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Thread: Build a Shaker Style Table Project

  1. #1
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    Build a Shaker Style Table Project

    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..
    The Shaker Table, should be enough.JPG
    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...
    The Shaker Table, ready to start.JPG
    Where a clamp or two can hold things still....long enough to mark a line or 2...
    The Shaker Table, awaiting the saw.JPG
    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?
    The Shaker Table, cross cut saw.JPG
    Just an old Disston D-100 ( the 100 is inside of the "D").....
    The Shaker Table, 1st cut.JPG
    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..
    The Shaker Table, one more cut.JPG
    Try cutting a 1" strip off the end of a 2'+ board....
    The Shaker Table, last cut.JPG
    Not a problem. lay the 4 blanks out....
    The Shaker Table, grain matching up.JPG
    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...
    A Planer? I'm the Planer, and this is what I use

  2. #2
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    In order to get this top glued up ...need to joint a few edges..
    The Shaker Table Top, 1st edge.JPG
    Set the 1st board up....and try a plane..
    The Shaker Table Top, 1st jointer.JPG
    While this plane did work...it had issues with staying level....wanted to lean a tad...so, it got fired..
    The Shaker Table Top, better jointer.JPG
    Replace with a Stanley No. 6c, Type 17 (WW2 Era) At least the edges are square..
    The Shaker Table Top, squared edges.JPG
    And...no gaps in the joints..
    The Shaker Table Top, 1st joint done.JPG
    Was soon able to try a dry fit of all 4 boards...
    The Shaker Table Top, dry fit.JPG

    Figured I could go ahead and glue the panel up...
    The Shaker Table Top, glue & clamps.JPG
    This end wasn't too bad, came out fairly flat...the other end had.....issues...
    The Shaker Table Top, cauls & clamps.JPG
    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..
    A Planer? I'm the Planer, and this is what I use

  3. #3
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    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
    The Shaker Table Legs, split ends.JPG
    Split ends? These 2 would give enough for 3 legs....decided to trim Plank #3 for another blank..
    The Shaker Table Legs, before the rips.JPG
    I am not quite up to ripping by hand...and needed to get some wavy edges removed, anyway...first, I needed my tablesaw back...
    The Shaker Table Legs, out of the way.JPG
    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...
    The Shaker Table Legs, after the rip.JPG
    Wound up with these 9 blanks....will match things up grain wise...and the remaining "extra" will be a bread board end...
    The Shaker Table Legs, fancy grain.JPG
    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...
    The Shaker Table Legs, all glued up.JPG
    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..
    A Planer? I'm the Planer, and this is what I use

  4. #4
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    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
    The Shaker Table Legs, glue cleaner.JPG
    Dried glue, and ridges...then start with the regular plane to square the sides up...
    The Shaker Table Legs, making shavings.JPG
    Stanley No. 6c....was finally able to get all 4 blanks cleaned and squared up...
    The Shaker Table Legs, 4 squared.JPG
    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..
    The Shaker Table Legs, 6 inch stop line.JPG
    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..
    The Shaker Table Legs, layout a taper.JPG
    Bandsaw to cut the line..
    The Shaker Table Legs, sawn taper 1.JPG
    Rotate 90 degrees, and layout and saw the other taper...
    The Shaker Table Legs, clean up saw marks.JPG
    Then the plane to clean off the saw marks..
    The Shaker Table Legs, no need to sand.JPG
    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..
    A Planer? I'm the Planer, and this is what I use

  5. #5
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    Spent about 45 minutes this evening..
    Marking out cuts..
    Legs Part 2, Next cut laid out.JPG
    Making the cuts with the bandsaw..
    Legs Part 2, taper cuts.JPG
    Hand plane to clean up the saw marks..
    Legs Part 2, making shavings.JPG
    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...
    Legs Part 2, keeping track.JPG
    "T" is for Taper...helps when laying out the next cut..

    Legs Part 2, one planed.JPG
    A "before & after" shot....one taper has been planed, the next is sitting there, waiting it's turn..
    Legs Part 2, all done.JPG
    Nice Cardio workout....needed 6 tapers done....Might work on the table's top, tomorrow....then see about a few aprons...

    Stay tuned..
    A Planer? I'm the Planer, and this is what I use

  6. #6
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    Set the legs aside, for now....and remove the clamps and the caul from the table's top....
    The Shaker Top, leveling.JPG
    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..."
    The Shaker Top, trimming.JPG
    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
    The Shaker Top, router set-up.JPG
    Done in one pass...flip around, and do the other three passes..
    The Shaker Top, 4 passes.JPG
    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..
    The Shaker Top, enough clamps.JPG
    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..
    The Shaker Top, little squeeze out.JPG


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

    Stay tuned..
    A Planer? I'm the Planer, and this is what I use

  7. #7
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    Table top came out of the clamps, today....
    Sunday Funnies, leveling the top.JPG
    Areas around the bread board edges needed leveled...
    Sunday Funnies, level the edges.JPG
    Some areas more than others....corners were cut..
    Sunday Funnies, cutting corners.JPG
    With a vintage sabre saw..
    Sunday Funnies, 4 corners done.JPG
    Beltsander to smooth the curves...


