# laptop and console stand



## devonwoody (30 Sep 2009)

Dave R of USA is drawing up the final making up diagrams of a stand to store laptop and also called a console stand.

Timber obtained today. some 75mm thick Canadian Maple which has a moisture content of 11 percent, so should be ready for immediate use. I think it is also suitable to be quarter cut to make boards for the top. 
I would still like to contrast the maple with either Sapele or the black walnut also obtained has a reject piece at the same time as Maple.







What advice can you give re contrast edge for the top?


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## Chems (30 Sep 2009)

I've seen something that was made with Maple and Black Walnut and it looked really nice.

DW, whats up with your grammar today? You sound almost foreign?


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## devonwoody (30 Sep 2009)

Chems":y6fzfbln said:


> I've seen something that was made with Maple and Black Walnut and it looked really nice.
> 
> DW, whats up with your grammar today? You sound almost foreign?



Tired, I had to crosscut that Maple with a blunt handsaw to get it in the car. 

Or if you mean my gramma, she died 30 years ago. :wink:


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## OPJ (30 Sep 2009)

Chems":lo0ig0kk said:


> DW, whats up with your grammar today? You sound almost foreign?



Well, he says he's been in discussion with DaveR from over the pond - is that foreign enough for you? 

I also find walnut can work very well as a contrasting timber. Sometimes, sapele is a bit too 'red' and bright. I find walnut to be warm and more subtle.


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## Ironballs (30 Sep 2009)

Personally I don't think the sapele would complement the maple too well, I have a board of each stacked next to each other in the store and I'm not getting anything from them.

If you have ABW then I think that would work well, as would cherry, my shaker hall table was in maple and american cherry, also did a jewellery box in cherry and maple.

Bet that 75mm maple set you back a few quid though


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## Chems (30 Sep 2009)

devonwoody":2vnpcohn said:


> Tired, I had to crosscut that Maple with a blunt handsaw to get it in the car.



That'll do it!

I look forward to seeing a large scale DW project!


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## devonwoody (1 Oct 2009)

Chems":e2zyxsj0 said:


> devonwoody":e2zyxsj0 said:
> 
> 
> > Tired, I had to crosscut that Maple with a blunt handsaw to get it in the car.
> ...



I forgot to mention that the timber straddled across my knees whilst I cut that metre off.


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## devonwoody (1 Oct 2009)

Project delayed, a neighbour told the wife about a special offer on at the local supermarket.  (So had to do the weekly shop and 10lbs. of rump steak now in freezer).

Decided top and lower shelf will be to the design shown below.


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## devonwoody (1 Oct 2009)

Using a sketchup drawing sent me by Dave R.
I am going for the box idea set between legs with some slight modifications. The box will fit inside the legs and the box top will have the same design on its top surface also side panel.






I have had some consternation re the design, having the drawers set at lower level, all console tables in woodwork books have drawers under tabletop.
However, laptops were not around when those books were printed so I feel I can break with tradition. 

Any advice and comments welcome.


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## Ironballs (1 Oct 2009)

Trying to get my head around how this will work, I assume the drawers are just there for storage space and are not connected to suing the laptop. My question would be where will your knees and feet go, you won't be able to sit close to the desk so will end up sort of hunched and stretched - if that's possible!


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## devonwoody (2 Oct 2009)

Dont be concerned Ironballs the lady uses her laptop in her reclining chair and when finished stores the laptop on the shelf below and I display my boxes on top .

However after DaveR gave me the cutting list and calculations I find the weight of the piece is goint to be over 28lbs. which is a bit of a shocker because it is needed to be mobile, so went and sourced some castors.;


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## devonwoody (2 Oct 2009)

Got started on construction this afternoon, just a couple of hours.

Put a cutting 39mm line down the maple for the 4 legs.






This timber is heavy (weighs around 47lbs. per cu.ft) so I supported the bandsaw fence to stop the fence drifting because of weight.





Its also very dense and slow cutting but got a nice rip on the bandsaw.






chopped the timber down to leg size and then put to the planer.






Thicknessed the four legs to 1 5/16ths" so have got underway.






Next job is to commence making a box arrangement to accommodate drawers.


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## devonwoody (3 Oct 2009)

Colour change in mind, decided to use sapele for the main colour on top with maple insert.
The original colour idea doesn't co ordinate with other furniture in room.


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## devonwoody (3 Oct 2009)

Come to a halt.






There is around 6 board feet over half a cubic foot of timber involved with the three surfaces top and bottom and is going to be to big a lump for such what is needed as this furniture piece.

