# Lego Table



## offseid (Jan 16, 2008)

*Sketchup Model*

I had been planning on entering the LumberJocks Halloween Challenge. Anytime the prizes are given away randomly, instead of based on skill and craftsmanship, I'm all over that! But my wife didn't particularly want me spending a lot of time in the shop merely for the *chance *at a $50 gift certificate for tools (and DEFINITELY not for a plane holster or a cap, she would say).

So she told me that she'd let me have $50 extra bucks for tools if, instead, I built a lego table for our kids. We're expecting our third child in a few weeks, and once that little bugger starts crawling around, we'll need to have those legos off the floor.

So I thought that was a pretty good deal. I downloaded Google Sketchup (my first time using it) and started planning the table. I based it off of this great project (a train table) by Joshua Sargent.

The table will be a multi-use table. The plywood panel will be covered with a 70×100 (centimeters) "car mat" - you know, a colorful very thin rug that has roads, buildings, etc. drawn on it. It'll be removable if need be. I'll then build a frame and panel "lid" which will seat onto the top. On one side, it will be a plain smooth surface for a homeschooling workspace (I'll have to figure out the best way to fill the grain so it'll be smooth). On the other, I'll have a checkers/chessboard painted on one half, and on the other half…hmm, any ideas?

Below is the sketchup of the main part, minus the lid. You can see that it's pretty much identical to Joshua's table, except that I've joined the frame pieces with dovetail joints instead of screws. I think I'll still need screws to attach the legs to the frame, unless you guys can think of another option.

Thanks for reading!


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## woodworm (Jul 27, 2008)

offseid said:


> *Sketchup Model*
> 
> I had been planning on entering the LumberJocks Halloween Challenge. Anytime the prizes are given away randomly, instead of based on skill and craftsmanship, I'm all over that! But my wife didn't particularly want me spending a lot of time in the shop merely for the *chance *at a $50 gift certificate for tools (and DEFINITELY not for a plane holster or a cap, she would say).
> 
> ...


Hello Eric.
I think your wife is right. For sure you would be able to add some tools for your shop if you choose to build the lego table for your kids. And you may not loose anything.

By the way how is life in Kota Kinabalu? Any good store to shop decent woodworking machine or hand tools at least? Oh yes, for your info there is a jet tool dealer newly set up in Petaling Jaya. I got the http://www.jet.com.my address from aidaarif who recently joined LJs.

Have a nice day Eric


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## rikkor (Oct 17, 2007)

offseid said:


> *Sketchup Model*
> 
> I had been planning on entering the LumberJocks Halloween Challenge. Anytime the prizes are given away randomly, instead of based on skill and craftsmanship, I'm all over that! But my wife didn't particularly want me spending a lot of time in the shop merely for the *chance *at a $50 gift certificate for tools (and DEFINITELY not for a plane holster or a cap, she would say).
> 
> ...


Good work with the SketchUp. I like the dovetails on the ends.


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## Texasgaloot (Apr 8, 2008)

offseid said:


> *Sketchup Model*
> 
> I had been planning on entering the LumberJocks Halloween Challenge. Anytime the prizes are given away randomly, instead of based on skill and craftsmanship, I'm all over that! But my wife didn't particularly want me spending a lot of time in the shop merely for the *chance *at a $50 gift certificate for tools (and DEFINITELY not for a plane holster or a cap, she would say).
> 
> ...


Hmmm… pondering your questions…

You could make the long rails tusk tenons through the legs, held captive by the rails which are in turn held captive by wedges, or…

Utilize some of that cool Greene & Greene stuff like Marc did, or…

The heck with it. How about carriage bolts? Even-dare I say it-anchor bolts (bleah!)

Here's the easy part: one side checkers, the other side backgammon. No gambling, however.

Peace-

Mack


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## Beginningwoodworker (May 5, 2008)

offseid said:


> *Sketchup Model*
> 
> I had been planning on entering the LumberJocks Halloween Challenge. Anytime the prizes are given away randomly, instead of based on skill and craftsmanship, I'm all over that! But my wife didn't particularly want me spending a lot of time in the shop merely for the *chance *at a $50 gift certificate for tools (and DEFINITELY not for a plane holster or a cap, she would say).
> 
> ...


Nice looking idea, Eric.


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## offseid (Jan 16, 2008)

*A Tough Day in the Shop*

So yesterday I went to the lumber yard and bought all the wood I expected to need for the lego table. I was pleasantly surprised at the price. I bought 12.5 board feet of kapur (30' of 1"x4" and 10' of 1"x3") for $18.25 and a 4'x8' sheet of 1/2" plywood for $13.75. I tried to pick boards that were straight and not warped, and at least in that respect, I succeeded.

Today I had some good dedicated shop time. My first task was to cut the boards down to the individual components of the table. As I was doing that, I realized that I had neglected to look for one thing when at the lumber yard - cupping. One board was cupped the entire length.

Since I don't have a thickness planer, an electric planer nor a belt sander, I dragged my knuckles over to the "workbench" (a 2"x6" resting across my japanese sawing trestles) and tried to "knock off the high spots" as I hear people like The Schwarz say. Easier said than done. To the extent that I feel skilled in sawing, I feel that same amount of ineptitude in planing. I guess it doesn't help that I don't have a workbench. It also doesn't help that my irons haven't been honed in a while.

