Build a Shaker Style Table Project

[steven c newman]

Had those planks of Ash....four at 7/8" x 5-1/2" x 77" and one at 7/8" x 5-1/2" x 48"......and figured I could try to build a Shaker Style Table, complete with a drawer....I remember way back when, during the New Yankee Workshop days, that Norm built such a table. Have to go strictly by memory, but......

Maybe cut a few blanks into 24" long sections...had to haul the 4 long boards to the shop, first..
478292
Might be enough here? 26 linear feet. However, these are laying ON my tablesaw....and are a bit too long for the Mitreboxes....and there be some wavy, tapered edges to work around....get out the cordless saw!

Best place for me to doing the sawing, is on the end of my bench...
478293
Where a clamp or two can hold things still....long enough to mark a line or 2...
478294
Going to be a rough cut for length, anyway....I can come back later and square things up...right now I want 4 blanks...saw of choice?
478295
Just an old Disston D-100 ( the 100 is inside of the "D").....
478296
Nice long, easy strokes, use the full length. Thumb sits beside the saw plate, as a guide. The way things were working out, I was getting 2 blanks out of a board...a third would have been too short, plus the ends needed trimmed..
478297
Try cutting a 1" strip off the end of a 2'+ board....
478298
Not a problem. lay the 4 blanks out....
478299
Panel is about 21" x 24"....and will need a little work, BEFORE the glue bottle can come out...

Was trying for best grain match, again. May try for a 20" x 20" square top, counting the bread board edges...we'll see.

Stay tuned...

[steven c newman]

In order to get this top glued up ...need to joint a few edges..
478320
Set the 1st board up....and try a plane..
478321
While this plane did work...it had issues with staying level....wanted to lean a tad...so, it got fired..
478322
Replace with a Stanley No. 6c, Type 17 (WW2 Era) At least the edges are square..
478323
And...no gaps in the joints..
478324
Was soon able to try a dry fit of all 4 boards...
478325

Figured I could go ahead and glue the panel up...
478326
This end wasn't too bad, came out fairly flat...the other end had.....issues...
478327
Nothing a caul and a few clamps couldn't handle....

will let this sit a spell....however, NOT on my tablesaw...
Moved it out of the way....as I will NEED the tablesaw for the next task.

This task took just about an hour...counting sweeping the floor when I was done....

Next task? Saw blanks for 4 legs....and getting those glued up, too.

Stay tuned..

[steven c newman]

Blanks for the legs....Was going with a 24" length....decided a 20" will match the table, better....The 2 off-cuts from the first 2 planks....I can trim to 20" and get rid of
478336
Split ends? These 2 would give enough for 3 legs....decided to trim Plank #3 for another blank..
478337
I am not quite up to ripping by hand...and needed to get some wavy edges removed, anyway...first, I needed my tablesaw back...
478338
Which meant this had to move over, out of the way....so I could set up a rip fence to 1.75"..more or less. Run the "best" edges along the fence...until I just barely peel off the wavy edges...couple spots I missed..as the wave went in....hmm, move the fence in a hair to fix that...
478339
Wound up with these 9 blanks....will match things up grain wise...and the remaining "extra" will be a bread board end...
478340
Will see how the grain matches up.

Bottle of glue, a roller to spread out the glue...on both faces, moosh them together,,,add a few clamps...and a hammer assist to line them up...
478341
Quickly ran out of room on the tablesaw...so each leg was stashed over here, with the top.....letting these all sit a day or 2....will work on the legs, first....clean them up, square them up, make them all the same length......then see about a couple of tapers....on the inside faces....Have to watch how the grain will show, and where.

Don't have access to 8/4" Ash...so, this is how I make legs for tables......Besides, it seems to keep the legs from warping, better than using a single stick...

Stay tuned...Boss has errands to run...today....might get to the shop, this evening..:D

[steven c newman]

Task for today....remove the clamps from the 4 leg blanks, clean off the dried glue...square the sides up, trim the ends square and have all 4 legs the same length...

