Page 5 of 11 FirstFirst 123456789 ... LastLast
Results 61 to 75 of 158

Thread: Another coffee table

  1. #61
    Join Date
    Aug 2012
    Location
    Missouri
    Posts
    2,151
    Derek it never occurred to me to curve the outside of anything with full blinds. I believe you could make the pins and tails half the thickness and still have a solid joint. I'm not trying to convince you to change your plan. Just thinking it could be done. I don't have plans to make anything to try it on at this time. I going to keep it in mind to try it out. Maybe next year.
    Jim

  2. #62
    Join Date
    Jul 2013
    Posts
    547
    Blog Entries
    1
    Derek, nice progress and it looks great!

    This came up on my Instagram feed and I thought it might be of interest as to an alternate way to approach the problem.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BrnXM4lA1T0/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

    Mike

  3. #63
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Location
    Perth, Australia
    Posts
    9,469
    Thanks Mike. I have begun the dovetailing, so will not change horses at this stage. It does look interesting, nonetheless.

    Regards from Perth

    Derek

  4. #64
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Location
    Perth, Australia
    Posts
    9,469
    A few progress shots.


    The main focus is to complete the carcase. However, to do the carcase, it is important to plan ahead for the drawer case.


    The drawer case (at 10mm) is half the thickness of the carcase (20mm). The (eventual) drawer fronts (one for each side) will be the same Fiddleback Jarrah as the top and sides, and will be inset (rather than lipped). The purpose of the thinner sides is simply aesthetic - I want it to look lighter, to subtly separate it from the carcase. The drawer front will be the same thickness as the carcase, and the drawer sides the same thickness as the drawer case.


    Before beginning on dovetailing the ends, stopped dados were marked out for the drawer case. The lower- and upper panels were clamped together and a MDF template of the drawer case set in position...





    Marked out, chisel walls made ...





    ... to guide the saw cut ...





    Then chiseled ..





    ... and routered out ...





    Following the method outlined previously, the two ends and the top were joined with mitred through dovetails ...





    One edge ...





    .. and the other side ...





    The plan now is to size the drawer case sides before dovetailing and joining the lower panel. Why the templates and sizing at this stage?


    When the two ends of the lower panel have been dovetailed, the two sides of the drawer case must be fitted before the panel can be attached. In other words, these three pieces are fitted together at the same time.


    Now, as the sides of the drawer case run in a stopped dado, they need to be sized beforehand. This fitting is different and far more exacting that in the typical carcase which as a stopped dado on one side only, and the dividing panels (which I term the drawer case) are slid in, allowing one to mark where the front rebates will go. In the present build, the front and rear rebates need to be determined beforehand, and cut before the parts are brought together.


    The MDF template is to aid in measuring up the sides for the drawer case. This is one of the (number of) surprises of this build: it looks so simple from the outside, but when it comes to constructing ...


    In the photo below, the dados are checked for size with a 10mm wide template ...





    An MDF template checks the case sides are parallel ...





    At the far end is another MDF template to size the drawer case sides ...





    That's it for now.


    Regards from Perth


    Derek
    Last edited by Derek Cohen; 12-27-2018 at 9:57 PM.

  5. #65
    Join Date
    Aug 2012
    Location
    Missouri
    Posts
    2,151
    I always enjoy your builds Derek. I particularly like the ways you use to build and verify. Those are good reminders and help to reduce errors. Looks excellent so far.
    Jim

  6. #66
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    Ellsworth, Maine
    Posts
    1,805
    Really nice work. That's a lot of handwork and is extremely nice to see vs. breaking out a powered router to make those dado's.

  7. #67
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Location
    Perth, Australia
    Posts
    9,469
    Please note that I have edited the last post to clarify/better explain the build planning.

    Regards from Perth

    Derek

  8. #68
    Join Date
    Dec 2016
    Location
    South West Ontario
    Posts
    1,502
    Wonder if you are adding a longitudinal panel in the middle behind the drawers for rigidity in the longitudinal direction?
    when the corner dovetails are rounded you loose over half the joint.
    People sitting or standing on coffee tables in the age group of the recipient happens all too often!
    ​You can do a lot with very little! You can do a little more with a lot!

  9. #69
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Location
    Perth, Australia
    Posts
    9,469
    William, there will be rails underneath connecting the legs.

    I do not know if anyone will be stupid enough to sit on this coffee table. I can say that this Jarrah is some of the hardest and toughest wood I have worked for some time, especially the lower panel. Oh man ...

    Regards from Perth

    Derek

  10. #70
    Derek,

    This piece is going to be beautiful. I agree to beautiful for the age group of the recipient but whatever little lasts forever.

