Thread: Hall Table Build

Rebirthing this thread as I get closer to finishing the verandah and start thinking more about this build.

Having been suitably scared off the pewky colour that black walnut may end up, I wonder ... Has anyone tried the Cambia products sold by Brittons ?

Some of those species have the colour SWMBO seems to like ...

Got stacks of cambia White Ash at work if you want to have a look

Wow .. 18 months since I started this thread. After some umming and ahhing, we decided to proceed with the hall table build in black walnut.

Landed my materials yesterday, and after a few chores this morning, started roughing the legs and apron pieces.

Two tables to be built, 1 @ 2200, and 1 @ 1400.

We also changed our minds wrt drawers .. so the big one will have 6 drawers, and the little one 4.

Gonna try my hand at dovetails .. which is not to say that's how it will finish [emoji15]

Hit my first little snag. As I was preparing the sticks for the legs, I unearthed a knot.

As the tables have tapered legs, I hope I have positioned it so it will get cut out with the taper.

In the event that it doesn't, I thought I might fill with some epoxy - but I fear the shellac (the intended finish) may not stick.

Any words of wisdom ?

Otherwise - gee ... nice timber to work with !!

I have used epoxy to fill a small crack and the finish I applied was shellac. The crack was only 4mm wide not as pronounced as the knot in the photo.

Just on a side note I have also done the same using epoxy and a wipe on poly as a finish.

Don't know about shellac, but epoxy has been fine at work with oil, Danish soap, single- and 2-pac poly finishes

Thanks lads. I found a post on sawmill creek (I think) where they indicated shellac over epoxy should be fine. Can I ask what brand you have used and where you bought it ?

Work proceeds at my regular glacial pace ... mortises hogged out on drill press. Tenons cut (well fat) with SCMS and cleaned with router plane. Tenon shoulders pared as the final step.

Even did doubles on the front aprons.

Epoxy is a good filler if you need strength. I use Epox-E-Glue, which, being a paste has great gap filling properties. You can colour it with dry powders (rare earths) or with spirit stains to get the colour that you want. I have no experience in shellac finishing over it but would not expect a problem in the short term, but who knows long-term - no one has that experience I suspect.

However, another solution, if strength is not required, is to fill any holes with shellac. I melt brown button shellac into holes - a cheap Aldi soldering iron works well but I have even used a flame from a gas torch for larger holes. There are also solid shellac sticks available in various colours. If you fill with shellac you can be sure that a shellac finish will be compatible for evermore.

Originally Posted by Glenn.Visca

Hit my first little snag. As I was preparing the sticks for the legs, I unearthed a knot.

As the tables have tapered legs, I hope I have positioned it so it will get cut out with the taper.

In the event that it doesn't, I thought I might fill with some epoxy - but I fear the shellac (the intended finish) may not stick.

Any words of wisdom ?

Otherwise - gee ... nice timber to work with !!

You can hardly notice that knot...

Personally, if you can't cut it out, I'd get a new bit of timber.

Love the WIP pics. Looking very good.

Trav

Hi,
That's not a knot, it's a gaping Chasm!!. Think I'd go the new stick of timber as well.

Work continues, albeit slowly.

Completed joinery on aprons, runners and drawer guides.



The leg tapers were cut on the table saw first, then finished in a taper jig with the #8 plane.



Mixed some epoxy for the dreaded knot. I am going to keep it, and locate that face on an inside face on a rear leg. You can see a couple of bubbles, which were filled with a second pour.



Machined and glued the top. Made sure grain orientation would be beneficial for hand planing, but quite a few sections of rising grain made things tricky at times.



Docked the top to length, and trued the edges with the shooting board.



Never done dovetails before ... so time to start practising....



Machined up drawer fronts and fitted to the pockets, with an approx 1mm gap all around.



Thanks for looking !

Looking for a bit of finish sequence input here folks.

So I have made drawers for my hall table build ... American Black Walnut fronts, Vic Ash sides and backs, hand cut dove tails all around.

The fronts will be finished with a couple of coats of yellow dye, followed by some Van Dyck crystals, with blonde de waxed shellac as the final finish.

Obviously the blonde Vic Ash was chosen as a contrast (and also a shed load cheaper).

Only way I can work out finishing regime is:

* dry fit all joints and plane dovetails to flush up the joints.

* dye the Walnut drawer fronts WITHOUT sides attached ...

*prepare sides and drawer backs and maybe give a seal coat of shellac.

* Then glue it all up and a light sand.

* Then final coats of shellac.

I don't want to dye the vic Ash sides ... and I don't want any Walnut dust to infiltrate the vic Ash ...

Anyone got any better suggestions ??

P.S. no sniggers at my dovetails ... first ever attempt ... gaps in places but all are a good solid fit. [emoji1]

Somehow missed this thread in the beginning!!

Like the elegant lines of the design and your choice of timber. The whole thing is coming along very well.

Nothing wrong with the dovetails. I'm lucky if I get such a good fit using a jig and router!!