A Craftsman (millers falls No.14) jack plane to remove the worst
478375
Dried glue, and ridges...then start with the regular plane to square the sides up...
478376
Stanley No. 6c....was finally able to get all 4 blanks cleaned and squared up...
478377
Length is 19-1/2" long. all faces got a few swipes with the plane...had a few spots still roughsawn...

As long as they are all sitting there, might as well run a stop line all the way around them...6" down from the end..
478378
This is where the taper will end, at the top of the leg. Down at the foot...I leave about 1"....looking for a 1" x 1" square footprint....then connect two points with a steel ruler..
478379
Bandsaw to cut the line..
478380
Rotate 90 degrees, and layout and saw the other taper...
478381
Then the plane to clean off the saw marks..
478382
One leg done...and will not need any sanding...

One done, 3 to go....tomorrow. Right leg was having issues, today.....kind of slowed me down a bit...Idea is to get the legs done, then work on the tabletop, and get it fitted for bread board ends...then work on 3 aprons and a drawer...might take a while, at this pace?

Stay tuned..:D

[steven c newman]

Spent about 45 minutes this evening..
Marking out cuts..
478451
Making the cuts with the bandsaw..
478452
Hand plane to clean up the saw marks..
478453
Still using that old Stanley No. 6c....date code on the iron..243...2nd quarter of 1943...
Had to keep track of where the tapers were going...
478454
"T" is for Taper...helps when laying out the next cut..

478455
A "before & after" shot....one taper has been planed, the next is sitting there, waiting it's turn..
478456
Nice Cardio workout....needed 6 tapers done....Might work on the table's top, tomorrow....then see about a few aprons...

Stay tuned..:D

[steven c newman]

Set the legs aside, for now....and remove the clamps and the caul from the table's top....
478523
Leveling both faces....best looking will be the "show face"....coarse (80 grit) beltsander to lower the ridges at the glue joints...No.6c the smooth things out...

24" is a bit too long...so...top will be getting trimmed, at both edges...not spending all day hand sawing...and it is too big to saw on the tablesaw...so..."If the mountain can not come to..."
478524
Rip fence comes to the "mountain"....circular saw is older than I am.....maybe an inch or so off this end....slap a bread board blank to that edge...figure out where to cut the other end, so that after tongues are milled ...the top with the attached bread board ends, will wind up at 20-1/2"......make a mark, and the remove the excess top.....

After all the work to flatten the panel...did not feel like setting up the Wards No. 78, to mill the tongues....rip fence was still "on-site" and the old DeWalt was still set up from the last table..so
478525
Done in one pass...flip around, and do the other three passes..
478526
Had to re-do the bread board ends a bit...blank used for set ups wasn't quite long enough....then mark the size of the groove to mill...a couple test fits...recut to get rid of a curved edge...Finally..
478527
Glue smeared along all the tongues' surfaces...hammer taps to "set" the joints closed....then a few clamps.....

Yes, I do glue these in place, always have on these smaller, glued up tops....have yet to have a problem with it......including the table that set out IN the Gazebo last year...and was brought into the Living Room for the Winter....
Let this sit a day or 2...then come back and clean up the squeeze outs..
478528


Next up? I need 3 aprons milled, and a drawer opening framed up....and then I can build a drawer....

Stay tuned..:D

[steven c newman]

Table top came out of the clamps, today....
478580
Areas around the bread board edges needed leveled...
478581
Some areas more than others....corners were cut..
478582
With a vintage sabre saw..
478583
Beltsander to smooth the curves...


Wanted to lay out where the legs will be..
478584
THEN I can figure out how long the aprons will be...16-3/4"..counting the 1/2" tenons on each end...
478585
Means I get to do some Mortise and Tenon work next time in the shop...

Yes, that IS a brand..
478586
As I do have an electric branding iron..
478587


BANDIT'S

Dungeon

WOOD SHOP

One of those 4 blanks will be the drawer's front....will get to that, after the base is assembled...

Stay tuned...

