NWB WoodWorks

Hardwood Productions Presents

We are nearing completion on the breakfast table.  This week I was able to finish the preparation for the glue up of the top frame.  This work started off with hand planing the all 4 sides of each frame piece, to eliminate any machine marks from previous milling operations.  My trusty Lie Nielsen No. 62 was the hero for this operation with a little backup from my Stanley No. 4 where the grain was not cooperating.

I also had to clean up the rabbit that will accept the glass.  This was a simple operation with a chisel, shoulder plane and a router plane.  These tools work very well together to get into tight spaces.  I had only “squared off” 1 of the 4 inside corners, so the remaining 3 were my first task.  This was done by using a chisel to square the corner and the router plane to flush the bottom.  Next, I took the shoulder plane and removed any machine marks along the length of the rabbits.

You should also note the rounded edges that wrap the half lap dovetails.  This was an idea  I had a few weeks ago, that really help to showcase the joint and pulls your eye in for a closer look.

With the final touch-ups done I began the glue up.  This was a pretty straight forward glue up only consisting of the faces of the half lap dovetails.  But remember at this time, I installed the four nuts that I previously discussed.  These will allow the top to be secured to the base with 5/16″ bolts.  Once clamped together, I set the top frame on the base as it will be when assembled to assure that everything will dry in proper position.

The final group of pictures just shows an assembly after the top had been removed from the clamps.  Aside from a little more cleaning up on the base, rounding corners on the top and the scheduled finish, these pictures depict the final product pretty well!

Once the piece was in this state, I spent a fair amount of time just looking at it… A few times on Sunday night I walked down to the shop, for no other reason than to stare at the piece.  I kept the drooling to a minimum, but for me it is quite simply an enjoyable piece to look at!

Thanks for reading!  -NWB

Well, its been a while since I have posted any progress of my work as it seems life has once again gotten very busy and pulled my attention in other directions.  After a week where my dad came up to build a new center console for his classic Boston Whaler, the holidays were right around the corner.  Once I cleaned up a few things on the boat console, it was time to start Christmas projects for family & friends.  This year the gifts were spalted maple veneered clocks.  They are of my own design in somewhat of a ‘modern’ style.  The other set of gifts I had on my list was a set of 3 walnut and tiger maple picture frames for Toni,  to house a few drawings of Mason done by our friend Lyndsey of 3 Legged Dog Ink.  Both the drawings and the frames turned out great and Toni was very surprised! MORE ON THESE LATER!

With the long weekend for New Years I was able get into the shop and work on the DT breakfast table.   I started off by laying out for the bolts to attach the top to the base.  Next the holes were drilled and countersunk  so the bolt heads and washers will not be visible once assembled.  You can see the goofy jig I made for the drill press in order to locate the holes correctly on the base.  Once those were drilled, I transferred the holes into the underside of the frame for the top.  These holes were drilled to the proper depth to accept a 5/16″ nut mortised into the underside of the top half of the half lapped dovetail.

With the holes drilled, next I needed to cut the mortise to accept the nuts that will be embedded in the top.  This was simply done by tracing the shape of the nut in pencil, then cutting along the lines with a chisel. Once these two faces of the half lap are glued this nut will br retained by the lower half of the joint, securing the table top to the base.

I then moved onto cutting the rabbit in the top frame that will accept the glass.  Two sides were done on the table saw and the other two were done by hand held router with a spiral up-cut bit and fence.  Two different methods were used because one set of rabbits ran the full length of the piece (ones done on the table saw) and the other two were ’stopped’ meaning they didn’t go all the way to the ends of the board (ones done by router).  This is easier to understand by looking at the pictures below.

Once all 4 rabbits were cut I assmebled the top and began to square off the round corners left by the router bit to accept the glass.  With any luck this one should be wrapped up soon.  Thanks for reading!

-NWB

Last night I was able to do the remaining 3 glue ups for the pillar/supports.  All went as planned.  Once all the dowels were in, I was able do another dry fit.  This time I was able to set the top onto the table to get a glimpse into the final product.  With the top sitting on the base for the first time, I can now begin to plan what edge treatments I will give the top.  The corners of the top will be rounded and the bottom edge will also whats called a table edge.  Both of these details will accentuate the curves in the base.

In the pictures you can see how the holes are slightly offset in order to draw the joint tight  and also as a dowel is driven in.  And the remainder of the photos are just a combination of dry fits and mock ups with the top on.  I’m going to keep pressing on, in hopes of having it ready for finish by Oct. 10.

-NWB

We’ve had a busy week, so I only got a few hours in after work all week.  Once Sunday came along I was able to get most of the day down there.

First off, I got the holes drilled in the base for the through bolt.  By doing this, the table will be ‘knock-down’ to help in moving / storage.  In the end the base will break down into two sections, the top will be a single piece and then the glass will also come out.  Once I drilled the holes in both pieces, I then layed out the mortise for the nut to sit in.  I cut the mortise with a chisel and tweaked the fit so it would be sung so when the bolt is tightened, it will not spin.  The mortise will ultimately get a plug to hold the nut in place.

