Thank you for all of complementary reviews. Personally, I don't think the table is anything of outstanding beauty, but it is and will be very sturdy for quite a while. There were several faux pas (false steps) during construction mostly because of my haste. I was mostly successful in altering plans to compensate or to cover up such errors. Guess I'll keep the others to myself!
One such faux pas was failing to follow my original plan to put dovetail slides on the sides of the drawers. I charged ahead and inserted drawer case sides to hold the top of the drawer case, making a nice rectangular cube but failed to allow space for sliding dovetails. The sides made a nice platform for mounting a cover over the intended drawers, but left no side space for stop pins to keep the short drawer from falling on the floor. Also the top (cover) left no room for a drawer stop on the top of the drawer. (another faux pas)
After mentioning on the Forum, I had forgotten to allow for drawer stops, JPG came up with an idea to use sliding pins.
https://forum.shopsmith.com/viewtopic.php?p=49481&postcount=10 Although that wouldn't work as there is nothing to catch on, the idea of pins was the answer! You've seen the pins I came up with. Had to put them close enough to the end of the table to allow the drawers to open fully. Also had to drill 'half holes in the drawer fronts to allow the drawers to close, rather than bump into the pins.
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Now to answer the questions:
-- What's not finished yet?
In photo #1, after noticing the lighter area inside the routing of the drawer and thought, " OMG! I missed getting stain inside the routed slot!" My mistake! It was a light reflection.
-- Is the lifting table top for storage inside?
Yes, as a secondary use! However it's primary purpose is to provide a desk working surface over a couch. It raises 6.5 to 7 inches and moves sideways 17 inches.
-- What does "invoking my maker's license" mean?
Tim nailed what I was thinking but thought myself not to be a poet nor the table a poem. Was searching for an equivalency. Maker's license seemed appropriate in this case.
-- Are the covered screws what fastens the to to the rails?
Yes, the screws reinforce the glue and stabilize the frame while glue sets. --Why not screws from the bottom?
No room to use slanted screws (no room for screwdriver, also would have shown ugly elongated plugs in the inside of the lift space. Could have screwed through the bottom of the rails, but would have had to go through 6" of rail - a real pain! The screw covers don't show when the top is down in normal position.
-- Do I like the finishing operation?
As compared to the building of a project, finishing is the most frustrating and complicated. First there's the coloring (staining), that always gives surprises, then there's the finish over any staining. Need to avoid dust and after applying it always takes more time than thought, mostly waiting, sanding, cleaning, applying, etc.! It is part of woodworking and must be accepted. I certainly agree in the rule of thumb that says; The finishing operation should take as long as the building operation.
Here's a better view of the inside:
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Trying to show the frames mitered corners and covered screws.
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Your work is exceptional.