So I got frustrated. Frustrated that my blades are dull. Frustrated that I don't know how to flatten a board. Frustrated that flattening a board is kind of important sometimes. Okay, often. Frustrated that this quick-and-dirty build of a lego table might take months.

But then I chilled out and decided to take a long view of my progress in the craft. Hand plane skills don't come overnight. I need to think of this as part of the journey. I am considering whether or not to go buy another board to save me time in building this project. That would, however, still leave me needing to learn how to flatten a board. So maybe I'll stick it out.

In the meantime, I now know how I'm going to spend the last of my Tool Fund money: I'm going to get a replacement plane iron/chipbreaker set. I think it will really help me be less anxious about planing. My #4 and #5 planes both use the same size irons, so I'll be able to interchange them as needed. And I'll be able to turn my existing irons into specialty blades. Maybe one will be slightly cambered (as will probably the Hock be), and the other I'll turn into a scrub plane iron. I think I heard one of Matt's podcasts talking about that.

Kind of a rambly post today, but that's how I feel. A bit discouraged, but at the same time determined to get through it.

P.S. Oh - here's a pic of the parts. Notice the yellow sapwood on what will be the legs. I chose that board partly because it was so straight, but also because, what the hey, let's see how this ends up looking!


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## lew (Feb 13, 2008)

offseid said:


> *A Tough Day in the Shop*
> 
> So yesterday I went to the lumber yard and bought all the wood I expected to need for the lego table. I was pleasantly surprised at the price. I bought 12.5 board feet of kapur (30' of 1"x4" and 10' of 1"x3") for $18.25 and a 4'x8' sheet of 1/2" plywood for $13.75. I tried to pick boards that were straight and not warped, and at least in that respect, I succeeded.
> 
> ...


Hang in there, Eric! We all have days like this.


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## sbryan55 (Dec 8, 2007)

offseid said:


> *A Tough Day in the Shop*
> 
> So yesterday I went to the lumber yard and bought all the wood I expected to need for the lego table. I was pleasantly surprised at the price. I bought 12.5 board feet of kapur (30' of 1"x4" and 10' of 1"x3") for $18.25 and a 4'x8' sheet of 1/2" plywood for $13.75. I tried to pick boards that were straight and not warped, and at least in that respect, I succeeded.
> 
> ...


Frustration is a fundamental part of the learning process when we are trying to develop a new skill or learn to use an unfamiliar tool. But, in situations like yours, the initial frustration is well worth the end result. Once you "hone" your planing skilsl you will have increased your inventory of hand skills.

Keep us posted on your workbench progress.


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## dsb1829 (Jun 20, 2008)

offseid said:


> *A Tough Day in the Shop*
> 
> So yesterday I went to the lumber yard and bought all the wood I expected to need for the lego table. I was pleasantly surprised at the price. I bought 12.5 board feet of kapur (30' of 1"x4" and 10' of 1"x3") for $18.25 and a 4'x8' sheet of 1/2" plywood for $13.75. I tried to pick boards that were straight and not warped, and at least in that respect, I succeeded.
> 
> ...


I typically find my frustration leads to new tools. New tools lead to setup time and more frustration. But at some point you begin to break out of the fog. For me it happened this weekend (about 5 months of heavy hobby investment). I focused on a project, building the base for my new dining table. As the individual tasks were completed each gave a sense of accomplishment. Just a few months ago I couldn't sharpen a plane, much less use one to remove tool marks and taper legs. I found myself with a big grin as the fluffy shavings piled out the mouth of my 90 year old smoother. It was such a joy to have things start to click. Hang in there.

S4S is a bit of a misnomer at the lumber yard. Maybe there should be 2 grades of it (like ready to use and needs work). Some of the s4s at the home center locations is terrible. It is cupped, bowed, warped, and twisted. You would be better off chopping it into kindling and saving yourself the aggravation.

From the tool fund it looks like you are heading to the neanderthal side. Not a bad place to be. I often find far more satisfaction in getting tasks done with only the hand tools. I also view it as a way to pass forward this knowledge to future generations. Good luck.


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## offseid (Jan 16, 2008)

offseid said:


> *A Tough Day in the Shop*
> 
> So yesterday I went to the lumber yard and bought all the wood I expected to need for the lego table. I was pleasantly surprised at the price. I bought 12.5 board feet of kapur (30' of 1"x4" and 10' of 1"x3") for $18.25 and a 4'x8' sheet of 1/2" plywood for $13.75. I tried to pick boards that were straight and not warped, and at least in that respect, I succeeded.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the encouragement, guys.


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## Texasgaloot (Apr 8, 2008)

offseid said:


> *A Tough Day in the Shop*
> 
> So yesterday I went to the lumber yard and bought all the wood I expected to need for the lego table. I was pleasantly surprised at the price. I bought 12.5 board feet of kapur (30' of 1"x4" and 10' of 1"x3") for $18.25 and a 4'x8' sheet of 1/2" plywood for $13.75. I tried to pick boards that were straight and not warped, and at least in that respect, I succeeded.
> 
> ...


