# First Project Finished - Coffee Table in AW Oak



## David_Nicolaou (23 Dec 2006)

Just finished my first project - a coffee table in American White Oak. The top is lipped MDF - should have been solid oak but had a little issue with my Dewalt P/T. 

Pressie for the wife for christmas. 







The legs were inspired from an article in Finewoodworking where inch thick oak was mitred and joined to create a four sided faced block of wood over a solid wood core. It worked quite well but have since learnt of a better way to do it. 






It isn't perfect by any means and there are quite a few mistakes cunningly covered up but I had a great deal of fun and most importantly I have learned a lot. 

The finish is 3 coats of danish oil applied a couple of days apart and a clear wax finish over the lot - the top has had 3 coats of wax in all. 

Have a merry christmas everyone and keep up the excellent posts


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## Alf (23 Dec 2006)

Welcome to the forum, David. Nice job.  I'll just see if my over-posting actually comes in useful and The Mighty Spaminator will let _me_ show the finished project on your behalf.











Merry Christmas, Alf :deer


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## DaveL (23 Dec 2006)

Hi David, 

Welcome to the forum.  

Nice looking table. Has your wife pasted judgement on it yet? 8-[ 

The Mighty Spaminator will leave your posts alone, once you have a few more to your name. 8)


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## garywayne (23 Dec 2006)

Welcome David.

I don't usually like such bulky legs, but those look good. Well done.


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## PowerTool (23 Dec 2006)

Hi there,David.

Firstly,welcome to the forum  

Secondly,congratulations on such a lovely piece of furniture  (It's a brave person who combines "first project" with "first post".. :wink: )

Andrew


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## Waka (23 Dec 2006)

David

Welcome to the forum.

Very nice coffee table, how about explaining construction methods?


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## JFC (23 Dec 2006)

Hi David , welcome to the forum . Nice table


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## David_Nicolaou (23 Dec 2006)

Thanks for the comments - I am quite chuffed how it all turned out in the end, the wife loves it - on and off it took about a year and a half. The coffee table was meant to be a christmas present in 2005 but work inevitably gets in the way.

I really wish now that I took some photos along the way as I don't have a photographic record to show off. Next time i guess. 

The legs were thicknessed to just over 20mm (thick enough to allow them to be routed with a coving bit) and a 45 degree mitre was run on each edge. This did leave the edges a little brittle but the glue surface was big enough to not need a spline or biscuits. The faces were taped together and folder around a solid wood core (method courtesy of fine woodworking). The coves were then cut using a simple jig I made. Mortices were cut in two sides of the legs and the rails were then tenoned to fit the mortices. A rebate was cut into the bottom rail to support a shelf and a groove was cut into the top rail to allow buttons to be used to attach the top. 

I dry assembled the frame and measured and cut the bottom shelf. The 4 corners had to be cut into (the shelf) to get round the legs. The shelf is Oak faced MDF (I would probably saw my own veneers next time as the next bit of kit is a bandsaw). 

The whole thing was glued up - the shelf fitted and left to go off. I had enough wood for a solid top but as I mentioned - my P/T wasn't set up awfully well and after changing the blades - I made a mess of the setup. I thought everything was square and level but it wasn't and I got wood tapering front to back and side to side (a planer setting jig from rutlands has since come to the rescue). 

As it happened - I had some spare oak faced MDF and used that with a generous oak lipping. It was biscuited, scraped flat and finished. 
The edges of the top have a ovolo profile routed into them, the bottom side is slightly rounded over.

In hindsight - I should have routed the lipping before mitering - I would have if I had a router table (thats on the list after the bandsaw). 

Sanded from 180 to 400 grit - rubbed down with synthetic 0000 wire wool and danish oiled with a wax on top. 

Whew - sounds quick when you type it out . 

Lots of fun and I am on a steep learning curve here but enjoying every minute. 

I have an IT background so used cad to prototype the design - so I was happy with the look before I started - but the next project is a pair of side tables and they are going to be much more elegent affairs. 

I will take photos of that though as I go along


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## Evergreen (23 Dec 2006)

David

For a first project, that's pretty damn good. Well done.

Regards.


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## Anonymous (23 Dec 2006)

Lovely table David. I like the proportions and the routed flutes look great


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## David_Nicolaou (23 Dec 2006)

Thanks for the kind words. Those flutes were a real pain - took me quite a few attempts in some scrap to get the right router speed and then there was still some burn that needed removing with a lot of elbow grease.

Well i must say I am lapping up the comments


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## Colin C (23 Dec 2006)

Welcome to the forum David

Nice table too  , well done


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## woodbloke (24 Dec 2006)

Great looking table and welcome to the forum. If you have used wax on the top (which looks great) it will make a 'ring' if you put a cup of hot tea or coffee directly onto the surface...as I have found to my cost and wallet - Rob


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## Paul Chapman (24 Dec 2006)

Nice table, David =D> Welcome to the forum.

