Zebra coffee table

[Mark Singer]

I have been working on a zebra coffee table. Its about 36 x 80". I carefully selected the boards at the yard . They are all cut from one tree and I managed to find a book matched pair with an "Eye" and placed it dead center in the width. Good design is dependendent on careful selection of materials and use. The sides and short ends are built up from a rip miter. The Sawstop and Boardbuddies yielded perfect results and everything is dead on at 90 degrees with no gaps. The board buddies play an inportant part keeping the material flat on the table giving a consistent cut. The end miters were cut on the bandsaw and with great accuracy as well using my auxialary table and a miter gauge a couple of clamps and keeping my finger crossed:rolleyes:
The sort end cap pieces cannot be glued since the wood will want to expand and zebra moves a bit... So they are held by splines that will be wenge as I reach the next stage. These were also cut on the bandsaw and the waste remove with a chisel and mallet. Notice the wedge paring technique. With the short ends held in clamps for alignment only...no glue the long side were glued this morning.
This project is simple enough with plenty of places to screw up if your not careful. Rip miter glue ups are a key technique in furniture making as is the splined miters so there is some new stuff here:confused:

[Mark Singer]

a few more pics

[Jim Becker]

Yum! That has a lot of character and your mitered rips are perfect for maintaining the linear look that the zebrawood grain provides. Very Nice!!!

[Dave Ray]

Another beautiful project Mark, please keep the pix and info coming as you progress. We learn from you.

[Jeffrey Makiel]

Mark,
From your pics, the surface of the zebrawood appears to be tear-out free. How did you accomplish that?
-Jeff :)

[Zahid Naqvi]

Ah! the perfect mitre, perhaps one of these days.

[Mark Singer]

Mark,
From your pics, the surface of the zebrawood appears to be tear-out free. How did you accomplish that?
-Jeff :)

Jeffery,
The top is glued up from boards un sanded or scraped....upon close inspection htere is the normal zebra tear out. I am going to take this baby to South Coast Sanding and let the big Cemco drum sander do its thing..,..Then I will do the fine sanding and detailind in my shop. He goes to 120 grit.

[James Carmichael]

Purty!

Just make sure those zebras use coasters when it's done;)

[Roy McQuay]

I love your posts. You take ordinary things and make them into extraordinary furniture. Thank you for sharing.

[John Schreiber]

I'm sure I'm missing something, because I've not seen Mark miss anything yet. It looks like the mitres will open and close as the table expands and contracts.

What am I missing?

[Dan Forman]

Going to be a realy beauty!. That's quite the bandsaw setup to do that miter.

Dan

[Nancy Laird]

Mark, that is going to be a STUNNING table when finished. I love that wood anyway, and you have really showed off that grain and wood. I'm anxious to see it finished.

Nancy

[Paul Simmel]

>>> I'm sure I'm missing something, because I've not seen Mark miss anything yet. It looks like the mitres will open and close as the table expands and contracts.

What am I missing?

-=-=-=-

Ditto that.

[Jason Tuinstra]

Yep, that's going to be one sweet looking coffee table. Keep it up!

[Mark Singer]

I'm sure I'm missing something, because I've not seen Mark miss anything yet. It looks like the mitres will open and close as the table expands and contracts.

What am I missing?

John,
Good question. With solid wood construction versus veneer we must always deal with wood movement. This joint is like a contol joint in construction of a building....yes its there and you see it and you know that is where the movement will occur...like sawcuts in a concrete slab. The last table I made like this employed a bridal joint and a screw from the bottom. To the eye the joint never opened. The table surface stayed dead flat as it was free to move and only rested on hidden stretchers. Here the short sides are free and the miter and short sides are not glued, but instead the spline is only glued to one side and loose on the other. In detailing the joint , I slightly round the edges to disguise the surface interface. Now miters will show about 50 less movement since the direction of movement is 45 degrees to the joint surface. By comparison a breadboard end sees 100% differential. This type of joint works well for KD construction as well , like beds for example. A single screw secures the joint. See this project for wood movement on a similar table.

http://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=5510&highlight=peruvian+walnut

