# Extending 'Flip-Top' Dining Table - Finished!!



## OPJ (22 Sep 2009)

Without counting, I know there aren't very many weeks left until the deadline and I do not honestly fancy my chances of finishing this table in time. I'm in the middle of doing two other jobs for two other people so, we'll see how far this one goes...

As it happens, one of the other pieces I'm making also happens to be a dining table. That extends on a 'drawer leaf' mechanism where as, the table in this thread (which is for my mother :roll will operate one what's commonly know as a 'butterfly' mechanism (I'm sure you've all seen it - where two leaves unfold and swing out from underneath the centre). Progress on the drawer-leaf table was going very well indeed [there's some brief information in my UKW Blog :wink:], until yesterday when I was looking at preparing boards for the top... To cut a long story short, some of the boards I had weren't fit for purpose and I hadn't bought enough spare to get on with (_very unlike me, as anyone from college will agree!_  ). This morning, I took a trip Interesting Timbers for some more 1in. oak and, while I was there, I decided I would fill my car with the remainder of beech I required.







Actually, this is a photo of my _second_ load. :shock: Believe it or not, I bought enough of enough of both timbers to overload my car. Earlier this year, I pushed my car's suspension to the limits with a load of 3in. beech for my workbench. Miraculously, it just keeps on going but, I decided it would be sensible to get the wood for this dining table in two trips.

Back to my old ways, I spent almost double what I had anticipated! :shock: I usually blame the wastage factor involved with waney-edged timbers but, as this is a regular occurrence, could it actually be me? :? Three cubic feet of oak for one table top (1000mm x 760mm) - I'm not saying any more!! [-(

Some of these 2in. thick boards were phenomenally wide - I ripped the bark from one edge, cut the other parallel and still had 21in.-worth of usable timber!! 8)






I'm still hanging on to this Makita saw, despite owning a larger Hitachi. I find this one more convenient for sheet materials (at least until I can afford a plunge saw! ). It did struggle a bit but, I'd put that down to the 40t blade. Previously, I was set on a 32mm thick top. After studying my SketchUp drawing, I've now decided on 38mm finished thickness. It is a shame no-one stocks 1¾in. sawn timber (they do 2½in. - and who the heck buys that, anyway?! :roll: )






My approach to working waney-edged wood this time around is a little different... Normally, I'd remove the bark from both edges. This time, I intend to straight only _one_ edge [yes, I'm aware of what I wrote earlier!! :wink:]. Once it's had some time to settle in the 'shop (a week or so), I'll reference off this edge to get my components out over-sized before sticking them indoors for a bit.

Speaking of bark and wastage, this is what I'll be throwing away initially. I'll normally give this away to someone else as firewood - I do wonder whether anyone would actually pay for a 'good quality hardwood' though...? :-k :wink:






On to the design, at last...

My brief calls for a table roughly the same size as our existing pine piece, which will initially seat four people, extending to seat six on occasion. Mum did talk about an eight-seater at one point but I showed her (using the power of _Google SketchUp_!) how that isn't really feesable in our small kitchen. I'm aware that each seater (and seat, inside the frame) needs at least 500mm of arm room for comfort. So, as you can probably see in these images; I'm not far off but, there's still a little bit of playing around with dimensions to be done.






It's a bit 'touch-and-go', in the sense that I don't want the outer corners of the legs to be too close to to perimeter of the table top, for aesthetics, more-so than anything else.






In order to help such matters (I hope!), in my current leg design (see below), I will add a considerate radius to the outer arris, which I feel compliments the curve of the top (...speaking of which, that curve isn't yet concrete). I bought some 3x3in. pine a few weeks ago and will make a couple of mock-up legs soon.






Regardless of whether or not I actually finish, I would like to have this underframe construction finished by the end of October. After which, the top should be fairly straight forward. I'm fully aware that beech isn't the most stable of timbers, which is why I'll be adding a central runner to this construction, which should help to keep the top flat.






Thinking back to the sawn timber, which currently rests at approximately 54mm thick, that's an awful lot of waste to achieve a 38mm thickness. I don't fancy mountains of wood shavings and several trips to the Recycling Centre so, I may have to cut and store _nineteen_ beech veneers, 100mm wide! No, I don't like to waste wood, which is partly why I often end up taking home the boards in a stack which several other people have already turned over...! :roll: 

There's still a little more ripping to be done tomorrow, as the heavens halted proceedings for today. :x I've hand some 3in. beech on stand-by since my 'bench build during the summer. This length was the only one _not_ to have split severely. Damien's [Ironballs] thread appears to have sprung his competition entry in to life. While I appreciate that I have minimal progress to show so far, I'm hoping this entry will have a similar effect on my project. :wink:

See you in twenty-four hours!


