Thread: "the leaf"

Claw, what you doing underneath the table? The parquetry/intarsia style tables I have done, I usually give the underneath of the ply a good oil stain and spray a few shade darker the fame before I start on the top. Just makes life easier later on.

Hi Lig, yep, spot on, sounds just what I had in mind. Once I have cut out the rest of the templates today I am going to trim the ply to shape (just a tigg/tidge/tij oversize), then yes, flip over stain, seal and am thinking maybe some low profile ribs/braces to give it a little bit of back bone.

Today, finished cutting out the templates, cut out the leaf leaving a few mm all found for good measure, then flipped over and a light sand to smooth off. I then cut a main brace rib about 55 x 20, tappered the ends down and screwed to the ply (ribs are from Blackbutt). Two smaller side ribs about 12 x 20 and screwed down. I am working on some leg bracket/braces once these have been done I will glue down the 3 ribs. Stain and coat etc. Didn't put too big a day in today had to come home and tidy up the vegie garden.

The new leaf is turned over!

They just keep getting better, I didn't realise this thread was going to be so funny.

I can't see the forest for all the trees!

Wooden you know it! More punishment than we need.

Another day in the life of a leaf. Today, glued the ribs up for a little backbone, then stained with some Cedar stain I had in the cupboard. Headed out for a little while and ordered the copper angle for the veins, 6mm x 18mm - 0.7mm or 0.55 depends what they can get for me. That done I thought I had better buy some more space for my workshop so I went to my local Safe & Sound storage joint where I had a 4m x 1.5m (mini wharehouse) shed. I upsized to a 4 x 3 and spent the next 3 hours moving the timber I had stored in the small one to the big one and then skined out my workshop of large slabs and put them in the new shed (mega wharehouse) This gave me back about a meter and a half in my workshop, fantastic.
Back to the leaf, with my new found space I started to cut segments, Got three cut, the most interesting was the Lleichhardt Pine, haven't used it before, quite bazarr watching it bubble up in front of the bandsaw blade. Thought I was cutting up yellow marsh mallows, amazing yellow colour too with a very waxy texture (anyone know what its like to put finish on??) . So tomorrow will be more segments and more segments 22 in all. Once I have them all cut I will start trimming and sanding them to fit neatly.

"copper angle for the veins" "Lleichhardt Pine...quite bazarr watching it bubble up in front of the bandsaw blade". I take it Lleichhardt Pine is on the right, is the left one also How's the fit now

Did I hear someone in the back say sit down...just watch the show

Heya SpringW, yep, between each segment is a copper vein so I am going to drop a copper angle between the veins, rebate the top into the segment (.55 or .7mm) anneal and dress to the curve of the segment and glue/pin the copper to one of the segments, the other will then just butt up, thats the plan anyway. Lleichhardt Pine 2 pieces on the right, Tallowood on the left. Fit is ordinary at this stage as I am cutting everthing oversize by a mill or so. I will then fit each one with the bench sander and small planes etc. And no you don't have to sit down

No, I think I better just watch, I don't get how your going to bend the copper angle, I thought it would crimple or is that crumple? And I don't know how your going to go about fitting one to the other if their not really close now off the bandsaw now Can I have some close up pics please when you get a chance

By annealing the copper it becomes quite soft and plyable so you can "dress it" (stretch and bump it around with hammer or mallet or fingers) to follow the timber (similar to stained glass leads). The segments are fairly close but I have left enough timber over hanging to sand down to fit exactly together. The copper angle will also give me a little bit of room for error as the timber can slide in or out from under the angle, like a flashing. I will do some close up shots once I have the copper angle.

"similar to stained glass leads"

Got it, thanks

No worries my friend, all in a days fun