[Mike Hill]

Mark: Every time I think I am getting to be an "OK" woodworker I see something you have done. This is going to be beautiful. Keep it up and keep posting them, it gives all of us some really good ideas.
Mike

[John Schreiber]

In detailing the joint , I slightly round the edges to disguise the surface interface. Now miters will show about 50 less movement since the direction of movement is 45 degrees to the joint surface. By comparison a breadboard end sees 100% differential. If I understand correctly, this is going for a different look than a typical miter joint. Usually when we make a miter joint we aim for the surfaces to be perfectly flush with each other, and any error sticks out like a sore thumb. This will visually emphasize that there is a difference between the two components. That visual space will look the same over a small amount of wood movement so as to make it appear that it doesn't change.

That's thinking outside of the usual box. I can see how it could work on a bridal joint and I'm anxious to see the finished product here.

[Mark Singer]

John,
The most important thing is to make the joint uniform....same gap at all points. If you are tight here and wide there it is an eyesore. It is like fitting a drawer...same gap all around. We know that there needs to be a gap because it is a drawer. I think I can get it farely tight. Also the wenge splines may get a tiny roundover also....I may just chamfer it with a small plane

[Mark Singer]

I installed the bottom hidden stretchers. These act as beams and are not glued to the top. The top is free to expand or , with the small gap I left , contract. The 2 screws that hold it near the center are only about 7" apart and drilled with a 1/4" bit to allow for movement between them. The ends of the stretcher are held to the aprons with a bisquit. This is glued to the stretcher and dry at the apron so it can slide as the wood movemnt occurs. On the short mitered end I used a wenge spline that is glued to the short end and hold with a screw in the long one...here I use a drawboring technique to pull it tight...it can still move.

[Mark Singer]

I have the top to a point where I need to take it to South Coast sanding , where there is a large wide belt sander. I think he is on vacation...I was calling him all week...:confused: The basic shape and details are done...there will be a lot of detailing after it comes from sanding. The short ends are designed to be free to allow for movement. The splined miter with a tiny roundover is a great joint for that applicaton....I often use a bridal joint, but the edge grain in zebra is way different than the face and it would be a poor joint...the bridal is easier to cut. Both joints work well for KD (knock down construction). I managed to leave the ends down about a 16th so the top face grain gets most of the action and the short ends just get grazzed at the end.... So its all coming together....Frank , my stainless resource is in the San Juan islands off Seattle....I am traveling this coming week as well so stayed tuned for the final table...don't hold your breath please:rolleyes:

[Mark Singer]

here are a coupl pics ...the bookmatched patern is starting to show a bit...it will with sanding and finish

[Charles Jackson III]

Nice coffee table.

[Art Mulder]

On the short mitered end I used a wenge spline that is glued to the short end and hold with a screw in the long one...here I use a drawboring technique to pull it tight...it can still move.

I'm a little lost by what you mean by a drawboring technique. I don't see any evidence of a peg in the photos, which makes me think you are referring to how the screw will fasten the short end to the long one ?? But I wouldn't think that a screw would at all act like a drawbore...

Oh and about the dimensions... a 36x80" coffee table... wow that's big.

The zebra is lighter than I thought. will it retain those light stripes with finish and age?

Looks great. You haven't mentioned anything about how you plan to support this table top. Legs? wood? Metal? Four? Trestle?

best,
...art

[Corey Hallagan]

Mark, the Zebra wood is beautiful. I have never worked with it but I know David Marks likes to work with it as well. A little costly for me but hoping I can make a box out of some one of these days. That is going to be a beautiful table .... and big!

Corey

[Mark Singer]

Art,
When I installed the screw in each corner, from the bottom, I first drilled a 1/4" hole in the main table. Then I inserted the short ends and marked it with an awl into the wenge spline. Now I drilled the hole in the spline 1/8" out board of the mark......the srew acts just like a dowel and keeps the ends in. The color is light because there is no finish yet...its not even sanded....the dry glue is still oozing out of the joints. The table base are four stainless legs similar to my Peruvian walnut table that was sold right out from under me:confused:

http://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=5510&highlight=peruvian+walnut

[Roy Wall]

The short ends are designed to be free to allow for movement. The splined miter with a tiny roundover is a great joint for that applicaton....I often use a bridal joint, but the edge grain in zebra is way different than the face and it would be a poor joint...the bridal is easier to cut. Both joints work well for KD (knock down construction). I managed to leave the ends down about a 16th so the top face grain gets most of the action and the short ends just get grazzed at the end....