This amount of timber shown does not contain all timber needed.






So going to drop the existing drawer design and have another think.


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## devonwoody (5 Oct 2009)

OK, I have reduced the weight of the stand by around 20lbs by eliminating the box structure that was to accommodate the drawers, the laptop will store on some stretchers where original drawers were positioned. (the wife loves hovering and I didn't want the job of having to move furniture for her every day :wink: )

Got nearly all the dark timber (sapele) machined, white drawer fronts and a contrast white piece on table top still to prepare.






dug this piece out of the scrap box and glued up, I hadn't got the heart to break into a big slab of sapele for this small piece.






Brought the machined timber indoors out of the rain to keep it happy and don't want it to go stroppy on me.


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## Ironballs (5 Oct 2009)

DW it's always worth chopping off the painted section of the board before moving to machining, the paint can be very hard and sometimes has foreign objects stuck to it, both of which are bad news for planer blades

Moving along nicely though


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## devonwoody (5 Oct 2009)

Ironballs thanks for the tip, (I shall need some more btw looking at the drawings) there is some wastage on those white bits fortunately, they are left on because I am inclined to have the dropsy and damage good ends. (also there was around 6 mm to spare on the board length)


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## devonwoody (5 Oct 2009)

As previously mentioned I have not done any carpentry of this kind for a few years and I have come to my first problem studying the drawing above.

I have marked with a red cross, they have created an angle at this rebate and I ask your advice, how do I produce this angle on the end rail (the one with the large double tenons? Also I assume I shall have to carve this angled rebate into the leg.

Is there another way perhaps?


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## Ironballs (5 Oct 2009)

I'm not sure what you mean about the angle, it all looks like 90 degree joints to me - very similar overall design to the table I built last year


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## devonwoody (5 Oct 2009)

Ironballs":gj1yaabr said:


> I'm not sure what you mean about the angle, it all looks like 90 degree joints to me - very similar overall design to the table I built last year



Ironballs the underside of the three rails has a rebate but it is not a square one. Where the two red crosses show on the plan there is definitely an angle not square edge. the right hand end piece with the tenons on the book drawings definitely has an angled rebate on it bottom edge. 
The order of construction in the book also refers to this angled edge. No instructions on carpentry however anywhere in the article, only suggests a balsa wood model is made.

Edit,, it appears the leg taper might be taking some carpentry?


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## Racers (5 Oct 2009)

Hi,

Its just a rebate for the bottom dust frame, you don't need to angle it if the dust frame ends are at 90 deg. you could use a tongue formed on the dust frame and a grove in the side.


Pete


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## devonwoody (5 Oct 2009)

Yes you are right, why give myself the stress, make it a square rebate and alter the drawings. :wink:


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## 9fingers (5 Oct 2009)

If you want to use the angled rebate, then why not angle the TS blade and cut all angled components at this setting either running the workpiece on the table or against the fence as necessary.

Bob


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## devonwoody (6 Oct 2009)

Cut out the final bit of maple (for contrast in table top) now can put lumps of timber away and start carpentry.







Decided to make my own tenon jig using my sled.

Set the blade depth on a piece of waste timber to 1/4" by trial an error.






Screwed down a stop block on to my sled table to set shoulder tenon cut for all rail pieces. Then cut shoulders of end rails. After cutting shoulders on all pieces I then did the Triton tenon trick, kept running the tenon tongue across the blade on the sled until I had created the joint.











Tenon of end rail completed and cleaned up also marked out for tenon tongues.






That end rail definitely has an angled rebate, if you look at the plan drawing above at the bottom lefthand corner of drawer profile an angle can be seen at bottom of rail. Will decide at a later date what to do there.

The job will now have to be left a few days, house duties pending.


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## devonwoody (7 Oct 2009)

Had a bit of luck, able to do a couple of hours today because my hospital appointment went well. Seen ten minutes earlier than appointment time and then given a clean bill of health. However I do have another appointment for a participant vascular program/experiment coming up. 

So machined the balance of rail tenons on the sled and worked the tenon shapes on one piece.


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## devonwoody (8 Oct 2009)

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. Is it time to hang up my tools.


I have cut the front top and bottom rail shoulders as tenons and they shouldn't be.







Done a quick run round and I can supply new pieces with some fiddling and without doing machine jobs.

Why didn't you tell me?


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## Ironballs (8 Oct 2009)

Ah... the ones that should be dovetails. Easy to get carried away in the early stages when there are so many parts knocking about


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## devonwoody (11 Oct 2009)

Had what I call a good session in the workshop Saturday.

