Waterfall Table

[Coop]

I have a 8/4 slab of pecan that I would like to use for the top and front of a waterfall table. I can only think that to make the 45 deg. cut, I would use a circ saw w/ a guide. In the pics I've seen of these tables, there is absolutely no visible joint. Has anyone ever made one of these and how did you make the cut?  

[Bombarde16]

Maybe I'm just slow, but I had to look up "waterfall table".  I presume this is the sort of thing you describe:

 

 

A circular saw with a guide will certainly do the job.  You'll need something major to reinforce the joint.  Take your pick of any or all of the following:

• Blind dowels
• Visible splines or dovetail keys
• A cleat on the inside corner

[Coop]

That is what I had in mind. Since posting this, I measured my saw blade and at 45 deg. I can't make a 2" cut. I may have to take it back to the saw mill I bought it from and have them run it thru their planer as it's too wide to run thru mine

[Bombarde16]

How big is the slab?  Can you cut most of the way with the saw and then finish by hand?

[Coop]

It's a live edge piece that's about 23" wide. Will be used as an end table to match an existing live edge coffee table that does not have the waterfall end. Finishing it by hand never occurred to me. I guess since I don't have a decent hand saw. I have a hole saw and table saw and all saws in between, but not a hand saw.

[wdwerker]

Build a shooting board at 45 degrees. After you saw and finish the cut with your new handsaw you can perfect the 45 with the shooting board. Dowels , biscuits , dominoes or use a router and cut mortices for loose tenons ( which is what a domino does)

I would practice on scrap before I tackled the slab.

Or find someone with. Festool TS75 to cut it at a 45 for you.

[Bombarde16]

It's a live edge piece that's about 23" wide. Will be used as an end table to match an existing live edge coffee table that does not have the waterfall end. Finishing it by hand never occurred to me. I guess since I don't have a decent hand saw. I have a hole saw and table saw and all saws in between, but not a hand saw.

 

You don't need a decent hand saw because the saw isn't the last tool to touch the joint.  As Steve points out, a plane is.  A cheap pull saw plus a block plane will get you there.  Moreover and if you're still reticent about finishing by hand, you can make the cut such that the surface needing to be done by hand is on the inside.  Nobody but pets and pests will ever know.

 

Bigger question still remains:  How do you intend to reinforce the joint once you have it cut?

[Coop]

I have seen shooting boards used in videos but have never actually seen one, much less used one. I will do some research on them. Fortunately, the waterfall edge will only come down a few inches and will not go all the way to the floor, so it will not be supporting any weight, other than it's own. The guy that owns the mill where I bought it has several Festool tools and I will try him on the cut.

Thinking about it, I wonder if I'm the only woodworker without a hand saw   Jagged edge goes down, right?

[Bill Tarbell]

Even if it only goes down a few inches i think you'd want to reinforce the joint.  The glueup will be endgrain to endgrain, which is the least effective pairing.  If someone bumps the bottom of the waterfall with their knee or even a vacuum cleaner then it has a decent chance of breaking that endgrain glueup unless it's reinforced.

[Coop]

No, I would definitely reinforce it. Probably w/ loose tenons as Steve suggested.

[Bombarde16]

I wouldn't even worry about a shooting board.  On such a thick slab, you can reference the plane against the surface left by the track saw perfectly well.

[Coop]

I would like to build something like one of these and have a waterfall top and have it come down in the front 3-4"

[Eric.]

I don't think a block plane will get the job done very well, but a LAJ probably can with some fiddling and a little luck.  I'll disagree with Rob a little and say I probably would worry about the shooting board.  If you don't have really solid hand planing skills, that's gonna be a tough job without a little help.  Those long miters are difficult to execute even though they seem straight forward.

[RichardA]

I have seen shooting boards used in videos but have never actually seen one, much less used one. I will do some research on them. Fortunately, the waterfall edge will only come down a few inches and will not go all the way to the floor, so it will not be supporting any weight, other than it's own. The guy that owns the mill where I bought it has several Festool tools and I will try him on the cut.

Thinking about it, I wonder if I'm the only woodworker without a hand saw   Jagged edge goes down, right?

Paul Sellers has a good video on building and using a shooting board.....Not a bad guess, you could only miss it by one... Yup jagged edge down!

[Coop]

I've looked and I find shooting boards used when a board is cut on a 45 diagonally across the board like a picture frame but don't find one being used when the board is cut 90 deg. across at a 45 deg. angle, if that makes sense? I'll keep looking.

And, my planning skills start and stop w/ me having just recently taken my first and only new Woodriver #5 plane out of the box and oohing and aweing over it.

[Eric.]

Gargle "donkey ear shooting board."

[Coop]

I'll be.... Sure as shootin

I can see me making a donkey eared shooting board that will hold a 2" thick x 22" wide board. But I am going to make one for smaller pieces for boxes!!

I think maybe my best bet is to put a 10" blade in my circ saw so that it will go all the way thru the board?

[TerryMcK]

Ken have a look at Alfs page here http://www.cornishworkshop.co.uk/shootingboards.html

She has a ton of good information on her website and the Donkey Ear is mentioned at the bottom of that page. I think there is a PDF of plans for it too.

[Coop]

Thanks Terry. The one on this site by "Chris Knight" looks pretty straight and simple. As my wife is going to be out of town for 4 days this weekend, this will give me a good work project. It'll keep me out of trouble

Now, as I mentioned above, the only plane I have, other than a cheap block is a #5. That's not the same as a LAJ, is it? 

[TerryMcK]

No but you can still do a lot of good work with a #5 and finish off with your block plane on that semi end grain.

[Tpt life]

You might be able to rent a large format circ saw. They are made if you can find someone who uses them. (Only a response to the 10" blade comment.)

https://www.google.com/search?q=10+circular+saw&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&client=safari

For $300.00 it might be worth a purchase if you do a fair amount of slab work.

[Coop]

I'm still at work now and the slab is at home but I'm curious as to the exact thickness.  I appreciate it Shaffer but this will probably be the last time I cut a 45 in a piece this thick. I think I'll save the 300 and put it towards a drum sander later.

[..Kev]

Is it possible to build a sled to get it thru the table saw?

[wtnhighlander]

I'm wondering how you plan to reference whatever saw is used so as to get 90 degree cut across the board. Is it live endge on both sides, or just one? If both edges are 'au natural', you may have to do some fancy jiggery to make your cut perpendicular to the grain.

[Coop]

The slab has a cathedral pattern in the heartwood and the piece itself is in the same shape. I measured last night and it is 1 7/8" thick, 19" at the widest part, tapering down to a point and 31" long. My thought was to use the widest part and come out approx. 19" to the front and have it extend down approx. 4"-5" from the top. Hopefully I painted this pic w/ some clarity? As the cut at the widest part is pretty much perpendicular to the whole piece, for a reference, I was thinking I could just measure over 9.5" and using a framing square and draw a line down the middle. I never thought of using a sled on my ts. As my blade tilts to the left, I could flip the piece, position it to the left of the blade, clamp it to the sled and run it thru?