A Woodworker’s Attachment to Tools

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A recent thread on talkFestool forum gloating about a recent tool acquisition quickly turned to a discussion of the most-used Bridge City Tool Works tools – unanimously the DSS-6 Double Saddle Square.

DSS-6 by Bridge City Tool Works

As I looked at the tools I frequently use, I realized that they are also the ones I cherish most.

Some of them are premium tools like my Veritas #4 Bench Plane and Bridge City Tool Works CS-2 Centerscribe while others have sentimental value such as the marking knives made for me by my friends Derek Cohen and Jaromy W.

Others, like my Millers Falls #3 bench plane are just valuable because I’ve tuned and modified them to work just the way I like.  Then, of course there are the tools that I’ve made myself like my wooden planes and offset gauges.

It’s interesting that I’m less attached to larger tools or electric tools.  I like my Stanley #6 bench plane but I don’t have much attachment to it.  The same goes for my Grizzly sliding table saw, Laguna bandsaw, and Festool Domino Joiner.

Perhaps it’s the closeness between myself and hand tools that makes them more dear to me.  It’s these tools with which I am extra-careful.  I’m curious to know which tools you cherish most.

Cast your vote in the poll below!  Choose as many options as are applicable.

New Quote Added to “Quotables”

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I hope that you are enjoying watching my progress as I create the Maple Trestle Table, working out the design on the fly (maybe you’re even following me live on Twitter).  It is a very involved build and provides plenty of challenges.

For your benefit I try to document my progress as authentically as possible, showing my intent, technique, and results whether they are good or bad.  I want you to feel as if you are poking your head into the shop every now and then to see what’s happening.

Whether you are a passionate woodworker of someone who appreciates fine furniture and original ideas, I hope that you find this build (and blog) to be interesting and informative.  But I would like to remind you that while you can learn a lot by reading, you can learn far more by applying yourself.

Years teach us more than books.

- Berthold Auerbach

Find this quote, along with many other interesting quotes on the page titled Quotables.

Maple Trestle Table, Session 24 – Profiling the Table’s Edge

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On the morning of Sunday, April 15th, Morton and I exchanged ideas about trestle tables, spurred on by a recent sketch of a table on which he was working.  That got me yearning to build a trestle table.

I documented my progress live on Twitter which was useful because each update had a time stamp so followers could see the rate at which I progressed.  Here is a list of the previous Sessions:

Session 1 - Flat Boards are Boring;
Session 2 - Playing with Slabs;
Session 3 - From Two Slabs to One Table Top;
Session 4 - Clamping Odd Shapes and Sketching on Wood;
Session 5 - Routing Pockets for Battens;
Session 6 - Making Battens and Installing Countertop Connectors;
Session 7 - Installing Battens and Flattening the Underside;
Session 8 - Make Your Tools Work for You and Flattening the Top;
Session 9 - Mortises the Slow Way (or Why I’m Buying a Domino XL);
Session 10 - Curvy Legs are Always Good;
Session 11 - Straight Lines on Wonky Surfaces;
Session 12 - Fitting the Mother of all Mortise & Tenon Joints;
Session 13 - Making Things Better, Worse, then Better;
Session 14 - Battens and Complicated Tenons, Again;
Session 15 - The Trestle Comes Together Session;
Session 16 - Angled Mortises and Tenons;
Session 17 - Two Feet for Two Legs;
Session 18 - Attachment Strips and Power Carving;
Session 19 - Refining the Sculpted Base;
Session 20 - A Little Sanding, then Lots More Sanding;
Session 21 – Preparing for a Big Glue-Up;
Session 22 – Fitting and Joining the Table Top; and
Session 23 – The Bottom of the Top.

(If you are not familiar with the format used on Twitter, every update, or “tweet” below starts with a username, being the author of that tweet.  Sometimes, you see two or more usernames in a tweet.  The second (and third, etc) usernames are preceded by a @ symbol and are people to whom the author is talking.  The other symbol you see is #, which serves as a category.  I try to remember to categorize all my tweets pertaining to this project under #flairww.)

FlairWoodworks Welcome to Session 24! I’ll continue work on the Maple Trestle Table by cutting the ends, then working on the edge profile. #flairww -12:48 PM May 27th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I’m ready to make the first cut. #flairww -12:58 PM May 27th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I cut the curve with my jigsaw. Now I’m using my low-angle block plane to clean up and fair the curve. #flairww -1:22 PM May 27th, 2012

FlairWoodworks This joint is nice and tight. #flairww -1:25 PM May 27th, 2012

gvmcmillan @FlairWoodworks Now THAT’S a joint! How thick is the wood there again? -1:29 PM May 27th, 2012

FlairWoodworks It’s 2-1/8″ thick. #flairww RT @gvmcmillan:@FlairWoodworks Now THAT’S a joint! How thick is the wood there again? -1:29 PM May 27th, 2012

gvmcmillan @FlairWoodworks That’s substantial – what did you use to make that much thickness so perfect? Surely not a hand plane? -1:31 PM May 27, 2012

FlairWoodworks @gvmcmillan I used a router to get it close, then a handplane to get it perfect. #flairww -1:32 PM May 27th, 2012

FlairWoodworks The curve looks and feels fair. Therefore, it must be fair. #flairww -1:38 PM May 27th, 2012

FlairWoodworks Now I’ll cut the other end. #flairww -1:39 PM May 27th, 2012

FlairWoodworks Here’s another angle of the cut end. #flairww -1:40 PM May 27th, 2012

FlairWoodworks When using the jigsaw upside-down, I find it helpful to carry the cut line down the edge. #flairww -1:49 PM May 27th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I completed the cut. I have more control with the jigsaw set to not orbit. #flairww -1:58 PM May 27th, 2012

FlairWoodworks Again, I’m using my block plane to fair the curve. The light areas are the low spots. #flairww-2:21 PM May 27th, 2012

FlairWoodworks The end curves are fair. The next step is to lay out the edge profile. #flairww -2:28 PM May 27th, 2012

DyamiPlotke @FlairWoodworks have you figured it out? -2:31 PM May 27th, 2012

FlairWoodworks @DyamiPlotke All the edge profiles in the base are convex, as are the ends of the table. I want to mimic the profile of the legs. #flairww -2:34 PM May 27th, 2012

DyamiPlotke @FlairWoodworks good plan. -2:40 PM May 27th, 2012

FlairWoodworks Before I start profiling the edge, I’m going to tidy up the shop. #flairww -2:47 PM May 27th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I unscrewed the particle board cauls. The materials may be reused or tossed. #flairww -2:48 PM May 27th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I’ve used more than 22 sanding discs so far. They cost about a buck each. #flairww -3:03 PM May 27th, 2012

DyamiPlotke @FlairWoodworks they don’t seem very long lived -3:07 PM May 27th, 2012

FlairWoodworks @DyamiPlotke Some still have life in them, but they do tend to wear quickly when working on sculpted surfaces. #flairww -3:08 PM May 27th, 2012

 Tumblewood @FlairWoodworks @DyamiPlotke Yea, it seems a big difference between finishing a surface and creating a surface, in terms of longevity. -3:09 PM May 27th, 2012

FlairWoodworks To cut the edge profile evenly, I’m going to first cut a wide bevel. #flairww -3:27 PM May 27th, 2012

FlairWoodworks To lay out the bevel, I made two simple jigs. They guide a pencil to draw a line parallel to the edges. #flairww -3:29 PM May 27th, 2012

FlairWoodworks The second jig marks the other guideline. #flairww -3:41 PM May 27th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I’ve started establishing the end bevel with my biggest gouge and a mallet. #flairww -3:51 PM May 27th, 2012

gvmcmillan @FlairWoodworks Yep, that’s a pretty big gouge! My biggest is 1″ -4:00 PM May 27th, 2012

Tumblewood @FlairWoodworks are you still going for a cove vs a bevel? I can’t think of an expedient way to do that. #flairww

FlairWoodworks @gvmcmillan This one is a 9/25 (#9 sweep, 25mm mm wide, for the non-carvers). #flairww -4:03 PM May 27th, 2012

FlairWoodworks @Tumblewood No, I’m doing an elliptical roundover. #flairww -4:03 PM May 27th, 2012

FlairWoodworks @Tumblewood The quickest way to make a large cove on something like this table top would be a series of passes with a router… #flairww -4:04 PM May 27th, 2012

FlairWoodworks @Tumblewood … then sandpaper to finish. #flairww -4:04 PM May 27th, 2012

Tumblewood @FlairWoodworks oh cool. The round over would’ve been my choice, too.  #flairww -4:10 PM May 27th, 2012

gvmcmillan @FlairWoodworks I think I’d be tempted to knock of the largest bits with my jig saw set at a 45 degree angle. #flairww -4:11 PM May 27th, 2012

FlairWoodworks @gvmcmillan The only trouble with that is the bevel angle is a 1:2 rise/run ratio. #flairww -4:11 PM May 27th, 2012

Tumblewood @FlairWoodworks yea with a big cove bit. Would still require a LOT of extra work. #flairww -4:11 PM May 27th, 2012

gvmcmillan @FlairWoodworks Yes, but, ahem, who decided that? ;) #flairww -4:12 PM May 27th, 2012

FlairWoodworks @Tumblewood Some extra work for sure. How would it be compared to the alternatives? #flairww -4:13 PM May 27th, 2012

Tumblewood @FlairWoodworks I think your approach melds w/ the base very well.  #flairww -4:15 PM May 27th, 2012

FlairWoodworks Thanks, Vic! I do too. RT @Tumblewood:@FlairWoodworks I think your approach melds w/ the base very well. #flairww -4:16 PM May 27th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I’ve used the gouge to remove most of the waste. #flairww -4:33 PM May 27th, 2012

FlairWoodworks Now I’m using a coarsely-set block plane across the grain to refine the bevel. #flairww -4:34 PM May 27th, 2012

FlairWoodworks Here’s the first bevel completed. I’ll do the other end next. #flairww -4:45 PM May 27th, 2012

FlairWoodworks As I’m wasting away the bevel with my gouge and mallet, “Wasting Away” by The Northern Pikes started to play! #flairww -4:47 PM May 27th, 2012

Tumblewood @FlairWoodworks SWEET! #flairww -4:50 PM May 27th, 2012

FlairWoodworks When chopping away waste, it does not make sense to be timid. When the chips break free, they fly 4-6′ from the table. #flairww -4:56 PM May 27th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I cannot believe how long this gouge stays sharp. #flairww -5:00 PM May 27th, 2012