Made up some replacement pieces for rails from left over machinings of earlier rails.






Did all the marking up of joints and got out the old shoulder jig,(Derek Cohens idea) and set up ready for dovetail and tenon shoulders that could not be machined.






For those that have not seen this in operation before, the cross piece of timber on jig maintains the shoulder line for all pieces and a chisel marks the cutting line.






The dovetails on the rails are cut with a Japanese saw, I have to be so careful with these saws because its so easily to cross the cutting line.






Finished off the dovetails on the rails with a chisel.






Cut the leg dovetail . Perhaps they should have been half tails, but being away from this type of carpentry for three years things at my age slip.







Thinking ahead, I normally use Titebond 3 but I am a little bit slower these days assembling, do you think I would be better off switching to a longer grabbing time with perhaps a pva type glue.


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## devonwoody (12 Oct 2009)

For those interested this was the way I cut joints on the front and legs for this table.

The waste in leg dovetails were first drilled out with a 1/4" forstner bit, as was the mortice for the lower frame.











Then finished with appropriate sized chisels.

A picture of front frame with joints completed.






And to separate the tenon joints this is a happy situation, the feet have to hold the frame whilst pulling out the rail, just tight enough for me.






To cut the long mortices (six of them) I got out my jig for the router which I think I last used over 4 years ago. A description on how I operate is shown in following pictures. 











I clamp on stops to limit travel of router.






And the end result.






My workbench at the end of the day, disgusting.


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## devonwoody (15 Oct 2009)

The stand is progressing, however there are some problems.

Bloody book plans are up the creek. The drawer divider on the cutting list quotes 6" and frames are 3/4" so the opening should have been 4 1/2" but the end and back rails were quoted 5 3/8 deep. 
This means that drawer rails are not hidden at sides and back. I shall most probably do a cover up later. 






I am putting a 1/4" dado in drawer rails for drawer runners and ply dust sheet and to find the centre point of timber for 1/4" router bit I mark the centre pint of timber and put in a centre point bit I had made to line up and the exchange for the 1/4" bit as per pictures.











I decided to glue up end frames to cut gluing time by half..


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## devonwoody (17 Oct 2009)

Its 9am and its cold (around 7C) condensation everywhere and I have still got a weeks work to do to complete this tablestand.






So had to get this bit of equipment out.


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## devonwoody (18 Oct 2009)

Things have been a bit slow on this lately, 2 days gardening, two shopping trips, visitors today and the cold weather is coming in.

However got this far.






I have had some wide sliding joints to do and if interested I did them this way. 
A sliding tenon was made by putting the timber on my sawbench and screwing a guide to the bench for the blade to follow across 5".






A similar set up used for the sliding dovetail but I made an angled former which I screwed to the bench for saw to follow.






And now for a bit of bling. A Stanley 271 router cutter.

There are some on Ebay but only in the USA current bid nearly $60.
Mine is over 30 years old and hasn't been used for years.






Used to clean out the sliding dovetail on back rail again 5" wide.


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## devonwoody (22 Oct 2009)

Another good session of fiddling accomplished Wednesday.

Bad weather two days and another bad one today (Thursday) keeping me out of the shed.

However got all my carcass joints together and fitting reasonably well and did the glue up,

Left in front of the radiator overnight to help the glue along.






Going to start on the drawers next, hand making and going to attempt colour patterns. Oh and the bottom shelf to be made, a torsion box I think is the name given to this type of shelf.


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## OPJ (22 Oct 2009)

devonwoody":1q8t5l7q said:


> And now for a bit of bling. A Stanley 271 router cutter.
> 
> There are some on Ebay but only in the USA current bid nearly $60.
> Mine is over 30 years old and hasn't been used for years.
> ...



All's looking good so far, DW. Plus, I bet even Waka doesn't own a classic router plane like that - that's your own personal bit of Tool Gloatage, right there!!


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## Ironballs (22 Oct 2009)

That's coming along quickly, looking good so far


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## devonwoody (23 Oct 2009)

Thursday, I said pipper the weather and went out to the workshop, making drawers is not something I do everyday.
But located these boards of Sweet Chesnut, these were purchased 40 years ago to make bookshelves for our childrens bedrooms, they eventually left home and timber was put in the loft as planks to walk on..

20 mm thick and I managed to get a clean cut on bandsaw and finished with boards planed up at just over 9mm each.











Cut them all to size for fronts and sides and got out some of my LN's, the gauge I purchased with a fellow known as Wongo of the ubeaut forum at Carbatec, in Sydney. 
Wongo had come to our rescue after my wife had an unfortunate 
accident and generous hospitality was given to us both.