----------



## Ironballs (22 Sep 2009)

Olly you know how to make a man feel better, talk about pushing a deadline to the limit. I feel like I've made massive amounts of progress!

Let's see what you can knock out in 24 hours then


----------



## OPJ (23 Sep 2009)

Cheers, Damien! 

Today, I was hoping to have completed my first mock-up but, as I still had a tonne of wood to cut up from yesterday, I couldn't get beyond feeding the pine through my thicknesser. That'll be my first job at the weekend though. I'd like to share with you my approach to getting four legs from this great lump of beech that's been sitting in my workshop for a few months now...






Note the 'other-hand-behind-my-back' technique.  Don't worry, I have clamped the other end to stop it falling off the saw. This monstrous mass of beech was only just large enough for the cross-cutting capacities of my saw.

Neither edge was dead-straight (or convex, for that matter :roll and I didn't fancy digging out my power planer or risking injury by trying to feed this over the planer on my own. :? So, I placed one wedge either side of the blade to prevent the pieces from being 'pulled in' and binding as the saw completes the cut. Let me tell you from past experience that it makes a terrifying '*BANG!*' if you don't take such precautions - and that was 1in. cherry! :shock: 






Wedges are always handy to have around the 'shop. If you don't have any yet, honestly, grab some scrap and cut at least half a dozen, next time you're out in the workshop.  Despite four months of living in my 'shop, there was still a good amount of stress within this board (_I'm not even sure it's right to call this a 'board'!_ ) and I admit to stalling the bandsaw blade twice...  Still, it's much safer than using a table saw as there's no risk of kickback; you can let the timber sit there, with the blade running, as you drive the wedge(s) in.






This is how it worked out in the end, taking four legs from a 2m long length. You can see I've still got enough spare for two more legs, should the unthinkable happen. :wink: I had to waste 400mm off the end as this was split quite severely (it 'fell apart' as I the saw broke through).






Although I've forgotten to take a photo' here, all the frame components are now stacked up indoors, ready to sit for a couple of weeks. Even the 1in. boards feel damper than the oak I bought. I may cut a piece off and take it in to college to check the moisture content, nearer the time. For now, I'm having to work within a space that'll certainly compete with wizer's workshop for timber content!! 






Most of that is waiting to be downsized in to boards for the top at a later date. Somewhere in behind this lot is my offcuts storage bin, based on a design by Ralph Laughton.






This winter, if it's too cold to make furniture then I may have to start getting serious about '_round spinning things_'.... :shock:






Yes, this is getting ridiculous now!  :wink: Even my dog, who seems to love the taste of oak shavings, is getting sick of the sight of all that beech! (Of course, none of these photos show you what I've got stashed away indoors!! :roll






All waney-edged offcuts have been through the bandsaw [I think the correct term now may be '_Rob_bed'? ] and I'm left with some reasonable lumps which I am going to try and sell locally. Normally, I'd give this stuff away but these 2in. chumps should burn much better than the 1in. boards I most commonly work with. 8)






So far, I seem to have documented an awful lot about, well, almost nothing really! I apologise to those who are awaiting full progress to begin although, I anticipate that you will be waiting a few more weeks yet.  This weekend then (college tomorrow and Friday), I'll get a mock-up done and we'll see how things move on from there (this has made me realise I'll need to purchase a new trimming cutter from Wealden though! :roll


----------



## Ironballs (23 Sep 2009)

Don't worry Olly, I enjoy a good prevarication as much as the next man, half the fun of this is being stood in the garage with a cuppa with a thousand yard stare pondering things.

At least you've got started now so you should have some machined components ready for jointing soon.

With regards to your offcuts for the fire, that equates to about a dustbin worth which my local place will charge you 6 quid for. If it were me I'd try and exchange for beer, but you don't drink beer


----------



## OPJ (29 Sep 2009)

Yesterday, I finished spraying my first mock-up leg design a lovely white colour. Mainly to disguise to knotty, pine grain so we can focus on the shape. This first shot shows the rail (biscuit-jointed, for ease!) finishing flush with the outer face.






In this next shot, you can see the rail is set back about 6mm from the outer face. What you cannot tell from these mock-ups is that my rails will have a very slight curve to their lower edge (provided I stick with this curved leg idea, anyway).






It is quite like a cabriole leg except, this has been (and will only be) shaped on the two inner faces. I spent some time looking at it before I glued the rails on and I don't think it would work with the curves reversed (ie. on the outer faces).

