Bedside Table Build – Lots of Pics

[Mike Allen1010]

My latest home confinement build is a bedside table for my sister who is intensive care nurse in the Bay Area. 28” high X 20” wide X 14” deep out of mahogany and curly maple.
This was sort of a spur of the moment projects so wanted to try and build with lumber on hand which included this 12/4 piece of mahogany originally intended as a table leg. Here’s pics of squaring up services prior to re-sawing.



Legs are tapered on two sides. For me asymmetrically tapered legs are always a recipe for disaster – oops did I cut the wrong side? Rough sawn on bandsaw and finish with Jack plane.







Here is cutting tenons for aprons and mortises in table legs.







I used a spoke shave to curve the underside of the aprons. Took way more time to create templates for the curve with the giant compass, than to actually shape the final workpieces.



With the aprons and legs dry fit, I clamp stretchers in place to Mark inside shoulders for through tennons. Through tenons are always bit of a bugaboo for me, I layout both sides and drill from each side on drill press.








Here’s the glue up. To avoid any glue spill out on the through tenon, I clamped and pegged with dowel rather than glue.
Here are the through, wedged tenons of the stretchers.

[Mike Allen1010]

Next step was 4 posts for the top section with two drawers and shelf.



Here’s pics of book matched, curly maple side panels for top section.






Legs were looking a bit chunky to me so use the draw knife to cut a taper on inside corners.



Top section was attached to legs with dowels. Only had two ½” dowel markers so took a couple steps. Here’s the dry fit with the reveal between drawer section and legs.





My shop made fenced rabbit plane creates rabbits on back posts to accept cabinet back. And dry fit of side panels into surrounding grooves.










Creating stopped dadoes in underside of tabletop. I don’t have confidence I’ll set up the fence etc. of electric router to get these were I want them so marking knife, pairing chisel and router plane do the job.






Posts are attached to bottom of drawer section with screws.






I felt more confident using electric router to plow stop dado in the middle of the drawer section as location wasn’t super important.

[Mike Allen1010]

Fitting horizontal divider between the drawers. For shows surfaces like this with exposed joinery I’m not skilled enough to measure and cut and preferred to market directly from workpieces.



Spacers and runners for the drawers in place.










Top is mitered bridal joints in mahogany capturing maple panel. This is one of my favorite hand tool joinery jobs.












Plowing grooves in frame for tabletop. My cheesy, 1960 era Record plow plane is probably one of the least reliable tools in my shop. Always hard to get the fence lots parallel etc. Hey maybe shop built plow plane might be a good project?



Creating the ¼” rabbit on all four sides for tabletop panel. My shop built 5/8 inch wide rabbit plane with Lignum Vitae sole is a recent addition I really enjoy using. It’s a headache to sharpen the blade on the fenced rabbit plane because it requires removing fence etc. so I tend to get the rabbit started with the fenced plane and transition as quickly as possible to unfenced rabbit plane which is a lot easier to keep sharp.





Fitting the drawer fronts and cutting ½ blind dovetails for drawer sides. Thanks to coaching from Derek and other SMC friends I now use an electric trim router to remove as much waste as possible before resorting to chisels. This job for me is still pretty time intensive and requires skew ground chisels to clean out the corners.

[Mike Allen1010]

Shaping the mahogany drawer pulls (which always takes twice as much time as I think it will) and pictures of the completed table.













Finish was Watco oil/varnish wet sanded was 600 grit, followed by several brushed on coats of shellac and for durability topcoat of sprayed on semi-gloss polyurethane.

I’m pleased with how this project turned out and I appreciate you looking. No idea how I’m going to get it to my sister in the Bay Area. Hopefully quarantine will end soon.

All the best, Mike

[Mike Allen1010]

My apology! Looking back I can see I clearly screwed up the pictures – my bad! Way to big and they have the Photobucket logo right across the middle! What's up with that?

I very much appreciate any advice or suggestions about how I can do this better next time – thanks in advance! I went back to the Photobucket website to look for advice or even a way to ask a question – no joy! Shocking I know for an online service I'm paying for – guess that makes me a knucklehead!

Cheers, Mike

[David Bassett]

Looking behind the logo, I'm pretty sure it's gorgeous! Congrats, I'm sure it'll be a hit.

[Derek Cohen]

My apology! Looking back I can see I clearly screwed up the pictures – my bad! Way to big and they have the Photobucket logo right across the middle! What's up with that?

I very much appreciate any advice or suggestions about how I can do this better next time – thanks in advance! I went back to the Photobucket website to look for advice or even a way to ask a question – no joy! Shocking I know for an online service I'm paying for – guess that makes me a knucklehead!

Cheers, Mike

Mike, in spite of bloody Photobucket messing with your images, the quality shines through. Just a lovely design and beautiful work!

I think the reason for the lines is that you do not have a sufficiently paid up account. I have a subscription as well, but do not use it, preferring the free account at Post Image, which I may turn into a paid account. A decade ago, Photobucket were incredible, then they became greedy and started charging too much, screwed with the settings, and now they are impossible to use.

Your work remain at a high standard, fortunately for us all . Thank you.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Phil Mueller]

Very nice piece for your sister. Great design and nice choice of wood. She’s going to love it.

[ken hatch]

Mike,

As always beautiful work. Photobucket sucks pond water, several years ago when they went to subscription I lost several years of photos.

ken

[Andrew Hughes]

Excellent work as usual Mike very unique piece.

[David Eisenhauer]

Again - Another outstanding project from you Mike. Your creative design plus excellent execution always results in a superior work. Thanks for sharing and a thanks to your sister and all her coworkers in these trying times.

P.M. - I am jealous of the "leftovers" in your shop that you had laying around for the project.

[Christopher Charles]

Mike,

Thanks for sharing another fantastic piece! I’m sure your sister will love it!

[James Pallas]

If you open a Mike Allen post expect to see some beautiful work. Well done. Photobucket did a hostage thing to make money if you don’t pay we’ll mess with your photos, not nice.

[Mike Allen1010]

Irony is I absolutely pay Photobucket expressly because I am so bad with I.T.
just saw on my credit card statement I think about 75$/year. Last thing I want is switching hassles - Still be using my flip phone if it were up to me.

It's like I paid the kidnappers the ransom and they killed the hostage anyway! I'm sure its my fault somehow- I'm definitely prone to operator error website mistakes- yikes!

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll try another option- fingers crossed!
Cheers, Mike

[Mike Allen1010]

Again - Another outstanding project from you Mike. Your creative design plus excellent execution always results in a superior work. Thanks for sharing and a thanks to your sister and all her coworkers in these trying times.

P.M. - I am jealous of the "leftovers" in your shop that you had laying around for the project.

I wish I had leftovers as nice as that piece of mahogany. It was bought 40 years ago by a woodworker who passed away and his wife gave it to me. Thick stuff like that is something I usually say for Ball and claw legs etc. but in the era of self isolation, just wanted to use what I had on hand. It was a joy to work!