Eric-

Sorry I haven't had the time to reply in a timely manner. I'm also sorry for the frustration-been there, done that! I've been playing in sawdust almost as long as Matt has been alive (don't tell him I said that.) It seems like in every project I can recall except for a handful, there has been a point where I have said words to the effect of, "Holy Cr*p! I can't finish this thing! I don't have the _" Words for the blank vary with the mood: tools, skill, material, skill, time, skill, money… did I say skill? I'm not going to say that anything magic happened, because I still have a few unfinished projects I've started floating around, but otoh the vast majority of my projects perseverance as seen me through. Set the tools down and come back tomorrow knowing my feelings are normal.

This is happy news for me, really. Another convert for "the cause" of Neanderwoodworking!

Mack ("The Wood Shepherd")


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## 8iowa (Feb 7, 2008)

offseid said:


> *A Tough Day in the Shop*
> 
> So yesterday I went to the lumber yard and bought all the wood I expected to need for the lego table. I was pleasantly surprised at the price. I bought 12.5 board feet of kapur (30' of 1"x4" and 10' of 1"x3") for $18.25 and a 4'x8' sheet of 1/2" plywood for $13.75. I tried to pick boards that were straight and not warped, and at least in that respect, I succeeded.
> 
> ...


eric:

Sometimes things happen for the best. Sharpening up your hand planes and planing skills is a big positive. I think the hand plane is undergoing a "re-discovery" by many woodworkers.


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## woodworm (Jul 27, 2008)

offseid said:


> *A Tough Day in the Shop*
> 
> So yesterday I went to the lumber yard and bought all the wood I expected to need for the lego table. I was pleasantly surprised at the price. I bought 12.5 board feet of kapur (30' of 1"x4" and 10' of 1"x3") for $18.25 and a 4'x8' sheet of 1/2" plywood for $13.75. I tried to pick boards that were straight and not warped, and at least in that respect, I succeeded.
> 
> ...


Looking at the picture, I think the cupped boards is correctible, since it's not associated with a "twist".
Draw lines on the board end at the lowest point for both sides, if the remaining thickness is usable for your project go ahead with hand planning. If the thickness of stock to be removed is something like 1/4" IMHO is not worth doing. 
I have done that when making my workbench, and I got to take a week rest. 
Alternativelly, rip them into two halves (get the service from a sawmill, in your case) then the flattening work would be much easier.

Good luck.


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## offseid (Jan 16, 2008)

*Hand Planing and Hand Sanding*

On Saturday (the day after our baby was due, and he's still not here!), my wonderful wife said, "Why don't you go do some woodworking?" Since I was actually in the mood to tackle the next task on my Lego Table, I went for it!

So the task of the day was to prep the table pieces for assembly. That meant planing and (some) sanding. The boards are in decent shape, being pretty much flat and square, so I only had to smooth them a little and take off the top layer to remove some staining and marring on the surface. (By the way, I went out and bought a replacement board for the cupped one, so I didn't have to deal with that.) But still, that's quite a chore when doing it all by hand with no workbench.

My makeshift bench involved placing two 2"x6" boards side by side on my sawing trestles, with the boards butting up against the wall. I used a couple narrower boards (1"x3") laid parallel to the wall as a planing stop. This mostly worked when planing the shorter boards (the leg pieces). For the aprons, I had to plane one half, then flip it around and plane the other half (while sitting on one end of the board). Oh - I have to mention that the grain on this kapur is so funky, there didn't really seem to be a "with" or "against" the grain! Kinda nice, wouldn't you say? I had no tear-out, no matter which way I went.

After all that planing, I went over everything with 100# sandpaper. Good enough for now. Here you can see my setup - my wife took this pic while I was sanding:



And after it was all said and done - what was that, like 2 or 3 hours? - here is what I ended up with: a bunch of pieces that look pretty much exactly like they did when I started:



And here's a closer look at what the kapur sapwood looks like compared with the heartwood. Very interesting - I'm curious to see how it turns out in the end! These are the leg pieces - I'm matching up one of these heartwood/sapwood pieces with one pure heartwood piece. Still trying to think of where that strip of sapwood should be in my leg assembly (see the Sketchup drawing). Oh, incidentally, in the pic below you can see that one of the 2"x6" boards also has some sapwood mixed, but it's much more of a pukey dark greyish yellow (can something be a pukey dark greyish yellow?).



On a side note: I really need to fettle my Stanley #4. It would work fine, and then every 10 minutes or so my chipbreaker would jam up with shavings. Aargh!


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## ChicoWoodnut (Dec 15, 2007)

offseid said:


> *Hand Planing and Hand Sanding*
> 
> On Saturday (the day after our baby was due, and he's still not here!), my wonderful wife said, "Why don't you go do some woodworking?" Since I was actually in the mood to tackle the next task on my Lego Table, I went for it!
> 
> ...


Looks like fun.

I was just out planing the top of my nightstands today. That smoothing plane makes nice fine shavings.