I think those are great points that a veteran WW'er like you can point out. I may have just picked a joint because I like a certain look...not what the wood should dictate:confused: ... Good forethought on the sanding too!

[Mark Singer]

I think those are great points that a veteran WW'er like you can point out. I may have just picked a joint because I like a certain look...not what the wood should dictate:confused: ... Good forethought on the sanding too!

Roy ,
I was thinking of making a stacked laminated end....I even glued up to short ends and wasted a bit of zebra....now I need to make something from them:confused: ...The laminated side did not look good....Zebra is a strong wood in grain pattern and you need to keep it simple. The splined free mitered joint is a difficult one to cut....everything needs to start at the same thickness....I had a problem there and my bandsawed joints were not matching. So I made a router jig and used the Bosch Colt to trim the joints exactly the same...Then it takes some hand work to make it all go together.
The wood often tells you what to do visually if you "listen" ....I am convinced the stacked , laminated trim would have ruined the design....so I shifted gears in the middle of the project and I think this will really look nice when its done.
Another little trick is that I checked the moisture content of the zebra and of most of the finished pieces in the home....about 6 to 8 percent based on location and wood. The zebra is about 7 percent...I am not expecting much movement.. The worst would be expansion...that would leave gaps in the miters...I think its unlikley:rolleyes: last famous words

[Art Mulder]

Art,
When I installed the screw in each corner, from the bottom, I first drilled a 1/4" hole in the main table. Then I inserted the short ends and marked it with an awl into the wenge spline. Now I drilled the hole in the spline 1/8" out board of the mark......the srew acts just like a dowel and keeps the ends in. The color is light because there is no finish yet...its not even sanded....the dry glue is still oozing out of the joints. The table base are four stainless legs similar to my Peruvian walnut table that was sold right out from under me:confused:

http://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=5510&highlight=peruvian+walnut

Well, then it was exactly as I imagined. I love learning something new.

This is the second time that I have noticed you mentioning having to build something to replace some furniture sold from your home. (last one was the dining table or chairs, or maybe both...) Do you do this intentionally, using your house as a showroom, or is this just happenstance?

[Kyle Stiefel]

Mark,

It doesn't even need to be said but you do outstanding work. I really appreciate you talking and showing things through with the goal of each joint etc.

Thanks again.
Kyle

[Scot Ferraro]

Mark, this is very beautiful indeed. I love Zebra wood -- great patterns in the grain and you incorporated them very nicely. Perhpas I missed it in the thread, but what are you finishing it with? Sorry if you already mentioned it...

I will have to remember South Coast Sanding -- I was wondering who had a reputable service in So Cal.

Thanks again for sharing.

Scot

[Mark Singer]

Art,
I designed a home for a woman that is nearing construction and she retained me to design and build many pieces for her home. The Dining table and chairs were in my home....the barstools and coffee table...
same thing....so I made new ones for myself.
I also made a sofa , bath cabinet, a bed and a few other items. I have another cabinet , 2 more beds and a coffee table and I am done.
It should be an interesting project with the home design and furniture designed and made by the same architect.

[Jeff Craven]

Thanks for sharing all of the details about the construction. It looks great!

Is it true that Zebrawood smells like a wet dog when you cut it?

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

Really like the table~!!

How did you connect the bread board ends to the end rails?

[Mark Singer]

As a woodworker you should recognize that some things are done better by others.....Yesterday i went to see Dirk at South Coast Sanding...for $60 ,I got both the new table and the old one sanded. I am talking about a Cemco 52" with accuracy to .005 " ! There is no one that can hand plane or scrape to that tolarence. Zebra is an impossible wood to plane anyway. Now I am at 120 grit ....everything is tight and I just need to detail the joints and edges and finish....I really did the right thing here ...I never could have achieved this fine a finish myself...