Cheers :ho2 

Paul


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## David_Nicolaou (24 Dec 2006)

Yeah - i heard that happens - there are coasters now every 8 inches and there is a piece of glass on order to cover the top. 

Thanks for the heads up about the hot drinks mate. 

Happy Christmas and thanks for such a warm welcome to the forum


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## woodshavings (24 Dec 2006)

Hi David, that's real nice. I love american white oak and you have used it well.
As others have said, with a wax finish, hot cups will leave marks on the top.
On simular projects I have used Chestnut Products Melamine Lacquer. 
It is heat resistant and has withstood hot coffee cups, spilt coffee and even the occasional Indian Takeaway spilt on it!! 
John


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## lucky9cat (26 Dec 2006)

That's a lovely table, David. Thanks for going through how you made the legs. I've made similar sized legs for an oak Morris Chair but veneered the non quatersawn faces to achieve a quartersawn face all round. Next time I think I'll follow your method as the result is superb.

Ted


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## greggy (27 Dec 2006)

hi david, well done with the table it looks fantastic, i have just shown the wife it and now she wants one like it. so i guess cos we havent got a coffee table it looks like i am in the shed in the morning. ps welcme to a great forum =D>


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## Shivers (29 Dec 2006)

Hello dave,nice job on the table, this is my first post on the forum, 

& i'd like to offer a design tip if you intend upon making any other or matching fluted furniture,--that is the out flats of any fluted post/pillar/leg should be larger than the flats that lay inbetween the flutes, the ratio is rough ly 10/6 (eg:- 10mm outside/6mm inside),this keeps in accord to the ratio's of the golden section of design, 


regards 

Shivers.


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## Shultzy (29 Dec 2006)

Welcome to the forum Shivers, we like tips like that - keep them coming.


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## Newbie_Neil (29 Dec 2006)

Hi Shivers

Welcome to the forum.

Cheers
Neil


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## CYC (29 Dec 2006)

this is really beautiful. Just my style.
I like the proportions, the details and the finish.

I would consider copying it ;-)


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## David_Nicolaou (31 Dec 2006)

yeah but if it looks right - it is right


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## Shivers (31 Dec 2006)

David_Nicolaou":1g6pda9a said:


> yeah but if it looks right - it is right



Precisely thats why design knowledge is important,if you dont know design then everything looks kinda nice.Theres no hard & fast rules really,but thats why furniture making is a combination of skills.


regards.


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## Shultzy (31 Dec 2006)

David_Nicolaou":bskb5do7 said:


> yeah but if it looks right - it is right



I think that what Shivers is trying to say is that in order to make a piece "looks right" it has to have slight design changes to make it "look right".

I'm sure he will give out a few more "secrets" if we ask nicely.


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## Shivers (31 Dec 2006)

Thanks shultzy --maybe i gotta explain more clearly,


heres an example of how they should look.
Also note that the space at the top of the column is equal to the side space/reveal, again working on the 10/6 or 26/16 golden mean ratio.
This also applies to the bottom,but usually the bottom space/reveal is even larger again by 10/6 26/16 rule,so the object is to quietly build in detail that does not clash with other detail,the aim is to have a refined well proportioned look.









cheers 

shivers.


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## Anonymous (1 Jan 2007)

I did a bit of design at college but have forgotton almost all of it.

I think what Shivers is talking about are certain conventions of proportionality which have been accepted since the time of the ancient Greeks (or maybe earlier) as producing buildings, furniture, indeed anything that is generally perceived to be the most pleasing to the eye.

Shivers isn't trashing your work, David, he's just making a constructive suggestion from the position of his experience and expertise as to how the design could be improved further.

I, for one, would love to reaquaint myself with some of these 'rules' so as hopefully to improve the quality of my own designs.

Over to you Shivers.

Brad

PS Diss my work & I'll slap you! :lol: :lol:


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## Alf (1 Jan 2007)

Adam Cherubini's Arts & Mysteries blog has started to delve into some of the classical practices used in designing, fwiw. More in his column in Popular Woodworking this month too - ignore the interesting garb and just concentrate on the info... :wink:

Given the troubles PWW was having with overseas subs, might as well add that the delivery these days is extremely prompt over here and has frequently beaten the 'Murrican subscribers' receiving date by a clear week. So if that's what put you off subscribing before, worth considering again I think.

Cheers, Alf


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## Anonymous (1 Jan 2007)

I like to leave a wider edge in my fluted posts. I also cut stop my flutes as i think it looks tidier.






The table looks nice, but I think the points on design are valid.


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## Anonymous (1 Jan 2007)

Mmmm, that does look nice, Senior.

Am I right in thinking that the top of the post is a seperate block?

Brad


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## Shivers (1 Jan 2007)

I had the benefit of doing funiture design exams,whilst doing my apprenticeship,the training that we used to receive at college was of a high order, 
David i wasn't putting your work down,if only you could see my first attempts-not so good,but you'll find the more you do over time you'll start to develope an eye for detail, 
Sometimes the only way to visualise a design is to do a full size drawing--this makes it easier to work out detail,i used to have a sheet of plywood standing upright with a parallel straight edge to do this with acuracy.
The golden mean was formulated by the ancient greeks,and you can see the same proportions everywhere in nature-even the human body is sized by these ratio's. 

Happy new year. 

shivers.


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## David_Nicolaou (1 Jan 2007)

Shoulders are broad enough to take a bit of criticism 

No - no offence taken at all - thanks for the comments and will incorporate these designs into other pieces i am doing in the same style. 

The surname is greek cypriot so i am into the greek design thing 

Happy new year.


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## dedee (2 Jan 2007)

very nice job David, not at all bad for a first project.

Andy


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## woodbloke (2 Jan 2007)

David Nicolaou wrote:


> Shoulders are broad enough to take a bit of criticism


David, I agree with others that your first project is _not_ being adversely criticized and as I have said is excellent for a first project. I would welcome any _positive_ suggestions from knowledgable forum members on any work that I posted onto the forum....I think generally you take on board suggestions and hopefully incorporate them into the next piece and try to make it better. Only my view - Rob


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## David_Nicolaou (2 Jan 2007)

Hello again everybody.

Having seen the flutes on the side of the cabinet of seniors, you are absolutely right shivers, the proportion does look better when the out flats are bigger than the in flats.

The leg detail on seniors cabinet is excellent and I can only aspire to such quality. 

Thanks for the tips, they are hugely appreciated.

All the best for the new year.


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## Shivers (2 Jan 2007)

Hey david ,flutes are a bit of a pipper to get right,its only after you get used to controling the router for flutes that you then have a chance to think about what you are doing,making a huge hashup of flutes is very easy,

I learned the hard way by getting a few wrong,however in the end i learned that the way to get them nice & even was to use two fences on the router(each side of leg/column ect),do a full size layout of positions,& not make the flutes so deep(aim for around 70% router bit depth),this gives a nice conservative refined look, full depth of the router bit is too harsh of a look.

I know what makes this difficult as on nearly all routers the return springs are too strong,what i did with my big elu's & dewalts was to dismantle the base from the router body to get at the springs,i then took the springs out & shortened them by around 35mm,this gave me less tension to fight against upon a plunge action.


Happy routing.
regards for the new year,---shivers.


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## CYC (3 Jan 2007)

Some excellent comments and sample (senior's). Thanks Shiver for the information and thanks David for starting it off with showing us your excellent first project.
I can't wait to incorporate some flutes in my future projects, I always wanted to and now know more thanks to your two


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## David_Nicolaou (3 Jan 2007)

Yeah it was a pipper to control the router when i was doing them. I ended up making a secondary fence and making a jig that fitted around the leg to stop the router travelling too far. 

I have the dewalt 625ek which is a beast and i do wish I had talked to you at the time as shortening the springs is a brilliant idea. 

Get my tin snips out after work i think. 

Cheers

David


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## Shivers (3 Jan 2007)

Just watch out for the cam on the plunge lock,if you undo the nut that holds the cam in place its nigh on impossible to get back together.At least on my old Elu electronic it was. 
Since the springs are made of toughened steel you might want to save the snips & use a bench grinder to cut through 

http://www.blackanddeckerspares.com/sto ... E12153.gif 

parts No 38/39 be careful with those.(dwelt 625)same part No's on the big elu's mof 177 as well. 

plus one last tip---set up all 3 depth stops with the 3rd being the final depth cut,this allows faster smoother operations/cut,whereas without doing this you are always guessing & bogging down/burning the wood,aim for a skim cut on the final (3rd)pass,this removes nearly all chatter/burn marks,& do it in one smooth medium speed stroke.(hanging around causes burns).The final skim pass neatens every flute out to a uniform look,of course these practices should be used for other router operations as well where possible.Using stops is a good idea although this can be hindered by the flat on the front of the base,making a removable block to allow for the difference between the round & flat would then allow you to merely turn the router around to go in the other direction. 

If i keep on like this on this thread it's going to turn into a book lol.
anyway i think you get the drift of it.(buy a second fence though,this will really help)then i can give you my top tip on morticing. 

hope this helps. 
regards 




shivers


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## David_Nicolaou (3 Jan 2007)

Marvellous Stuff, 

I have been meaning to buy the microfence for a year or so - I hear its very good ?

What fence do you use or did you buy an additional dewalt / B&D fence from the spares list ?

Cheers Mate

David


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## Shivers (3 Jan 2007)

Well i always had 3 big Elu's so always had an extrea fence,since i got the dewalt --i have 3 fences.
I managed to get some 12mm thick perspex & made some extra large guides to replace the black plastic ones that are on the fences,i made these full fence length x 60mm,you need to make a grove at the top of them to fit over the casr allot tang on the fence main body.



shivers.


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