Thread: A Coffee Table With A Twist

So I eventually picked up my full sheet of white oak veneered ply, good both sides I might add. The ply came out after veneering a little over 13mm thick which is where I need it, I cut the sheet down to rough size using my tracksaw and then got onto the task of building a new jig for milling the rails & stiles:

53IMG_E0218.jpg 54IMG_E0219.jpg

The planer sled is nearly 6ft and the thread for the jig can be found here:

Best Planer Sled I've Seen

After the milling process I got on with the task of cutting a 6mm groove on one side of both halves of the plywood, all this was done on the tablesaw using a high fence for stability as shown in the photo below.

55IMG_E0225.jpg

I then cut the tongues and everything slotted in nicely. For the mitres I used my tablesaw sled, I only mitred the one side of each leaf as I knew that I would have to make some fine adjustments when it came to fitting the white oak edges.

56IMG_E0228.jpg 57IMG_E0223.jpg 58IMG_E0230.jpg

Having glued the one edge in place on both plywood boards I then cut three 5mm grooves on all the rails and stiles, this isn't just for decoration purposes as you see when the things fully built. I also milled a groove on the inside edge of each stile and rail, I will explain the reason for this in a later post, hopefully everything will become apparent eventually!.

Here's the rails and stiles complete and the one edge of both plywood leaves glued in place:

59IMG_E0231.jpg 60IMG_E0233.jpg

Having test fitted all the mitres it was onto the glue up. I first glued the stiles on both leaves first and then made fine adjustments to get the near-enough perfect mitres for rails.

62IMG_E0237.jpg

With everything complete I sanded everything and was quite pleased with how they turned out.

First photo is the tabletop side from the front, second photo is the rear, the gap will be filled with accessory drawers as explained in the illustrations previously. Third photo is the tabletop fully open:

63IMG_E0243.jpg 65IMG_E0244.jpg 64IMG_E0242.jpg

Now!, I need some help because the damn tops have warped slightly. I've tried applying damp paper towels on the edge of the concaved side and wrapped it in plastic, then over clamped the leaves. I left them for about 3 days. It seemed to work great but two days later after removing the damp towels and clamps I noticed the bow starting to come back. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Am I leaving them long enough with the damp paper towels applied?.

My other thought was just have brass clasps on both end to hold the pieces together?, thoughts?.

Here's both table leaves on the tablesaw:

66IMG_E0246.jpg

Can't help on your dilemma but interesting project.
We've one such item.
Dad had it made in Singapore from Teak.
Typically carved with Chinese carving.
The top now just sits folded on the base.
Has 2 end drawers.

Just a comment re ply.
I've just lined my workshop in some fancy baltic ply.
worked very well.
But I was told the moment you cut a sheet use immediately.
I've noticed 2 of the leftover sheets, uncut, leaning against wall has a huge dish in them at exactly same place. Like a huge old metal tractor seat .
I still have about 20 sheets of 3mm and several 6mm myrtle ply that is dead flat after 35 years held vertical against the workshop wall.

It seems there's plywood and there's the other.

Originally Posted by Avondale

Can't help on your dilemma but interesting project.
We've one such item.
Dad had it made in Singapore from Teak.
Typically carved with Chinese carving.
The top now just sits folded on the base.
Has 2 end drawers.

Thanks for your post. Have you got a picture?, I'd really love to see it!. The plywood is Baltic Birch.

Looks like I may have fixed the slight bow. I applied a damp towel which covered the whole table area as opposed to applying it only to the solid edge, clamped both ends so it bows in opposite direction and then hot ironed it for half an hour (the most ironing I've done in years!).

Its almost dry now and no sign of it bowing back. Fingers crossed!.

Edit:

This is the longest its stayed flat now so I think the problem was not the rails or styles causing the warping but the plywood.

Originally Posted by EagerBeaver71

Thanks for your post. Have you got a picture?, I'd really love to see it!. The plywood is Baltic Birch.

Not the best of photos. Taken on phone with too many reflections.
I should've dusted first!
It doesn't have felt or leather etc.
The teak has shrunk somewhat over the 70 to 80 odd years.
It was a fairly crude arrangement to hold top in place and allow swivelling See last photo - single screw ,now holes
17108297144571.jpg17108297145332.jpg17108297143050.jpg

Originally Posted by Avondale

Not the best of photos. Taken on phone with too many reflections.
I should've dusted first!
It doesn't have felt or leather etc.
The teak has shrunk somewhat over the 70 to 80 odd years.
It was a fairly crude arrangement to hold top in place and allow swivelling See last photo - single screw ,now holes

Thanks for taking the photo's mate, I really appreciate it. How tall is this piece?. Is the panel inside the mitred edging solid wood?. If so how did they do the joinery to account for expansion?. Before I set out making the card/game table I did quite extensive research on the different designs through centuries they were available. My mother and father had one very similar to this 19c one:

French-Marquetry-Card-Table-2042MWK-e.jpg

It also came with a nest of three tables that fit under the card table.

It's looking great. With the cupped panels you may have just had an imbalance in moisture content in the ply if your room had a lower humidity than the warehouse. Because of the size and the design, the exposed side of the panel may react to humidity changes faster than the hidden side leading to ongoing movement, unless it's tied together somehow to hide it. Shellac is one of the best vapour barriers there is, you might consider it as a sealer - or research best finishes a bit - I think I got this info from Bob Flexner's book.