Take a nice fine flat bastard file to the flat part where the chip breaker touches the iron and make it flat. Angle it back a touch so the front edge touches first and there are no gaps. It will be fine.


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## Tangle (Jul 21, 2007)

offseid said:


> *Hand Planing and Hand Sanding*
> 
> On Saturday (the day after our baby was due, and he's still not here!), my wonderful wife said, "Why don't you go do some woodworking?" Since I was actually in the mood to tackle the next task on my Lego Table, I went for it!
> 
> ...


My gosh, Eric, it almost looks like you're working in the shower. More woodworking under duress. Keep at 'er pardner. You're gaining on it. Neat wood, but I've never heard of it.


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## Beginningwoodworker (May 5, 2008)

offseid said:


> *Hand Planing and Hand Sanding*
> 
> On Saturday (the day after our baby was due, and he's still not here!), my wonderful wife said, "Why don't you go do some woodworking?" Since I was actually in the mood to tackle the next task on my Lego Table, I went for it!
> 
> ...


Looks like Fun, Eric!


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## offseid (Jan 16, 2008)

offseid said:


> *Hand Planing and Hand Sanding*
> 
> On Saturday (the day after our baby was due, and he's still not here!), my wonderful wife said, "Why don't you go do some woodworking?" Since I was actually in the mood to tackle the next task on my Lego Table, I went for it!
> 
> ...


Hey Scott, thanks for saving me the 10 minutes I'd have used to see exactly what to do with my chipbreaker. I was thinking sandpaper, but the file sounds easier.


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## ChicoWoodnut (Dec 15, 2007)

offseid said:


> *Hand Planing and Hand Sanding*
> 
> On Saturday (the day after our baby was due, and he's still not here!), my wonderful wife said, "Why don't you go do some woodworking?" Since I was actually in the mood to tackle the next task on my Lego Table, I went for it!
> 
> ...


Not a problem.

Any babies yet? Those mommies start getting testy the later it gets.


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## offseid (Jan 16, 2008)

offseid said:


> *Hand Planing and Hand Sanding*
> 
> On Saturday (the day after our baby was due, and he's still not here!), my wonderful wife said, "Why don't you go do some woodworking?" Since I was actually in the mood to tackle the next task on my Lego Table, I went for it!
> 
> ...


Nope, not yet, but we're thinking tomorrow will be the day!


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## offseid (Jan 16, 2008)

*Everything is a Workbench and the World is My Shop*

Today is a national holiday (it's Eid ul-Adha, the big Muslim holiday celebrating Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son) and I was able to get in a little shop time today! But first, define shop. I needed to work on my dovetails for the aprons on my Lego Table, but had no place to do any vertical clamping. So out to the balcony I went. And voila!



I had to use one of the little metal vertical bars (you can see one on the far right of the above picture) to support the back side of the clamp, and bunches of scrap wood to support everything and keep my piece straight up and down. Here's a closeup:



I used the balcony wall as a tool rest, which is a little scary being on the fifth floor and all! But I didn't drop anything. I also tried to get a shot of the mosque in the background of the picture above, you know, cuz of the holiday and all. :^)

Now I had to get ultra super creative when it came time to mark the tails (I did two pins-first joints and two tails-first joints - I think I liked tails-first better). Here I used the clothes drying rack (slash secondary tool rest) with a plastic stool resting on blocks to get the right height for marking the mating piece.



I had to do a little paring on one of my tails, so I resorted to my bone clamp with ratcheting double-femur action. I was too lazy to go get my mallet so I grabbed a scrap of wood to help my dull chisel along.



At the end of the day (only a couple hours of "shop" time), I managed to finish two of the four corners. I've done all the marking on the other two, so next time I'll be able to jump right into it


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## damianpenney (Jun 22, 2007)

offseid said:


> *Everything is a Workbench and the World is My Shop*
> 
> Today is a national holiday (it's Eid ul-Adha, the big Muslim holiday celebrating Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son) and I was able to get in a little shop time today! But first, define shop. I needed to work on my dovetails for the aprons on my Lego Table, but had no place to do any vertical clamping. So out to the balcony I went. And voila!
> 
> ...


At least you have lots of natural light in your shop.


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## Woodwrecker (Aug 11, 2008)

offseid said:


> *Everything is a Workbench and the World is My Shop*
> 
> Today is a national holiday (it's Eid ul-Adha, the big Muslim holiday celebrating Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son) and I was able to get in a little shop time today! But first, define shop. I needed to work on my dovetails for the aprons on my Lego Table, but had no place to do any vertical clamping. So out to the balcony I went. And voila!
> 
> ...


Excellent use of your space.
Very cleaver way of using your environment to accomplish the work.
Can't wait to see the finished piece.
I am always using bone clamps too…..
Beautiful surroundings as well.
Thanks for the post.


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## Betsy (Sep 25, 2007)

offseid said:


> *Everything is a Workbench and the World is My Shop*
> 
> Today is a national holiday (it's Eid ul-Adha, the big Muslim holiday celebrating Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son) and I was able to get in a little shop time today! But first, define shop. I needed to work on my dovetails for the aprons on my Lego Table, but had no place to do any vertical clamping. So out to the balcony I went. And voila!
> 
> ...


necessity is the mother of invention. Looks like you've got this nailed. Just don't drop your tools over the edge!


