Weekly Blog - March 24th

[john]

It's finally been a busy week in the shop. I planed all the wood for my wine rack and cutting boards, cut the pieces for the cutting boards, and have two of the three planks glued up.

Sounds good but I have made some of my usual miscalculations and lapses in procedures so everything is not going quite as planned. The glue ups are not that great and will probably require some planing to flatten them but there is not enough length to allow for snipe. As a result they will be slightly thinner than the plans call for and snipe may require that they be slightly shorter.

In one of my previous lives, I spent about 20 years as a "bean counter". If I made as many miscalculations then as I do now, I don't think I would have lasted long. The good thing about miscalculations in woodworking is that they can usually be adjusted without too much damage. They can be adjusted in bean counting too, but usually it is illegal.

Oh well, I have to go. The hockey game is about to start on TV and must go root for Montreal to beat Ottawa so they can stay in first place. (they've already lost five out of six to Ottwawa this year)

Have fun and be Safe!

John

[charlese]

It was a very good week, both in and out of the shop. Another day trip, within a week to the kid's home (just a few miles away from the Reagan Library) for an Easter get together. The only bad part is the expensive gasoline. On the bright side, even at $3.59 it is still a better deal than gas in Canada.

The Shop work was all hand tool work with chisels and scraper to make the tenons fit. Did manage to get to four of the thru tenons. So one side of one table has been dry fitted. Just a little more tweaking and it's a go for gluing.
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In another thread we were discussing Queen Anne legs and I showed a photo of our couch table. With more comment about this table wanted, I decided to again change my avatar. (Click on the avatar and there is a full size pix.)

Here's about the table: This was my first project using the new Mark V. Only having done simple box cabinets and a couple of country cabinets before, using my RAS, I had no idea how this was going to go. I had seen a Shopsmith demo. and remembered the three dimensional figures the instructor could make with the band saw. I was impressed and knew I could do that. So sent away for a plan and went to work. The only oak available to me was 3/4 from local lumber yards. To make the blanks for the legs I had to do many glue-ups. At the time I didn't realize the difference in color of the red oak would show up so much after finishing. However the legs were the easiest parts of the table to make. The top was the most difficult.

The table was made according to plans. Had no thickness planer, so thickness was achieved by sanding. There are no mechanical fasteners in the table. Every piece is tongued or grooved and inter-locked with side pieces. The plan didn't show how to assemble, so I built the top first, then the back apron (with a tongue into the top) - then the sides and the front, all tongued into the top. Last came the legs which were slid/driven onto the tongues from the sides/front/back. How this thing holds together is a marvel. With the interlocking joints there is no way allowed for the top expansion/contraction without breaking the joints at the legs. But none of this has happened, (yet) nor have the top boards split because of contraction from the Gulf coast to the desert of CA. Go Figure! The finish is nothing but water based urethane.

As I said earlier, the table is all 3/4" oak boards. The frame, around the top is also grooved to fit the tongues of the top - the corners are mitered and doweled. As I remember, this was tough getting it together, because of lack of clamps and trying to close in on the diagonal dowels. Because the miters didn't quite fit, I had to trim them and then trim the inside of the frame. The result was there is not as much hangover on the top as I wanted.

I did later built an identical table for daughter-in-law - It turned out better! and is still holding together down near the ocean. The finish on that one is Danish Oil.

[a1gutterman]

Hi Chuck,
Even though you say that this table was made with all 3/4" boards, I think it looks great, and you did a superb job of picking out a lighter table top center piece with darker border pieces. Don't fret about the varying coloring on the legs; This is common on antique furniture.

[chrispitude]

In one of my previous lives, I spent about 20 years as a "bean counter". If I made as many miscalculations then as I do now, I don't think I would have lasted long.

I tell my friends that my work is usually accurate to a sixteenth, but off by a foot...

- Chris

[kd6vpe]

Very nice work there. I am working on a coffe table. And I also have some things I am trying to hide. It is a learning experience and I now look at furniture pieces in a whole different way. All of you out here have really insipired me to try and try I do. This first piece has costed alot of wood but in the long run I have tried almost everything needed at least twice and learned. Thanks for sharing. I will post my piece when it is done.

[john]

Chuck:

Another fine piece!

Also another picture I better not show my dear wife. Change the legs a bit and it would be close to what she wants as a sideboard in the dining room, even as far as the oak.

As to gas prices, sometimes I outsmart myself. Recently bought at Costco for $1.11/lt when others were selling for $1.12. Not enough discount, plus I figured it would drop a bit so only put $30 in the tank. Next day it was selling for $1.19/lt. Almost as bad as my WW miscalculations.

Have fun.

John

[curiousgeorge]

John said:

The glue ups are not that great and will probably require some planing to flatten them but there is not enough length to allow for snipe.

John,
For a neat way to eliminate the snipe check post #12 here:
http://www.shopsmith.net/forums/showthr ... 525&page=2

[john]

George:

Thanks for the tip. I had read about something similar but your description is much better. One of my problems is that the biggest cutting board is 12" wide and the planer only 12.5" so it would not leave too much for the edging but I may take a closer look. I have a lot of scrap from ripping the boards so I don't need to go to any extra work to create some.

The other boards are 8" and 10" so this would work better for them but again as luck would have it, the largest is the worst and will take forever if I decide to go the sanding route.

Thanks again.

John

[kd6vpe]

My first natural edge bowl. It's covered in green wood goop and ready to be put up to dry. This was a fun one. Not sure if I did it right but I was able to use my ss bandsaw and spindle set to make this. My univeral tool rest shipped today so it will be easier to do this soon.

[charlese]

Your bowl looks real good, Jim! Nice! Best wishes on the drying. It's gonna take a while, Huh?