    Personally I like the exposed joinery.

    You probably don’t care but I thought I would mention it as a few have apposed the exposed joinery. I find the design boring if I was laminated or the joinery hidden.

  11. #71
    Join Date
    Dec 2016
    Location
    South West Ontario
    Posts
    1,502
    Never held Jarrah let alone worked it! I would love to however..... The leg rails won't strengthen the box against longitudinal collapse. Clearly if Jarrah is that tough then should be fine, I just have seen some of my sons parties the day after...………
    Your final glue up for this piece should be fun .
    ​You can do a lot with very little! You can do a little more with a lot!

  12. #72
    Join Date
    Aug 2012
    Location
    Missouri
    Posts
    2,151
    Probability is I’ll get lambasted for this one. I don’t care for the look of exposed dovetails. I use them because l like the strength. I can cut them to look great. I don’t care for exposed box joints or thru mortises either. Whenever I see them exposed on the exterior of a piece I always think that it is the same as having exposed screw heads or nails. I’m not criticizing what people build with this statement it’s just not to look I like. In the case of Derek’s build it would be a real challenge to hide those tails in such a wide piece so perhaps it truly is the best way. As far as someone sitting on that joint and breaking it, it would take a really big person to do that. I’ve seen people break wooden ladders before but not many times.
    Jim

  13. #73
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    Delaware Valley, PA
    Posts
    476
    [QUOTE=James Pallas;2881050I don’t care for the look of exposed dovetails. * * * I don’t care for exposed box joints or thru mortises either. Whenever I see them exposed on the exterior of a piece I always think that it is the same as having exposed screw heads or nails.[/QUOTE]

    Thanks for saying that, because I’ve had very conflicted views about exposed joinery for years. On the one hand, a modest amount of exposed joinery seems to give visual interest, partly because of the patterns the joints make, and partly because of the skill they demonstrate—Dereck’s coffee table is an example, IMO. But exposed joinery can be over-used to the point that it seems crass; and machine-cut dovetails and faux joinery in Greene and Greene are false symbols of craftsmanship. Obviously (I hope it’s obvious) my comments are not directed toward the piece Dereck’s building. I only wanted to give Jim’s comments some recognition and support.

    —John
    What this world needs is a good retreat.
    --Captain Beefheart

  14. #74
    Join Date
    Dec 2016
    Location
    South West Ontario
    Posts
    1,502
    Quote Originally Posted by John Stevens View Post
    Thanks for saying that, because I’ve had very conflicted views about exposed joinery for years. On the one hand, a modest amount of exposed joinery seems to give visual interest, partly because of the patterns the joints make, and partly because of the skill they demonstrate—Dereck’s coffee table is an example, IMO. But exposed joinery can be over-used to the point that it seems crass; and machine-cut dovetails and faux joinery in Greene and Greene are false symbols of craftsmanship. Obviously (I hope it’s obvious) my comments are not directed toward the piece Dereck’s building. I only wanted to give Jim’s comments some recognition and support.

    —John
    John this is what happens when you have some knowledge of joinery. The general public can gush over ‘real joints’ and be engaged by the Krass.
    Keeping the joint in context with the piece is the challenge. If the best joint is a double wedged through mortice do you make the wedges in a contrasting wood and make it ‘a feature’ or the same wood and keep it modest. Things like that can keep me up at night.
    I share your opinion of Greene & Greene. Lots of older furniture got it right it’s the modern stuff that fails on many levels.

    Derek’s joint here when rounded may not be that obvious, the large amount of work speaks to the necessity for strength so it works in the context of the peice but the inner parallel curve, originally desired, is lost.
    ​You can do a lot with very little! You can do a little more with a lot!

  15. #75
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Location
    Perth, Australia
    Posts
    9,469
    Jim and John ... I do not disagree that exposed joinery can look tacky. I enjoy the Japanese style of hiding joinery as much as I enjoy exposed joinery in an appropriate context. I have dislikes of exposed joinery, for example, through dovetails on drawer fronts ... because it tends to make a piece too busy.

    If it had been possible to just mitre the corners of this carcase, then that would have been my preference. However, that would have been a recipe for disaster as mitres are weak. They need to be reinforced, such as by a spline or Dominos. That could not be done in this case, for similar reasons to a full blind dovetail .. that is, the inside will be exposed when the ends are rounded. There are other ways to make this piece, such as adding a corner section. In my view, this makes the design look like a collection of parts.

    So, in this case we will celebrate the joinery by making it a part of the design. Hopefully, the dovetails will not dominate. As the wood is dark, I expect them to blend in.

    Regards from Perth

    Derek

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •