The full-size table: Start finishing the top, and start legs & aprons

[Al Navas]

I continue work. For the upcoming several days I will continue applying the finish to the top; today I started applying the Zinsser Seal Coat (shellac) to the underside. And work started on setting up for cutting tenons on the aprons, and mortises on the legs.


From my blog:

Sometimes, decisions are tough.

For example, to start the work day today, I debated whether to start applying the Zinsser Seal Coat to the table top as it lay on the workbench, or take into the finishing room. The finishing room won:

http://sandal-woodsblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/table-top-finish-1.png

I include the following photo to illustrate the importance of using a turntable, to make it easy to arrange things. Since it is critical to be able to properly reach all sides of the work piece, something is needed to make this easy. Imagine YOU between the work piece and the exhaust fan (as in the photo above) when spraying - bingo! You get the idea - spray all over your face, your clothes…

The next photo illustrates the best arrangement: The work piece should be between you, and the exhaust fan -and the turntable is the best way to do it:

http://sandal-woodsblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/table-top-finish-2.png

Now that I am set up to apply the finish in proper sequence in the finishing room, it is time to start work on the legs and aprons. I milled one test board out of quarter-sawn white oak (QSWO); it is of the same dimensions as the actual table aprons: 1 inch thick, and 4 inches wide. I started carefully laying out the tenons.

The Leigh FMT is a machine that gives extremely accurate results, and lets you dial in the fit; but it requires accurate layouts, and test cuts to dial in the best fit. In the next photo I am carefully marking the center of the width of the board - and I will do something similar when marking the half-thickness. Notice I use calipers to achieve the accuracy I want, and need:


http://sandal-woodsblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/aprons-tenon-setup-2.png

Now I take the apron to the FMT, and start the setup for the test runs - it is important to make sure the side stop fence is set such that the work piece will be centered properly:

http://sandal-woodsblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/aprons-tenon-setup-3.png

After placing the apron against the side stop fence, I adjust the table limit stops (for the X and the Y directions) on the FMT and lock the settings - I don’t want things moving once I start cutting mortises and tenons:

http://sandal-woodsblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/aprons-tenon-setup-1-1.png

The work piece is centered in the table bit opening fairly well. I set the work piece tight up against the joint aligning sight; it looks like a target - and it is:

http://sandal-woodsblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/aprons-tenon-setup-4.png

An amazing thing about the human eye is its ability to excel at comparisons. I believe I centered the work piece quite well in this next photo - if you click on it to enlarge it, you will notice that I actually marked two lines, one from each side of the board, using the calipers; I may be off center by a little less than 0.001″:

http://sandal-woodsblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/aprons-tenon-setup-4-1.png

Once the work piece is aligned properly, it is time to set the router bit cutting depth. For the aprons I want tenons 2-1/4 inches long, and 1/2-inch wide; they will go into mortises in the 3-inch square legs:

http://sandal-woodsblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/aprons-tenon-setup-5.png

As I will make test cuts with the FMT, and I want to make both the mortises and the tenons using only one setting, I will also need test legs. I milled some waste QSWO, glued it, and now I start milling the glued up test leg. First, I must remove the glue that squeezed out:

http://sandal-woodsblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/table-legs-setup-1.png

After scraping the glue as well as possible, I trim to 3-1/4 inches, square, on the band saw:

http://sandal-woodsblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/table-legs-setup-2.png

By now it was time to head to the house, get some rest, and have dinner (or supper, depending on where you live).

Next: I continue applying the finish to the table top. And, while each coat dries, I will continue setting up to cut mortises and tenons using the FMT. And, in between all this, I will get the walnut ready for glue-up of the legs, and start milling the QSWO boards that will be the aprons.

Thanks for following along!


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[Craig T. Smith]

Al, Looking good. Excuse my ignorance, 2 questions. I was under the impression that you don't want finish on the under side of a top of furniture. Also what's an FMT? You guys throw around so many letters I don't know what you're talking about most of the time. Is there an index somewhere? Hope I don't drive you all crazy with too many questions. Thanks for all your step by step info. Table looks very nice so far. Happy Woodworking, Craig

[Al Navas]

Thanks, Craig. I think the following might help:


You won't normally see the underside finished - and I believe that cost is the main reason. But you will find it done in fine furniture. From "How to Buy Furniture - The dining room table (http://www.thisfurniture.com/news/How-To-Buy-Furniture.php)": Finished on the underside — Unfinished undersides let in moisture that can cause medium-density fiberboard (MDF) substrates to swell and veneers to lift up. On solid tables, unfinished undersides can contribute to warping because the surfaces do not move evenly with humidity changes. Other links that might prove helpful are Tips for Wood Care (http://www.ahm-it.com/AHM/AHMFR/furn_tips/wood_care.htm), and Why I dislike lacquer and love shellac polish (http://www.finefurnituremaker.com/published_articles/craft_of_cabinetmaking_8_part_2.htm). Maybe someone else can provide reasons for NOT finishing the underside of table tops. I believe that an underside finished in a way similar to the top provides good balance to a solid chunk of wood.