Cut the pins in a batch of four, never done this before, and I will never cut pins separately again even if I have to put some waste timber in the vice and clamps.
The thickness makes it so easy to cut accurately, the saw doesn't want to wander the same as single cut pieces.






So thats four sides cut and brought inside to keep comfortable for the night.


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## devonwoody (23 Oct 2009)

I decided to put some screws (they are on the plans) into back and side rails to hold the dust drawer board more secure marked with crosses) but had problem with the shelf rails fouling the drill whilst drilling pilot holes and screwing in.

So hows zat?






All the bit holders I had got and must measure over 300mm in length.  

Got one drawer carcass underway, btw I am going to make slips for the drawer bases because the carcass is quite thin.





See you again I hope in under a week but visitors (half term time) will be wanting visits to the zoo etc.


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## devonwoody (30 Oct 2009)

Yep, that was seven days out of the workshop. Introduced the grandchildren to Watership Down video and tears started to appear when Violet was gone   

So got back in yesterday afternoon and finished making up and gluing up the drawer carcasses.






Started to fit them in table frame.





However disaster struck, running the drawer sides over the planer to thin down and fit, the adhesive had not set hard enough and the joints started to wobble, so separated, cleaned up and also stripped off the varnish which had not helped and will reglue tomorrow.

In the meantime I found some old 4mm oak veneered ply that I got from a skip 5 years ago but needed to get a straight edge. I solved the problem for myself by using the tablesaw table top which has a good 90 %corner and marked up and hand planed one edge straight for the rip cuts later. 






Fitted the first shelf (another to go under to make a torsion box effect)






Oh. and BTW one of my chisels was losing its keen edge so I stroked it on my sanding block and saved me getting out all the paraphernalia


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## DaveL (31 Oct 2009)

devonwoody":2upredss said:


> Oh. and BTW one of my chisels was losing its keen edge so I stroked it on my sanding block and saved me getting out all the paraphernalia


Just remember not to use that bit of abrasive on the job or you will rub the metal from the chisel into the timber pores. :x


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## devonwoody (1 Nov 2009)

Davel, Yes you are right.


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## devonwoody (2 Nov 2009)

Another two days of little progress (owing to weather, 60mph gales)

Tidied up the side panels and fitted the drawer carcasses.












Put the table top timbers away under the bed the other day to keep all the wood happy, and got a design idea for drawer fronts as soon as the weather calms down.


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## devonwoody (4 Nov 2009)

I went and got out my mitre jig (doing fancy drawers) and it would not slide on the tablesaw because of the dampness in the workshop, the jig has expanded or the cast iron tabletop has shrunk because of the cold.

So brought the jig indoors for the night and will try again tomorrow.


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## Mike.C (4 Nov 2009)

devonwoody":2e1nir26 said:


> I went and got out my mitre jig (doing fancy drawers) and it would not slide on the tablesaw because of the dampness in the workshop, the jig has expanded or the cast iron tabletop has shrunk because of the cold.
> 
> So brought the jig indoors for the night and will try again tomorrow.



Bleeding heck DW it must be cold in your workshop. You always seem to be having trouble with the temperature, so why not think about insulating the building, or at least using a dehumidifier because your cast iron tablesaw must be open to rusting if the damp effects your mitre gauge or slot to that extent. I have granite walls in my workshop which take an age to heat (once heated they do hold it) and the dehumidifier makes an huge difference in keeping the dreaded rust at bay.

Like where you live, the weather does get a bit nippy up here in the north of Scotland.

The table is coming along very nicely.

Cheers

Mike


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## devonwoody (7 Nov 2009)

Hi all, surfacing from the damp and cold briefly, been shopping by the way, got a Tormek T7.

Got these maple and sapele strips glued up in pairs ready to use for the drawer fronts, (when I have got my tools sharpened)


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## devonwoody (8 Nov 2009)

Got the heaters out.

Mitre jig has dried out and slides on the tablesaw again.

For those that have not seen this jig in action, a picture display.

Screw timber to sled at waste areas.






Other end a piece of waste offcut screwed on to sled to act as a stop.






In the meantime I had to get this proven loaf out of the warm cupboard.






Shortend, more waste screwed on, I can cut this 4inch piece without hands on cut piece.






Two drawer fronts cut .






Bread progressing well.











drawer fronts glued up in the conservatory where its warmer. The spaces are to accommodate laminated handles.


