Seeking advice on mitered edging of table top


Von

Recommended Posts

One thing I've figured out is that each night, everything moves a little bit, so there is a lesson to be learned in getting this done in one day.

Started out the day assessing the situation, and found some vertical gaps, e.g.

PXL_20230824_134403037.thumb.jpg.4dc73c7bc2e3e7a394b1d740ec7788d9.jpg

So I made some corner cauls...

PXL_20230824_142754527.thumb.jpg.b767ad540c0964d1159d2cfcf9feb9fd.jpg

And quickly figured out they needed some sandpaper on the back to keep them from sliding around. Fortunately I had some stick-on sandpaper I bought for who knows what reason...

PXL_20230824_163608536.thumb.jpg.531a566afd1670cacc5e384f7b2c211d.jpg

Queue sanding sequence, followed by glue up...

PXL_20230824_171801859.thumb.jpg.b3209255679e60535b5952a836f7b8fe.jpg

We'll see what I've got tomorrow. Thanks again for everyone's advice.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

#1… on trimming a top, you only see one side. The back side doesn’t matter unless your using a wore construction bade.

#2…If you can’t see a pencil line, you sure can’t see a score line..

#3… like I said, practice makes perfect.I expect a woodworker in the shop to be able to wrap 6 average tops an hour. Give or take if he/she has enough clamps..

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 8/25/2023 at 12:07 PM, treeslayer said:

I always use a marking knife on cuts like that, gives me a more precise location for the cut, never thought I needed a marking knife until I got one now I use it all the time 

Precise doesn’t mean diddly if you cut the line off..

 

Only difference between  a production shop and hobby shop is getting payed and time is money.. Ive been trained to be fast and accurate. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 8/25/2023 at 4:53 PM, treeslayer said:

wish I could have had those words of wisdom over 50 years ago when I started woodworking

For certain you have my respect. And I put high value on your words! You cant buy for any price 50 years of experience. Thanks for your contributions!

  • Like 1
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Great discussion all. I claim no great wisdom, but my thinking is there is a lot of personal preference in woodworking and agree, to each their own way.

More on the miter joints later today as I have shop time planned this morning. Spoiler alert, I took a peak yesterday and am not happy.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 8/26/2023 at 7:53 AM, Von said:

Great discussion all. I claim no great wisdom, but my thinking is there is a lot of personal preference in woodworking and agree, to each their own way.

More on the miter joints later today as I have shop time planned this morning. Spoiler alert, I took a peak yesterday and am not happy.

Von it takes time. I walked into a commercial shop in 1983. I was lucky, I was Ronnie’s apprentice for two years. Everyday, side by side on the commercial side of the shop. That training is better than any book, YouTube or internet discussion you will get. 
 

Practice, practice, practice..The more you want to learn and do, the less you have to think about it to do it

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm fortunate that I can still see a marking knife line as well as a pencil line (most of the time). Given that, why would I ever choose to use a pencil instead of a marking knife?

  • the pencil line is always going to be wider and so, less precise than the knife line, as a visual guide for my cutting/milling
  • the knife line gives me a physical indexing point if I need it when I'm working with a hand saw or a chisel
  • the knife line does help with tear-out, even if you're using the "right blade"
  • I don't need to sharpen my marking knives nearly as often as I need to sharpen my pencils
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I use a pencil or ballpoint pen to lay out cuts that will be made on a machine, because the precision is actually controlled by a fence or stop, not me guiding the work to a line.

For hand tool joinery, though, its a marking knife, all the way.

Scale matters, as well. Traditional carpenters in Japan hand cut amazingly precise joints for temple construction, marked with their version of a dip pen and chalk line. But for joints at furniture scale joinery, they switch to knife lines, too.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Who's Online   2 Members, 0 Anonymous, 62 Guests (See full list)

  • Forum Statistics

    31.2k
    Total Topics
    422.3k
    Total Posts
  • Member Statistics

    23,779
    Total Members
    3,644
    Most Online
    EverettP
    Newest Member
    EverettP
    Joined