I would appreciate some feedback from other members of the forum on this (excluding the Judges, of course! :wink. The curve starts about halfway up, here. On my next one, I may start it lower (either one-third or one-quarter up from the bottom) to retain some of the thickness lower down. I do not think that round over on the outermost arris should be increased at all. I could also reduce the rail width from 100mm down to 90mm. They may not need to be so wide, if the legs are going to be shaped.

For those interested, this is the old pine table my design will (eventually!) be replacing and you can also see the corner space I am partially restricted to. I think it measures 1200mm x 800mm and it does not extend.






...Yeah, my dog's a bit of a photo' wh**e at the minute; sneaking in to the background of everything I do right now! (No, actually, that's _fore_ground, isn't it - and she usually hates being photographed!!) 

One other reason we decided on beech [not only because it's "_a light wood_", to quote my mother] is because we were given two of these chairs not long ago. I think they came from a charity shop or jumble sale, or something. Yep, you guessed it; just the two for now... Though, now armed with a woodturning lathe, I'm guessing someone  will be asked to make two more at a later date...! :roll:


----------



## Ironballs (29 Sep 2009)

I think the leg looks good Olly, the curve has an elegance to it whilst still remaining sturdy, will go well with a curved rail too


----------



## OPJ (31 Oct 2009)

Yes, I really should alter the title of this thread, shouldn't I... :shock: You don't need me to tell you now that I won't be anywhere near finished by midnight! 

As promised though, I will keep this thread going and will keep you all informed of progress! 

Today, having dragged the chest of drawers in to the house to clear some space for wood-machining (and to keep it clean!), I set about reducing the large quantity of 2in. thick beech which has slowly taken over my workshop in the last month or so... :? Out came the Hitachi circular saw and I made a start on the biggest b****r of all, which alone gave me _six_ of the required nineteen lengths of 900mm x 110x50mm sawn. 8)






(Don't worry, I aim to have a new workshop vacuum in my possesion fairly soon!! )

Much to my surprise, there was minimal tension in all of this beech. A couple of the 6ft lengths 'pinched' right at the very end of the cut (and, I mean, _very end_!). It was enough to almost stall the saw. Driving a small wedge in to the kerf was enough to complete the cut! 

Fear arose in my mind some time later when I noticed these bore holes :shock: - there are three in this photo and you can probably just make out the last one.






This is actually something I noticed on the 21in. I showed you earlier. What was very strange is that these were near the centre of the board, in the heartwood... :? I've written off woodworm because they generally attack sapwood in greater numbers... I guess it's some kind of beetle? Even so, they must be bloody tough to get in to the heart like this! :shock: Any thoughts, anyone?

For peace of mind, I've put this length to one side and cut out a replacement. I couldn't find one bore hole on any of the other lengths, even after skimming them through the thicknesser.

Now, all the 2in. boards I've machined today will be for the top. Another good reason getting this done now is because I need to replace a couple of lengths I'd previously roughed out for the side rails, because of the sapwood content. To be honest, it was something I noticed weeks ago but, with two other jobs to finish first, I couldn't be bothered to do anything about it. :roll:






I barely bought enough 1in. boards to begin with so, I had to deep-rip a couple of 2in. lengths to get what I now required. There was a bit of tension along the way but, they didn't split dramatically at the end of the cut, which is a problem I've experienced previously with 3in. beech.






(You should just be able to make out the 'hollow' in the middle, while the ends are just touching.)

Each board was averaging 55mm/56mm thick. Previously, I was looking for a 38mm finish but, seeing as these have been sawn so generously over sized (as they often are), I'll be looking for 45mm/1¾in.






I'll try to leave them like this in the workshop for a few days, while the weather's kind, just in case the worst does happen [_splits, cracks, checks!!_]. At least this way, I shouldn't have to lug them all outside again and there's a reduced risk of them being 'cooked' by the central heating (bloody mothers, eh! They don't know what _real_ cold is!! )

Before you go, I noticed this on one of the boards (it was evident while the board was still sawn)...






Anyone know what it is? Is it some kind of staining? I've not seen this in beech before and it's the only board I have like it. You can see how shallow it is. Chances are that, by the time I've finished preparing it in a few weeks, it will have disappeared anyway!  But still, I'm interested to find out. 