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## Tomcat1066 (Jan 3, 2008)

offseid said:


> *Everything is a Workbench and the World is My Shop*
> 
> Today is a national holiday (it's Eid ul-Adha, the big Muslim holiday celebrating Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son) and I was able to get in a little shop time today! But first, define shop. I needed to work on my dovetails for the aprons on my Lego Table, but had no place to do any vertical clamping. So out to the balcony I went. And voila!
> 
> ...


No fair! You've got WALLS! 

Seriously, nice adaption there!


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## Rustic (Jul 21, 2008)

offseid said:


> *Everything is a Workbench and the World is My Shop*
> 
> Today is a national holiday (it's Eid ul-Adha, the big Muslim holiday celebrating Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son) and I was able to get in a little shop time today! But first, define shop. I needed to work on my dovetails for the aprons on my Lego Table, but had no place to do any vertical clamping. So out to the balcony I went. And voila!
> 
> ...


nice shop


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## Jojo (Jul 11, 2007)

offseid said:


> *Everything is a Workbench and the World is My Shop*
> 
> Today is a national holiday (it's Eid ul-Adha, the big Muslim holiday celebrating Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son) and I was able to get in a little shop time today! But first, define shop. I needed to work on my dovetails for the aprons on my Lego Table, but had no place to do any vertical clamping. So out to the balcony I went. And voila!
> 
> ...


Looking nice *Eric*.

It always makes me smile when people complain about their small or dark and cluttered basement shops. They obviously don't know how we, who are on makeshift shops, do without a proper one. I'm with you brother.

Being in downtown I don't have your gorgeous looking scenery in the background but at least I have a family of wild ferrets living in our garden. They are a quite usual sight here in Kyoto.

By the way, if I'm not mistaken, picture #3 shows exactly why your kids need a LEGO table. Nice dozuki too. ;o)


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## sharad (Dec 26, 2007)

offseid said:


> *Everything is a Workbench and the World is My Shop*
> 
> Today is a national holiday (it's Eid ul-Adha, the big Muslim holiday celebrating Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son) and I was able to get in a little shop time today! But first, define shop. I needed to work on my dovetails for the aprons on my Lego Table, but had no place to do any vertical clamping. So out to the balcony I went. And voila!
> 
> ...


Fantastic presentation of your adaptability and hard work. Who took the pictures? Pl convey my compliments to he/she. 
Sharad


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## woodworm (Jul 27, 2008)

offseid said:


> *Everything is a Workbench and the World is My Shop*
> 
> Today is a national holiday (it's Eid ul-Adha, the big Muslim holiday celebrating Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son) and I was able to get in a little shop time today! But first, define shop. I needed to work on my dovetails for the aprons on my Lego Table, but had no place to do any vertical clamping. So out to the balcony I went. And voila!
> 
> ...


You know Eric, I smiled looking at your pic at work with serious face. Sure you were not acting?
Jangan marah ye!
Anyway, I recpect your patience, dedication and strong will. Keep it up my friend!

How is your newborn baby? I hope you have a great baby! I'm sure you will have less time for woodworking now.

I just back from my home town, Melaka (Malacca). I been there since Saturday. I missed LJs alot.

Take care my firend and my regard to your happy family!


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## offseid (Jan 16, 2008)

*Taking Shape*

Today I had a decent amount of shop time for a guy with two kids and an infant - a whopping four hours! I was able to put it to good use, and I made some progress on the Lego Table. So here are a couple pics:

First, here is the dovetailed frame with the center support piece. Those tenons will be double-wedged, and trimmed flush of course.



And then, after cutting the 1/2" plywood to fit, here's an idea of how it will look:



It's no chisel box, but I guess it'll do. :^)


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## Tomcat1066 (Jan 3, 2008)

offseid said:


> *Taking Shape*
> 
> Today I had a decent amount of shop time for a guy with two kids and an infant - a whopping four hours! I was able to put it to good use, and I made some progress on the Lego Table. So here are a couple pics:
> 
> ...


Not to shabby at all


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## sbryan55 (Dec 8, 2007)

offseid said:


> *Taking Shape*
> 
> Today I had a decent amount of shop time for a guy with two kids and an infant - a whopping four hours! I was able to put it to good use, and I made some progress on the Lego Table. So here are a couple pics:
> 
> ...


This is looking pretty good, Eric. The dovetails are a nice idea given the challenges this will face from three children.


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## woodworm (Jul 27, 2008)

offseid said:


> *Taking Shape*
> 
> Today I had a decent amount of shop time for a guy with two kids and an infant - a whopping four hours! I was able to put it to good use, and I made some progress on the Lego Table. So here are a couple pics:
> 
> ...


Considering the time's constraint and the working area's limitation you are having, it is a good progress and a great achievement. 
Keep it up Eric.


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## Jimthecarver (Jan 14, 2008)

offseid said:


> *Taking Shape*
> 
> Today I had a decent amount of shop time for a guy with two kids and an infant - a whopping four hours! I was able to put it to good use, and I made some progress on the Lego Table. So here are a couple pics:
> 
> ...