FlairWoodworks The second end is shaped. I’m tired and hungry so I’m stopping for lunch. #flairww -5:14 PM May 27th, 2012

DyamiPlotke: @FlairWoodworks what brand? -5:43 PM May 27th, 2012

FlairWoodworks My gouge is a Pfeil (a.k.a. Swiss-Made). #flairww RT @DyamiPlotke: @FlairWoodworks what brand? -5:44 PM May 27th, 2012

FlairWoodworks After a delicious lunch, I’m back at work on the edges of the table. I’m going to work on the long edges next. #flairww -6:19 PM May 27th, 2012

FlairWoodworks The curves present a little bit of a challenge but mostly they will make progress slower. #flairww-6:23 PM May 27th, 2012

FlairWoodworks The difficult figure won’t help either. #flairww -6:24 PM May 27th, 2012

FlairWoodworks My drawknife works quickly to remove most of the waste. #flairww -6:30 PM May 27th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I cleaned up the edge with my flat spokeshave. #flairww -6:40 PM May 27th, 2012

FlairWoodworks As I expected, this section is difficult to work. #flairww -6:43 PM May 27th, 2012

FlairWoodworks The best way I’ve found to work this section is to use the gouge to chop into the edge. #flairww -6:47 PM May 27th, 2012

FlairWoodworks My right arm is sore from swinging my 12oz carver’s mallet but the gouge work is done here. #flairww -6:56 PM May 27th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I’ve got one long bevel done. Next! #flairww -7:29 PM May 27th, 2012

woodshaver101 @FlairWoodworks A draw knife would do wonders on such a large bevel.looking good. -8:04 PM May 27th, 2012

FlairWoodworks Thanks! This is a lot of work! #flairww RT @woodshaver101: @FlairWoodworks A draw knife would do wonders on such a large bevel.looking good. -8:05 PM May 27th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I just finished the difficult (and beautiful) section on this edge. #flairww -8:06 PM May 27th, 2012

BCcraftmaster @FlairWoodworks that looks great with the curve of the flitch -8:07PM May 27th, 2012

Tumblewood @FlairWoodworks looks awesome! #flairww -8:11 PM May 27th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I’m just glad my spokeshaves can handle this grain! #flairww -8:12 PM May 27th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I resorted to the gouge for this heavily-figured section. #flairww -8:25 PM May 27th, 2012

FlairWoodworks When the grain is this figured, is it any wonder it took so long to shape? The bevel is complete. #flairww -8:33 PM May 27th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I’m done work for now. Next, the bevels will turn into gentle curves. #flairww -8:34 PM May 27th, 2012

In the next session, I’ll continue working on the bottom half of the edge profile.  You can leave a comment here.

Jumping out of a Plane

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I am about to jump out of a plane.

All the preparations have been made for my jump to go smoothly.

Yet there’s a chance

That things could go horribly wrong.
I don’t feel ready

And I don’t think I ever will.
I can only prepare so much.

Then I have to take action.

I   j

      u

       m

         p

          e

          d.



Wow – that was a rush.

It was intense and I can’t believe I just did that!

I’m still trembling.

That was awesome!

It wasn’t bad at all.

I could probably do it again,

But I don’t want to anytime soon.

Wow.

I just jumped out of a plane.

I just JUMPED OUT OF A PLANE!

Maple Trestle Table, Session 23 – The Bottom of the Top

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On the morning of Sunday, April 15th, Morton and I exchanged ideas about trestle tables, spurred on by a recent sketch of a table on which he was working.  That got me yearning to build a trestle table.

I documented my progress live on Twitter which was useful because each update had a time stamp so followers could see the rate at which I progressed.  Here is a list of the previous Sessions:

Session 1 - Flat Boards are Boring;
Session 2 - Playing with Slabs;
Session 3 - From Two Slabs to One Table Top;
Session 4 - Clamping Odd Shapes and Sketching on Wood;
Session 5 - Routing Pockets for Battens;
Session 6 - Making Battens and Installing Countertop Connectors;
Session 7 - Installing Battens and Flattening the Underside;
Session 8 - Make Your Tools Work for You and Flattening the Top;
Session 9 - Mortises the Slow Way (or Why I’m Buying a Domino XL);
Session 10 - Curvy Legs are Always Good;
Session 11 - Straight Lines on Wonky Surfaces;
Session 12 - Fitting the Mother of all Mortise & Tenon Joints;
Session 13 - Making Things Better, Worse, then Better;
Session 14 - Battens and Complicated Tenons, Again;
Session 15 - The Trestle Comes Together Session;
Session 16 - Angled Mortises and Tenons;
Session 17 - Two Feet for Two Legs;
Session 18 - Attachment Strips and Power Carving;
Session 19 - Refining the Sculpted Base;
Session 20 - A Little Sanding, then Lots More Sanding;
Session 21 – Preparing for a Big Glue-Up; and
Session 22 – Fitting and Joining the Table Top.

(If you are not familiar with the format used on Twitter, every update, or “tweet” below starts with a username, being the author of that tweet.  Sometimes, you see two or more usernames in a tweet.  The second (and third, etc) usernames are preceded by a @ symbol and are people to whom the author is talking.  The other symbol you see is #, which serves as a category.  I try to remember to categorize all my tweets pertaining to this project under #flairww.)

FlairWoodworks I’m back at work on the table after a full day working on Time Warp Tool Works projects. #flairww -2:19 PM May 24th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I can finally remove these long clamps under which I’ve been constantly crawling. #flairww -2:21 PM May 24th, 2012

FlairWoodworks An unexpected setback – I killed the output of my stereo. I blame @hailthevillain #flairww -2:29 PM May 24th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I wrapped the shiny red handle with a strip of a bicycle inner tube. Remember: shiny handles suck. #flairww -2:46 PM May 24th, 2012

FlairWoodworks With the pressure of the clamps gone, I can remove the glue squeeze-out and reflatten the surface. #flairww -2:58 PM May 24th, 2012

FlairWoodworks My Stanley Bailey #6 isn’t tuned as well as a smoother but it doesn’t need to be. #flairww -3:02 PM May 24th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I’m using a hand plane to refine the visible surfaces of the battens. #flairww -3:12 PM May 24th, 2012

FlairWoodworks Both battens are nicely refined. Now I’ll sand the underside of the table top to 180-grit before attaching the battens. #flairww -3:20 PM May 24th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I spent an hour on the phone with an engraver friend. (Anybody have an engraved tool?) Now I’ll begin sanding. #flairww -4:37 PM May 24th, 2012

FlairWoodworks The glue-up and handling resulted in a few dings so I went back to 80-grit to remove them. Now I’m uisng 120-grit. #flairww -4:49 PM May 24th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I’ve sanded the surface to 120-grit. I’m not going to go to 180-grit at this point. Now I’ll work on the edge. #flairww -5:19 PM May 24th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I used my jack plane to fair the convex section and spokeshave to fair the concave section of the edge. #flairww -5:22 PM May 24th, 2012

This video shows how I used my low-angle jack plane to fair the convex edge.  (Duration – 0:53)

This movie requires Adobe Flash for playback.

FlairWoodworks This section will make profiling the edge more difficult, but also will make the end result more impressive. #flairww -5:23 PM May 24th, 2012

HalfInchShy That edge will look fantastic with a finish @FlairWoodworks #flairww -5:29 PM May 24th, 2012

FlairWoodworks Unsure of which profile I want, I added a mild chamfer to the edge. Hmm… #flairww -5:34 PM May 24th, 2012

FlairWoodworks The edge definitely needs something to visually lighten it. #flairww -5:34 PM May 24th, 2012

HalfInchShy Maybe sculpt some undulations in place of the chamfer, they can go deep, but not far into the top surface @FlairWoodworks #flairww -5:36 PM May 24th, 2012

HalfInchShy Or maybe the same idea, but the undulations from underneath @FlairWoodworks #flairww -5:36 PM May 24th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I’ve use bevels top and bottom of varying sizes before, like on Table with a Twist. #flairww-5:37 PM May 24th, 2012

BCcraftmaster @FlairWoodworks twist it like the aprons on that other sick table you built! -5:37 PM May 24th, 2012

FlairWoodworks Neat idea. I had thought of a wavy edge. RT @HalfInchShy: Maybe sculpt some undulations in place of the chamfer @FlairWoodworks #flairww -5:38 PM May 24th, 2012

HalfInchShy Something like that would work if the bevels are shallow; don’t think making them steep would do it @FlairWoodworks #flairww -5:38 PM May 24th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I don’t think the slabs suit it. RT @BCcraftmaster: @FlairWoodworks twist it like the aprons on that other sick table you built! -5:39 PM May 24th, 2012

HalfInchShy sorry… ‘something like that’ has ‘Table with a Twist’ as the antecedent @FlairWoodworks #flairww -5:39 PM May 24th, 2012

MansFineFurn: @FlairWoodworks semi-parabolic cove underneath-5:41 PM May 24th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I was thinking of that… #flairww RT @MansFineFurn: @FlairWoodworks semi-parabolic cove underneath-5:41 PM May 24th, 2012

FlairWoodworks @HalfInchShy Careful! I have a piece titled, Something Like That! #flairww -5:42 PM May 24th, 2012

BCcraftmaster @FlairWoodworks how about a bottom bevel to give it a thinner look. Like this  -5:46 PM May 24th, 2012

FlairWoodworks @BCcraftmaster Yes, that’s a possibility. #flairww-5:47 PM May 24th, 2012

FlairWoodworks While I ponder the shape, I’m going to go get some lunch. #flairww -5:48 PM May 24th, 2012

BCcraftmaster @FlairWoodworks I saw T-mac do it on one of his tables and used it on my fireplace mantle and entertainment center – 5:50 PM May 24, 2012

DyamiPlotke @FlairWoodworks I like the chamfer. -6:06 PM May 24, 2012

HalfInchShy Great, you’ll come back and shape it like a burger… RT @FlairWoodworks: While I ponder the shape, I’m going to go get some lunch. #flairww -6:14 PM May 24th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I’m not sure whether I’ll go wth a chamfer or round-over profile. I don’t like the idea of a concave profile. #flairww -6:15 PM May 24th, 2012

MansFineFurn @FlairWoodworks boooooo ;) -6:15 PM May 24th, 2012

FlairWoodworks @MansFineFurn You like the idea of a hollow? #flairww -6:18 PM May 24th, 2012

