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?
Sculptural Woodwork by Chris Wong 