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## Mattty (8 Nov 2009)

Your using your Loaf on this job DW


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## 9fingers (8 Nov 2009)

These two task clearly knead careful work

Bob


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## Mattty (8 Nov 2009)

I think he can rise to the challenge though


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## 9fingers (8 Nov 2009)

That will be proven by the end result

Bob


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## Mattty (8 Nov 2009)

Doh!


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## 9fingers (8 Nov 2009)

I reckon John has been making a meal of this job today.

Bob


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## Mattty (8 Nov 2009)

Thats very harsh, he's just trying to earn a crust..


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## 9fingers (8 Nov 2009)

Crumbs! this thread keeps rolling on.

Bob


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## Mattty (8 Nov 2009)

We should prob loave it alone. It's rude to take over Dw's thread with this Drivel.


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## 9fingers (8 Nov 2009)

You are probably right

 (a rye grin?)

Bob


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## devonwoody (9 Nov 2009)

Thinking of making another jig, to slice bread on the tablesaw.


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## wobblycogs (9 Nov 2009)

That's the best idea since sliced bread. It could earn you a lot of dough and if you get it working I'm sure we will all toast your success.

I'll be leaving now...


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## devonwoody (9 Nov 2009)

No one mentioned the grains, they were quite wild.


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## devonwoody (11 Nov 2009)

Drawers again.

Prepared the carcass and under drawer fronts to alignment with various pieces of waste timber and covered with polythene, one of the waste bits of timber came from a door panel that must have been fitted to our bungalow in 1963, so its done its final service.






dropped fronts on with liberal amounts of adhesive.






clamped up everywhich way.






Picture this morning with partial fronts on plus a laminated piece of black walnut and maple which will have the handles fashioned from.


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## Oryxdesign (11 Nov 2009)

devonwoody":34l8szeo said:


> Thinking of making another jig, to slice bread on the tablesaw.



Slicing bread has to be done by hand without the use of a jig, just like dovetails and chisel sharpening.


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## devonwoody (16 Nov 2009)

Wednesday last posting and no work done, well the weather has been off hasn't it. 

put a nice looking veneer on a 7mm thick piece of sycamore, not veneering the underside because with luck it wont cup. The third layer is going to be the drawer carcass. 

Glued on with Titebond 3 and held in place with masking tape and clamped between boards in the bench vice.












Positioned here 40 x40mm squares.






Handles next to be fitted, black walnut and maple stripe.


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## devonwoody (16 Nov 2009)

Heading for the last round up.

Got the boards for the tabletop from under the bed and they have stayed put without any defects.






Marked up a former full size on some waste mdf. I can say that was a very good decision on my part, it paid dividends later in the day.







Got the sliding table out from storage, first time it has been used in anger, top was rusty so cleaned up and laid some newspaper to protect surface of timber. Must have been two hours setting it up, finding all the bits etc. 
Cut four angles on the sapele.






The sliding gear only swings to 45% so cut the angles on breadboard ends on my sled and screwed the timber to the sled as per picture.






Top fits together reasonably well, might do some hand planing, then biscuit boards together.


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## paininthe (16 Nov 2009)

Great write up of a nice looking project, thankyou


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## devonwoody (17 Nov 2009)

Thanks pita  

The brown stuff fits ok, its the maple that is going to need planing to fit.

Should only take a few minutes longer in the shed today.


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## devonwoody (18 Nov 2009)

Put the biscuits in using my Triton router table and biscuit attachment.











Glued up the tabletop and whacked in a couple of wedges to tighten joints.






But unfortunately when I looked in on the tabletop two hours later a joint has sprung. I think I made a mistake of only using one wedge each end and I should have put at least four wedges in to keep tensions equal.






So going to purchase some of that stuff called plastic wood, my woodwork teacher 60 years ago recommended it on some mortises I did for a picture frame.
If that doesn't work I will cut of ends and have straight breadboard ends.
Any suggestions welcome.


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## devonwoody (19 Nov 2009)

Here the project finished but the top has not been fixed to carcass until the problem of end joint as been resolved.






Today I am going to attempt to fill gap with plastic wood and see how it turns out after a couple of days. If still a problem I might cut out the cheek on the bandsaw and try to infill with a new piece. Otherwise I shall chop off both ends and fit straight end pieces.

Keeping my fingers crossed.


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## devonwoody (19 Nov 2009)

pipper, I've cut my finger on the wifes food processor, cant finger plastic wood for a few days.


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## devonwoody (21 Nov 2009)

Looks ok to me, put some plastic wood in the joins and sanded down top, leaving again for a few days before deciding on finish.


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