MansFineFurn @FlairWoodworks yup, underside hollow makes the edge appear thin (lightweight) rather than appearing as a feature in itself…. -6:19 PM May 24th, 2012

FlairWoodworks @HalfInchShy Hmm… a hamburger bun has a nice shape… #flairww -6:19 PM May 24th, 2012

MansFineFurn @FlairWoodworks …you have lots of other features to showcase on that, the edge should be subtle, and lightweight -6:20 PM May 24, 2012

FlairWoodworks @MansFineFurn A bevel on the underside has the same effect without disappearing entirely. #flairww -6:22 PM May 24th, 2012

MansFineFurn @FlairWoodworks yes, but your whole table has curvature, a chamfer doesn’t seem to fit the theme (stands out, and not in a good way IMHO [in my honest opinion]) -6:23 PM May 24, 2012

FlairWoodworks @MansFineFurn So the question is: would a chamfer provide good or bad contrast? #flairww -6:26 PM May 24th, 2012

MansFineFurn @FlairWoodworks I can only say in my opinion, it would stand out. which (I think) is not where you’d like the focus to be on this piece -6:28 PM May 24th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I have some offcuts from the table top on which I can experiment. #flairww -6:28 PM May 24th, 2012

HalfInchShy What about a wavy edge? like Flow. In my mind, it doesn’t look good, though @FlairWoodworks #flairww -6:28 PM May 24th, 2012

FlairWoodworks @HalfInchShy No, I wouldn’t want a wavy edge like on Flow. #flairww -6:30 PM May 24th, 2012

MansFineFurn @FlairWoodworks damn, a design hangout would be awesome right about now. -6:30 PM May 24th, 2012

FlairWoodworks @MansFineFurn You are right – the edge should not compete for attention. #flairww -6:32 PM May 24th, 2012

BCcraftmaster @FlairWoodworks @MansFineFurn @HalfInchShy @DyamiPlotke sure. I’m creating a g+ accredited now -6:37 PM May 24th, 2012

MansFineFurn @FlairWoodworks I may be able to: If I show up, I’ll be there #captainobvious -6:38 PM May 24th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I’m back in the shop and going to cut up an offcut from the table for testing profiles. #flairww -6:47 PM May 24th, 2012

FlairWoodworks Are you on G+? Join my Hangout and help me design an edge profile for the table! Link #flairww -6:54 PM May 24th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I’m going to profile the edges as well as the ends, so I need to cut the ends first. #flairww -7:15 PM May 24th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I also need to fair the other edge of the table. #flairww -7:15 PM May 24th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I had one design Hangout with @MansFineFurn and@DyamiPlotke earlier and one with @BCcraftmaster just now. They were a great help! #flairww -8:07 PM May 24th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I’ve dressed a scrap of maple the same thickness as the table top. I’ll use it as a test for the profile. #flairww -8:08 PM May 24th, 2012

FlairWoodworks This is the profile I want to use on the edge. I’ll rough it out with my table saw. #flairww -8:09 PM May 24th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I redrew the curve with perpendicular lines every 1/4″ to aid in setting the table saw blade height. #flairww -8:18 PM May 24th, 2012

FlairWoodworks Here is the kerfed block. This process is similar to using a rabbet plane before hollows and rounds. #flairww -8:42 PM May 24th, 2012

FlairWoodworks Cutting all the grooves requires getting into a rhythm. If you break the rhythm, you might need to start again. #flairww -8:44 PM May 24th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I broke away most of the waste with a mallet. #flairww -8:50 PM May 24th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I used a gouge to refine the surface. The convex plane will finish the job. #flairww -8:57 PM May 24th, 2012

FlairWoodworks Luckily I have a full set of Time Warp Tool Works moulding planes. The #8 round worked perfectly! #flairww -9:13 PM May 24th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I could use either a scraper or sander to smooth the curve. #flairww -9:17 PM May 24th, 2012

FlairWoodworks The scraper worked quickly to even out the surface. #flairww -9:29 PM May 24th, 2012

FlairWoodworks  As is often the case with mouldings, the last inch or so isn’t as consistent as the rest. #flairww -9:31 PM May 24th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I think this is going to look awesome. Good call, Nick! @mansfinefurn #flairww -9:33 PM May 24th, 2012

FlairWoodworks The last thing I’ll do in the shop tonight is draw the curves along which I’ll cut the table ends. #flairww -9:46 PM May 24th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I drew two lines square to each edge that intersected at an point (where the pencil is). #flairww -10:02 PM May 24th, 2012

FlairWoodworks Then I drew a line between the two ends of the lines. #flairww -10:04 PM May 24th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I’m looking at pictures from Session 4 to figure out what curve I like. #flairww -10:05 PM May 24th, 2012

FlairWoodworks Here are three curves I’d drawn in Session 4. I’m only looking at the curvature, not the positioning. #flairww -10:07 PM May 24th, 2012

HalfInchShy Just got back; would have been a fun hangout. I like the thumbnail cove you decided on @FlairWoodworks #flairww -10:10 PM May 24th, 2012

HalfInchShy Now, to find a router bit that big… =:-O @FlairWoodworks #flairww -10:11 PM May 24th, 2012

FlairWoodworks Thanks! RT @HalfInchShy: Just got back; would have been a fun hangout. I like the thumbnail cove you decided on @FlairWoodworks #flairww -10:12 PM May 24th, 2012

FlairWoodworks This curve has 1-1/2″ of bow. I like it. #flairww -10:14 PM May 24th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I’ve laid out the curve on the other end too. #flairww -10:24 PM May 24th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I added a piece of tape to guide me across the void. #flairww -10:26 PM May 24th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I’m considering making a template to rout the ends evenly because tuning end-grain isn’t much fun. #flairww -10:35 PM May 24th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I used a CAD program to calculate the radius of the arcs which I laid out. They have a radius of 74-7/8″. #flairww -10:35 PM May 24th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I could always cut close to the line and fair the curve. That wouldn’t be that difficult. #flairww -10:39 PM May 24th, 2012

FlairWoodworks Tuning the two cuts with my random orbit sander should be easier than making a template. That’s what I’ll do next time. #flairww -10:41 PM May 24th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I’m done in the shop for today. Thanks for following! #flairww -10:43 PM May 24th, 2012

luggermatt @FlairWoodworks Another fabulous day! Thanks for posting :-) -10:43 PM May 24th, 2012

FlairWoodworks Thanks! I’m appreciative of all the interest that’s been shown. RT @luggermatt: @FlairWoodworks Another fabulous day! Thanks for posting :-) -10:46 PM May 24th, 2012

FlairWoodworks When designing the edge profile, I forgot about the battens. This one is in the way. #flairww-11:19 PM May 24th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I could either shorten the length of the edge profile or shorten the batten. Or I could do both. #flairww -11:20 PM May 24th, 2012

In the next session, I’ll cut the ends of the table and work on profiling the edges.

What do you think of the profile?  Does it suit the table?  Or do you think a round-over profile or another shape would look better?  Leave me a comment!

Maple Trestle Table, Session 22 – Fitting and Joining the Table Top

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3

On the morning of Sunday, April 15th, Morton and I exchanged ideas about trestle tables, spurred on by a recent sketch of a table on which he was working.  That got me yearning to build a trestle table.

I documented my progress live on Twitter which was useful because each update had a time stamp so followers could see the rate at which I progressed.  Here is a list of the previous Sessions:

Session 1 - Flat Boards are Boring;
Session 2 - Playing with Slabs;
Session 3 - From Two Slabs to One Table Top;
Session 4 - Clamping Odd Shapes and Sketching on Wood;
Session 5 - Routing Pockets for Battens;
Session 6 - Making Battens and Installing Countertop Connectors;
Session 7 - Installing Battens and Flattening the Underside;
Session 8 - Make Your Tools Work for You and Flattening the Top;
Session 9 - Mortises the Slow Way (or Why I’m Buying a Domino XL);
Session 10 - Curvy Legs are Always Good;
Session 11 - Straight Lines on Wonky Surfaces;
Session 12 - Fitting the Mother of all Mortise & Tenon Joints;
Session 13 - Making Things Better, Worse, then Better;
Session 14 - Battens and Complicated Tenons, Again;
Session 15 - The Trestle Comes Together Session;
Session 16 - Angled Mortises and Tenons;
Session 17 - Two Feet for Two Legs;
Session 18 - Attachment Strips and Power Carving;
Session 19 - Refining the Sculpted Base;
Session 20 - A Little Sanding, then Lots More Sanding; and
Session 21 – Preparing for a Big Glue-Up.

(If you are not familiar with the format used on Twitter, every update, or “tweet” below starts with a username, being the author of that tweet.  Sometimes, you see two or more usernames in a tweet.  The second (and third, etc) usernames are preceded by a @ symbol and are people to whom the author is talking.  The other symbol you see is #, which serves as a category.  I try to remember to categorize all my tweets pertaining to this project under #flairww.)