Originally Posted by mic-d

It's looking great. With the cupped panels you may have just had an imbalance in moisture content in the ply if your room had a lower humidity than the warehouse. Because of the size and the design, the exposed side of the panel may react to humidity changes faster than the hidden side leading to ongoing movement, unless it's tied together somehow to hide it. Shellac is one of the best vapour barriers there is, you might consider it as a sealer - or research best finishes a bit - I think I got this info from Bob Flexner's book.

Hi Mic, Thankyou!. I think you're right about the imbalance in moisture from one side to the other. At first I thought it might be the frame (S&R) that was bowed, hence bowing the ply, but in fact it was the other way round, the ply was bowing the frame. Anyway its well and truly straight now and has been all day.

The whole cabinets being stained a Walnut/Antique Oak type of colour, I know that wont seal it much until I apply a finish. Talking of finishes, I wont be using shellac this time because it lifts the stain, which is White Spirit based, and I don't fancy doing the sanding sealer trick which was done on my clock as it takes ages!. So my options will be Hardwax oil, Poly, or a Mix of Poly & Tung oil...?. I bet Auscab has a much better solution so I hope to hear from him!. Rob Where are ya!.

Originally Posted by EagerBeaver71

Talking of finishes, I wont be using shellac this time because it lifts the stain, which is White Spirit based, and I don't fancy doing the sanding sealer trick which was done on my clock as it takes ages!. So my options will be Hardwax oil, Poly, or a Mix of Poly & Tung oil...?. I bet Auscab has a much better solution so I hope to hear from him!. Rob Where are ya!.

I'm watching Sam.

What was the sanding sealer brand you used before?
What was it that took ages about it on your clock? The sanding back part after coats had dried?

The sanding sealer I recommended to you is oil based and does not lift the stain. Did you use that?
What sort of Walnut stain are you thinking of . That Wattyl craftsman stuff?

I couldn't add much more than Ive said in that thread about colouring.
matching walnut colour with French polish

And when it comes to the clear coats you mentioned below.

"So my options will be Hardwax oil, Poly, or a Mix of Poly & Tung oil...?. "

Nah . I wouldn't go there. Ive tried most of them and almost all of them had draw backs to what I do. Hardwax oil sets to a lovely flat shine so its good if a simple one stain and a few coats of that is all you want to do. You cant add other things in between or after though, except a wax maybe. So that's no good for me. I like to steer and alter as I go along with different colours that stick well to each other.

Poly is the same as the sanding sealer I mentioned in your clock thread I think. But if its not the sanding sealer type other things like shellac don't stick to it.

The Tung Oil I used years ago sent stuff green. Do a coat or two on white paper and if it starts going green then be careful with it.
That reaction was at its worst when doing a white washed pine look.

Rob.

Originally Posted by auscab

I'm watching Sam.

What was the sanding sealer brand you used before?

Feast Watson brand.

Originally Posted by auscab

What was it that took ages about it on your clock? The sanding back part after coats had dried?

I found myself cutting through to the stain quite often when sanding, especially difficult on the moldings and decorative parts. If I didn't cut the SS back enough it left very soft patches of SS.

Originally Posted by auscab

The sanding sealer I recommended to you is oil based and does not lift the stain. Did you use that?
What sort of Walnut stain are you thinking of . That Wattyl craftsman stuff?

The F&W SS is oil based, thinning is done with Turps as opposed to Meths. I have alot of left over F&W Stains so would like to use them. Is the Wattyl craftsman brand Meths or Turps based?

Thanks for your advice Rob.

Originally Posted by EagerBeaver71

The F&W SS is oil based, thinning is done with Turps as opposed to Meths. I have alot of left over F&W Stains so would like to use them. Is the Wattyl craftsman brand Meths or Turps based?

I think the Wattyl is a thinner based stain. It thins with metho or turps but all purpose thinner seems best . And it smells like thinner.
Metho just wipes it off once its dry on the wood as you know.

I steer well clear of staining Oak with that type of stuff though. You wipe on a colour and it stains the wood but leaves the very open pores of oak darker. Nothing looks worse and harder to fix than dark grain pores when it goes to dark in Oak IMHO. If I was using such colours I'd be testing them thin first.

Originally Posted by auscab

I think the Wattyl is a thinner based stain. It thins with metho or turps but all purpose thinner seems best . And it smells like thinner.
Metho just wipes it off once its dry on the wood as you know.

I steer well clear of staining Oak with that type of stuff though. You wipe on a colour and it stains the wood but leaves the very open pores of oak darker. Nothing looks worse and harder to fix than dark grain pores when it goes to dark in Oak IMHO. If I was using such colours I'd be testing them thin first.

The F&W dye stain is very concentrated so I'll remember to thin the stuff down. I do have some Wattyl Colourwood Interior Stain Walnut Brown & other colours but they're pigment stains and not dye stains.

Originally Posted by auscab

I think the Wattyl is a thinner based stain. It thins with metho or turps but all purpose thinner seems best .

Hi Rob,

I can't for the life of me find if the Craftsman stuff is thinned with Turps or Metho?. If it happens to be Turps then surely you can Finish in Shellac without it lifting the stain much?. Also what do you mean by "all Purpose thinner"?.

Its thinners not turps or metho.

All purpose thinners is just a general thinner. Not like turps or Metho. Its thin and oily like turps but different and what a lot of paints and finishes are thinned or washed out with.

https://www.google.com/search?client...rpose+thinners



Pour 50 mm of turps in a clean jar then tip a little stain in and watch the way it disolves.

Try the same with metho and watch.

Then try with thinners.

You can sometimes see differences in the way it mixes and what the colours do.

Thinners is best for the Wattyl stain from memory. Memory which is not so good sometimes. I just remember there were differences and stuck with the Thinners when I had it handy. And it was important enough to bother.