Popular Post wdwerker Posted August 31, 2013 Popular Post Report Share Posted August 31, 2013 Started a commissioned piece this week and decided to photograph the whole process and post it as a blog on my website. Then figured I could share and practice the post here first. The table will be 43" x 80" x 17" tall with( 2 ) 31" square glass inserts. Started out with a big stack of carefully selected 8/4 African Mahogany (Kayaha) . I let it sit in the shop for week before I started work. Sorted out the prettiest and straightest pieces for the long side rails in the top. Had to work around some twisted pieces and flatten some cupping as well. The table is very contemporary in style and with large boards any twist of cup will show in the joinery. Here is the stack of parts stickered up overnight before I glued up the wider pieces needed for the base. The base of the table has an "I beam shape" made of 2"x 12" planks. Couldn't find any boards that size so I glued them up. To flatten such large pieces I used my drum sander. Made a carrier board out of 1" MDF put the glued up blank on top and pushed 3 corners down, then filled the gap caused by the twist with playing cards. Split the stack in half and taped them under the high corners. Screwed some "L " shaped blocks at the corners then ran the whole thing through the drum sander to flatten one side. Then flip it over and remove the cards to flatten the other side. You can use this approach with a planer as well, just be careful that your carrier will clear everything before you run it through. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted August 31, 2013 Report Share Posted August 31, 2013 Brilliant!! You and others may have known this method all along but this is the first I have heard it described. I have seen literally dozens of blogs on flattening one side with hand planes to begin powered planing. While I enjoy that method, I see your method to be a tremendous time saver if needed. Thanks! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted August 31, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 31, 2013 This is the flattened parts stickered up ready to be cut to final size. Today we are going to cut the joinery. The top frame around the 2 glass panels will be 6" wide. Started out with 1 3/4" thick stock. After glue up and flattening I have 1 1/2" to work with. The top will be a big figure 8. 1 1/2" x 6" x 80" rails connected by 3 crosspieces. 6 butt joints with (4) 10mm Domino's. The legs are 1 1/2 x 12" x 15 1/2. They will get a row of dominoes to attach them to the underside of the top. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G S Haydon Posted August 31, 2013 Report Share Posted August 31, 2013 Excellent Steve. Great to see inside your shop. Keep those WIP photos coming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pghmyn Posted August 31, 2013 Report Share Posted August 31, 2013 Looking forward to this post. My favorite part about the forums is following along builds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted September 1, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 1, 2013 Today we started cutting all the parts to exact size. I quickly realized that special care would be needed to keep all the edges square. So I clamped all the matching parts into a set with offcut scraps on the outside. Marked the surface with a pencil, then sanded with 50 , 100, and 120 grit in quick succession. Lather , rinse , repeat...... Cleaning up all the edges will save time later but it ate up a couple of hours. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted September 1, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 1, 2013 After all the edges were cleaned up we trimmed everything to exact size. My energy and focus were slipping so I just clamped up a test fit of the top. Then I set up the parts for the base. A few quick measurements and everything was within a 1/16 ! Dripping sweat and afraid of making a mistake I called it a day. It is taking shape nicely I think . 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted September 1, 2013 Report Share Posted September 1, 2013 Looking awesome. I must admit the base has me scratching my head tho without knowing what the final will look like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted September 1, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 1, 2013 The legs are standing up in the mock up. They are connected across the floor to each other, with a piece down the middle . The top will be mounted with the legs flush on each corner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted September 1, 2013 Report Share Posted September 1, 2013 Ok, I think I can see it now.. Looking forward to seeing it in pics! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRBaker Posted September 1, 2013 Report Share Posted September 1, 2013 Lookin' great, Steve. Keep it coming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Byrdie Posted September 1, 2013 Report Share Posted September 1, 2013 Pretty wood but that's going to be one massive table! I like the style. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodger. Posted September 1, 2013 Report Share Posted September 1, 2013 Looking forward to the finished product! It's gonna be a beauty. I like the idea with the sanding and clamping scraps. I'm gonna try that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted September 2, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 2, 2013 160 mortices, (80) 10 mm dominoes and we got it dry fitted together today. I was a little worried the 80" long pieces might sag a little, so I stepped up and stood on the center crosspiece. It only moved 1/8" ! I think once it is all glued up there will be even less flex in all the joints. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted September 2, 2013 Report Share Posted September 2, 2013 And only 4 clamps to hold that monstrosity together Looking awesome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted September 3, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 3, 2013 I decided to use 4 dominoes on each joint in the top. Simple butt joints have little strength from an end grain glue joint. 4 dominoes gives me 16 square inches of glue surface. If you look closely you can see 2 tenons on each side. Due to the size of this coffee table I wanted the top removable for delivery and easier finishing. I used a row of 4 tenons to attach the legs to the underside of the top. The dominoes will be glued into the legs and loose in the top. I drilled 2 pocket holes for screws to intersect the tenons to lock them in place, clean simple and cheap, no hardware will show through the glass inserts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted September 3, 2013 Report Share Posted September 3, 2013 Interesting! Pocket screw into a domino, I wouldn't have thought of that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRBaker Posted September 3, 2013 Report Share Posted September 3, 2013 Looking good Steve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted September 3, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 3, 2013 Sanded all the inside faces and places that are hard to get to after its glued up today. Drilled the legs for leveling feet then tackled the big glue up! 20 clamps worth about $900 looks something like this. The diagonal ones are to force it to be exactly square. Measure corner to corner, put the clamp across the longer corner , tighten until both measurements are the same. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Crawford Posted September 4, 2013 Report Share Posted September 4, 2013 If I were to do a glue-up like that I would have to search out glue with an extra, extra long set time. . . or end up crawling around on the floor babbling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted September 4, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 4, 2013 Titebond III which has a slower set and I was on the verge of babbling many times in the couple of hours it took to get the whole thing perfect. Did it in stages got the top clamped up and just right and let it sit 45 minutes while we were assembling the base then the nightmare began, getting the base and top aligned before the glue set. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted September 6, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 6, 2013 Took the whole thing apart sanded it again to remove clamp marks and scuffs. Stained it once,wipe on and wipe off to get a color base established. Then I sprayed a second coat of stain on to even out the color and make it darker. After wiping the second coat back and drying for an hour or so I sprayed on a couple of coats of sanding sealer. I always make color samples for clients that want a specific color level on their project. Making sure I match the sample is important. The client wanted a pretty dark stain. I made it as dark as possible without completely covering up the grain and losing any variation between the different boards. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRBaker Posted September 6, 2013 Report Share Posted September 6, 2013 Man that is looking choice. I love Mahogany. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freddie Posted September 6, 2013 Report Share Posted September 6, 2013 Wow it's looking awesome! Can't wait to see it finished. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted September 6, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 6, 2013 We got more coats of sealer on the table today but we had to build dividers for 2 drawers on the gift shop job. Amazing how much time can be involved in making adjustable dividers for a drawer. Cut multiple parts to a tight accuracy , sand, spray, and sand again. Then assemble and hope for the best fit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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