Looking good! And the chisel box looked good as well. I need to make a chisel box as the plastic sleve has gotten tattered. Maybe when I make it I will post both holders…..lol
Your doing a fine job keep up the good work, and Happy New Year!


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## PurpLev (May 30, 2008)

offseid said:


> *Taking Shape*
> 
> Today I had a decent amount of shop time for a guy with two kids and an infant - a whopping four hours! I was able to put it to good use, and I made some progress on the Lego Table. So here are a couple pics:
> 
> ...


NICE! I love that idea.


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## toddc (Mar 6, 2007)

offseid said:


> *Taking Shape*
> 
> Today I had a decent amount of shop time for a guy with two kids and an infant - a whopping four hours! I was able to put it to good use, and I made some progress on the Lego Table. So here are a couple pics:
> 
> ...


That'll do pig, that'll do.


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## lew (Feb 13, 2008)

offseid said:


> *Taking Shape*
> 
> Today I had a decent amount of shop time for a guy with two kids and an infant - a whopping four hours! I was able to put it to good use, and I made some progress on the Lego Table. So here are a couple pics:
> 
> ...


Ditto what Todd said!!

Coming along great!


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## Beginningwoodworker (May 5, 2008)

offseid said:


> *Taking Shape*
> 
> Today I had a decent amount of shop time for a guy with two kids and an infant - a whopping four hours! I was able to put it to good use, and I made some progress on the Lego Table. So here are a couple pics:
> 
> ...


Looks nice.


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## jim1953 (Nov 18, 2007)

offseid said:


> *Taking Shape*
> 
> Today I had a decent amount of shop time for a guy with two kids and an infant - a whopping four hours! I was able to put it to good use, and I made some progress on the Lego Table. So here are a couple pics:
> 
> ...


Nice Job the kids will love it


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## offseid (Jan 16, 2008)

*Oh Yeah, I Was Building a Lego Table*

My wife sent me into the shop yesterday, saying, "It's been forever since your last post, you need some shop time!" Yes, ma'am.

My shop was still a mess, because the last time I had shop time I expected to get right back to it the next day…or the next week…and you know how it goes. So it took me a little bit to get my bearings and find the motivation to pick up the tools and pick up where I left off.

The tricky thing with what I did yesterday was drilling the screw holes for the legs. It wouldn't be so tricky if I just countersunk bolts in from the outside and plugged the holes with dowels. I wanted to put the screws in from the back, so they are totally unseen and with no plugs.

Maybe there's an easier way to do this. I'm all ears. But what I had to do was assemble the dovetailed aprons, mark the leg holes (already drilled) onto the aprons, and then take it all apart and drill the holes into the aprons (going in about 1/2"). It mostly went well, but there was one leg that was way off base (about 1/8", which you know is a lot!). Because of that, the dovetail wouldn't join properly, so I had to either a) drill new holes or b) plane about 1/8" off the edge of the board. Since I'm less incompetent with my bit brace than I am with the hand plane, I just went with new holes.

So here's a pic of what I was left with yesterday (dry fit only). The back left is the one missing a leg component because of my screwup. Also you might notice the leg components on the right long apron look funky. I had originally intended to have semicircles cut into the leg bottoms (made with an expansive bit drilling into two leg bottoms), but it was so very difficult to do, and my clamps couldn't hold the boards no matter how tight, that I just bagged it and inverted those two parts. Anyway, here's yesterday's pic:


Can you tell I'm hurting for assembly space?

Today was a much better day. I fixed the off-kilter leg component, and then I glued all the leg components on to their respective apron (so there are two components on each apron which will be glued together when assembled). I took a couple hours off for lunch and then came back to it and glued the whole thing together - the dovetails, the leg components to each other, and the wedged tenons for the center cross piece (which look like they turned out pretty well).

Starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel! Next steps: glue the plywood table base down onto the cross piece and legs, cut a 6"(ish) notch in the lip of one of the short aprons for easy sweeping of the legos off the table, glue some blocks up under the plywood for a little more support, and then do some final sanding/planing before finishing! Hmm, that seems like a lot now.


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## PurpLev (May 30, 2008)

offseid said:


> *Oh Yeah, I Was Building a Lego Table*
> 
> My wife sent me into the shop yesterday, saying, "It's been forever since your last post, you need some shop time!" Yes, ma'am.
> 
> ...


nice! , I need your wife to talk to my wife… I can use some shoptime myself 

here's how I would do it:

1. predrilll the legs components to have the screw fit freely/tightly through them
2. assemble the apron
3. position the legs in their proper position on the apron and clamp them to the apron, predrill with a pilot bit (smaller than the leg holes) through the legs pieces into the apron, and screw them in

or did I miss something?


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## Beginningwoodworker (May 5, 2008)

offseid said:


> *Oh Yeah, I Was Building a Lego Table*
> 
> My wife sent me into the shop yesterday, saying, "It's been forever since your last post, you need some shop time!" Yes, ma'am.
> 
> ...


Looks nice!


