Bmac

As you guys know I'm in the shop a lot, and as a result I generate a lot of scraps, mostly designated for the woodstove. That has always bothered me because some of the wood I burn is really nice stuff, it's just odd shaped or too small to do much with. Lately I've donated alot of my scraps to a few young budding woodworkers. This gets rid of a good amt of stuff and they are so happy to have it. But I still have that pile of wood, I'm sure we all have it, that pile of some nice pieces we hope we will find a use for in the future. Well my pile just seems to keep on growing despite my efforts to off load stuff. So a few months ago I started in earnest to look for some small projects to use some of my scraps. Since the ever popular reindeer seem to catch so much attention, I started by focusing on other animals I could make with my bandsaw or lathe. Some searches on Etsy, and I found some neat little projects. I want to make clear these are copies of things I saw that were thought of by smarter people than myself. I have no intention on selling and I hope if any of those people see this post that they will consider the quote from Oscar Wilde,  "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness".   

So here's what I've been playing with;

Pengiuns, a nice addition to my reindeer herd. These were done on the lathe after a simple glue up of any dark wood and light wood. The "beak" is a 1/8th" brass rod cut and shaped;

Spring Chickens, again done on the lathe, the "comb" on the top of the head is turned, cut to rough shape on the bandsaw, spindle sander to get to final shape, small vertical cuts then rasp work to make the spikes, and finally some red flocking. The "beaks" are either shaped 1/8th" kabob skewers or the shaped brass rod. These samples are turned from cherry, walnut, maple and pear;

Finally, a few simple but elegant birds, cut out using a bandsaw, spindle sander to shape, and handsanding to finish. The "eyes" are nothing more than an 1/8th" hole. 

I'm hoping some of you out there have some simple fun projects like this to share as my "pile" is still a pile, altough slightly smaller. I've gotten into the habit of always having a few of these little projects in the works that I can play with during glueup or on finishing days.

Hope this was interesting to some of you out there.

 

Very nice MCM piece, like the leg design also. 

Had to chuckle about the change of heart with your new bride wanting maple used now. I think in the past I've heard you have some distaste, or at least a lack of love for it. Good news for you with your mill it's probably easier to nab some silver maple logs where you live.

I'm so fortunate with my wife, I make what I want and she loves it, very few requests. The biggest problem is talking her into throwing out or giving away old furniture to make room for the new stuff. She'll ask what are you going to put there instead, I tell her to trust me, and she usually does. 

OK, why have I never run across this thing, I think it's pretty darn useful.

I got the Morley Lounge Chair project from Marc and hadn't looked at it yet. But yesterday when @jussi posted about the L-fence and the technique Morley was using I went and watched him using it. Then I went online and found a few articles about this fence, and man this is useful. I'm making one this weekend!

Here's a neat article;

http://woodarchivist.com/1350-table-saw-l-fence/

I wanted to share this build, it really goes quickly and it's a design that I came up with while posting the story on the log, the slab and the table. The joinery is simple and by varying the size of the legs it can serve as an end table, a plant stand, or (fill in the blank). I like how there is a certain flow that develops from the underside of the table down into the legs. This area is refined and sculpted after the table is put together. @Mark J noted in my previous build post that he liked this small table better than the table the post was about. I tend to agree with him. I'll take you thru the thought process, the build and the final piece all in one post. This really is a long weekend project for me and the build I show here will end up being a plant stand instead of a table, so it is only 14" tall instead of 22" like the original table was.

Here's the original "afterthought table" from the other post;

So to start on this table I made a pattern for my leg. This leg is much shorter than the leg I developed for the table above. Also I used a "leftover" section of the hexagonal "post" I made for the original table. Since there are three legs, you need the six sided post. I also like the three leg design because the table always sits flat without rocking, even on an uneven floor;

The leg can really be any shape, as long as you have a square inside corner. This corner is the key to this project;

NOTE: You can accomplish the below operation also by starting with a wider board that has a straight edge and has a corresponding 90 degree cut. You can place the pattern in the corner and just cut out the leg from there. But I do it the way shown below to develop a grain that follows the curve of the leg more, resulting in a more attractive look and stronger grain orientation.