FlairWoodworks I’m back at work on the table top. The tenons are glued into one side. #flairww -12:34 PM May 22nd, 2012

FlairWoodworks The fit of the tenons into the mortises is too tight to allow easy assembly so I’m going to work on that. #flairww -12:35 PM May 22nd, 2012

Tumblewood Have you thought about only gluing the middle tenon on each? RT @FlairWoodworks: The fit of the tenons into the mortises is too tight to allow an easy assembly so I’m going to work on that. #flairww -12:38 PM May 22, 2012

FlairWoodworks @Tumblewood I’ll be gluing only the outermost tenon of each end. #flairww -12:38 PM May 22nd, 2012

FlairWoodworks Softwood wedges are awesome. Here, I’m using them to drive apart the joint. #flairww -12:49 PM May 22nd, 2012

luggermatt @FlairWoodworks I use softwood wedges a lot. Saves so much struggling :-) -12:51 PM May 22, 2012

FlairWoodworks I hope it doesn’t take all day to tune these tenons, like it did to cut them. I’m starting to tire of wrestling with these slabs. #flairww -12:51 PM May 22nd, 2012

FlairWoodworks I just noticed that Sessions 19-22 have been on that day of the month! (Welcome to Session 22!) #flairww -12:53 PM May 22nd, 2012

FlairWoodworks Are there any clamps that have an endless thread? I dislike having to reset clamps to pull together big joints. #flairww -12:59 PM May 22nd, 2012

FlairWoodworks That’s one of the reasons I like QuickGrip clamps – they can clamp their entire capacity without being reset. #flairww -1:00 PM May 22nd, 2012

FlairWoodworks I’ve gotta say, it’s no fun test-fitting these monster joints. #flairww -1:22 PM May 22nd, 2012

FlairWoodworks The trouble with fitting these slabs is that because they are so heavy, I can’t feel where the joint is tight.  There is no sensitivity. #flairww -1:29 PM May 22nd, 2012

FlairWoodworks Pound the joint part-way together until it gets stuck, drive it apart with wedges, trim the tenons a little, repeat. #flairww -1:33 PM May 22nd, 2012

FlairWoodworks This scale of work merits full baseball-type swings of the mallet. #flairww -1:37 PM May 22nd, 2012

Toolwriter @FlairWoodworks Bigger hammer….I like hammers… -1:45 PM May 22nd, 2012

FlairWoodworks One of those Commander mallets might fit the bill. #flairww RT @Toolwriter: @FlairWoodworks Bigger hammer….I like hammers… -1:46 PM May 22nd, 2012

Tumblewood @FlairWoodworks @Toolwriter @FlairWoodworks what is a Commander mallet? 2lbs sledge? -1:47 PM May 22nd, 2012

FlairWoodworks My longest clamp is just long enough to pull the two slabs into alignment. #flairww -1:48 PM May 22nd, 2012

FlairWoodworks @Tumblewood Try 8-1/2 pounds with a long handle. #flairww @Toolwriter -1:48 PM May 22nd, 2012

Tumblewood @FlairWoodworks @Toolwriter oh god!! Don’t break that puppy! -1:49 PM May 22nd, 2012

FlairWoodworks This seam is very tight. #flairww -1:57 PM May 22nd, 2012

FlairWoodworks However, the other seam is not tight. I’ll see if a couple more clamps can pull it together. #flairww -1:58 PM May 22nd, 2012

FlairWoodworks More clamping pressure is just causing the caul to slip. #flairww -2:02 PM May 22nd, 2012

FlairWoodworks It’s this sliver of light that I’m trying to eliminate. #flairww -2:06 PM May 22nd, 2012

FlairWoodworks I summoned my super-human strength (actually I just took a break) but could not close the joint. #flairww -2:20 PM May 22nd, 2012

FlairWoodworks I’ll wedge the joint apart, tune it, and try again. #flairww -2:20 PM May 22nd, 2012

FlairWoodworks I took a 30-minute break to discuss a coalition between #woodchat and @MWA_National. Back to work on the table now. #flairww -3:02 PM May 22nd, 2012

FlairWoodworks Somebody made lunch so I’ll go eat now! #flairww -3:06 PM May 22nd, 2012

FlairWoodworks Back after lunch, I’ll work to take the two slabs apart so I can work on the fit. #flairww -3:56 PM May 22nd, 2012

FlairWoodworks Wedges are awesome! It was a lot easier to take the slabs apart with wedges than to put them together with clamps and a mallet. #flairww -4:03 PM May 22nd, 2012

FlairWoodworks There was nothing obvious preventing the joint from closing so I just cleaned it up a little. #flairww -4:08 PM May 22nd, 2012

FlairWoodworks Okay, I’m ready to try another dry-fit. #flairww -4:12 PM May 22nd, 2012

FlairWoodworks This time I was able to close the joint most of the way with my dead blow mallet. Now I’ll use clamps. #flairww -4:18 PM May 22nd, 2012

FlairWoodworks I like to hear creaking as I tighten the clamps, which indicates that something is moving and a gap is (hopefully) closing. #flairww -4:24 PM May 22nd, 2012

malphrusoxide @FlairWoodworks creaking >>> cracking. -4:27 PM May 22nd, 2012

FlairWoodworks Yes, that’s possible too. RT @malphrusoxide: @FlairWoodworks creaking >>> cracking. -4:32 PM May 22nd, 2012

malphrusoxide @FlairWoodworks oh, i was agreeing, saying creaking is much much better than cracking, ha ha. -4:33 PM May 22nd, 2012

FlairWoodworks I got the gap closed. This time, I also used a countertop connector which helped. #flairww -4:31 PM May 22nd, 2012

FlairWoodworks Now I’ll take the top apart once more while I ponder the question, “Am I ready to start the glue-up?” #flairww -4:37 PM May 22nd, 2012

FlairWoodworks And the slabs are apart once again. I’m getting good at this! #flairww -4:42 PM May 22nd, 2012

FlairWoodworks AM I READY….? #flairww -4:43 PM May 22nd, 2012

FlairWoodworks I like doing things that are challenging, but this project has pushed me more than most. #flairww -4:44 PM May 22nd, 2012

FlairWoodworks At this moment, it is as if I am about to jump out of a plane… #flairww -4:51 PM May 22nd, 2012

FlairWoodworks … Everything is in place for this to go smoothly… #flairww -4:53 PM May 22nd, 2012

FlairWoodworks …the next 15 minutes will feel like two minutes… #flairww-4:53 PM May 22nd, 2012

FlairWoodworks …and there’s a chance that things could go horribly wrong…#flairww -4:53 PM May 22nd, 2012

bltww @FlairWoodworks I felt the same way when I went to glue up my workbench. -4:53 PM May 22nd, 2012

FlairWoodworks …but I know I have to do it. The best thing to do is… to just go for it and not over-think it! #flairww -4:54 PM May 22nd, 2012

FlairWoodworks I’ll bet you did! #flairww RT @bltww: @FlairWoodworks I felt the same way when I went to glue up my workbench. -4:54 PM May 22nd, 2012

FlairWoodworks You can only prepare so much. Then you have to take action. #flairww -4:56 PM May 22nd, 2012

FlairWoodworks I jumped. See you on the other side. #flairww -4:56 PM May 22nd, 2012

FlairWoodworks EXHALE! #flairww -5:11 PM May 22nd, 2012

FlairWoodworks That went pretty well. It took about 14 minutes of intense action (I forgot to turn on the video camera). #flairww -5:15 PM May 22nd, 2012

FlairWoodworks The only unexpected challenge was having to deal with a glue clot that clogged the nozzle of my glue bottle. #flairww -5:16 PM May 22nd, 2012

FlairWoodworks I almost put the tail end of a clamp through the door of my microwave too. #flairww -5:16 PM May 22nd, 2012

FlairWoodworks This is what I set out to do today and I got it done. I’ll let the glue set for a day. #flairww -5:18 PM May 22nd, 2012

FlairWoodworks The countertop connectors equalize the force of three clamps. #flairww -5:21 PM May 22nd, 2012

kring_l  @FlairWoodworks Nice work, go have a beer #TerrifyingGlueUps -5:33 PM May 22nd, 2012

FlairWoodworks I think I will! #flairww RT @kring_l: @FlairWoodworks Nice work, go have a beer #TerrifyingGlueUps -5:36 PM May 22nd, 2012

That was a very exciting session for me and I was glad to see it come together so well.  I was intimidated by the task but succeeded.  Have you ever had a woodworking task like this?  Share it in the comments section.

After the glue dries, I’ll resurface the slab and start thinking about an edge profile.

Maple Trestle Table, Session 21 – Preparing for a Big Glue-Up

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1

On the morning of Sunday, April 15th, Morton and I exchanged ideas about trestle tables, spurred on by a recent sketch of a table on which he was working.  That got me yearning to build a trestle table.

I documented my progress live on Twitter which was useful because each update had a time stamp so followers could see the rate at which I progressed.  Here is a list of the previous Sessions:

Session 1 - Flat Boards are Boring;
Session 2 - Playing with Slabs;
Session 3 - From Two Slabs to One Table Top;
Session 4 - Clamping Odd Shapes and Sketching on Wood;
Session 5 - Routing Pockets for Battens;
Session 6 - Making Battens and Installing Countertop Connectors;
Session 7 - Installing Battens and Flattening the Underside;
Session 8 - Make Your Tools Work for You and Flattening the Top;
Session 9 - Mortises the Slow Way (or Why I’m Buying a Domino XL);
Session 10 - Curvy Legs are Always Good;
Session 11 - Straight Lines on Wonky Surfaces;
Session 12 - Fitting the Mother of all Mortise & Tenon Joints;
Session 13 - Making Things Better, Worse, then Better;
Session 14 - Battens and Complicated Tenons, Again;
Session 15 - The Trestle Comes Together Session;
Session 16 - Angled Mortises and Tenons;
Session 17 - Two Feet for Two Legs;
Session 18 - Attachment Strips and Power Carving;
Session 19 - Refining the Sculpted Base; and
Session 20 - A Little Sanding, then Lots More Sanding.

(If you are not familiar with the format used on Twitter, every update, or “tweet” below starts with a username, being the author of that tweet.  Sometimes, you see two or more usernames in a tweet.  The second (and third, etc) usernames are preceded by a @ symbol and are people to whom the author is talking.  The other symbol you see is #, which serves as a category.  I try to remember to categorize all my tweets pertaining to this project under #flairww.)