Half a days work with power tools and a lot of sweeping up later and I _still_ have a considerable amount of beech left over... :roll:








Hopefully, I'll be making a _proper_ start on this table a fortnight from now (once those freshly sawn rails have had some time to settle). In the mean time, I'll try to get some general bits and pieces around the workshop sorted and may even make some progress on a couple of small items for an exhibition next year... :wink:


----------



## OPJ (9 Nov 2009)

So many photos, so many words and, yet, I still haven't started this... 

Maybe the week after next. Slight issues in getting the mortiser set up properly have delayed things a little and I'm likely to be busy doing other things, running people around next week. 

While I should be focusing on my approach to constructing the frame right now, I have to admit, I haven't been happy with the appearance of the top or the overall length of the piece. Suddenly, yesterday, I was hit by a glimpse of inspiration and came up with the following idea:






Actually, one of Alan Peters' pieces has a similar looking top to it (with sharper corners, I think?). It is probably from reading his book a few weeks ago that my brain has now decided that image is of some relevance today. :roll:






I may widen the top slightly but, I quite like it. It is different to what's already there, which is very important to me (though, I still haven't cleared this with mother... :?). Plus, it should offer a little more support and comfort at the corners. I've also reduced the length to absolute *minimum* seating requirements, which would better suit the limited space we have (see previous post above). My SketchUp drawing alsotells me that the mechanism should still work okay. 8)

I can't think of how would round-over the edges just yet but, I do feel it is crucial on a top of this thickness for comfort (and, also, because of all the other curves elsewhere). As I'll no longer require _all nineteen_ of those lengths I cut earlier, I could machine up a spare piece for trial and error (I was thinking of a large radius on top, small on the bottom...).

I'm open to all comments on this so far.


----------



## The Shark (10 Nov 2009)

Hi Olly,
Don't want to comment on the actual design, as your mother is obviously having an input ( call it learning by experience :roll: !!), but I do enjoy reading your account, and hope you continue to show us all how the project is progressing.

Malc


----------



## RobertMP (10 Nov 2009)

I played with all sorts of shapes like that before I settled on a simple square edge 

Hope mum doesn't have to move this table as that thick top is going to make it a heavy table. Mine has 25mm top and leaves but is still pretty weighty.

Watching with interest....


----------



## OPJ (16 Nov 2009)

Seeing how the weather's being kind at the minute (temperature-wise!) and I'd like to get this job finished in time for Christmas, I made a start on this table in the workshop today.

...Actually, make it half-of-today - I spent most of the morning dithering about on SketchUp, trying to decide (last-minute!) whether or not I've actually got enough room for the mechanism to work since altering the shape of the top... We might find out in a couple of weeks! :wink:

From my "wood store" (_bedroom!!_), I dug out all the components for the frame that I had previously roughed out. You may recall that I decided to cut two new side rails because of sapwood in the old ones and, that the replacements had to be deep-ripped from 2in. beech... Well, when I got my tape measure out, I realised I had foolishly cut these to 900mm long - the frame is going to be 1m long, which means I'd only have tenons approximately 30mm long!! :x So, I was back to using what I had prepared previously. 

First stop was the planer/thicknesser. This next shot shows my current method of keeping the blasted hose clear of timber exiting my thicknesser - a length of yellow pine balanced on top of my bobbin sander while wedged between the blocks of my wall... Well, it works! 






If only I could say the same for the dust extraction - as Mark (TrimTheKing) said in another thread, it really is s***e on this machine! This lot was left to clean up once I'd finished preparing the legs, rails, stretchers and runners. :x






My new vacuum extractor received a good workout today and cooperated reasonably well with my bandsaw and sliding mitre saw. One thing I don't like about the Nilfisk is that the motor switches off as soon as you switch off your tool or machine. With other models (including the RSDE2-A I owned previously), they'll run on for an extra ten-seconds to clear any straggling particles. A little disappointment but, overall, I'm still very happy with this purchase. 

After several months of using power tools [_not machinery!_] without dust extraction, this is what my Trend AirAce was looking like, inside! :shock: (Yep, long overdue a filter swap...)






For the very first time, my new~old mortiser got a proper workout. It still needs a little tweaking to get the vertical headstock travel working smoothly but, I cannot fault the performance. I can't believe I put up with my old Fox machine for so long! 8)






And, to finish off for to-half-day, cleaning up the mortises by hand. Actually, where I was worried about not being able to fine-adjust the back fence on my mortiser, it's not actually that difficult. If I fit a wide face to the screw-clamp then and lightly nip up the securing bolts, I can use the thread to fine adjust in one direction.






