Derek Cohen
06-05-2017, 12:05 PM
In part I, work had begun on the boat-shaped sofa table ...
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Furniture/Sofa%20Table%202/Redesign/13a_zpswojszugd.jpg
We left off last time with the bow aprons completed ...
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Furniture/Sofa%20Table%202/Start/4a_zps1k2rxtuu.jpg
Before I began the legs, which I had planned for this weekend past, I had another look at the aprons and decided that they could be slimmed down, which would enable the legs to be slimmed as well. This involved removing a 10mm strip from the centre on the table saw, and glueing the two sections up again. We could now begin on the legs.
The blanks for the legs were 75 x 40mm (3" x 1 1/2") Hard Maple. Using a template, sections with the straightest grain could be marked out ...
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Furniture/Sofa%20Table%202/Legs/3a_zpszemn1ylt.jpg
.. and then sawn out on the bandsaw ...
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Furniture/Sofa%20Table%202/Legs/5a_zpsolx7hxdz.jpg
It was easier to plane the concave side and spokeshave the convex side ...
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Furniture/Sofa%20Table%202/Legs/6a_zpsp6vw6nax.jpg
Any irregularities were smoothed with a scraper ...
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Furniture/Sofa%20Table%202/Legs/9a_zpsfn7rcvbt.jpg
Below are the completed basic legs and slimmed down aprons (with drawer blades removed) ..
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Furniture/Sofa%20Table%202/Legs/1a_zpsoee75nie.jpg
The legs would be joined to the apron with mortice and tenons. This had its challenges as the apron, being bowed, has only one flat side. In retrospect, it would have been easier to have extended the maple veneer on the inside all the way, and not stop it short where the tenons would be formed. As a result, it was not possible to mark the tenons with a gauge. Fortunately, the ends were square and became the reference side ...
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Furniture/Sofa%20Table%202/Legs/2a_zpspgb7qn6c.jpg
The mortice and tenon is 1/2" wide. The 1/3 Rule is used, and the mortice extends 2/3 in the leg.
The shoulders are knifed, undercut, and then sawn ...
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Furniture/Sofa%20Table%202/Legs/4a_zpsjcikoxhb.jpg
The cheeks are sawn close to the line, but not at close as I usually do. I am leaving a little extra waste for fine tuning ...
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Furniture/Sofa%20Table%202/Legs/5a_zpsvkd8sbmh.jpg
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Furniture/Sofa%20Table%202/Legs/6a_zpstepua6q0.jpg
My strategy is to level the side of the cheeks parallel to the flat side of the apron using a router plane (David Charlesworth's technique from about 20 years ago) ..
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Furniture/Sofa%20Table%202/Legs/2-1_zpst7qzuyug.jpg
The other side has to be chiseled as the bowed apron does not permit use of the router plane.
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Furniture/Sofa%20Table%202/Legs/1-2a_zpspyyx8myb.jpg
Accuracy of the tenon is checked with a template ...
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Furniture/Sofa%20Table%202/Legs/2a_zpswyayzdbt.jpg
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Furniture/Sofa%20Table%202/Redesign/13a_zpswojszugd.jpg
We left off last time with the bow aprons completed ...
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Furniture/Sofa%20Table%202/Start/4a_zps1k2rxtuu.jpg
Before I began the legs, which I had planned for this weekend past, I had another look at the aprons and decided that they could be slimmed down, which would enable the legs to be slimmed as well. This involved removing a 10mm strip from the centre on the table saw, and glueing the two sections up again. We could now begin on the legs.
The blanks for the legs were 75 x 40mm (3" x 1 1/2") Hard Maple. Using a template, sections with the straightest grain could be marked out ...
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Furniture/Sofa%20Table%202/Legs/3a_zpszemn1ylt.jpg
.. and then sawn out on the bandsaw ...
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Furniture/Sofa%20Table%202/Legs/5a_zpsolx7hxdz.jpg
It was easier to plane the concave side and spokeshave the convex side ...
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Furniture/Sofa%20Table%202/Legs/6a_zpsp6vw6nax.jpg
Any irregularities were smoothed with a scraper ...
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Furniture/Sofa%20Table%202/Legs/9a_zpsfn7rcvbt.jpg
Below are the completed basic legs and slimmed down aprons (with drawer blades removed) ..
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Furniture/Sofa%20Table%202/Legs/1a_zpsoee75nie.jpg
The legs would be joined to the apron with mortice and tenons. This had its challenges as the apron, being bowed, has only one flat side. In retrospect, it would have been easier to have extended the maple veneer on the inside all the way, and not stop it short where the tenons would be formed. As a result, it was not possible to mark the tenons with a gauge. Fortunately, the ends were square and became the reference side ...
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Furniture/Sofa%20Table%202/Legs/2a_zpspgb7qn6c.jpg
The mortice and tenon is 1/2" wide. The 1/3 Rule is used, and the mortice extends 2/3 in the leg.
The shoulders are knifed, undercut, and then sawn ...
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Furniture/Sofa%20Table%202/Legs/4a_zpsjcikoxhb.jpg
The cheeks are sawn close to the line, but not at close as I usually do. I am leaving a little extra waste for fine tuning ...
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Furniture/Sofa%20Table%202/Legs/5a_zpsvkd8sbmh.jpg
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Furniture/Sofa%20Table%202/Legs/6a_zpstepua6q0.jpg
My strategy is to level the side of the cheeks parallel to the flat side of the apron using a router plane (David Charlesworth's technique from about 20 years ago) ..
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Furniture/Sofa%20Table%202/Legs/2-1_zpst7qzuyug.jpg
The other side has to be chiseled as the bowed apron does not permit use of the router plane.
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Furniture/Sofa%20Table%202/Legs/1-2a_zpspyyx8myb.jpg
Accuracy of the tenon is checked with a template ...
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Furniture/Sofa%20Table%202/Legs/2a_zpswyayzdbt.jpg