FlairWoodworks Welcome to Session 21!  I’m… sanding the base. #flairww -12:44 PM May 21st, 2012

FlairWoodworks I lightly chamfered the bottoms of the feet pads with a block plane. One leg is done. #flairww -1:35 PM May 21st, 2012

FlairWoodworks Yesterday, I was battling pigtails (circular scratches) left by my random orbit sander. #flairww -1:58 PM May 21st, 2012

FlairWoodworks A comment by @Tumblewood reminded me that the pigtails may have been caused by operator error rather than the tool. #flairww -1:58 PM May 21st, 2012

FlairWoodworks When shaping, I keep the sander moving quickly to avoid creating dips. But when smoothing and polishing I need to move more slowly. #flairww -2:00 PM May 21st, 2012

FlairWoodworks The stretcher is now done as well. Just the other leg, then the base is complete! #flairww -2:23 PM May 21st, 2012

FlairWoodworks I’ve finished sanding the base! #flairww -3:23 PM May 21st, 2012

DyamiPlotke @FlairWoodworks woot! -3:26 PM May 21st, 2012

TheWoodBug @FlairWoodworks WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOt :) -3:27 PM May 21st, 2012

FlairWoodworks @DyamiPlotke @TheWoodBug I feel kinda lost, like I’m not sure what to do next. I guess 12 hours straight of sanding does that. #flairww-3:27 PM May 21st, 2012

FlairWoodworks As much as I’d like to put base on the ground and the top on it, I don’t want to move the top around more than necessary. #flairww -3:29 PM May 21st, 2012

TheWoodBug @FlairWoodworks @DyamiPlotke Exactly why i never do one build at a time,always something different to do that way, and more productive – -3:30 PM May 21st, 2012

FlairWoodworks I think my next step will be to finish joining the table top. I’ll take it apart and glue in the floating tenons. #flairww -3:33 PM May 21st, 2012

FlairWoodworks @TheWoodBug I don’t have room to build two big tables in my shop like you do! @DyamiPlotke #flairww -3:34 PM May 21st, 2012

FlairWoodworks I’ll work on the top after lunch. #flairww -3:36 PM May 21st, 2012

DyamiPlotke @FlairWoodworks why use tenons, counter attacher things & batons to hold the top together? -3:50 PM May 21st, 2012

FlairWoodworks @DyamiPlotke Each has its own strength. Tenons provide alignment over the length of the joint, battens provide “snap resistance”… #flairww -3:55 PM May 21st, 2012

FlairWoodworks @DyamiPlotke … and the countertop connectors hold the two slabs together mechanically. #flairww -3:55 PM May 21st, 2012

DyamiPlotke @FlairWoodworks I know, but wouldn’t any one of the three plus a basic glue joint have been plenty strong? -4:08 PM May 21st, 2012

FlairWoodworks @DyamiPlotke I’m not sure because the joint is long-grain to mitred end grain. #flairww -4:12 PM May 21st, 2012

DyamiPlotke @FlairWoodworks ah. Could be a weak glue joint. Makes sense to reinforce. -4:31 PM May 21st, 2012

sleepydogwood @FlairWoodworks sounds exciting -4:47 PM May 21st, 2012

sleepydogwood @FlairWoodworks you building as for a customer or a spec piece ? -4:49 PM May 21st, 2012

FlairWoodworks It’s speculative. Know anyone interested? #flairww RT @sleepydogwood: @FlairWoodworks you building as for a customer or a spec piece ? -4:51 PM May 21st, 2012

FlairWoodworks Have you seen the slideshow depicting the progress of the Maple Trestle Table? #flairww -4:25 PM May 21st, 2012

FlairWoodworks So I walked back into the shop and tripped over the table base. Thankfully, it’s okay. (I am too.) #flairww -4:37 PM May 21st, 2012

FlairWoodworks Before I take the two halves apart I want to work out a clamping strategy. #flairww -4:47 PM May 21st, 2012

FlairWoodworks I just did what I think is the smartest thing I’ve done all day – I moved the base out of the workshop where it won’t get damaged. #flairww -4:53 PM May 21st, 2012

FlairWoodworks I’m going to make a caul to provide a square clamping surface. I’ll need one for the other end too. #flairww -4:56 PM May 21st, 2012

FlairWoodworks I forgot how heavy this table top is. #flairww -5:01 PM May 21st, 2012

BCcraftmaster @FlairWoodworks it would only be stupid if it was raining out!  -5:01 PM May 21st, 2012

FlairWoodworks @BCcraftmaster It is raining outside, but wisely, I didn’t move the table base outside! #flairww -5:04 PM May 21st, 2012

FlairWoodworks I traced the table edge’s profile onto a piece of 3/4″ particle board. #flairww -5:07 PM May 21st, 2012

FlairWoodworks I’m going to use three layers of 3/4″ particle board for the cauls so they are 2-1/4″ thick. The table top is 2-1/8″ thick. #flairww -5:14 PM May 21st, 2012

FlairWoodworks I screwed the three layers of particle board together and cut the curve with my jigsaw. #flairww -5:50 PM May 21st, 2012

FlairWoodworks To keep the caul from slipping on the curve, I screwed a scrap to the caul’s face. #flairww -5:53 PM May 21st, 2012

FlairWoodworks The two blue clamps keep the caul from sliding as the red clamps apply pressure to the joint. #flairww -5:56 PM May 21st, 2012

FlairWoodworks Now I’ll take apart the two halves of the top! #flairww -5:58 PM May 21st, 2012

FlairWoodworks I put a piece of tape on the end of my wrench used to tighten the countertop connectors. #flairww -6:02 PM May 21st, 2012

FlairWoodworks The clamps pull the joint tight. But the pressure is uneven and I can’t see the other side. #flairww -6:11 PM May 21st, 2012

FlairWoodworks I’m contemplating how to do this glue-up. I need to be able to put clamps on both sides and need to be able to see both sides. #flairww -6:12 PM May 21st, 2012

FlairWoodworks I need to use clamps at least 50″ long. I have Bessey K-Body clamps – (4) 50″, (2) 82″ as well as (4) 72″ aluminum bar clamps. #flairww -6:15 PM May 21st, 2012

FlairWoodworks I am considering doing this glue-up vertically with the table on edge. #flairww -6:15 PM May 21st, 2012

FlairWoodworks Sawhorses would also work. #flairww -6:19 PM May 21st, 2012

FlairWoodworks I still have to figure out how to get the slabs apart too. Those monster tenons were friction fit! #flairww -6:20 PM May 21st, 2012

FlairWoodworks This is the clamping arrangement I’ll use. The top side is flat and the joint is tight. #flairww -6:43 PM May 21st, 2012

BCcraftmaster @FlairWoodworks that should do the trick. -6:46 PM May 21st, 2012

FlairWoodworks One of these might be handy. #flairww-6:48 PM May 21st, 2012

FlairWoodworks I much prefer the handles on the new K-Body clamps. They’re bigger and allow a better grip. #flairww -6:55 PM May 21st, 2012

FlairWoodworks Clamps are off… now how do I get the two slabs apart? #flairww -6:58 PM May 21st, 2012

FlairWoodworks I was smart enough to not cut the ends flush so I have a place to start driving apart the joint. #flairww -7:02 PM May 21st, 2012

FlairWoodworks I got the joint apart. Now I need to remove the floating tenons! #flairww -7:08 PM May 21st, 2012

FlairWoodworks Have I mentioned that I love these Extractor pliers for pulling tenons? #flairww -7:12 PM May 21st, 2012

FlairWoodworks Who wants to see THIS glue-up? #flairww -7:18 PM May 21st, 2012

FlairWoodworks I plan to glue the floating tenons in the shaded areas. #flairww -7:27 PM May 21st, 2012

FlairWoodworks Well that was fun. #flairww -8:31 PM May 21st, 2012

FlairWoodworks In the first stage of the glue-up, I glued the tenons into one of the slabs. #flairww -9:00 PM May 21st, 2012

FlairWoodworks I am tired. I’m done in the shop for the day. #flairww -9:00 PM May 21st, 2012

Next comes the big glue-up.  You don’t want to miss it!  You can leave a comment here.

Maple Trestle Table, Session 20 – A Little Sanding, then More Sanding

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On the morning of Sunday, April 15th, Morton and I exchanged ideas about trestle tables, spurred on by a recent sketch of a table on which he was working.  That got me yearning to build a trestle table.

I documented my progress live on Twitter which was useful because each update had a time stamp so followers could see the rate at which I progressed.  Here is a list of the previous Sessions:

Session 1 - Flat Boards are Boring;
Session 2 - Playing with Slabs;
Session 3 - From Two Slabs to One Table Top;
Session 4 - Clamping Odd Shapes and Sketching on Wood;
Session 5 - Routing Pockets for Battens;
Session 6 - Making Battens and Installing Countertop Connectors;
Session 7 - Installing Battens and Flattening the Underside;
Session 8 - Make Your Tools Work for You and Flattening the Top;
Session 9 - Mortises the Slow Way (or Why I’m Buying a Domino XL);
Session 10 - Curvy Legs are Always Good;
Session 11 - Straight Lines on Wonky Surfaces;
Session 12 - Fitting the Mother of all Mortise & Tenon Joints;
Session 13 - Making Things Better, Worse, then Better;
Session 14 - Battens and Complicated Tenons, Again;
Session 15 - The Trestle Comes Together Session;
Session 16 - Angled Mortises and Tenons;
Session 17 - Two Feet for Two Legs;
Session 18 - Attachment Strips and Power Carving; and
Session 19 – Refining the Sculpted Base.

(If you are not familiar with the format used on Twitter, every update, or “tweet” below starts with a username, being the author of that tweet.  Sometimes, you see two or more usernames in a tweet.  The second (and third, etc) usernames are preceded by a @ symbol and are people to whom the author is talking.  The other symbol you see is #, which serves as a category.  I try to remember to categorize all my tweets pertaining to this project under #flairww.)

FlairWoodworks Welcome to Session 20 of the Maple Trestle Table! #flairww -1:05 PM May 20th, 2012

FlairWoodworks Here’s where I left off last night. I first have to decide if I’m happy with the shape or if it needs more. #flairww -1:05 PM May 20th, 2012

FlairWoodworks Have you checked out the slideshow showing the progress on the Maple Trestle Table? #flairww -1:10 PM May 20th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I want to round over the ends more. #flairww -1:19 PM May 20th, 2012

FlairWoodworks Much better! #flairww -1:23 PM May 20th, 2012

FlairWoodworks From Abranet HD 40-grit sanding discs, I’m progressing to HD 60-grit. This should not take long. #flairww -1:36 PM May 20th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I’m halfway done with the Abranet HD 60-grit. The stretcher has some dings so it needs to be sanded too. #flairww -2:03 PM May 20th, 2012

FlairWoodworks Break time! #flairww -2:29 PM May 20th, 2012

FlairWoodworks Okay, back to work after a brief call with @GarthTW2. Yep, the toolmaking business is keeping me busy too! #flairww -2:49 PM May 20th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I’ve sanded this leg with the 80-grit on the sander. Now I need to hand-sand the three tight areas. #flairww -3:03 PM May 20th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I’ve finished sanding the first leg. Now I’m hand-sanding the leg/stretcher joint. #flairww -3:19 PM May 20th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I’ve sanded the stretcher and am now working on the other leg/stretcher joint. #flairww -3:36 PM May 20th, 2012

FlairWoodworks Ok, I’m done sanding the second leg/stretcher transition. I get a hand-sanding break while I use my Mirka CEROS to sand the leg. #flairww -3:56 PM May 20th, 2012

FlairWoodworks Now back to hand-sanding to finish the 80-grit stage. #flairww -4:10 PM May 20th, 2012

GarthTW2 @FlairWoodworks Need another phone chat to keep the momentum going? :) -4:14 PM May 20th, 2012