I've chopped these mortises with a ½in. Japanese chisel. I would've normally gone for 3/8in. in this situation (22mm rails) but, I gave that cheap one away with the Fox machine it came with. I also wanted to keep a good 12mm of timber on the outer face of each leg, for strength so, it looks like I'll be cutting bare-faced tenons on the rails, which should also save me a bit of time on the router table. :wink:

So, tomorrow...

I've got these tenons to cut on my router table and then I've got to do a dry-assembly of the frame before I can look at adding the two stretchers with sliding dovetails... If I can manage all that then, I also need to order a new trimming cutter from Wealden so that I can (hopefully) get some shaping done on Wednesday/the weekend.

I'm really gutted I couldn't get this started in time for the competition but, at the same time, it's a relief not to have that kind of pressure hanging over me.


----------



## OPJ (17 Nov 2009)

Another late start today. :roll: At least, this time, I was able to get out there before lunch time! Started with the bare-faced tenons, which didn't take all that long on the router table using Steve Maskery's jig (you know what it is; you don't need to see _another_ photo! :wink. I really must look at a why to utilise my 50mm Wealden Tenon Cutter for this, as it's currently too 'short' for use with an 18mm thick jig...

I'd like to have a little moan about my mitre saw station, if that's okay... While I'm fairly pleased with how it turned out (only built it last year!), having to lift these great tables up and down is a real pain in my small workshop and I'm considering alternate solutions, seeing as I'm stuck with a mitre saw for the time being (until I can afford a table saw). While studying the last issue of _British Woodworking_ closely, I noticed Steve adds a long fence but then uses only a roller stand for support... I was about to sell my two but, I think this setup would work very well for me, for the time being.






Haunches were cut and widths trimmed on the bandsaw. Following that, I put a 45° mitre on each end using my disc sander. You can probably see that beech burns quite easily though, I am a little aggressive with these things... :roll:






I was thinking about doing an interlocking tenon but, wasn't sure how that would or would not work with a haunched tenon. Actually, I'm now thinking of _draw-boring_ these tenons, as they're only bare-faced and I have plenty of beech dowelling left over from my 'bench build over the summer.

Here, are the completed tenons:






Next, my thoughts turned to the sliding dovetail housings which would connect the stretchers to the long side rails. Before I set my router up though, I decided to sand the inner faces to 120g, so I didn't risk exposing the joint later. If it was anything other than beech, I'd have quite happily used a hand plane!! 

Fortunately, I have a dead-handy set of matched dovetail and straight cutters from _Dakotaland_ (Rutlands :wink. They've been in my 'shop for a few years so, it was about time I got them dirty!






On eBay, recently, I've been hunting for a DW621 router with a ¼in. collet but, people keep out-bidding me by £2! :x That would've been dead-handy, here. I could've kept each router set up with a different cutter and cut the grooves without having to rest the jig (...just a scrap of 12mm MDF).






...If that didn't make a lot of sense, I should explain; in order to save my dovetail cutter, I 'hogged' most of the waste out of each groove first with a straight cutter. This next photo should tell you all you need to know.






A good workout for this little cutter. Shame about the paint work! 






Now, there are two things wrong in this next photo... You can see the gaping hole where I over cut the depth on my haunch... Can you spot the other one?...






This was at the beginning of my first dry-run and I only noticed this looking at the photo just now...

Okay! I've put the wrong rail in the wrong mortise! Look at the tenon shoulder - it should be closer to the outside of the leg!  Don't worry though, it is only the image that is wrong. I know that all my rails and tenons are correct. 8)

Here's the frame going together before any shaping. This gave me an opportunity to take the shoulder lengths for the stretcher rails. I know, they do look very close to the ends of the frame and you may think this allows little room for the runners. Well, I decided to widen the top anyway with the redesign, which has given me an extra 50mm underneath (that equates to about 32mm either side of the central leaf in its resting position, between the runners).






Looks like another half-day for tomorrow and I probably won't get any shaping done until the weekend, now.  These stretchers should be pretty straight-forward and I'd like to get the notches done as well (for the runners, which will be 'dovetailed' in cross-section!).

Do I cut the grooves first or bevel the edges on the runners?


----------



## bodgermatic (18 Nov 2009)

Olly, just curious - why sand the beech rather than plane it?


----------



## OPJ (18 Nov 2009)

Have you every tried hand-planing beech yourself?! 

No, seriously... It is hard work. Certainly not as easy as planing oak or one of many other hardwoods. Plus, I haven't used my planes properly for a few weeks and all the blades either need sharpening or (in some cases) regrinding - I just couldn't be bothered at the time and wanted to get the job done! :roll: I don't like regrinding either so, I try to wait until I have a batch of irons ready to go!