The FMT: My apologies! You will be able to see all the links at my blog, sandal-woodsblogdotcom . The FMT acronym means "Frame Mortise and Tenon", and it is a mortise & tenon jig made by Leigh Industries. You can see additional information at the FMT web page, http://www.leighjigs.com/fmt.php .


Edit to add: Always ask questions - THAT is the reason for these forums.

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[Al Navas]

...I was under the impression that you don't want finish on the under side of a top of furniture...
Craig,

A follow-up, to make sure all bases are covered, without waiting any more.

I just got off the phone with Christopher Schwarz, Editor, Popular Woodworking, and Woodworking Magazine. I consider him an expert in these matters - and I am not shy requesting his advice, or anyone else's advice :D .

The Schwarz stated the following (and I paraphrase): It is OK to finish only the top side of the table top. But, if an individual wants to finish both sides, that is OK, too, as it will give the piece a more "finished" look, in the event someone looks at the underside.


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[Dwight Boesiger]

Al

After considerable research into alternatives to my bench top mortiser, I have a Leigh FMT jig on order to cut the mortise and tennons on the table I'm making. My question is how do you set up your FMT jig to handle a long apron. Do you elevate your jig on some kind of support, fix it on the bench at an angle or even horizontal? Handling long stock seem to be one disadvantage of the FMT.

Thanks

Dwight Boesiger

[Al Navas]

...how do you set up your FMT jig to handle a long apron. Do you elevate your jig on some kind of support, fix it on the bench at an angle or even horizontal? Handling long stock seem to be one disadvantage of the FMT...
Dwight,

Necessity is the Mother of Invention :D . And workholding with long pieces is NO problem. This is how I do it (you will find this on my blog):

http://sandal-woodsblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/fmt-on-legs.png

http://sandal-woodsblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/fmt-lift-legs.png

And, to attach this little table to the workbench:

http://sandal-woodsblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/fmt-leg-cleats-leftt.png

These are the new Leigh clamps. If you wish to have additional information, please PM me.


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[Craig T. Smith]

Al, I've been looking at the links you supplied. Very imformative,thanks.I really appreciate you taking the time to do this. Thank you again. Craig

[Al Navas]

Craig,

You are welcome! We are all in this together, and sharing is a HUGE part of why we do it :cool: . I am glad to contribute when I can.


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[Al Navas]

...Handling long stock seem to be one disadvantage of the FMT...
Dwight,

I have been thinking a lot about this issue, too. Many people buy the Domino, or similar incarnations. But I still prefer traditional mortise & tenon, because of their proven track record over many centuries. That is not to say I won't try anything else. I use pocket screws on shop cabinets, and they hold up beautifully!

Question: How long will your aprons be?

But tables are a special case where I think compromise is difficult, and possibly best avoided. After all, people sit on tables, even though that is not their (main) function. And that table better be able to hold someone sitting on it, or you could get visitors in the middle of the night. Legal issues come to mind immediately.

Of course, I could (probably...) have cut the mortises and the tenons by hand. But I am not very good with a tenon saw or with a mortise chisel, especially for the huge mortises needed for this table :o . As a result, I use the best tool within my reach - in this case, the FMT.


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[Dwight Boesiger]

Al

Thanks for the pictures which truly are worth a thousand words. My long aprons are 52 inches sans tennons. I dont mind building one more specialized support but storing said between uses is getting to be an issue for me. I already have a bin full of homeade jigs, some of which I look at and say, "what in the world did I ever use that for?"

Dwight Boesiger

[Al Navas]

Dwight,

If you build a simple "table" out of plywood, and use screws, you will be able to break it down when finished. You will be surprised how well it holds up, especially for only a few cuts.


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[Scott Vigder]

Now That's a Bandsaw!

Were you using a spray-on finish at all? It looks like your gun is ready to go.

[Al Navas]

Now That's a Bandsaw!

Were you using a spray-on finish at all? It looks like your gun is ready to go.

Scott,

The band saw is just the Grizzly 17-inch machine, which I bought several years ago - quite a while before the X-series machines came out. But it HAS served me well.

For this table top, in the photos above, I first apply Zinsser's Seal Coat, a shellac. And I use a rag, wiping down almost immediately after wiping it on. This results in the application of a very thin layer. After the first application dries, I sand with 400 grit to smooth everything. THEN I apply another thin layer in identical way, and also sand to 400 grit.

This pops the grain nicely. I never thought this would happen, compared to oils that most people use.

For the final topcoat, I will spray. But first I must switch to the 1-quart can, as the surface area is huge.

Just before spraying I wipe down with a moist cloth, wait for things to dry thoroughly, and then start spraying a waterborne varnish, Target Coatings' EM2000wvx, a waterborne alkyd. This is the coating I tried on the prototype half-size tables I made for my client (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=102533). It imparts a gorgeous straw color to the quarter-sawn white oak:

http://sandal-woodsblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/table-knot-3.png

I will be posting more about the finish schedule, and the actual spraying and results.

By the way, building furniture is LOTS easier than raisin' young 'uns... :cool:


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