FlairWoodworks Ha ha! I do hand-sand well when on the phone! #flairww RT @GarthTW2: @FlairWoodworks Need another phone chat to keep the momentum going? :) -4:16 PM May 20th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I’m finished hand-sanding with 80-grit but I found a low spot that was missed. I will use my random orbit sander to level this area. #flairww -4:31 PM May 20th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I’m done sanding with 80-grit. Lunch time now! #flairww -4:43 PM May 20th, 2012

FlairWoodworks Back from lunch, I’ll continue sanding the table’s base, this time with 120-grit Abranet abrasive paper. #flairww -5:41 PM May 20th, 2012

FlairWoodworks For the 80-grit stage, I used one disc on my Mirka random orbit sander and one for hand-sanding. Each has a little more life. #flairww -5:45 PM May 20th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I first sanded the exposed end-grain surfaces using my sander without the interface pad. The interface pad is attached here. #flairww -5:53 PM May 20th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I’m doing some hand sanding while listening to @ravinheart’s live broadcast. #flairww -6:09 PM May 20th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I’ve got one leg sanded with 120-grit abrasive now. Can you see any difference? #flairww -7:04 PM May 20th, 2012

BCcraftmaster @FlairWoodworks love me some maple! -7:06PM May 20th, 2012

FlairWoodworks With which woods do you normally work? #flairww RT @BCcraftmaster: @FlairWoodworks love me some maple! -7:07 PM May 20th, 2012

BCcraftmaster @FlairWoodworks still fairly new so I’ve been mixing it up as much as possible just to get them “under my belt” as of now, walnut is my fav -7:09PM May 20th, 2012

BCcraftmaster @FlairWoodworks readily available and cheap in eastern PA and it looks awesome with oil! -7:10PM May 20th, 2012

FlairWoodworks @BCcraftmaster I’ll trade you maple for walnut! I have access to lots of maple! -7:11PM May 20th, 2012

BCcraftmaster @FlairWoodworks what’s shipping on one of those slabs? Hahhha -7:12PM May 20th, 2012

FlairWoodworks @BCcraftmaster Expensive, probably! -7:12PM May 20th, 2012

BCcraftmaster @FlairWoodworks #crosscountrycolaboration -7:15PM May 20th, 2012

FlairWoodworks Not to mention #CrossBorder @BCcraftmaster #crosscountrycolaboration -7:22PM May 20th, 2012

BCcraftmaster @FlairWoodworks can’t wait to see this table flipped right side up. -7:25PM May 20th, 2012

FlairWoodworks @BCcraftmaster The base is right side up… -7:28PM May 20th, 2012

BCcraftmaster @FlairWoodworks you #flipped it???? -7:32PM May 20th, 2012

BCcraftmaster @FlairWoodworks or is it just not attached to the top yet? -7:32PM May 20th, 2012

FlairWoodworks @BCcraftmaster It’s been upright since I started sanding. It’s sitting on the top instead of the other way around. -7:33PM May 20th, 2012

BCcraftmaster @FlairWoodworks ohhhhhhh.. how many more hours do you think you have left? -7:35PM May 20th, 2012

FlairWoodworks Ha ha ha… lots! RT @BCcraftmaster: @FlairWoodworks ohhhhhhh.. how many more hours do you think you have left? -7:36PM May 20th, 2012

BCcraftmaster @FlairWoodworks well stop tweeting me and get back to work!! :-) -7:43PM May 20th, 2012

FlairWoodworks @BCcraftmaster Well, after 5 hours of sanding, you can understand that I don’t mind taking a few seconds to reply to you! Okay, okay… :) -7:45PM May 20th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I decided to reshape the feet. They are now more rounded on top. #flairww -7:53 PM May 20th, 2012

FlairWoodworks This is why I don’t sand one section to completion before another. #flairww -7:55 PM May 20th, 2012

FlairWoodworks This makes the feet appear to taper when viewed from above. #flairww -8:03 PM May 20th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I shaped the foot with my block plane, then started smoothing the facets with 120-grit paper. See the difference? #flairww -8:19 PM May 20th, 2012

FlairWoodworks The feet are reshaped and sanded to 120-grit. Now for 180-grit. #flairww -8:14 PM May 20th, 2012

FlairWoodworks It’ll be all hand-sanding from here on. #flairww -8:16 PM May 20th, 2012

FlairWoodworks Since I’m not using the random orbit sander anymore, I’m switching to sandpaper folded in quarters. #flairww -8:22 PM May 20th, 2012

FlairWoodworks Norton 3X is as effective as the Abranet and cheaper. #flairww-8:23 PM May 20th, 2012

FlairWoodworks For hand-sanding non-flat objects, I have no at-source dust collection. #flairww -8:36 PM May 20th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I gave away my portable air filtration unit in an early Overflow giveaway because I never needed it. [Subscribe to this blog to be notified when new articles, including Overflow Giveaways, are posted!] #flairww -8:37 PM May 20th, 2012

FlairWoodworks As a result, I’ve moved into the adjacent machine shop equipped with an air filtration unit, windows and doors. #flairww -8:38 PM May 20th, 2012

TheWoodBug thank you :) ! RT @FlairWoodworks I decided to reshape the feet. -9:06

FlairWoodworks This is why I am hand-sanding the rest of the way. #flairww -9:17 PM May 20th, 2012 Tumblewood Your ROS must’ve grabbed some grit. RT @FlairWoodworks: This is why I am hand-sanding the rest of the way. #flairww -9:34

FlairWoodworks I’m very happy to tell you that I am done sanding the base. #flairww -10:00 PM May 20th, 2012

FlairWoodworks You’re welcome? RT @TheWoodBug: @FlairWoodworks thank you :) ! RT @FlairWoodworks I decided to reshape the feet.

woodshaver101 @FlairWoodworks its coming together.are you going to match the radius on the legs on the tops outside edge?looking good.

FlairWoodworks @woodshaver101 I haven’t decided yet! That decision will be coming up shortly though! #flairww -10:11 PM May 20th, 2012

FlairWoodworks Upon close inspection under the good lighting in my bench room, the base still needs more sanding. #flairww -10:31 PM May 20th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I drilled and counterbored a hole in each attachment strip for bolts to secure the base to the top. #flairww -10:39 PM May 20th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I’m thinking about an edge profile for the table right now. #flairww -10:42 PM May 20th, 2012

FlairWoodworks Not happy with my hand-sanding, I decided to try sanding to 320-grit with my random orbit sander. It seems to work well. #flairww -11:00 PM May 20th, 2012

FlairWoodworks However, I’ve had enough sanding for today. It’s time for a shower, then dinner. #flairww -11:00 PM May 20th, 2012

uppercutwood @FlairWoodworks didya have a good one -11:02 PM May 20th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I made a lot of progress. I’ve still got a lot of work to do though! #flairww RT @uppercutwood: @FlairWoodworks didya have a good one -11:03 PM May 20th, 2012

I’m not quite done sanding the base, but most of it is done.  You know there’s more to come!  Care to leave a comment?

Maple Trestle Table, Session 19 – Refining the Sculpted Base

Posted on by
2

On the morning of Sunday, April 15th, Morton and I exchanged ideas about trestle tables, spurred on by a recent sketch of a table on which he was working.  That got me yearning to build a trestle table.

I documented my progress live on Twitter which was useful because each update had a time stamp so followers could see the rate at which I progressed.  Here is a list of the previous Sessions:

Session 1 - Flat Boards are Boring;
Session 2 - Playing with Slabs;
Session 3 - From Two Slabs to One Table Top;
Session 4 - Clamping Odd Shapes and Sketching on Wood;
Session 5 - Routing Pockets for Battens;
Session 6 - Making Battens and Installing Countertop Connectors;
Session 7 - Installing Battens and Flattening the Underside;
Session 8 - Make Your Tools Work for You and Flattening the Top;
Session 9 - Mortises the Slow Way (or Why I’m Buying a Domino XL);
Session 10 - Curvy Legs are Always Good;
Session 11 - Straight Lines on Wonky Surfaces;
Session 12 - Fitting the Mother of all Mortise & Tenon Joints;
Session 13 - Making Things Better, Worse, then Better;
Session 14 - Battens and Complicated Tenons, Again;
Session 15 - The Trestle Comes Together Session;
Session 16 - Angled Mortises and Tenons;
Session 17 - Two Feet for Two Legs; and
Session 18 – Attachment Strips and Power Carving.

(If you are not familiar with the format used on Twitter, every update, or “tweet” below starts with a username, being the author of that tweet.  Sometimes, you see two or more usernames in a tweet.  The second (and third, etc) usernames are preceded by a @ symbol and are people to whom the author is talking.  The other symbol you see is #, which serves as a category.  I try to remember to categorize all my tweets pertaining to this project under #flairww.)

FlairWoodworks There will be much sanding today. #flairww -11:56 AM May 19th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I am happy with how this section of the leg looks. #flairww -12:02 PM May 19th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I think I will cut the tenons flush after all. #flairww -12:05 PM May 19th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I cut the tenon off and I’m using my block plane to trim it flush. #flairww -12:18 PM May 19th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I haven’t sharpened my block plane through this whole project. I can’t believe it’s still sharp. #flairww -12:20 PM May 19th, 2012

FlairWoodworks The block plane affords many different grips. #flairww -12:24 PM May 19th, 2012

FlairWoodworks When sanding, my objective is to remove all other existing tool marks. #flairww -12:27 PM May 19th, 2012

FlairWoodworks When shaping, I work the entire piece as one – I don’t let one section get further ahead than another. #flairww -12:29 PM May 19th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I will often make changes to the shape so I only move onto finer grits of sandpaper once I’ve established a shape I like. #flairww -12:30 PM May 19th, 2012

FlairWoodworks This area was too difficult to carve with the angle grinder. I’ll use gouges, rasps and sandpaper. #flairww -12:36 PM May 19th, 2012

FlairWoodworks It can be difficult to remove marks and glue in corners. I use a card scraper at a low angle. #flairww -12:43 PM May 19th, 2012

LornaBourke @FlairWoodworks Good call on trimming the tenon to be flush with leg, looks very nice. -12:45 PM May 19th, 2012

FlairWoodworks Thank you! #flairww RT @LornaBourke: @FlairWoodworks Good call on trimming the tenon to be flush with leg, looks very nice. -12:46 PM May 19th, 2012