[steven c newman]

Didn't want to open the shop up, tonight...being a Monday....but..needed to mill 6 tenons. And get those out of the way, before tomorrow.
478624
Tenon is 8mm thick, and goes in a 1/2" deep mortise....set the tablesaw up accordingly...
478625
Doing it this way...I make a series of passes...working my way towards the fence...with the last pass running against the fence. then rotate until all 6 tenons are sawn...then reset the blade height to 1/2", and do not move the fence....couple of passes....
478626
The other 3 are on the other ends...
478627

Goal here is to get the sides and the back so I can dry fit them to the legs.....then figure out what the drawer will be sliding on...and what sizes to make...
So...Tuesday's shop time will involve a 8mm Mortise chisel and a Mortise Jig...
478628
Figure out which will be the back 2 legs, as they will get 2 mortises, and the front 2 legs will only get one mortise...for now..

Will see how long it takes to chop this down about 1/2" deep..in Ash
478629

At least, I do get to sit on the shop stool the entire time....can rest up the right leg....

Stay tuned...

[steven c newman]

Ok...takes about 20 minutes per mortise...counting laying each out..
478657
Chopping out the waste...takes about 3 trips..
478658
To get from this to...
478659
This...along with the test fits to see IF I was down deep enough..
478660
Then dry fit, to make sure I am connecting things in the right spots...
478661
About 4 mortises...about 90 minutes, counting the clamping up...

Didn't feel like unclamping at the moment....went ahead an chopped of #5 mortise....and called it a day....almost 2 hours...work area?
478663
With a shop fan blowing on me, still worked up a sweat...decided to just stop...strop up the chisels to get them ready for the next session....

Will need my tablesaw back, to mill the next parts....might get to glue things up in a day or 3...

Stay tuned...

[steven c newman]

2 hours in the shop, today....5 more joints to do....wood joints, that is..

I needed 2 sticks...
478689
These needed to match the aprons in length...counting the tenons....tenons are marked. One will become the divider the drawer rides on, and will get a tenon on each end. The other stick will go above the drawer opening, and use a dovetail to help hold the legs in place..so...that's 2 mortises, and 2 sockets to chop out. I used the Apron to locate the bottom line....as the bottom of the aprons and the divider have to match up at the legs...First, I then need to mill the tenon...to lay out where the mortise will go...
478690
Tried the bandsaw at the other end, before using a handsaw and a chisel for this end...6 of one,half dozen of the other sort of thing...anyway was able to chop a hole,,,,after making sure I was in the right spot...remember the thing about that "T" at the top of the legs..
478691
And, kept checking to see IF I am deep enough.....
478692
Had a couple crumbs down inside, holding things up, again. Decided to do one leg at a time...which means a tail needed to be done..
478693
Something is not looking right...hmmm...
478694
Accused of having a Fat Tail?....trimmed things back to the red lines...then a Black Sharpie..
478695
Simple...LEAVE the black lines....
478696
Dry fit....Then repeat for the other front leg..

Stay tuned for Part 2...:D

[steven c newman]

Ok..Mortise for the other tenon wasn't all that hard to do....LOTS of chopping, though. As for the dovetail socket...perhaps a more "refined way"
478700
Oh, I did use the same saw...but, instead of relying just on chisels alone..
478705
I also used a Kerf Chisel. Made things a little easier to get the waste out....took a few test fits, before the tail would go in....without trying to split things...

Ok...one more mortise to chop and test fit...
478707
Then over to the rest of the parts, and do a full dry fit..
478708
Looking for spots that may need a little fine tuning...

Not sure about the direction of the side aprons' grain..
478709
Run it like this, or run it the other way...back apron is basically straight grained...

As for the Mortise Jig..
478710
I think I can set it aside, for now....consists of 3 scraps of Pine, and 6 screws....all those holes are for adjusting the "jaws" to fit next part being clamped up..and 2 countersunk holes for 2 screws, to attach this jig to the top of the bench's leg.

A start on the drawer..tomorrow? Or, try for a glue up of the base of this table...

Stay tuned..