Saying that, I sold my bench grinder a while back and I still haven't bought a replacement - not sure how I would manage that either... :? :wink:


----------



## bodgermatic (18 Nov 2009)

OPJ":2an9z3e8 said:


> Have you every tried hand-planing beech yourself?!



Yep, am doing on my current project. Not just finishing it, but dimensioning it from sawn  The planes do have to be sharp though, and it is slow going. I think you could describe my pace of work as 'meditative' rather than 'speedy'.


----------



## Chems (18 Nov 2009)

Another brilliant build thats a pleasure to read olly. Thanks for putting it all up again.


----------



## OPJ (18 Nov 2009)

bodgermatic":1zl85i69 said:


> Yep, am doing on my current project. Not just finishing it, but dimensioning it from sawn  The planes do have to be sharp though, and it is slow going. I think you could describe my pace of work as 'meditative' rather than 'speedy'.



In which case, I take my hat off to you!! :shock: It would be good too, if you could upload some photos to the forum, as work progresses... :wink:

Thanks, Chems. Today's update to follow shortly, once I've sorted out my photos...


----------



## OPJ (18 Nov 2009)

Sliding dovetails - what's all the fuss about?! 8)

Okay so, it took me an age to get the fence set just right for the perfect fitting joint but, after that, it was a breeze! I actually made this jig about a year ago for a different job I've actually yet to finish...  No need to clamp the timber in place and the back fence means I can attach a false fence in future without breakout. :wink:






I now suspect my thicknesser is also producing boards which are very slightly tapered along their length... I ran each face of these boards against the router fence _twice_ to make sure I got an accurate cut. Yet, on both stretchers, the joint fits snugly at one end and a little bit loose at the other! :roll: :duno: 

I then trimmed the waste off by hand.






My next task was to look at cutting the dovetail-shaped notches in each rail for the dovetail-shaped runners. Before I go any further, you can probably look at the next photo and see that I'm heading towards trouble...






These were also chopped out by hand. I think the fact that I over cut one of my lines here shows that... 






...The inevitable happened when I started hammering [_"malleting", actually!_ ] away with my chisels. Months ago, when I first started planning this, I had anticipated this and decided at the time that I would not cut the haunches and would leave the tenons almost "American"... Somehow, I completely forgot about this until this morning! :x






What I'll do now is to cut all these bits off and plug the haunches. I think this makes my case for draw-boring these joints even stronger!! 

As darkness, my bandsaw was screeching away to the tune of dovetail-shaped runners. The 6tpi blade I fit for shaping all these components (my next job!) didn't enjoy the ride but, I did leave enough on to plane them back by hand for a 'perfect' fit! 






So, that's most of the under frame done, now. I'll start shaping over the weekend after I've made some final decisions although, I really don't know how much time I'll get on this next week... :? There are also pivot blocks and things to consider, which can all be added later. Actually, it's probably best that I size up the top before I do any of that, just in case my finished thickness differs from the current specification.

Not forgetting the daunting thought of all that sanding!  I'm currently thinking of trying _Osmo's Worktop Oil_ for the top. I do have some Polyx oil left over from last year, which will probably get used on the frame. It's best to use up oil finishes ASAP as they don't last forever in the tin. Don't think I've got enough to do the top so, it looks like I'll have to place an order with _Rutlands_ :?, unless anyone can suggest an alternative supplier? (The temptation to add a WorkSharp 3000 to that basket will be immense! )


----------



## Mattty (18 Nov 2009)

Looking good Ollie.

Just slip the worksharp in. They are the business. You may as well get a Domino whilst you at it...


----------



## OPJ (18 Nov 2009)

Thanks, Mattty. 

I may have found a buyer for a load of stuff I'm selling on eBay. If that goes for the right price then, it would almost pay for *two* _WorkSharp_ grinders! 8)

Don't mention the Domino!! :shock: With one of those, I could have totally avoid this mess with the haunches! :roll: Sadly, they're _way_ out of my budget right now. Maybe in a couple of years, if I can get my head straight and get a business off the ground... There's no doubt in mind that I would greatly reap the benefits in owning one.


----------



## OPJ (22 Nov 2009)

This weekend, I haven't spent much time out in the workshop at all although, I have made some progress on the shaping of the legs and rails.

After marking out with my template, I started cutting the legs on the bandsaw. You have to approach these as if you are cutting a cabriole leg. Once the first cut is done, you need to re-attach the offcuts so the piece is fully supported while you cut.







