Michigan Chocolate Table

[pkinneb]

On 10/7/2025 at 2:17 PM, gee-dub said:

Meanwhile the leg/stand/base(?) has plenty of effort left before I start putting things together.

Nice save!!

[gee-dub]

I keep some of these Amana miniature router bits around.

The tiny bearings let you get the profile way into the corner which you cannot do with something like a 1/2" bearing on a standard bit.

I run a lot of 1/4" bits in this cordless router that fits my battery platform.

Someone asked about this the other day. The same driver, universal joint and hex drive that I use to raise and lower my router lift also happens to fit these tables. I do not move them much faster than I would by hand but it sure saves my shoulder and elbow for longer days in the shop.

I really like the tables higher for router work.

My first try was with a 1/16" round over. It is always easier to take more off than to try to put some back . I was not quite satisfied.

I upped the round over to 1/8".

These are not the real legs nor are they at the right height but I wanted to get an idea if I was getting what is in my mind out into the real world.

[gee-dub]

I have some distractions today so I am kind of posting in baby steps in order to try to keep my focus. I find that when non-shop things are pulling at me, putting on a little Mozart or Celtic music and working through the steps keeps me on track. I have various blocks that I use to elevate things, mostly for clamping but for other things too. When I need a small adjustment, scraps out of the plywood shorts bin come in handy.

This will hold the lower shelf. Not at the actual height but I am just using it to size leg positions and some front-to-back cleats that the slabs pieces will attach to.

I prop the four legs in to confirm my measurements.

I want a bit of a set back for the front-to-back cleats so a couple of credit cards gives me a 1/16" riser.

The cleat length, of course, also has to take this into account. I round the cleat ends at the bandsaw to remove most of the waste. The edge sander really does great for shaping these sorts of things.

I pop the lower cleats into place on their Dominoes to make sure I haven't goofed something up.

Now, on to the uppers.

Ooops!  Forgot the leg detail.  Not surface prepared yet but, you get the idea.

[Mark J]

21 hours ago, gee-dub said:

have some distractions today so I am kind of posting in baby steps in order to try to keep my focus.

Sometimes I will take a piece of paper and write down the sequence of steps I need to follow, like a recipe, just to keep myself on track.

[gee-dub]

On 10/11/2025 at 7:02 AM, Mark J said:

Sometimes I will take a piece of paper and write down the sequence of steps I need to follow, like a recipe, just to keep myself on track.

Good plan.  If I get called away or run out of gas at the end of the day I will jot down what I want to do when I get back on a post-it note and stick it to the part or machine I am working on.  The older I get the more I have to protect myself from myself 

[gee-dub]

The tube sock full of glass beads comes in handy again as a soft-weight.

A typical stopped cut at the router table.

Here's an example of a post-it note to remind me what I had planned to do next when I got interrupted.

I use a dry assembly to let me layout the stopped edge treatments. I mark them with a white pencil when working with walnut.

I increased the round over radius for these parts on the fly.

Here's the general appearance.

These are right off of the machines. I will do my typical hand plane and other hand tool work to prep the surfaces for finish.

[gee-dub]

Just a little more this morning but an important milestone. I got to the point where I get to hand plane the surfaces of these leg parts .

I will take the first one I am working on and wipe it with mineral spirits. I can hold this at an angle to the light and make sure I am getting the surface I am after.

Once I know that I can march through the balance of the surfaces.

Finally I can start gluing things up .

[gee-dub]

I use my drill press for a lot of things other than drilling a straight hole. When I wander off I leave a DRO stuck to it to remind me to confirm the table angles. I keep a piece of drill rod in the DP cabinet drawer because it makes it easy to stick the DRO to it for a good reading. I zero at the drill rod.

Then align the table to it, left, right, front, back.

The short front-to-back rails will support the slabs via figure 8 connectors. My normal for these is a Forstner for depth, chisel off the pointy ends for movement and pre-drill the screw holes.







Ta-da!

I've decided to glue the legs to the long cross members first. I tend to do glue-ups in sub-assemblies to make it easier on me.



I don't juggle large parts as well as I used to ;-)

[Ron Swanson Jr.]

Always fun to follow along!! Looking great man!!

[Mark J]

@gee-dub, your drill press alignment method is brilliant, and timely.  Woodcraft has a Woodpeckers "drill press protractor" on sale.  I have a birthday gift card burning a hole in my pocket and was thinking of buying it.  But your method is easier to do, and maybe more accurate, too.  Now to find a bit of drill rod...

[gee-dub]

McMaster Carr, 1/2” x 6” tool steel is what I use. Smaller diameter makes it difficult to reliably connect the DRO. If you’re using a square or a feeler, it’s a non-issue.

[Mark J]

Have you tried just using a 1/2" drill bit?  

[gee-dub]

On 10/14/2025 at 8:19 AM, Mark J said:

Have you tried just using a 1/2" drill bit?  