[steven c newman]

This morning..knocked the parts apart....worked on problem areas..
478767
Like this, and sand off all the pencil marks...decided to glue up the sides
478768
Moved the rest of the parts off the tablesaw....drawer front milled to size, drawer sides milled to size...came time to milled a back for the drawer....7/8" is a bit too thick, so...
478769
That seems to be a bit better....

Milled some strips for drawer runners...and then glued them in place..
478770
Was getting in too big of a hurry.....this strip USED to be on the outside....not good....will have to scrape the outside back to bare wood, later....

Then decided to mill two thin strips...
478771
These will go along the inside of the sides, to guide the drawer.

Waiting on glue to dry......maybe tomorrow, I can assemble the base...involves the back apron, the 2 front dividers, and 4 corner blocks....haven't decided on any kicker, yet...

Then, maybe...I can start the Drawer Build 101?

Will use a dado to house the back....drawer bottom will be a 1/4" thick plywood panel....set into grooves in the sides and front.

Stay tuned...

[steven c newman]

Well...last night, tried to make 4 parts....plan was to just use Pine 1 x 2s to make the corner glue blocks....several problems got in the way...
478805
Turned out, this saw was DULL...(found out the one in the background is sharp..afterwards)
Tried the tablesaw, set the mitre gauge to 45 degrees...thought I had it tight.....angles in the Pine parts were NOT coming out right...seems the mitre gauge was moving with each pass :mad:
Got that issue fixed...but was out of Pine....dug around for some scraps of Ash/Oak....had to jig the Mitre gauge...as the scraps were a bit short..
478806
And checked after each cut..
478807
Then drill and counter sink each part...
478808

I place these into each top corner of a table's base...both to help pull it square ( glued and screws) and for a place for a slotted hole, so I can attach the top to the base.

Next up? Hopefully I have the right length of screws. Bad form when the point of a screw pokes through to the outside..:eek:
IF I have those screws on hand...I MIGHT try to assemble the base, today.....maybe tomorrow I can start on that drawer...

I doubt if The Shakers used that "London Pattern" for their dovetailed drawers....will see how things go....

[steven c newman]

Calling it Friday's Follies.....start a glue up..
478830
About the only space in the shop for this sort of thing.....F style clamps were not getting things done...we have ways..
478831
Bring out the BIG clamps...fun part was next....setting this mess down onto the floor..
478832
Double checked for square...ran out of the right sized screws....so..
478833
They are known as Glue Blocks for a reason...when the correct screws arrive, I'll add them...might want to tip-toe when you walk by...:rolleyes:

Next on the "to-do list"?
478834
Transform these parts into a drawer...
Stay tuned..:D

[steven c newman]

Hmmm, had a "Gulley-washer" of a rain storm come through last night...this morning I went to the shop...
478893
And found that the Dungeon Creek had risen a bit...
478894
Took the clamps off the base...and set it up to allow the feet to dry....while I jointed the drawer front..
478895
Making shavings,,
478896
Test fit a few times...
478897
Hey, it fits!...had to do the drawer sides, too
478898
Until they also fit. Issue? those corner glue blocks hang down a hair. Hmmm, IF I arrange things just right...and get the sides to slide under the blocks, but not the drawer front....that should prevent the drawer from sliding in too far....

Had to re-arrange a few things in the shop....clean off the top of the Clothes Dryer,,,move the tablesaw out of the way...and bring out..
478899
The shop's Router Table.....rip fence from the tablesaw also works quite well with this.
478900
There are Start & STOP lines marked out....merely have to move the fence as needed..
Stay tuned for part 2.....had 2 hours IN the shop, today..