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

    Yes, that IS a brand..
    Sunday Funnies, branded.JPG
    As I do have an electric branding iron..
    Sunday Funnies, Branding iron.JPG


    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...
    A Planer? I'm the Planer, and this is what I use

  8. #8
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    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.
    Monday Night Tenons, tenon cutter.JPG
    Tenon is 8mm thick, and goes in a 1/2" deep mortise....set the tablesaw up accordingly...
    Monday Night Tenons, first tenon done.JPG
    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....
    Monday Night Tenons, 3 done.JPG
    The other 3 are on the other ends...
    Monday Night Tenons, 6 done.JPG

    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...
    Monday Night Tenons, 8mm chopper.JPG
    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
    Monday Night Tenons, mortise jig set up.JPG

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

    Stay tuned...
    A Planer? I'm the Planer, and this is what I use

  9. #9
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    Ok...takes about 20 minutes per mortise...counting laying each out..
    Tuesday Afternoon, laying out a mortise.JPG
    Chopping out the waste...takes about 3 trips..
    Tuesday Afternoon. first chops.JPG
    To get from this to...
    Tuesday Afternoon, one more to go.JPG
    This...along with the test fits to see IF I was down deep enough..
    Tuesday Afternoon, first test fit.JPG
    Then dry fit, to make sure I am connecting things in the right spots...
    Tuesday Afternoon, 4th mortise done.JPG
    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?
    Tuesday Afternoon, Work Area.JPG
    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...
    A Planer? I'm the Planer, and this is what I use

  10. #10
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    2 hours in the shop, today....5 more joints to do....wood joints, that is..

    I needed 2 sticks...
    Work Day, next up.JPG
    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...
    Work Day, tenon saw.JPG
    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..
    Work Day, digging a hole.JPG
    And, kept checking to see IF I am deep enough.....
    Work Day, almost done.JPG
    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..
    Work Day, too wide.JPG
    Something is not looking right...hmmm...
    Work Day, needs recut.JPG
    Accused of having a Fat Tail?....trimmed things back to the red lines...then a Black Sharpie..
    Work Day, leave the black lines.JPG
    Simple...LEAVE the black lines....
    Work Day, dry fit 1.JPG
    Dry fit....Then repeat for the other front leg..

    Stay tuned for Part 2...
    A Planer? I'm the Planer, and this is what I use

  11. #11
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    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"
    Work Day, saw work.JPG
    Oh, I did use the same saw...but, instead of relying just on chisels alone..
    Work Day, kerf chisel.JPG
    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...
    Work Day, THE LAST Mortise fitted.JPG
    Then over to the rest of the parts, and do a full dry fit..
    Work Day, full dry fit.JPG
    Looking for spots that may need a little fine tuning...

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

    As for the Mortise Jig..
    Work Day, Mortise Jig.JPG
    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..
    A Planer? I'm the Planer, and this is what I use

  12. #12
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    This morning..knocked the parts apart....worked on problem areas..
    Thursday Morning, needed trimmed back.JPG
    Like this, and sand off all the pencil marks...decided to glue up the sides
    Thursday Morning, 2nd glue up.JPG
    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...
    Thursday Morning, drawer back sized.JPG
    That seems to be a bit better....

    Milled some strips for drawer runners...and then glued them in place..
    Thursday Morning, drawer runner.JPG
    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...
    Thursday Morning, drawer guides.JPG
    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...
    A Planer? I'm the Planer, and this is what I use

  13. #13
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    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...
    Wedges, TOO dull.JPG
    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
    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..
    Wedges, jigged.JPG
    And checked after each cut..
    Wedges, angle checker.JPG
    Then drill and counter sink each part...
    Wedges, all ready.JPG

    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..
    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....
    A Planer? I'm the Planer, and this is what I use

  14. #14
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    Calling it Friday's Follies.....start a glue up..
    Friday's Follies, Start up.JPG
    About the only space in the shop for this sort of thing.....F style clamps were not getting things done...we have ways..
    Friday's Follies,need the BIG clamps.JPG
    Bring out the BIG clamps...fun part was next....setting this mess down onto the floor..
    Friday's Follies, squared.JPG
    Double checked for square...ran out of the right sized screws....so..
    Friday's Follies, called GLUE blocks.JPG
    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...

    Next on the "to-do list"?
    Friday's Follies, next up.JPG
    Transform these parts into a drawer...
    Stay tuned..
    A Planer? I'm the Planer, and this is what I use

  15. #15
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    Hmmm, had a "Gulley-washer" of a rain storm come through last night...this morning I went to the shop...
    2 hour Saturday, Dungeon Creek.JPG
    And found that the Dungeon Creek had risen a bit...
    2 hour Saturday, wet feet.JPG
    Took the clamps off the base...and set it up to allow the feet to dry....while I jointed the drawer front..
    2 hour Saturday, drawer front.JPG
    Making shavings,,
    2 hour Saturday, jointer shavings.JPG
    Test fit a few times...
    2 hour Saturday, drawer fits.JPG
    Hey, it fits!...had to do the drawer sides, too
    2 hour Saturday, sides jointed.JPG
    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..
    2 hour Saturday, router table.JPG
    The shop's Router Table.....rip fence from the tablesaw also works quite well with this.
    2 hour Saturday, start & stop lines.JPG
    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..
    A Planer? I'm the Planer, and this is what I use

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