Working on a table top

[Albertt62]

I have been working on a bed side table top using slabs of different woods (Maple and Walnut). I will post pictures when it is done. Mostly the problem is the pieces slip a little when ending the cuts, so the ends are not all square.

I have been fretting because of some of the imperfections in the cutting, mostly the cross cuts. This is mostly why I am planning on building the cross cut sled.

Anyway, my son was over helping me cut and glue the the miter pieces that frame the table top. While I was picking at the very small gaps in where the ends of the pieces fit together, he began telling me about his middle school band instructor.

He said the beauty of music doesn't come from exact perfection to the written score, but from how it is implemented, and even the small mistakes which the listener doesn't even notice. Wood working, he said is much the same process. He told me that he thinks this is a work of art, and he can't wait to see it with the finish.

WOW!!!

I'll post pictures in a week or so.

[Gene Howe]

Your son and his band instructor are right on.

[dusty]

I do so agree.

But I want to make a suggestion for future projects. When I need dead on accurate cuts (especially cross cuts) I use clamps. I even clamp the work piece to the fence on my cross cut sled (and most especially with smaller pieces).

[garys]

When I join pieces of wood like that, I try to join them before doing the final cuts or at least have enough extra on the ends to finish them flush by sanding with a belt sander. That way I get the fit I'm looking for.

[jsburger]

I do so agree.

But I want to make a suggestion for future projects. When I need dead on accurate cuts (especially cross cuts) I use clamps. I even clamp the work piece to the fence on my cross cut sled (and most especially with smaller pieces).

I agree Dusty. If I am doing a one off cross cut I use a clamp. If doing multiple cross cuts of the same length I use a stop block which normally eliminates the need for a clamp.

[Albertt62]

I had a wooden extension on my miter gage, used a wood clamp as a stop, and depended on the hold down on the miter gage.

In hindsite, it would have been better to clamp to the mitergage as well.

Lesson learned.

[jsburger]

I had a wooden extension on my miter gage, used a wood clamp as a stop, and depended on the hold down on the miter gage.

In hindsite, it would have been better to clamp to the mitergage as well.

Lesson learned.

I am not sure why that would be necessary in the instance you describer but it certainly doesn't hurt.

[Hobbyman2]

Dont know if this will help or not but I leave a little extra and then use the disc sander and a straight edge and a knife mark to make the cut line perfect ,Was taught a saw cut is not ,,,and is not intended to be,,,,, a finish cut for a glue joint,,, the sander also makes the edge nice and crisp . I must be ocd or some thing because I hate when a cut or glue line isn't right,, I have cut and re-glued boards before because I didn't like the way it came out.

[jsburger]

Dont know if this will help or not but I leave a little extra and then use the disc sander and a straight edge and a knife mark to make the cut line perfect ,Was taught a saw cut is not ,,,and is not intended to be,,,,, a finish cut for a glue joint,,, the sander also makes the edge nice and crisp . I must be ocd or some thing because I hate when a cut or glue line isn't right,, I have cut and re-glued boards before because I didn't like the way it came out.

That was certainly true "back in the day" but today with precision high quality carbide saw blade I am not sure that is true. I find it very hard to see the difference between a ripped edge off a Forrest saw blade and the same edge after being run over the jointer.

[BuckeyeDennis]

When I’m trying to make accurate cuts, I mount the aux table, and use the tubes to lock it together with the main table. My 520 is far more rigid in that configuration. Used alone, the main table can flex sideways enough to compromise cut accuracy. Nick Engler demonstrated the rigidity difference in one of his videos.

Not that I disagree with the band director! There’s a lot of wisdom there. But personally, I’m not happy unless my work satisfies me, even though no one else may ever notice.