thanks, Mike. in the pics the walnut looks almost black. It is really a deep brown. Hopefully I can get some pics outside of the harsh light/sunlight of the shop.


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## watermark (Jan 29, 2013)

CharlesA said:


> *It's been a while--gluing up and finishing*
> 
> I haven't written an entry for over two weeks, the combination of being on the road (I happen to be among the select few ever to ride in a commercial jet from Montgomery AL to Columbus GA, not that either airport was scheduled in my itinerary) and attending the wedding of the couple to whom this table will be given.
> 
> ...


Thanks for sharing all the details! I really like the way it turned out.


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## CharlesA (Jun 24, 2013)

CharlesA said:


> *It's been a while--gluing up and finishing*
> 
> I haven't written an entry for over two weeks, the combination of being on the road (I happen to be among the select few ever to ride in a commercial jet from Montgomery AL to Columbus GA, not that either airport was scheduled in my itinerary) and attending the wedding of the couple to whom this table will be given.
> 
> ...


You're welcome. I asked lots of questions and got lots of help-thought I'd pass it along.


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## CharlesA (Jun 24, 2013)

*It's all done--Final Entry*

After about 6 coats of Arm-R-Seal (I use gloss for the first few coats because it is easier to deal with, then satin at the end), it's looking pretty good. I knocked off the rough spots between coats, and thinned it a bit for the last couple of coats. I'm very pleased with the color and the finish. Arm-R-Seal is a funny finish, because you have to be patient through the first couple of coats before it starts to look good. Here are a few pics.


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## gfadvm (Jan 13, 2011)

CharlesA said:


> *It's all done--Final Entry*
> 
> After about 6 coats of Arm-R-Seal (I use gloss for the first few coats because it is easier to deal with, then satin at the end), it's looking pretty good. I knocked off the rough spots between coats, and thinned it a bit for the last couple of coats. I'm very pleased with the color and the finish. Arm-R-Seal is a funny finish, because you have to be patient through the first couple of coats before it starts to look good. Here are a few pics.


I think it turned out GREAT! I am going to do one and change the shelf/leg design a bit. Hope mine comes out as nice as yours.


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## CharlesA (Jun 24, 2013)

CharlesA said:


> *It's all done--Final Entry*
> 
> After about 6 coats of Arm-R-Seal (I use gloss for the first few coats because it is easier to deal with, then satin at the end), it's looking pretty good. I knocked off the rough spots between coats, and thinned it a bit for the last couple of coats. I'm very pleased with the color and the finish. Arm-R-Seal is a funny finish, because you have to be patient through the first couple of coats before it starts to look good. Here are a few pics.


Thanks, tons. I am very happy with it. We rounded the one end of the shelf to fit with the angled cherry leg edge. Good luck.


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## CharlesA (Jun 24, 2013)

CharlesA said:


> *It's all done--Final Entry*
> 
> After about 6 coats of Arm-R-Seal (I use gloss for the first few coats because it is easier to deal with, then satin at the end), it's looking pretty good. I knocked off the rough spots between coats, and thinned it a bit for the last couple of coats. I'm very pleased with the color and the finish. Arm-R-Seal is a funny finish, because you have to be patient through the first couple of coats before it starts to look good. Here are a few pics.


BTW, my daughter took some better pics for the project page: http://lumberjocks.com/projects/105221


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

CharlesA said:


> *It's all done--Final Entry*
> 
> After about 6 coats of Arm-R-Seal (I use gloss for the first few coats because it is easier to deal with, then satin at the end), it's looking pretty good. I knocked off the rough spots between coats, and thinned it a bit for the last couple of coats. I'm very pleased with the color and the finish. Arm-R-Seal is a funny finish, because you have to be patient through the first couple of coats before it starts to look good. Here are a few pics.


Nice blog and some beautiful work.


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## revrok (May 1, 2014)

CharlesA said:


> *It's all done--Final Entry*
> 
> After about 6 coats of Arm-R-Seal (I use gloss for the first few coats because it is easier to deal with, then satin at the end), it's looking pretty good. I knocked off the rough spots between coats, and thinned it a bit for the last couple of coats. I'm very pleased with the color and the finish. Arm-R-Seal is a funny finish, because you have to be patient through the first couple of coats before it starts to look good. Here are a few pics.


Simply beautiful, thanks for sharing the journey as well as the result!


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## CharlesA (Jun 24, 2013)

CharlesA said:


> *It's all done--Final Entry*
> 
> After about 6 coats of Arm-R-Seal (I use gloss for the first few coats because it is easier to deal with, then satin at the end), it's looking pretty good. I knocked off the rough spots between coats, and thinned it a bit for the last couple of coats. I'm very pleased with the color and the finish. Arm-R-Seal is a funny finish, because you have to be patient through the first couple of coats before it starts to look good. Here are a few pics.


Thanks Mike and Tim. I really enjoyed this one. Now for the drive to Chattanooga to deliver it!


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