[Sandy Masquith]

Wow!!! Stunningly beautiful. Picking the pieces out to match that eye in the center was definately the right thing to do.

Thanks for posting all the details on the joints. One of these days...maybe I can get to the point where these ideas will come in handy. I'll definately remember that.

[Jason Tuinstra]

Wow, it looks great. I wish I had a guy to sand my wide table tops! I'd gladly pay that price! It must be nice living in the big city and having this options available to you.

[Mark Singer]

Really like the table~!!

How did you connect the bread board ends to the end rails?

The miter wenge splines are glued to the short sides and loose in the long ones ....a single verticle screw drilled fronm the bottom and offset to "drawbore " the ends tigh is used....movement should be minimum , but it is accounted for ...

[Art Mulder]

Yeah, that'll do... :rolleyes:

Love the bookmatch detail in the center of the table.

It is a VERY imposing grain. Is it going in a fairly "neutrally" decorated location so that it will stand out?

[Hans Braul]

You continue to amaze me -truly an inspiration!

Thanks
Hans

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

The miter wenge splines are glued to the short sides and loose in the long ones ....a single verticle screw drilled fronm the bottom and offset to "drawbore " the ends tigh is used....movement should be minimum , but it is accounted for ...

Cool~!! no glue at all in the intersection of the long table bread boards and the end caps.

[Mark Singer]

I had a chance to continue work now that the stainless legs are finished. I used a router and a template I made to make seats for each leg. Then I marked and used a marking gauge . Then using a dozuki , I cut the slot and finished with a chisel. It is possible to do this with a router....it os also very possible to tear out a large area and ruin the entire piece when you enter the wood. I feel I have better control with hand tools and each socket was very precise with no tear out. I used washer head screws on one side of the base plate to allow for movement. Then after some hand and machine sanding and a little scraper detailing , I applied Daly's Ben Matte, which is a finish I have used for many years. I wet sanded it to 400 which fills the grain....The wood is looking nice and I am close to wrapping it up:rolleyes:

[Mark Singer]

here is the top with some oil

[Jim Becker]

That looks really yummy after the oil is applied, Mark! Nice. Very nice.

[Dave Shively]

Mark,

Unless I missed it in a earlier post, how are you going to finish it? Not ever having worked with Zebra wood, I guess I don't know what would go nicely with it. I myself would go with my old standby, PRE-CAT. I'll be interested in seeing how the stainless legs will look.

Dave

[Craig D Peltier]

Any local cabinetmaking shops may help you out.

Mark Zebra table looks great.Cant wait to see the finish and how it pops.

Zebra
Wow, it looks great. I wish I had a guy to sand my wide table tops! I'd gladly pay that price! It must be nice living in the big city and having this options available to you.

[Dennis Perry]

Hey Mark, It's a remarkable piece, Zebrawood has amazing color and figure, I've worked with it before. Thought my wife and I were going to cough up a lung the next day after working with it? Anyway I gave the remaining stock to my son, didn't seem to effect him. Asked if he has any left after seeing your piece. One piece 4/4 20 X 96 vertical grain still dead on flat after about 7 or 8 years, amazing stuff.

Again looks great

Dennis

[Mark Singer]

Hey Mark, It's a remarkable piece, Zebrawood has amazing color and figure, I've worked with it before. Thought my wife and I were going to cough up a lung the next day after working with it? Anyway I gave the remaining stock to my son, didn't seem to effect him. Asked if he has any left after seeing your piece. One piece 4/4 20 X 96 vertical grain still dead on flat after about 7 or 8 years, amazing stuff.

Again looks great

Dennis


The dust doesn't seem to effect me. Of course most of it goes into the vacuum...I am using the Festool sander and vac and there is not much dust. I also keep both large doors to the shop open so air is constantly moving through...Aside from not being able to plane it , it ois very nice wood to work with. It sands very well , leaving no sander marks...some softer woods tend to show sander pattern even if you go through the grits carefully.