Thread: Huon pine trestle dining table wip photos

Looks good, not sure about the dovetail/mortice & tenon combo joint, I think looks a bit light on, looks like there's not much shoulder where the tail fits into the leg, I wouldn't be dragging it across the floor by one end only, two person move at all times.


Pete

Hi jrock_au,

What are the dimensions of the table and what finish are you going to use? Are the tenons on the centre rail through or blind?

Regards,

Rob

I agree the joint choice probably want the best. I think it was a case of making it up as I went. At the time I considered putting a screw in through the joint to help add strength and then cover it with a plug. I hindsight the other joint I could have done was a double tenon on the end of the upright which would have given more area/meat to cut a bigger joint on the stretcher rail.
The dimensions of the table are 1800 long and 1100 wide. The picture probably doesn't show but the top is made from two slabs,550 wide. The joints of the uprights into the foot and top rail are through tenons and the stretcher rail has a sliding dovetail about 12mm in size.
The finish...... Normally I would use organoil's danish oil. But this time I thought I would get it sprayed. I had some feast watsons glossproof estapol left over from another job, I took it along along with the table to a local body works and asked"what do you think of this finish, would it be ok, I can get something else?" The response was "should be ok" well after 2 months or so and numerous phone calls I eventually got to pick the table up. They then admitted they had had trouble getting a good finish and the estapol wasn't drying as it should. The result was a soft finish and wasnt as good a it should be. They also then suggested that I two pack finish would be better
I guess lesson learnt and I have now found a guy who specialises in joinery spraying.this is where the next few pieces are going.

Hi Jrock
Thats a pity about the finish, especially after all the work you put into it'
Huon is notoriously fussy about what finish it will accept due to its oily nature. Danish oil will work most of the time on items like chairs.However for a table top where there will be inevitable food and drink spills a two pack finish is your best bet.If your in Tassie, Tas paints in north Hobart sell an Italian 2 pac called Milessi which I have found to be pretty good. Not that hard to spray yourself if you have a compresssor (and spray gun)plus the fact sheet on the product which gives drying times etc.. Just make sure you use a good quality respirator with a charcoal filter and well fitting goggles.

Thanks for the heads up on the two pack, I will have to take the plunge and give it a go. I have sprayed single pack before with mixed results. Either I get a lot of over spray/ bounceback or runs on vertical surfaces. Last effort I got a spraypainter friend to finish it, made it look soooo easy. Would two pack be any easier than single pack? I also understand two pack can be polished up to eliminate imperfectiond..

There actually are certain single packs that will work on Huon. The one I'm thinking of had a thinner rather than turps based reducer.Think it was called "Sharwoods". The 2 pack one(milessi,and there are others) I reckon gives a more durable surface for table tops. Spraying it yourself is really quite easy but you do need a reasonable quality spray gun(my guns got a 1.8mm nozzle which seems good for these paints) and a compressor thats at least 14cfm(which I think means 14 cubic feet per minute). The idea is to just wet the surface in half overlapping swipes/blows. It also helps a great deal to be able to actually see the finish going on. This may seem obvious but in some workshops where the light is not right you cant. If you dont have a decent compressor and spraygun and can afford one I recommend you get one of each. You wont regret it. Compressors are great for cleaning stuff,pumping up tyres etc.You will also find your spraygun works fine with most automotive lacquers as well.