So I milled up some stock that is pretty close to the thickness of one of the sides of the hexagon. Working out the three legs on this stock;

You'll notice in the above pic and the below pic I draw an extended straight line that is part of the key right angle at the top of the leg;

I cut along this line with the bandsaw first;

Next I true up this line on the jointer;

Now I can cut my 90 degree angle on the table saw;

After that it's simply cutting out the rest of the leg with the bandsaw. But it is important to save these top cut off pieces for glue up, you will see me use these later;

Here's how the leg structure fits together, the legs will be glued to the hexagonal post and it will be a nice long grain to relatively long grain glue joint;

On to the top, a hunk of figured wood in rough form;

Milled to thickness, around two inches wide and cut freehand on the bandsaw to 11" round. Showing each surface;

I picked the surface in the second pic for the top side of the table. I then found the center point and tried on the legs;

Some critical landmarks; an outline of the hexagonal post, the center point, and the end point of each leg;

Center 1/2" dowel hole and a circle representing the circle the legs "make", basically a circle that falls on the line where the legs end;

Beveling the underside starts at the bandsaw;

Then to the bench where I use a Festool RAS  to develop the rough bevel;

Corresponding 1/2" hole in the hexagonal post (both holes drilled on drill press) and the 1/2" dowel ready to be glued;

Gluing post to top;

Some shaping of the post on the faces the legs will not be glued to;

Shaping the legs, done with rasps;

 

Gluing first leg. Need to glue one leg at a time and the cut off pieces from the legs are put to use now for the glue up. I also glue the top part of the leg to the underside of the table. That's a weak end grain to long grain glue joint, but it doesn't hurt to do it anyway;

All three legs glued on, now to the final shaping;

Goal is to blend the bevel into the legs;

Like this, and then making the bevel uniform all the way around the top;

A little cleanup at the post/leg joint, do this with a sharp chisel;

And finished, sanded to 320 and Osmo finish;

 

Hope this was helpful post. This shows a pretty straight forward construction without elaborate joints. It's a versatile table that can be made at different heights and for different uses. 

I'll be making more of these in the future, it also is a good use of figured chunks of wood and doesn't use much wood in the construction. I do think the 2" thick top is a little excessive with this table and I'm going to make the next one with a 6/4 top. The first table's top was about that thick, 6/4. I also think the longer legs with the taller table look more elegant than the shorter planter sized table.

I'm wondering if I could use this design for a lamp build, a lamp table combo, how's that sound @JohnG?

 

 

Thank you @JohnG and the others who enjoyed this "story" for the kind words. Having a forum to show your ideas and your work inspires not just those observing but can inspire those doing the work. This forum has inspired me in my woodworking journey both ways, when I post a project and when others post projects. 

I am in an unique place with my woodworking as I create not for a living or even need, but for the joy of it. I realize how fortunate of a place that is. 

Well we've reached the final chapter and after a few coats of Osmo, which I'm using a lot more and really liking, the story of the log that became a table is over. If you've followed up to this point you are probably interested in how the table turned out, well I'd say I'm very pleased. I know @RichardA has enjoyed this story, but I am beginning to wonder where his mind goes sometimes!

Here's the table with the chairs in a MCM sitting area. Great place to read or enjoy a cigar and scotch, if you are in to those things and your wife lets you smoke in the house. The table fits perfectly and the little end table between the two chairs was something I put together while building the V table;

So in this pic you can see what I've been working on for the past few months. First the chairs, then they went to the upholstery shop. Then the bookcase to go with the chairs. After that it was supposed to be just one table but that turned into two, and now I've got a complete set of what I consider to be nice MCM pieces after I purchased the lamp.

Here's a money shot of the figure on the table top, control yourself @RichardA;

And finally a pic of the small end table between the chairs. I really should post a build on this one. I plan to make more, as I found the design I came up with to have a nice flow and look to it, but it also was not a very hard project and used a minimal amount of wood. I also think you could change the size rather easily;

To me this is the essence of what I love so much about woodworking. It's not just finding the right plan/project or buying the right tool, it's so much more than that. It's going out into the woods and harvesting what God has created. The process from tree to log to board and finally to project is a special process that I enjoy as each part unfolds (unless I buy from Spanky). It makes the pieces more meaningful and special. A lot of work goes into just getting the lumber in the shop. The piece I used for the top of the table was a piece that from the time I saw it 3 years ago to the time I finished the table was a piece that I knew would yield a unique and beautiful result. The wood God created here is the real treasure and I just feel blessed to be part of the process.

Well I didn't mean to get sentimental, but this is a story and I wanted a proper ending.