Thread: Joining Table tops

Brad

Looks good. How did you apply the danish oil?

Trav

trav...I sanded to 250, with the orbital. Got going with some 36o, and a sanding block, and a bit of attitude. Slopped on heaps of oil. Left it for about one hour. Attacked it with the same bit of 360, and then worked down to 800. cameout beaut.. I have since buffed it with an old towel, an it put a sheen on it that it never had before...but that was after three days.

Hope that helps.

Regarding beds, I was wondering if people still make beds without using bed bolts?

Can you not just use standad joints and glue??

Brad

Thickasaplank,

That table top looks superb: congrats.

How did you join the legs to the top rails?

Also, I believe bed bolts were invented so you could dismantle the bed and take it out of the shed/bedroom, whatever. Specially the four-poster monsters.

Originally Posted by Thickasaplank

trav...I sanded to 250, with the orbital. Got going with some 36o, and a sanding block, and a bit of attitude. Slopped on heaps of oil. Left it for about one hour. Attacked it with the same bit of 360, and then worked down to 800. cameout beaut.. I have since buffed it with an old towel, an it put a sheen on it that it never had before...but that was after three days.

Brad

I'm wondering why you didn't keep going with the orbital ? Or is it just an orbital and not a random type ?

Gumby, I did not have disks down to 800 on the random orbital, and I also wanted to "feel" the timber as it was being worked. I was able to concentrate on spots that had raised grain, or not quite enough oil...

With regard to the legs... my wife was not sure on that one, I basically made some 50X50 stock, and cut them to size. Then I marked the depth of the rails on he leg blanks, and removed the material that was on the "outside" to the depth of a little more than the thickness of the rails.(this alowed me to sand the legs to suit the rails) Then I used a tapering jig that I made, and cut the taper (make very certain you cut the right sides!!) I put together the rails, using biscuits, and 45 degree mitres, and when that had cured, I put the legs on. I made a clamping jig for the corners, to pull the leg into the inside corner of the rail, and then also clamped the leg lengthways, so the joint at the visible interface of the rail was flush. When that was cured, I used a sharp chisel to remove the part of the leg that was proud of the rail, and made sure that the sharp edge othe leg was in line (visually) with the 45 degree mitre. Sanded, and finished in oil. I never buffed, or spent much time on the base, but it still has some sheen. I attached the top using blocks set into a rebate groove, so the top can expand, and I can take it off for TLC if needed. From start to finish it probably took around 24 hours to make.. excluding time to pick and choose the wood. I decided to put the rail decoration on as a compromise with swmbo for not showing the outside of the leg at the end of the rails, like most other table designs, but I think it came out great, and it is a detail that is easily copied on the other pieces that I am scheduled to make.. tv cabinet, dining table, two lamp tables, and a hall table. All things considered, I am pretty happy with the result..

If any of this is confusing, I will post more pics..

Bradders

I nice explanation of a nice technique. Let's see if I've got this right: the rails (basically a mitred frame) kind of wrap around the legs, sitting in rebates cut in their outsides? How does the strength bear up?

A detail: how did you do the chiselling:

Originally Posted by Thickasaplank

I used a sharp chisel to remove the part of the leg that was proud of the rail

Wouldn't chiselling affect the straightness of the leg-rail line?

If any of this is confusing, I will post more pics..

Not confusing, but I'd appreciate more pics.

you got it in one zen - and far simpler than I explained it..here are a few more pics for you..

Strength seems pretty good. I have two fully glued surfaces, each 65X40 in full contact with the rails There is no rock, or give..If it goes to pot at a later date, I will put in four screws pocket style- but i can't see it, though..

I dont have a plane yet, and so I use an extra sharp chisel. I pare away the excess material so that I make the edge of the mitre meet the edge of the leg.. Once you are two inches away from the mitre, 1mm difference is not noticeable at all, my technique - if you can call it that, is to push the chisel with the palm of my hand, and guide the blade with my fingers. My eyes are about six inches away from the blade at all times, so I can see exactly what I am taking off. Rather ten small shaves, than one big one. I don't know if this is a standard approach, but it works for me, and gave me a pretty much perfect joint..it also alleviates the possibility of an overrun with a plane, and the ensueing tearout of the grain going across the joint, which would have been a disaster...very difficult to recover from once the joint is glued. Sand it, and you move the line of the mitre.. No - better to go slow, and very fine than over extend and stuff it up..

Brad

Cool: thanks for the extra detail and the pics. Sort of like the ultimate bare-faced mortise and tenon.

I'd like to know where you got your Tassie Oak from.

I priced some up at a timber merchant in Bibra Lake and it was pretty damn expensive. Not as bad as Jarrah and Western Red Cedar etc, but still expensie I thought.

I mostly go and get salvaged timber and in this state that means your looking at Jarrah or Karri. Not much Tassie Oak around

(now I prefer Jarrah, but wouldnt mind doing something in Tassie Oak for variety)

Nice job by the way

RB

I picked mine up from Gunns on the great eastern highway, total cost was $105 with no wasteage.. not bad i thought..

Brad