FlairWoodworks Since I’m still in the initial refining stage, I am using coarse sandpaper and will sand in all ways regardless of grain direction. #flairww -12:50 PM May 19th, 2012

FlairWoodworks This section is now shaped. It still needs to be refined. #flairww -1:00 PM May 19th, 2012

FlairWoodworks This surface is far from smooth but I am happy with the shape. I’ll move on to the other leg. #flairww -1:14 PM May 19th, 2012

FlairWoodworks This leg needs a lot of refining! #flairww -1:20 PM May 19th, 2012

FlairWoodworks 40-grit makes quick work of the uneven surface. #flairww -1:23 PM May 19th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I’m still using the first 40-grit Abranet HD sanding disc. It’s not worn out, but I’ll change it for a fresh one. #flairww -1:25 PM May 19th, 2012

FlairWoodworks Preliminary sanding with my sander is done. Now I’ll use hand tools to sculpt the tighter areas. #flairww -1:50 PM May 19th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I use a coarse, round rasp to carve until the point of the V disappears. I’m almost there. #flairww -1:55 PM May 19th, 2012

FlairWoodworks Then I use both sides of a half-round rasp to blend the surfaces. #flairww -1:59 PM May 19th, 2012

FlairWoodworks By the way, I neither own, nor have any desire to own any fine rasps. Mine are all very coarse and cost about $20-30 each. #flairww -2:05 PM May 19th, 2012

sharpendwood @FlairWoodworks Really like the shaping you’ve done. Very pleasing lines…at least to me ;) -2:19 PM May 19th, 2012

FlairWoodworks When I power-carved the legs, I left this area square. I want to sculpt it to be more round. #flairww -2:28 PM May 19th, 2012

FlairWoodworks Oh, here is the crotch area completed. #flairww -2:29 PM May 19th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I used a Kutzall burr in my drill to sculpt this tight area. #flairww -2:42 PM May 19th, 2012

FlairWoodworks The end of this leg is much larger than on the other leg. I’m trying to decide if I should change it. #flairww -2:45 PM May 19th, 2012

FlairWoodworks Any guesses as to what I decided to do? #flairww -2:47 PM May 19th, 2012

FlairWoodworks After cutting the bulk of the waste away, I used a gouge to roughly establish the shape. #flairww -2:58 PM May 19th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I used a flat spokeshave to refine the shape. No templates or measurements were used. #flairww -3:04 PM May 19th, 2012

roncbailey @FlairWoodworks really have enjoyed following this build. It looks outstanding! -3:22 PM May 19th, 2012

FlairWoodworks Both legs are sculpted. Before progressing to finer grits I need to decide if I want to do any more shaping. #flairww  -3:21 PM May 19th, 2012

FlairWoodworks Thank you, Ron! #flairww RT @roncbailey: @FlairWoodworks really have enjoyed following this build. It looks outstanding! -3:22 PM May 19th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I don’t like the square edges on the tops of the feet. #flairww -3:53 PM May 19th, 2012

TheWoodBug @FlairWoodworks Now your talking! -3:54 PM May 19th, 2012

FlairWoodworks Whooo! #flairww RT @TheWoodBug: @FlairWoodworks Now your talking! -3:54 PM May 19th, 2012

tulcarvely: @FlairWoodworks what are you thinking of doing? Maybe angle bevel? or rounded? -3:57 PM May 19th, 2012

FlairWoodworks Probably rounded. #flairww RT @tulcarvely: @FlairWoodworks what are you thinking of doing? Maybe angle bevel? or rounded? -3:57 PM May 19th, 2012

TheWoodBug @FlairWoodworks having fun today I can see and making great progress sir -3:58 PM May 19th, 2012

FlairWoodworks @TheWoodBug It is very fulfilling to see it take shape. #flairww -3:59 PM May 19th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I’m not sure how much I want to round over the ends. I’ll start with the area nearest the legs, then work outwards. #flairww -4:01 PM May 19th, 2012

FlairWoodworks Having the right tools to do this type of work is important but trusting yourself is even more important. #flairww -4:04 PM May 19th, 2012

DyamiPlotke: @FlairWoodworks looks great. -4:13 PM May 19th, 2012

FlairWoodworks Thanks, Dyami! #flairww RT @DyamiPlotke: @FlairWoodworks looks great. -4:14 PM May 19th, 2012

FlairWoodworks Have I inspired anybody to try sculpting part of their next piece of furniture? #flairww -4:15 PM May 19th, 2012

FlairWoodworks This angular corner doesn’t look good to me either. #flairww -4:25 PM May 19th, 2012

FlairWoodworks The near-right side is rounded. I can’t stop here. #flairww -4:25 PM May 19th, 2012

FlairWoodworks Again, I used my round rasp to round the V. #flairww -4:31 PM May 19th, 2012

FlairWoodworks Some people like to undercut their tenon shoulders. It’s not a good idea if you will be sculpting the piece. #flairww -4:31 PM May 19th, 2012

gvmcmillan @FlairWoodworksThat joint sure looks nice tho! -4:33 PM May 19th, 2012

FlairWoodworks Thanks, Grant! #flairww RT @gvmcmillan: @FlairWoodworksThat joint sure looks nice tho! -4:34 PM May 19th, 2012

BCcraftmaster @FlairWoodworks that’s a great point [to not undercut tenon shoulders]. Never really thought about that but will have to keep it in mind if I decide to go “round” #flairww-4:36 PM May 19th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I’m happy with the shape of this area and will do the same on the other end of this foot, then the other foot. #flairww 5:04 PM May 19th, 2012

FlairWoodworks At 5:04, I’m going for a lunch break. #flairww -5:04 PM May 19th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I’m very happy with the progress I’ve made so far today. #flairww -5:05 PM May 19th, 2012

SMeekWoodworks @FlairWoodworks Really can’t wait to see this table when it’s finished. It’s amazing. -5:47 PM May 19th, 2012

FlairWoodworks Wow! That was the most amazing sandwich I’ve had in a long time! Toasted sourdough, guacamole… (back in the shop now). #flairww -8:04 PM May 19th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I’m going to start shaping the left side of this foot. #flairww-8:09 PM May 19th, 2012

FlairWoodworks As always, I started by defining the ankle. #flairww -8:12 PM May 19th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I’ve rounded the leg. Now I’ll work on the foot. #flairww -8:22 PM May 19th, 2012

JC_McGrath @FlairWoodworks add me to the list, this looks great Chris, can’t wait to it done. Inspiring -8:30 PM May 19th, 2012

FlairWoodworks Awesome! Thanks, Jon! #flairww RT @JC_McGrath: @FlairWoodworks add me to the list, this looks great Chris, can’t wait to it done. Inspiring -8:31 PM May 19th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I’ve rounded over the top of the foot as well as the transition into the leg. #flairww -9:10 PM May 19th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I’m happy with the foot for now, but I think the central section is too flat. #flairww -9:12 PM May 19th, 2012

FlairWoodworks One way to quickly (and tidily and quietly) add shape is to carve across the grain with a deep gouge. #flairww -9:18 PM May 19th, 2012

FlairWoodworks My random orbit sander and 40-grit paper quickly evened out the surface. #flairww -9:21 PM May 19th, 2012

FlairWoodworks At the bottom of the last picture, you can see a section that needs to be faired, right at the base of the intersection. #flairww -9:21 PM May 19th, 2012

FlairWoodworks The centre section is a little more rounded now. #flairww -9:44 PM May 19th, 2012

FlairWoodworks Here’s another picture of this end of the base. #flairww -9:50 PM May 19th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I turned the base around. This side does not look nearly as good without the extra sculpting. #flairww -9:55 PM May 19th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I’ve got one side of the foot shaped. #flairww -11:04 PM May 19th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I thought this was a neat picture. The left was sanded with 40-grit, the right side from a spokeshave. #flairww -11:07 PM May 19th, 2012

FlairWoodworks The shaping is done… next comes a lot of sanding to polish the surfaces. #flairww -11:31 PM May 19th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I’m done work in the shop for the day. #flairww -11:31 PM May 19th, 2012

Next time in the shop, there will be a lot of sanding!  Bring your dust mask!  Click here to leave a comment.

Maple Trestle Table, Session 18 – Attachment Strips and Power Carving

Posted on by
3

On the morning of Sunday, April 15th, Morton and I exchanged ideas about trestle tables, spurred on by a recent sketch of a table on which he was working.  That got me yearning to build a trestle table.

I documented my progress live on Twitter which was useful because each update had a time stamp so followers could see the rate at which I progressed.  Here is a list of the previous Sessions:

Session 1 - Flat Boards are Boring;
Session 2 - Playing with Slabs;
Session 3 - From Two Slabs to One Table Top;
Session 4 - Clamping Odd Shapes and Sketching on Wood;
Session 5 - Routing Pockets for Battens;
Session 6 - Making Battens and Installing Countertop Connectors;
Session 7 - Installing Battens and Flattening the Underside;
Session 8 - Make Your Tools Work for You and Flattening the Top;
Session 9 - Mortises the Slow Way (or Why I’m Buying a Domino XL);
Session 10 - Curvy Legs are Always Good;
Session 11 - Straight Lines on Wonky Surfaces;
Session 12 - Fitting the Mother of all Mortise & Tenon Joints;
Session 13 - Making Things Better, Worse, then Better;
Session 14 - Battens and Complicated Tenons, Again;
Session 15 – The Trestle Comes Together Session;
Session 16 – Angled Mortises and Tenons; and
Session 17 - Two Feet for Two Legs.

(If you are not familiar with the format used on Twitter, every update, or “tweet” below starts with a username, being the author of that tweet.  Sometimes, you see two or more usernames in a tweet.  The second (and third, etc) usernames are preceded by a @ symbol and are people to whom the author is talking.  The other symbol you see is #, which serves as a category.  I try to remember to categorize all my tweets pertaining to this project under #flairww.)