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## Betsy (Sep 25, 2007)

offseid said:


> *Oh Yeah, I Was Building a Lego Table*
> 
> My wife sent me into the shop yesterday, saying, "It's been forever since your last post, you need some shop time!" Yes, ma'am.
> 
> ...


Getting there Eric. Assembly room can include kitchen counters--errr wait - you're married-- don't do the counter thing. 

Looking forward to your progress.


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## offseid (Jan 16, 2008)

offseid said:


> *Oh Yeah, I Was Building a Lego Table*
> 
> My wife sent me into the shop yesterday, saying, "It's been forever since your last post, you need some shop time!" Yes, ma'am.
> 
> ...


Thanks guys! PurpLev, I tried sending this reply yesterday but it wouldn't go through, so here it is:

Yeah, you did miss a couple things (but it wasn't your fault). I forgot to mention that I'm using a bit brace, so I can't do any of the drilling while the entire thing is assembled. Even with an electric drill, I'm not sure that I could have done the holes closest to the corners, but if I'd already done the outer one, then alignment would've been a non-issue. So yeah, it was the bit brace that was the culprit.

Also, the leg pieces on the short aprons are actually a touch thicker than those on the long aprons, so I used two different sized screws. I felt that the screws which I used on the long aprons would be too short for use on the short ones. So I ended up using a type of bolt on the thicker leg pieces, and the fit is really nice - no nut necessary for sure. So all that's to say that's why I needed to drill holes at least in the short aprons, since it's just a squared-off bolt going into the wood.

I suppose I didn't have to pre-drill holes in the long aprons, since standard screws were going in there. But I don't have a whole lot of experience with it. I think I heard somewhere that it provides a stronger joint/fastening if you pre-drill (as long as the hole is the diameter of the shaft of the screw, not including the threads).


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## offseid (Jan 16, 2008)

*Making Our Mark(s)*

Yesterday I had just a little bit of shop time. Enough to make sure the tops of the legs are all level so that there is no wobble when the plywood top goes on. I had to glue on a few shims, but otherwise it's all good to go.

Before I glue the top on, I thought it would be a good idea to have the kids go to town on the underside. Here you can see them in action: our son (and my wife) had one half, and our daughter (and I) had the other. P.S. Notice the mess of legos at the top of the picture - we need this table done soon!



I made sure that when I left my mark, I left a reminder of what hoops I had to jump through to get this project done. No wonder the average project takes me 10 times longer than it would take you! :^)



When it was all done, the kids had a ball checking out their handiwork. And I'm guessing that when my wife shows houseguests the lego table (she's kinda proud of me), the kids will be dragging them under it to show them what they did as well!


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## woodworm (Jul 27, 2008)

offseid said:


> *Making Our Mark(s)*
> 
> Yesterday I had just a little bit of shop time. Enough to make sure the tops of the legs are all level so that there is no wobble when the plywood top goes on. I had to glue on a few shims, but otherwise it's all good to go.
> 
> ...


Ok Eric, looks like your Lego Table series is ending very soon, I guess. So what's the next thing to do with it?
Have you decided the finish it would get? 
Your street wall painting (the note underneath the table) is very interesting. And yet you have done it very well. You should be proud of what you have inside of you (that others can't see). You did not even say it, but you proved it - there it is the Lego Table…!

Ok Eric, all the best. My regards to your happy family. Take care.


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## sbryan55 (Dec 8, 2007)

offseid said:


> *Making Our Mark(s)*
> 
> Yesterday I had just a little bit of shop time. Enough to make sure the tops of the legs are all level so that there is no wobble when the plywood top goes on. I had to glue on a few shims, but otherwise it's all good to go.
> 
> ...


Eric, getting them involved in the project like this is a wonderful idea. As long as they are having fun that is all that is important.


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## offseid (Jan 16, 2008)

offseid said:


> *Making Our Mark(s)*
> 
> Yesterday I had just a little bit of shop time. Enough to make sure the tops of the legs are all level so that there is no wobble when the plywood top goes on. I had to glue on a few shims, but otherwise it's all good to go.
> 
> ...


Hi Woodworm, yes, I should be done soon. I still need to do some final sanding and planing, and as you can see in the pics I still need to trim flush my wedged tenons (in the middle of the long aprons). I also plan on cutting out a small (6" or so) notch out of the middle of one of the short aprons, so it will be easier for the kids to slide the legos off the table and into the bucket. I'll be sure to take pics, because I might not have explained it well.

And as for finish, I think I'll just use a basic wiping varnish, maybe 1 part BLO, mineral spirits and varnish. And after a few coats maybe cut out the BLO.

Regards to you and yours. Say hi to KL for me! :^)


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## Beginningwoodworker (May 5, 2008)

offseid said:


> *Making Our Mark(s)*
> 
> Yesterday I had just a little bit of shop time. Enough to make sure the tops of the legs are all level so that there is no wobble when the plywood top goes on. I had to glue on a few shims, but otherwise it's all good to go.
> 
> ...


Nice work Eric.


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## offseid (Jan 16, 2008)

*Finished!*

I swear, my shop time is so infrequent it takes me forever to complete a project. But I had a decent block of time today and was able to do quite a bit!

