Popular Post arbiterr Posted January 19, 2017 Popular Post Report Share Posted January 19, 2017 Hi guys, made a walnut live edge topped entryway table with maple legs and a walnut support bar. The walnut had a few cracks and had to be filled. I used a walnut wood filler as the cracks were too thin. For the finish; I applied a BLO coat and let it dry for 10 days after which I added 5-7 coats of Clear wipe on poly on the main side and 3 coats on the bottom face in case I want to use that in the future. For the legs I used clear water based finish to escape yellowing... but on hindsight, i think I like clear wipe-on poly (slight yellowing) on maple better (i didn't have wipe-on at the time so I never tested). I'll do that sometime in the future. Big thanks to everyone that advised and helped me here on this project's finish. For the legs; I prepared the initial curve before using it as a template for the remaining 3 sides that were rough cut with a jigsaw and taped together for an edge referenced routed cut. This maintained the symmetry. Rectangles for the 1-4 walnut bar was chiseled out and the bar itself was hand planed on the edges so it can go through and overhang about an inch on the other side. There were NO screws used on this project. The walnut support bar was hammered in with a rubber mallet and stays in place quite strong. I added some felt pads on the underside of the walnut slab as a position guide. This preserves the underside as a backup just in case. My craftmanship wasn't great and the crooked lines in the rectangle cutout can be seen, but I am still pleased. and it is easy to take apart for refinishes or modifications if needed. Edit: Would love some tips and advice on ways i could have bettered the project. I was in 2 minds about removing the bark or not.. and also if I should have rounded off the edges on the legs. Here are some pictures. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Chet Posted January 19, 2017 Popular Post Report Share Posted January 19, 2017 This is a nice project. Great looking top. 11 minutes ago, arbiterr said: My craftmanship wasn't great and the crooked lines in the rectangle cutout can be seen Woodworking is a journey of learning. I think we have all had projects that we are happy with but see things that most people don't. Then we go on to the next project and eliminate the mistakes of the last but maybe make new ones as we learn. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arbiterr Posted January 19, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2017 Thanks, definitely was a great learning experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jfitz Posted January 19, 2017 Report Share Posted January 19, 2017 Very pretty!! thanks for posting! 2 comments..... 1. I'm reminded of a presentation by Jim Heavey (Wood Magazine) at one of the Woodworking shows. He spoke about how most woodworkers are their own worst critic - when someone complements their work, he/she is the first one to point out all the flaws. Now, maybe in this forum it's appropriate because we all want to learn and better ourselves (see #2, below) but Jim's advice was basically "Say thank you. and shut up". 2. To make it better.....hmm, good question. I would say to make the rectangle "cutouts" cleaner looking, i suggest you could rip the boards lengthwise into three pieces; cut the center piece in the middle to 'remove' the rectangle where the opening would be; and then glue the boards back together again. The grain should match almost perfectly and hide the glue line. This is a common method in making the opening for a drawer in a desk apron from a single board, keeping the grain continuity. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronn W Posted January 19, 2017 Report Share Posted January 19, 2017 1 hour ago, Jfitz said: 2. To make it better.....hmm, good question. I would say to make the rectangle "cutouts" cleaner looking, i suggest you could rip the boards lengthwise into three pieces; cut the center piece in the middle to 'remove' the rectangle where the opening would be; and then glue the boards back together again. The grain should match almost perfectly and hide the glue line. This is a common method in making the opening for a drawer in a desk apron from a single board, keeping the grain continuity. I did not know that.....Thanks. Jfitz. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaneymack Posted January 19, 2017 Report Share Posted January 19, 2017 Nice table! 2 hours ago, Jfitz said: I would say to make the rectangle "cutouts" cleaner looking, i suggest you could rip the boards lengthwise into three pieces; cut the center piece in the middle to 'remove' the rectangle where the opening would be; and then glue the boards back together again. The grain should match almost perfectly and hide the glue line. This is a common method in making the opening for a drawer in a desk apron from a single board, keeping the grain continuity. This would be the best application if the cutout needed to be preserved, like in the case of a drawer front. This is just a straight up through mortise which would be easily achieved with a simple jig and a router. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jfitz Posted January 19, 2017 Report Share Posted January 19, 2017 That could work too. But instead of having to chisel out the corners, the rip-n-glue method is pretty foolproof. Now, rounding the corners of the tenon is an option too, to match the rounded corner from the router. As always more than one way to skin a cat....but find the one way that works for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drzaius Posted January 19, 2017 Report Share Posted January 19, 2017 Nice looking table. But since you asked for critique; the bark should have been removed. Live edge is fine, but bark only belongs on rustic, made of logs furniture. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted January 20, 2017 Report Share Posted January 20, 2017 Had you just posted and said, hey, here it is, I would have said "damn fine looking table"! And I still think it's a great looking piece. But, you asked for comments! I agree that the bark should have been left off but, there's so little showing, it looks good. On the stretcher, I would have made a tenon on each end,instead of the whole board going thru the mortise (hole). I don't see any gaps but assuming there might be? This would have given you a shoulder to hide any imperfections on the inside and you could have cut the mortise from the outside. Might have made for a little more stability too, as my projects need as much as I can give them. Also a wedge dealie on the outside of the tenon would look cool. I'm sure there's a correct word for that? And yes, the edges would look better with a round over. What would have really looked cool is if the the front of the legs would have been live edge as well. But again, I think you've done a good job and it looks great!!!! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arbiterr Posted January 20, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2017 16 hours ago, Jfitz said: 2. To make it better.....hmm, good question. I would say to make the rectangle "cutouts" cleaner looking, i suggest you could rip the boards lengthwise into three pieces; cut the center piece in the middle to 'remove' the rectangle where the opening would be; and then glue the boards back together again. 2 That's a brilliant idea, never thought about it. 14 hours ago, shaneymack said: This would be the best application if the cutout needed to be preserved, like in the case of a drawer front. This is just a straight up through mortise which would be easily achieved with a simple jig and a router. 13 hours ago, Jfitz said: Now, rounding the corners of the tenon is an option too, to match the rounded corner from the router. As always more than one way to skin a cat....but find the one way that works for you. So many ideas. I have seen the wood whisperer round off many of his tenons, I like it.. better than chiseling out the entire hole. I'm surprised I never thought of using the router lol.. maybe it was the excitement of the new chisels I had. had some tear out on the other end too since I was working on carpet. big mistake. 13 hours ago, drzaius said: Nice looking table. But since you asked for critique; the bark should have been removed. Live edge is fine, but bark only belongs on rustic, made of logs furniture. I was contemplating that. but was vary only because I never tried it and didn't want to ruin this piece. My plan is to make a live edge cutting board next time I visit the lumber yard and practice bark removal on those. barkless really looks neat. 9 hours ago, K Cooper said: On the stretcher, I would have made a tenon on each end,instead of the whole board going thru the mortise (hole). I don't see any gaps but assuming there might be? This would have given you a shoulder to hide any imperfections on the inside and you could have cut the mortise from the outside. Might have made for a little more stability too, as my projects need as much as I can give them. Also a wedge dealie on the outside of the tenon would look cool. I'm sure there's a correct word for that? And yes, the edges would look better with a round over. What would have really looked cool is if the the front of the legs would have been live edge as well. But again, I think you've done a good job and it looks great!!!! 6 Ah, it was initially my plan to have the wood stay flush outside with maple wedges for good contrast.. but I went with the overhang instead. I agree, a hidden mortise tenon would be much cleaner. live edge legs is a great tip I'll keep that in mind next time. I'll try to round over the legs when I decide to switch the finish to wipe-on poly. Thanks everyone for the compliments and tips/tricks. I really enjoyed making this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna S Posted January 22, 2017 Report Share Posted January 22, 2017 That's a nice project. Just wondering how you keep the legs from bowing in? I made a similar table console table, but longer ~ 10"x6' One of the other members of the shop pointed out the the legs where going to be really unstable with it that long, and I ended up adding some stretcher bars at the bottom secured with pegs to prevent that. Was that ever a problem for you? How did you secure the middle shelf? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arbiterr Posted January 25, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2017 On 1/21/2017 at 9:58 PM, Anna S said: That's a nice project. Just wondering how you keep the legs from bowing in? I made a similar table console table, but longer ~ 10"x6' One of the other members of the shop pointed out the the legs where going to be really unstable with it that long, and I ended up adding some stretcher bars at the bottom secured with pegs to prevent that. Was that ever a problem for you? How did you secure the middle shelf? 2 Thanks. To be honest Anna, I never considered bowing in (from the weight of the table?) to be an issue here. All 4 pieces of wood are 1" thick (maple could be 3/4") and seem quite sturdy so it never crossed my mind. I am not worried about the legs bowing in because the walnut is quite light for hardwood. My walnut slab is only 45" long and from what I've seen it hardly adds stress on the legs.. especially on maple legs. At 6' wide, If I were to make it with the little knowledge I have and warning you provided I'd set up a skeleton frame on top of the legs for the table to rest on instead of just having the slab rest directly on legs... this evens out the weight distribution across the length. The support you added at the base looks nice and well crafted too. The way I secured the bar was simple. the cutouts on the legs are made slightly smaller than the bar (basically chiseled out the insides of the outline i made). And on the bar, I lightly planed off the ends (both face ways and edge) with a hand planer. That made about 2-3" of the bar's both ends narrower on all sides. I inserted them into the cutouts and hammered (rubber mallet) the legs into the bar until there was resistance from the unplaned part of the bar (lucky the overhang was even on both sides). They actually hold pretty tight after the hammering... so tight that the legs and bar hammered together stayed sturdy without the slab on. There's a picture below, you can see the legs clearly. Let me know if my explanation is unclear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dknapp34 Posted January 25, 2017 Report Share Posted January 25, 2017 Also a wedge dealie on the outside of the tenon would look cool. I'm sure there's a correct word for that? Tusk tenon, I believe. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna S Posted January 28, 2017 Report Share Posted January 28, 2017 On January 25, 2017 at 10:13 AM, arbiterr said: The way I secured the bar was simple. the cutouts on the legs are made slightly smaller than the bar (basically chiseled out the insides of the outline i made). And on the bar, I lightly planed off the ends (both face ways and edge) with a hand planer. That made about 2-3" of the bar's both ends narrower on all sides. I inserted them into the cutouts and hammered (rubber mallet) the legs into the bar until there was resistance from the unplaned part of the bar (lucky the overhang was even on both sides). They actually hold pretty tight after the hammering... so tight that the legs and bar hammered together stayed sturdy without the slab on. There's a picture below, you can see the legs clearly. Let me know if my explanation is unclear. That makes sense, and looks pretty stable. Did you end up gluing the shelf in? Any loosening with wood movement? I ended up going with the tusks because I wasn't sure I'd get a tight fit, and having a wedge to take up any slack worked reasonably well. There's a little peg on the end side of the stretcher boards that it pushes against (Not a perfect solution though, the first piece of furniture I used those wedges on, I put so much wax on them that they would just slip right out, not enough grip to hold them in place when you pushed the tusks down.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arbiterr Posted February 2, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2017 nope. no glue used either. ill have to keep an eye on wood movements. nothing has happened yet, but my main concerns are the cracks I filled in the slab. At this moment I have no idea what to anticipate in terms of movements, season change into summer should be interesting though. I like the tusk tenons never knew about it until after I posted my project here, So I wouldn't have any input in regards to grip. I've never worked with wax except cutting boards so if I were doing it, I'd simply have a rough coat of poly.. might give it some traction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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