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 … Continue reading Maple Trestle Table, Session 13 – Making Things Better, Worse, then Better
I learned in Session 9 of the Maple Trestle Table Build that using a router to cut mortises was slow and tiring, and required me to wrestle the heavy slabs into a vertical position. I certainly didn't want to bring the wood to a stationary machine such as a hollow chisel mortiser or slot mortiser - … Continue reading How and Why I’m Buying a Festool Domino XL (DF-700)
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 … Continue reading Maple Trestle Table, Session 12 – Fitting the Mother of all Mortise & Tenon Joints
I have a single-bag dust collector which is situated in a small room adjacent to my machine shop to isolate the noise. However, it's also out of sight so I sometimes forget to check the bag. Here are some reasons not to forget emptying it: It is hard to handle a full bag, especially if … Continue reading 10 Reasons to Empty Your Dust Collector
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 … Continue reading Maple Trestle Table, Session 11 – Straight Lines on Wonky Surfaces
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 … Continue reading Maple Trestle Table, Session 10 – Curvy Legs are Always Good
Next time you're working in the shop, take note of any unsafe things you do. What risky shortcuts are you taking? Take note of these and work on resolving them. Here are a few common less-than-safe shortcuts: not keeping the workspace clean and orderly; not taking time to check a tool is set-up properly; and … Continue reading Take Notice of What You Do
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 … Continue reading Maple Trestle Table, Session 8 – Make Your Tools Work for You and Flattening the Top
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 … Continue reading Maple Trestle Table, Session 7 – Installing Battens and Flattening the Underside
In Session 6 of the ongoing Maple Trestle Table build, I needed to cut two stretchers from a slab of maple and my sliding table saw was the best tool for the job. Note that I used a riving knife for every cut. Crosscut Fence I first crosscut the slab to length using the crosscut fence … Continue reading Benefits of a Sliding Table Saw