That is what i used to use.  The anatomy of the flutes would cause the magnetic DRO to shift at the most inconvenient of times.  For a few bucks, I solved that problem.  Any well machined shaft of the required length will work fine.  I used to try Forstner bits but the 3/8" shaft was just a bit too small to keep the DRO solidly attached.  A 6" piece of 1/2" drill rod is under $10.  At my age that is a reasonable price for a reduction in hassle 

[fcschoenthal]

On 10/14/2025 at 10:19 AM, Mark J said:

Have you tried just using a 1/2" drill bit?  

On 10/14/2025 at 10:38 AM, gee-dub said:

Any well machined shaft of the required length will work fine.

The problem with using a drill bit is also that they aren't usually machined as accurately. I tried using one to measure the runout of my chuck and got more wobble than I wanted. I got a machined part and it was practically none. 

[gee-dub]

Hey guys!  I am finally getting close . . . . 

[fcschoenthal]

Gosh, that almost looks like your drawing.

[gee-dub]

Not a lot happening this morning but, this afternoon should be more fun. The doo-hickey I made to help me mount wall cabinet doors has come in handy for many other things. Here's another one.

Mortise and tenon joints, when not "housed", are very much like butt joints on the appearance side. I have dressed these things in with scrapers, scratch-stocks, and files. I find that the bits of sandpaper leftover when you switch out your sanding blocks work best for me.

How do you guys do it? Am I missing an opportunity here?

At any rate, the base is now fully glued up. I find that if I leave Titebond for 30 to 60 minutes I can safely (and carefully) handle the assembly. This lets me keep moving forward.

My hope is to dress the aforementioned joinery locations, final prep the slab surfaces,

and get the base color coat on today!!!

[Von]

On 10/15/2025 at 12:09 PM, gee-dub said:

Mortise and tenon joints, when not "housed", are very much like butt joints on the appearance side. I have dressed these things in with scrapers, scratch-stocks, and files. I find that the bits of sandpaper leftover when you switch out your sanding blocks work best for me.

How do you guys do it? Am I missing an opportunity here?

Sorry, I'm probably being dense but I'm not following the question. Are you talking about transitioning your round over into the joint? Or mating the shoulder to the rail? Or... TIA

The term "housed" is not one I'm used to and that may be contributing to my lack of understanding.

[gee-dub]

Sorry, the coffee hadn't kicked in.  I am talking about blending the round over of one edge into the round over of the perpendicular edge.

A housed dovetail or dado is one where the "male" mechanical part of the joinery is recessed into the surface of the adjacent piece.   I was looking for a housed dado example but could only find a housed half lap.  I think it still shows the general idea.

The joinery itself is "normal" but the intersection is buried in an additional recess.

[Von]

Thanks for explaining! Now I wish I had something deep to novel to contribute, but I tend to use a fairly mundane combination of fine rasp, file, and sandpaper scrap in those situations.

The hard part for me is remembering not to round over the mortised piece or round over the tenoned piece all the way to the end. I'm usually celebrating a little if I get to have the problem you are describing.

[gee-dub]

On 10/15/2025 at 10:20 AM, Von said:

Now I wish I had something deep to novel to contribute, but I tend to use a fairly mundane combination of fine rasp, file, and sandpaper scrap in those situations.

Nope, you are dead on.  This is just what I do most of the time.  Sometimes I wonder if I am missing something so I ask .  We have all probably had that experience where someone offers something up and we ask ourselves "why didn't I think of that?". 

[curlyoak]

On 10/15/2025 at 12:09 PM, gee-dub said:

How do you guys do it? Am I missing an opportunity here?

I assemble before I route the profile. I let the cross piece be the stop. A smaller shoe will get you in closer. I frequently use a small chamfer. 

[Ron Swanson Jr.]

On 10/15/2025 at 1:46 PM, curlyoak said:

I frequently use a small chamfer. 

Same here.If  it's assembled already and I'm using a block plane, i get as close as the plane will allow to the cross member, and then do the remaining inch or so with a chisel. 

Not much help with a round over, unfortunately. 

[gee-dub]

On 10/15/2025 at 12:59 PM, Ron Swanson Jr. said:

Same here.If  it's assembled already and I'm using a block plane, i get as close as the plane will allow to the cross member, and then do the remaining inch or so with a chisel. 

Not much help with a round over, unfortunately. 

 

On 10/15/2025 at 11:46 AM, curlyoak said:

I assemble before I route the profile. I let the cross piece be the stop. A smaller shoe will get you in closer. I frequently use a small chamfer. 

OK, this is helpful.  A stopped round over is something I have done before.  That may be the best solution here.  I really appreciate the input of my fellow woodworkers here on the forum.  Sometimes we just need someone to back up our general thinking.  Thanks for the info!

[curlyoak]

On 10/15/2025 at 4:30 PM, gee-dub said:

Thanks for the info!

Thank you for the kind words. Feels good to offer an idea. Especially to one who is constantly offering exceptional ideas and help all of us.

BTW those square cut outs look great. If I have wood that will hide a glue joint then carefully glue up the pieces with shorter pieces to create the square slot. 

2 pieces to make the square cut. I avoid cutting the square if possible.