Wooden Mechanic
19th January 2009, 09:05 PM
Hello all,
First and foremost I would like to thank David from Perth Wood School for picking me up and collecting the timber for this project and for allowing me to use the facilities at the school. Very Much appreciated!
When both David and I arrived, it was straight to business. Docking the four 3400mm boards of 125mm x 30mm jarrah at 2100mm on all four lengths. Having not used many large machines before, I was shown how to use them and was straight onto Thicknessing the seasoned jarrah, which had a tarnished outer shell, to a rather rich red that suits this project to the ground. Thicknessed down to 28mm.
After Thicknessing the timber, I was shown how to use the buzzer, or jointer, or planer :q (to many damn names!) to square up the edges of the boards. The first couple of boards turned out great but then I must have got lazy and let pressure off the front of the board, this created a uneven board edge as you may have guessed. After jointing all 8 lengths, I set aside the timber for the top and then set the rest aside for the sides.
I found two very nice figure lengths in two of the boards for the top and to my amazement they matched almost perfectly, if it was not for the different colors of timber.So naturally I kept them together and built the rest of the top around them, matching the grains as best I could, which was not very good as the grain on the two other boards was not as figured but was still adequate for the top.
Using a beautiful Lie Nelson hand plane, a 4 1/2,I began, after some guidance from David, to "fine tune" the joins of the boards for the top, to an almost perfect fit without clamping pressure. Checking the join with clamping pressure I was satisfied it would leave a seem less join and set the top aside to get a drink.
When I got back from the break, I was shown how to use the biscuit machine, and proceeded to cut the biscuit slot in the top, a total of 21 in the top. Once this was done a dry fit was next on the agender, so this was done without clamping pressure and turned out quiet seam less. So onto the sides.
The sides were quiet basic to do, just following the proceeder of the top, docking the 2100 boards at 520mm, hand planing to get the joint spot on and biscuiting, dry fitting and then gluing. I made two sides for the table.
Gluing up was achieve with sash clamps and PVA glue for the sides, and WEST System Epoxy for the top. Working quickly because I was afraid of the biscuits expanding I got the sides glued in just over 10 mins and then cleaned off the glue. I think and the top was glued in about 10 mins. The WEST Systems Epoxy was very easy to work with, and allowed more time to play, not that it was needed. Might have to buy some.
After Gluing up was finished, David and I took a trip to Guns Timber were David picked up an order and we headed back to the workshop.
All in all Im very happy with the work so far, and will definitely get some more done on Wednesday when I go back. More pictures to come of glued top and sides and assembled table without the inlay.
Thanks Harlan.
Couple of pictures showing the biscuits and joins and dry fitting. And the two matching grains.
http://img294.imageshack.us/img294/5408/harlanswip006mw7.th.jpg (http://img294.imageshack.us/my.php?image=harlanswip006mw7.jpg)http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/5812/harlanswip005jx4.th.jpg (http://img502.imageshack.us/my.php?image=harlanswip005jx4.jpg)http://img296.imageshack.us/img296/9349/harlanswip004tk3.th.jpg (http://img296.imageshack.us/my.php?image=harlanswip004tk3.jpg)http://img516.imageshack.us/img516/6752/harlanswip003xs1.th.jpg (http://img516.imageshack.us/my.php?image=harlanswip003xs1.jpg)http://img516.imageshack.us/img516/275/harlanswip001yp5.th.jpg (http://img516.imageshack.us/my.php?image=harlanswip001yp5.jpg)
First and foremost I would like to thank David from Perth Wood School for picking me up and collecting the timber for this project and for allowing me to use the facilities at the school. Very Much appreciated!
When both David and I arrived, it was straight to business. Docking the four 3400mm boards of 125mm x 30mm jarrah at 2100mm on all four lengths. Having not used many large machines before, I was shown how to use them and was straight onto Thicknessing the seasoned jarrah, which had a tarnished outer shell, to a rather rich red that suits this project to the ground. Thicknessed down to 28mm.
After Thicknessing the timber, I was shown how to use the buzzer, or jointer, or planer :q (to many damn names!) to square up the edges of the boards. The first couple of boards turned out great but then I must have got lazy and let pressure off the front of the board, this created a uneven board edge as you may have guessed. After jointing all 8 lengths, I set aside the timber for the top and then set the rest aside for the sides.
I found two very nice figure lengths in two of the boards for the top and to my amazement they matched almost perfectly, if it was not for the different colors of timber.So naturally I kept them together and built the rest of the top around them, matching the grains as best I could, which was not very good as the grain on the two other boards was not as figured but was still adequate for the top.
Using a beautiful Lie Nelson hand plane, a 4 1/2,I began, after some guidance from David, to "fine tune" the joins of the boards for the top, to an almost perfect fit without clamping pressure. Checking the join with clamping pressure I was satisfied it would leave a seem less join and set the top aside to get a drink.
When I got back from the break, I was shown how to use the biscuit machine, and proceeded to cut the biscuit slot in the top, a total of 21 in the top. Once this was done a dry fit was next on the agender, so this was done without clamping pressure and turned out quiet seam less. So onto the sides.
The sides were quiet basic to do, just following the proceeder of the top, docking the 2100 boards at 520mm, hand planing to get the joint spot on and biscuiting, dry fitting and then gluing. I made two sides for the table.
Gluing up was achieve with sash clamps and PVA glue for the sides, and WEST System Epoxy for the top. Working quickly because I was afraid of the biscuits expanding I got the sides glued in just over 10 mins and then cleaned off the glue. I think and the top was glued in about 10 mins. The WEST Systems Epoxy was very easy to work with, and allowed more time to play, not that it was needed. Might have to buy some.
After Gluing up was finished, David and I took a trip to Guns Timber were David picked up an order and we headed back to the workshop.
All in all Im very happy with the work so far, and will definitely get some more done on Wednesday when I go back. More pictures to come of glued top and sides and assembled table without the inlay.
Thanks Harlan.
Couple of pictures showing the biscuits and joins and dry fitting. And the two matching grains.
http://img294.imageshack.us/img294/5408/harlanswip006mw7.th.jpg (http://img294.imageshack.us/my.php?image=harlanswip006mw7.jpg)http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/5812/harlanswip005jx4.th.jpg (http://img502.imageshack.us/my.php?image=harlanswip005jx4.jpg)http://img296.imageshack.us/img296/9349/harlanswip004tk3.th.jpg (http://img296.imageshack.us/my.php?image=harlanswip004tk3.jpg)http://img516.imageshack.us/img516/6752/harlanswip003xs1.th.jpg (http://img516.imageshack.us/my.php?image=harlanswip003xs1.jpg)http://img516.imageshack.us/img516/275/harlanswip001yp5.th.jpg (http://img516.imageshack.us/my.php?image=harlanswip001yp5.jpg)