FlairWoodworks And… into the shop I go! First thing I do: turn on the lights; then remove the clamps! #flairww -1:33 PM May 17th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I’ll cut the tenons flush. #flairww -1:38 PM May 17th, 2012

FlairWoodworks Because I want to do other things today, I’m not using my small, fine-toothed flush-cut saw. #flairww -1:41 PM May 17th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I then used a block plane to set the tenon flush. #flairww -1:43 PM May 17th, 2012

FlairWoodworks The base is assembled. It still needs to be sculpted. #flairww -1:50 PM May 17th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I cut two attachment strips which will be fastened to the legs and mortised into the battens. #flairww -2:11 PM May 17th, 2012

FlairWoodworks The purpose of these strips is to secure the base to the top and conceal the centre two bolt holes. #flairww -2:12 PM May 17th, 2012

FlairWoodworks In the finished table, only the two outermost bolts will be used. #flairww -2:12 PM May 17th, 2012

FlairWoodworks It took some careful layout to position the battens. Next, I’ll fasten them with screws. #flairww -2:39 PM May 17th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I used a 17/64″ transfer punch to mark the location of the 9/32″ clearance holes. #flairww -2:59 PM May 17th, 2012

FlairWoodworks The smaller punch is easier to use because there is no friction between it and the hole. #flairww -2:59 PM May 17th, 2012

FlairWoodworks The mark could be out by 1/128″ but I don’t care. #flairww -3:00 PM May 17th, 2012

FlairWoodworks To guide the drill bit, I used my drill press to drill through a block of scrap wood. #flairww -3:08 PM May 17th, 2012

FlairWoodworks E-mails are coming in non-stop today. #flairww -3:10 PM May 17th, 2012

FlairWoodworks One attachment strip is mounted. #flairww -3:12 PM May 17th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I use my cordless drill/driver to install the screws most of the way but always finish by hand. #flairww -3:17 PM May 17th, 2012

FlairWoodworks Here’s a picture of the base for you to look at while I tidy up my shop a little. #flairww -3:19 PM May 17th, 2012

CashFromCraft @FlairWoodworks I find setting the cluch to be helpful when driving a number in the same operation. -3:22 PM May 17th, 2012

FlairWoodworks @CashFromCraft The drill’s clutch can be helpful, but I don’t find it accurate enough due to density variances. #flairww -3:24 PM May 17th, 2012

FlairWoodworks @CashFromCraft I have a much greater sensitivity when using a screwdriver than a power tool. #flairww -3:25 PM May 17th, 2012

DyamiPlotke @FlairWoodworks why not adjust the torque setting on the screw gun? -3:31 PM May 17th, 2012

FlairWoodworks A screwdriver allows greater sensitivity. RT @DyamiPlotke: @FlairWoodworks why not adjust the torque setting on the screw gun? -3:31 PM May 17th, 2012

FlairWoodworks Next, I’ll trace the position of the attachment strips onto the battens. #flairww -3:41 PM May 17th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I’ll remove the two centre bolts which are no longer needed and rout the pocket for the attachment strip. #flairww -3:46 PM May 17th, 2012

FlairWoodworks Ready to rout! #flairww -3:57 PM May 17th, 2012

FlairWoodworks My router fence slipped and caused this gouge. I’ll have to patch it. #flairww -4:21 PM May 17th, 2012

FlairWoodworks To fix the gouge, I first routed a straight-edged pocket. #flairww -4:31 PM May 17th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I turned the head of my marking gauge around to scribe a straight line. #flairww -4:33 PM May 17th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I cut a patch and scribed it onto the batten. #flairww -4:45 PM May 17th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I fit and glued the patch in place. After the glue dries, I’ll trim it flush. #flairww -4:59 PM May 17th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I need to finish the patch before starting the sculpting of the base. I’ll sand the underside of the table in the meantime. #flairww -5:15 PM May 17th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I simply unbolted the battens to allow uninhibited sanding of the surface. #flairww -5:26 PM May 17th, 2012

FlairWoodworks The first Abranet HD 80-grit disc lasted for almost half of the surface. The one on the bench is dull. #flairww -5:33 PM May 17th, 2012

FlairWoodworks This is the first time I’ve used the Abranet HD discs aside from testing. What’s nice about them is they’re either sharp or not. #flairww-5:42 PM May 17th, 2012

FlairWoodworks That means there is no doubt about whether the discs need to be changed. #flairww -5:42 PM May 17th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I consumed three 80-grit Abranet HD discs smoothing the bottom. #flairww -5:49 PM May 17th, 2012

DyamiPlotke @FlairWoodworks that doesn’t seem like long. Mine last multiple projects. -5:49 PM May 17th, 2012

DyamiPlotke @FlairWoodworks wait, isn’t abranet the mesh ones? That’s what I was referring to. -5:49 PM May 17th, 2012

FlairWoodworks @DyamiPlotke The regular Abranet discs are mesh and seem to last longer but don’t cut as quickly as the Abranet HD. #flairww -5:50 PM May 17th, 2012

FlairWoodworks If I only did horizontal, flat surfaces, I would have bought a Festool sander because they have less vibration. #flairww -5:52 PM May 17th, 2012

FlairWoodworks But I find the size and balance (and weight) of the Festool sanders not as conducive to sculpting, especially with one hand. #flairww -5:53 PM May 17th, 2012

FlairWoodworks The Abranet HD discs are more agressive than regular Abranet discs. From the HD 80-grit, I could go to regular 80 or regular 120. #flairww -5:54 PM May 17th, 2012

FlairWoodworks According to this twitter feed, it’s now been one hour since I glued in the patch so I’ll go back and finish the job. #flairww -6:00 PM May 17th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I used my side rabbet plane to clean up the inside edge of the patch. My #4 bench plane flushed the surface. #flairww-6:06 PM May 17th, 2012

FlairWoodworks Do you know what comes next? #flairww -6:08 PM May 17th, 2012

FlairWoodworks Yep! The attachments strips fit in the mortised battens! #flairww -6:11 PM May 17th, 2012

FlairWoodworks Sculping comes next! #flairww -6:12 PM May 17th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I need to trim the end of this leg so that it does not cover the bolt. #flairww  -6:14 PM May 17th, 2012

FlairWoodworks Cancel plans for tonight – I’m power carving! #flairww -6:29 PM May 17th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I’m wearing a long-sleeved jacket, gloves, goggles, ear muffs, and a dust mask. #flairww -6:33 PM May 17th, 2012

MansFineFurn @FlairWoodworks tweet-along’s hidden side benefit: work timer -6:36 PM May 17th, 2012

FlairWoodworks Sculpting is going well so far. #flairww -6:51 PM May 17th, 2012

FlairWoodworks The legs are rounded at the top and transition into a rectangular cross section at the bottom. #flairww -7:42 PM May 17th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I’ve finished power carving outside so I brought the base back inside where I’ll refine the shape with rasps and sandpaper. #flairww -7:57 PM May 17th, 2012

DyamiPlotke @FlairWoodworks what did you power carve it with? -8:02 PM May 17th, 2012

FlairWoodworks @DyamiPlotke I was just thinking that I should take a picture of my grinder and Arbortech disc. #flairww -8:05 PM May 17th, 2012

DyamiPlotke @FlairWoodworks How is it to control? Taking a grinder to wood has always intimidated me (concrete & metal I grind away on). -8:07 PM May 17th, 2012

FlairWoodworks @DyamiPlotke It is certainly easier to dig into wood and cause a catch (than with concrete or metal) but I have great control. #flairww -8:09 PM May 17th, 2012

FlairWoodworks The surface left by the Arbortech disc is far from smooth. #flairww -8:12 PM May 17th, 2012

DyamiPlotke @FlairWoodworks I’ll have to pick up an arbortec blade and try it out. Can you recommend one? -8:12 PM May 17th, 2012

FlairWoodworks @DyamiPlotke Arbortech and King Arthur’s Tools are two makers of power carving wheels. #flairww -8:16 PM May 17th, 2012

FlairWoodworks @DyamiPlotke I use THIS ONE. The carbide cutters last a really long time! #flairww -8:17 PM May 17th, 2012

FlairWoodworks @DyamiPlotke If you’re serious about power carving, it’s a great way to go. It cuts in all directions. #flairww -8:18 PM May 17th, 2012

FlairWoodworks The Lancelot and Squire wheels don’t cut well on the draw stroke using the cutter’s face.  The edge of the cutter does the cutting. #flairww -8:19 PM May 17th, 2012

FlairWoodworks Ready to refine… with 40-grit! #flairww-8:25 PM May 17th, 2012

FlairWoodworks This sharp 40-grit paper doesn’t make dust – it makes little shavings! #flairww -8:28 PM May 17th, 2012

This video shows how I use my 6″ Mirka CEROS (Compact Electric Random Orbit Sander) and a 40-grit Abranet HD disc  to sand the sculpted legs.  I normally wear a dust mask while sanding, but I I forgot while thinking about camera angles.  Use a dust mask!  The CEROS is very good at collecting dust when used on flat surfaces but not as good when sanding rounded surfaces.  The Abranet HD discs are less effective at catching dust from the regular Abranet discs.

This movie requires Adobe Flash for playback.

DyamiPlotke @FlairWoodworks I’ll check on a PC [power carver] later, but is there a particular model (grit?) good for a newb? -8:30 PM May 17th, 2012

DyamiPlotke @FlairWoodworks excellent! -8:30 PM May 17th, 2012

FlairWoodworks @DyamiPlotke As far as an angle grinder, look for one that is compact and lightweight. Power isn’t really a factor. #flairww -8:54 PM May 17th, 2012

FlairWoodworks @DyamiPlotke Paddle switches are suppoed to be more reliable than sliders which can get clogged with dust. #flairww -8:54 PM May 17th, 2012

woodshaver101 @FlairWoodworks things are coming together nicely. keep it up. -8:56 PM May 17th, 2012

FlairWoodworks The sander does not do well on more severe convex sections. #flairww -9:01 PM May 17th, 2012

FlairWoodworks The foam interface pad allows the sander to handle curves like this but doesn’t fair the surface as well and is less aggressive. #flairww-9:01 PM May 17th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I’ll first fair the concave sections with a rasp, then use the sander with the 3/8″ foam interface pad and finer sandpaper. #flairww -9:03 PM May 17th, 2012

FlairWoodworks When it comes to rasps, I like them as coarse as they come. I rely on them to establish shape, not for smoothing. #flairww -9:08 PM May 17th, 2012

FlairWoodworks I don’t use templates or layout lines. Instead, I trust my eye and sense of touch. #flairww -9:11 PM May 17th, 2012

FlairWoodworks All I had for lunch was a slice of tiramisu, so I think I’ll need to stop for food soon. #flairww -9:14 PM May 17th, 2012

FlairWoodworks A round spokeshave would work well to fair this concave curve. #flairww -9:26 PM May 17th, 2012

FlairWoodworks Here’s where I’ll leave it for the night. #flairww -10:21 PM May 17th, 2012

Next comes more sculpting.  Care to leave a comment?