[steven c newman]

Ran the drawer front a few times, milling both ends....Had had enough hand chopping dovetails..
478901
Pins first, of course...then over to the bench
478902
Lay out the tails, saw, leaving the lines by cutting on the waste side...THEN the chisel went back to work....chop out the waste..clean things up, try a dry fit..
478903
Had some crumbs in the back to clean out..kept at it...more test fits, until..
478904
BOTH corners looked like this....whew...
Decided to at least get a plane ready for tomorrow...
478905
Stanley No. 45....the reset was it was still set up to mill beads....change cutter, move the fence a bit...
478906
It is now set up to plough a 1/4" x 1/4" groove...1/4" in from the bottom edges of the front and sides....to house a plywood panel for the bottom of the drawer

Will need to mill the dados at the back to house the drawer's back....then try to assemble this drawer with glue and clamps....and maybe a few screws....should be a fun day?:rolleyes:

Stay tuned:D

[steven c newman]

Late last night...had to run down to the basement...Boss needed something.....Couldn't help it, just had to try the plane out...jigged up the drawer front..had to back off the cutter one turn..
478940
Came back later to take that photo....did it again..
478941
That candle seemed to speed things up...and the other drawer side went from..
478942
To about 3 minutes later..
478943
Then decided to reset the other Stanley No. 45...
478944
To get it ready to mill 2 dados
478945

Hmmm, long rods are too long, but the short rods are too short...

Back of the drawer will sit in dados, glued and screwed in place..

Yep, dangerous to actually send me TO the basement....stay tuned :D

[steven c newman]

Dados are done..
478977
Spurs are in bad shape,,,used the dovetail saw to just saw the walls of the dado...45 to remove most of the waste...
478978
And the #71-1/2 to level the floor, as the #45 wanted to tilt..a lot...Dry fit..3 times...to finally get the drawer back the right size..
478979
Went to size the plywood bottom panel....panel on hand was not big enough.....trip to Lowes before they closed...$7.38 for a 1/4" x 24" x 24" plywood panel...that I could cut down to the right size...
478980

The bottom corners of the sides, where the drawer first slides in at..
478981
Get a "Starter Bevel"...I also checked for square..
478982

So...the tasks for today...drill and counter sink for screws in the dados ( I do not rely on glue alone) glue and clamps and screws to hold the bottom to the back.. Let that sit for the day.

Have the proper screws for the corner blocks...install them, today. Drill slotted holes in the corner blocks. Mill the drawer guides to proper thickness, and glue in place. May champfer the bottom edge of the top...but, no other "fancy" stuff. Sounds like a rather full day IN the shop?

Stay tuned...

[steven c newman]

Drawer has been glued up..
479010
Screws were added to the back glue blocks..
479011
Proper screws, proper screwdriver...North Brothers 135
479012
Slots drilled to attach the base to the top...
479013
Drawer Guides glued in place...

Spent a whopping (according to my right leg) 90 minutes in the shop, today...

Waiting on all the glue to dry.

Stay tuned..:D

[steven c newman]

Will have to wait a day or two, but..
479050
We getting there..

[steven c newman]

1st coat of Amber Shellac is on....table and drawer...waiting to see how it turns out, now...

[steven c newman]

Between the glare of the overhead lights..
479068
And this table does not stand all that tall..
479069
Makes it hard to get a decent PIP..
479070
Yes, I even shellacked the drawer...
479071
Will work on this tomorrow....maybe one more coat, before the varnish goes on...

[steven c newman]

update....
1st coat rubbed out...2nd coat of amber shellac has been brushed on...

will take a picture or 2 later...not much change..spots I had missed on the 1st coat, now taken care of..



stay tuned

[steven c newman]

Coat #2 has been steel wooled...will get a wipe down, later today...and then a coat of "Warm Gloss" poly will get brushed on...

Stay tuned....

[steven c newman]

1st coat of varnish has dried, been hand-sanded @180 grit....I need to take an old T-shirt to the shop, later...and rub down, wipe off the table and drawer....then see about a 2nd coat of varnish...

Film at 2300 hrs...

[steven c newman]

Gloss varnish has been rubbed out..table is DONE :D And will be heading out to the Gazebo...
479316
479317
479318479319

[William Lessenberry]

Another job well done. I'm amazed at how quickly you finish your projects. You have a lot more focus and perseverance than I do.
BillL

[John Kananis]

Nice project.