Even after purchasing a new vacuum extractor recently, I could see the dust _raining_ out of the left-hand side of my saw as I cut! You can see where the mounds of it have built up, just below the bottom door. This was never an issue with the type of extraction I was using; it's in the design of this type of saw, where there's no room to get a hose under the table to extractor at source so, it ends up going round with the blade. Must look up Boz's solution again... :wink:






There's quite a lot of waste involved here, which either means I bin the lot or, add to growing collections of "usable" offcuts... Well, I can still get decent lengths of 400 x 50 x 21 (sawn) from this lot so, on the pile they go! :roll: 






After all that sawing, I dragged my bobbin sander out before I looked at my spokeshaves. That 3/8"x6tpi blade I was using is on its last legs and, although I don't claim to be a 'master' at the bandsaw, the cuts were going all over the place. That's why I'm using this sander. Not to finish to the line as it requires a great amount of skill to get a consistent curve with these things! But, to remove the bulk of the waste for 'shaving later.






The sleeves that came fitted with these bobbins must be at least 120g as I find they're too fine for bulk material removal. I must invest in some coarse abrasives! Still, I spent a good twenty-minutes on this with the vacuum going and it didn't even get hot. 8)

Now, I've got to decided on my next move... The plan is to clean up one of each rail, stick the other one to it (with double-sided tape) and use that as a 'template' for a router cutter. This won't work on the legs because my longest trimming cutter is about 25mm so, I'd still have plenty to clean up by hand.

I might have to give Ray Iles a call in the morning and see where he's at with this thicker spokeshave blades I enquired about a month ago... The current blade in my old A151 'shaves will cut it but, it's difficult trying to avoid chatter.

Whatever happens, I'm sure I'll figure something out! :wink: Trouble is, I won't have much time on this in the coming week.


----------



## Chems (22 Nov 2009)

Progress is looking good olly.

About the template routing of the legs. Could you do what you are saying, get most of the depth with your top bearing guided router then switch to a bottom bearing guided flush router, flip the leg over and have the bearing travel on the previously routed surface. I imagine it will be a lot quicker and better finish than having to smooth them in by hand?


----------



## Boz62 (23 Nov 2009)

Good work Olly, more ideas for me on the bandsaw 

Ref the dust extraction, it's now 4 months since I added the custom feed to mine, and I've only once opened the bandsaw door to vacuum out the interior. Very little there, just some small piles of dust in the corners . I don't use it as much as you, but I think if you can get some sort of extraction around the blade above the guides it will help you significantly. But it will take a bit of thought and perhaps a visit to the plumbing shelves in a DIY Shed to work out how best to do it for your particular bandsaw :twisted:

Boz


----------



## OPJ (23 Nov 2009)

Chems, while that will work with the top bearing-guided cutter, if I then flip the leg over, it will be resting on the curved face. :? So, I will still have a bit of bobbin sanding and 'shaving to do afterwards. That's what I will do today, though. I did look at buying a longer cutter but, for £30, I can't justify it right now.

Boz, when I get a chance (probably when after I finish this build), I will look doing something very similar to your solution. My current set up doesn't help a lot and I still find piles of dust built up inside the cabinet as well. :x Enclosing the blade (as DC did) seems to be the way to go. If only these smaller saws had more clearance below the table...


----------



## DeepBlue (23 Nov 2009)

Good job Olly - it's looking great.

I had a similar problem with my Axminster bandsaw, and I came up with a slightly more Heath Robinson solution than boz. 

The access under the table is really limited, so I took some flexible 32mm hoover hose, cut a v into the end, then bolted it to the underside of the throat plate. It's not perfect, but it's quick and easy and I reckon it's cut down the dust by at least 50%.

One of these days when I sort out my HVLP, I'll add collection above the blade too. HTH.


Cheers
-Tom


----------



## OPJ (23 Nov 2009)

Feeling a bit better today than I have been of late, I set the router table up with a bearing-guided cutter to trim most of the waste away from these legs.






As you can see, it does leave approximately half of the leg thickness (at the narrow end) still to be planed away.

On each leg, I had one cut going with the grain, another going against (that's why I did so much work on the bobbin sander; to leave as little material on as possible). This minimal amount of tearout was unavoidable though.






In fact, it got much worse than that, when I let the leg 'tip' as I was running it against the bearing...






Not only did this pipper the penultimate leg but, it also left a permanent 'scar' on my template - meaning I forgot about it and let the cutter dig in again on the second cut of the last leg! :x

At this point, I'd appreciate some advice on how to fix this.... Router was the first thought I had but then, this is on the curved face of the leg. Another thought was the biscuit-jointer, to create a recess and fill it in after... Getting a good grain match is going to be very important, though.