First was to smooth the whole thing down - planing and sanding. Then I had to create a little "slot" in the top of one of the short aprons. This will allow for easy cleanup of legos; you don't have to worry about clearing the lip, you just sweep them off into the tub through this slot. The technique I used is almost the same as the one I used on my step stool. I used a cardboard template to be sure the curves on the ends of the slot were the same.



Then I made a series of cuts to the line. It seems tedious but this only took me a few minutes.



I then took my mallet and chisel to it, and after the first pass it looked like this:



A second pass cleaned it up even more, and then I used a spokeshave and a rounded file (I don't yet own a rasp!) to smooth it up.





Then it was time to finally glue the top on. This is perhaps an optional step but I decided to do it. There isn't much good gluing surface (mostly the end grain on the legs) so I flipped it over and glued in some glue blocks on the bottom for a little extra support. Here's the underside of the table so you can see what all I've done there. Notice I also nailed in (crude, I know) some brackets to help hold those leg assemblies together. Maybe unnecessary, but I'm paranoid like that.



And here she is after one coat of BLO/varnish/mineral spirits (in the midst of drying, thus the uneven look on the plywood). In the morning I'll buff it out and add another coat, and then tomorrow night one more. That might be it!


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## sbryan55 (Dec 8, 2007)

offseid said:


> *Finished!*
> 
> I swear, my shop time is so infrequent it takes me forever to complete a project. But I had a decent block of time today and was able to do quite a bit!
> 
> ...


Eric, I am sure that your children will enjoy this. It will be so much easier to them to "work" with their Legos on this table as opposed to the floor and adding the clean-up slot was a nice idea.

This has been a fun series. It took you about 4 months to get it finished but good craftsmanship just can't be rushed.

Now, what is next?


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## Blake (Oct 17, 2007)

offseid said:


> *Finished!*
> 
> I swear, my shop time is so infrequent it takes me forever to complete a project. But I had a decent block of time today and was able to do quite a bit!
> 
> ...


It came out great! I like the cut out idea. I also like the custom art on the bottom.


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## Woodchuck1957 (Feb 4, 2008)

offseid said:


> *Finished!*
> 
> I swear, my shop time is so infrequent it takes me forever to complete a project. But I had a decent block of time today and was able to do quite a bit!
> 
> ...


The cutout is a nice idea. Another way to have created it is make a template from 1/4" hardboard ( Masonite ) , and router out the cutout in a couple passes. Or use a jigsaw to cut it out, and then a sanding drum on a drill press to smooth it out.


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## kiwi1969 (Dec 22, 2008)

offseid said:


> *Finished!*
> 
> I swear, my shop time is so infrequent it takes me forever to complete a project. But I had a decent block of time today and was able to do quite a bit!
> 
> ...


A fine job considering your space and tool constraints, this just proves you don,t need a big buck workshop or toolkit to get things done. Now how about that chipendale highboy!!!!


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## PurpLev (May 30, 2008)

offseid said:


> *Finished!*
> 
> I swear, my shop time is so infrequent it takes me forever to complete a project. But I had a decent block of time today and was able to do quite a bit!
> 
> ...


*Eric* - NICE Table! I think that those metal brackets could have been left out though, there's plenty of long grain glue surface on those leg pieces, which should be more than suffice.

*Woodchuck* - I dont think Eric has a Jigsaw, nor a router.. this was all hand tool made.


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## offseid (Jan 16, 2008)

offseid said:


> *Finished!*
> 
> I swear, my shop time is so infrequent it takes me forever to complete a project. But I had a decent block of time today and was able to do quite a bit!
> 
> ...


Scott: It may have taken me 4 months to do this, but in actual shop time this was probably about 3 or 4 weekends! I just don't get time to go to the shop that much, and when I DO have time, I sometimes just don't have the energy for it! As for my next project, I think I'm going to make a very VERY simple playing card holder for my kids. Just a diagonal rip halfway down into a longish block of wood. Then I'll woodburn their names on 'em. Then I have some serious sharpening to do before I do ANYTHING else. I've been procrastinating too long, and using really dull blades for too long.

Blake: Thanks! My wife actually suggested I put the art side up. If it was the kind of plywood where both sides look nice, I might have! The top will be covered with a car mat anyway (I'll show this in my Project posting when I do it).

Woodchuck: PurpLev is right on - the only thing that is plugged in in my shop is a stand fan. To be honest, even if I could do this with power tools, I don't think I would. I like doing something that could make someone think, "You did that with a saw, mallet and chisel?"

Kiwi: Ha! I don't even know what a highboy is, although I hear the term batted around all the time. I dunno, sounds a bit too fancy for me. :^)

PurpLev: Thanks man! I know, the brackets seem over-the-top, I should've only done glue blocks at most. But we seem to move a lot, and I can just imagine the movers banging those legs against the doors and walls. Don't wanna test that glue bond too much.


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## Beginningwoodworker (May 5, 2008)

offseid said:


> *Finished!*
> 
> I swear, my shop time is so infrequent it takes me forever to complete a project. But I had a decent block of time today and was able to do quite a bit!
> 
> ...


Eric that looks nice.


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