Next I got into cleaning up the pillars and table supports with hand tools.  It was a combination of my low angle jack plane, spokeshaves and card scrapers.  The pillars were particularly tough to tame because of the heavy curl those pieces have.   So for those I would fair the curve with my new Lie Nielsen Boggs Spokeshaves then get a final finish with the card scraper to control the figure.  On all of the flat surfaces I used the No. 62 low angle jack plane sharpened at a steeper angle because of the heavy curl.  The table supports were quite a bit easier because they were more straight grained.  The same operation was used; spokeshaves on the curves and No. 62 on the flats, no need for the card scrapers here.

With everything cleaned up, it was time to begin the pegs for the mortise and tenon joints.  I first laid out the three holes on one of the pillars and set up the drill press to keep all 4 sets of holes located properly.  I then filled each mortise with a scrap to prevent tearout from the drill bit and drilled the 12 holes in the pillars.  Then I drilled the holes in the tenons which are offset by approximately 1/32″.  This processes called ‘draw boring’, is used to pull joints together with a mechanical connection that doesn’t require glue.  With the holes offset and drilled, I then began to make the dowels out of some cocobolo stock that I have had for a while.  I first cut the cocobolo into 3/8″x3/8″x6″ sticks, then in a ‘v-block’ turned the square into an ocotgon.  By knocking off the corners it makes driving the dowel through the dowel plate much easier and produces a clean result.

Last night it was getting late but I wanted to see how these glue ups were going to work, so I tried one.  Glue on the mortise, tenon and in the holes for the dowel.  I then get some glue on the dowels and drive ‘em home.  The other GREAT thing about draw boring a mortise and tenon joint is that clamps are not needed for the glue up.  The tension created by the dowels is plenty of pressure while the glue cures.  This tension also helps combat seasonal movement and gaps that are associated with it for the life of the piece.

It is always exciting when the first glue up of a project goes as well as this one! I’m quite happy with my progress, and can’t wait to eat my first meal at it!  I have the three pillar/table support glue ups left, then its onto the base/pillar joints of which I will use the same process of draw boring.  Until next time….thanks for reading!

-NWB

Here are some pictures of last nights progress! It’s coming along quite well. A good amount of hand work ahead but so far I really like what I see!
-NWB

I wont be too “wordy” this morning.  I just wanted to post some pics of my progress over the past week.   The pictures demonstrate the process pretty well.  Basically, this work consisted of two sets of 4 mortise & tenon joints (pillar/supports and base/pillar); one half lap joint and shaping of the pillars and table supports.  The base will also be shaped with complementary curves similar to the rest of the piece.  Both sets of mortise & tenon joints will be pegged with a contrasting wood.

Thanks for reading!

-NWB

The bed project that last posted about had been giving me a number of issues and I felt as if I was forcing the wood to do what it couldn’t. If I have learned anything from my time working with wood, its like any art form; a design cannot be “forced” upon a medium. The wood I had in stock and had been using for the bed was not appropriate for the application, and will be far better suited for smaller projects. I had hopped to build the bed from my stock material, thus not having to incur a large lumber cost at this point.

With that said, I have moved onto a new project that has quickly jumped into high gear! It is a breakfast table approximately 3 feet square out of cherry. The top has dovetailed half lap joints in the corners and there will be glass recessed into the center section of the top.  I have included a number of shots of the top and its details.  The base of the table will be a modified pedestal with an “x” shaped base.  I never actually drew this piece so I cannot post a conceptual drawing like I have in the past.

I have begun milling the pedestal and working on the details of joinery and design.  All of the patterns are made for the different pieces of the base.  With the long weekend ahead I should get some good work done.

Have a good weekend!

-NWB

This is another project that I recently completed.  It is made of tiger maple (aprons & legs) and ambrosia maple (top).  THis was a fun project and didn’t take too long, but it sort of “fell through the cracks” as life was quite busy during this build.  I am very happy with the outcome and I LOVE the look of the top!  And the sprayed finish came out perfect!

In the pictures of the top you see what look to be imperfections; these are actually worm holes in the wood.  The story with ambrosia maple is that worms get into the tree and all of the brown streaks you see are secretions from these bugs.  It “technically” is a defect, but if you ask me, I’ll take that defect all-day-long!

The top has is actually made up of two pieces, so there is a glue joint in it.  Can you find it?  This is probably my best grain matching yet!

So as we move into the summer, often there is less time to build because more time is spent outside enjoying the weather, but this year I am going to try and crank out some new work!  On the horizon I have a few pieces for our house in design phase.  Once I get caught up on some odds and ends, we will begin the fun stuff, this will probably be by mid July. Also, towards the end of the month I will be attending my first woodworking class in Hand Tool Techniques at Lie-Nielsen Toolworks; makers of high-end hand tools.   This will be ALOT of fun!  Check back soon!

Thanks for reading!  -NWB