My two old spokeshaves didn't perform quite as badly as I had feared, once the blades had been sharpened. Still, I took a tip from _The Wood Whisperer_ himself to even things out - wrapping a sheet of abrasive around a flexible bit of scrap (in this case, 4mm MDF).






Once I had one of each rail shaped, I taped each one to its pair and ran them against the same bearing-guided cutter. Again, the cutter wasn't quite long enough to do this in one pass.






Before storing the router table away, I fitted it with a 5/8in. roundover bit to finish off the outer corners (arrises) of each leg.






Then, it was back to the 'bench to start cleaning them up properly. I sharpened my scrapers up and found they cut the beech with greater ease than my round-bottomed spokeshave.






I've also decided to drill the legs with a 6mm bit for a pair of draw-boring dowels to be fitted later.






Unfrotunately, one the legs had begun to split here, as you can see. I did manage to squeeze some five-minute PVA in to the crack before filling the haunches I needn't have bothered cutting - it'll be fine. 






Another thing I should point out is that I've had to trim about 5mm off the width of each stretcher, now that I've curved the outer rails. This was something I foresaw at the design stage. But, when I came to prepare my timber last week, I had to take a couple of boards down to 95mm from 100mm and so, I've also lost 5mm... This will probably mean I have to reduce the intended finished thickness of my top from 45mm. But, it shouldn't be more than a couple of millimetres.






So, yes, if you've got any ideas as to how I can 'repair' those legs then, please, leave a message!


----------



## Boz62 (24 Nov 2009)

Good timing. I need to do some "curved sanding" today and was wondering how to do it. The MDF trick is ideal. Thankyou 

Boz


----------



## OPJ (24 Nov 2009)

After lunch, I made a start on the 'repairs' to the two legs I routed a gouge out of yesterday. Each gouge was only about 2mm deep. I was hoping I'd be able to use my biscuit jointer but, the blade wouldn't protrude far enough to cover the 25mm cutter's mark. So, instead, I made a dead-simple MDF template for my router to follow with a guide bush.






After lots of shaping by hand, I had two bits of scrap cut to a reasonable fit. With the first pair I made, I tried disc sanding them but, that removed too much material too quickly and, I had to cut another pair!






Unfortunately, the next two I cut didn't match the grain quite as well as the first pair; despite coming from the same scrap piece, which was previously sawn from the 70mm leg when I began shaping. :roll:






Oh, well. No-one will ever notice it and, with a bit of sawdust and plenty of oil (maybe even some wax, if necessary), those gaps will disappear in no time! :wink:

The rest of this afternoon was spent shaping and tidying up all four faces. It's not easy to photograph at this point but, I've now removed the sharp corners from the other three arrises and have replaced them with a graduated or tapered round-over; something that starts thicker at the bottom of the leg (approx. 6mm radius), thinning almost to a point near the top.






With a little more sanding on these legs and the rails, they should all be ready for their first coat of oil, some time tomorrow.

I'm going to go ahead and use up some of my left over Osmo Polyx oil. I should also mention that I've also ordered some worktop oil for the top from Smith & Roger. Yes, another Rutlands order evaded (sorry, Mattty, no Work Sharp 3000 just yet )! In case you missed the advert in the last issue of _British Woodworking_, they're giving away a free tin of wax with every online order this month - apparently, I was the first to mention it! :shock:

I was a bit shocked when I saw the £6.50 delivery charge at the checkout but, it is free when you spend over £60. They appear to stock a good range of finishes and their prices look competitive (against Axminster and co.) if you're looking to buy in bulk (I'm thinking I might try them next time I need to spray some lacquer or similar).


----------



## Mattty (24 Nov 2009)

Looking good mate, i like the nifty little repair idea, I'll try and remember that one.


----------



## Chems (24 Nov 2009)

Brilliant repair Olly, I read your thread yesterday and the only thing I could think of to make it right was start again and I knew you didn't want to hear that! 

Looking good again, will be another brilliant piece!


----------



## OPJ (25 Nov 2009)

Not much of an update for today as I've had to halt production while I wait for this oil to dry (if mum wasn't hope today, I'd have finished this in the kitchen!! :twisted. 

I've gone with Osmo Polyx (matt finish) and will do a quick test of the worktop oil to compare, once that arrives. As you can see, finishing takes up a _huge_ amount of space in my workshop. Osmo say eight-to-ten hours... The temperature today seemed to drop suddenly at 3pm - I could see it taking even longer to dry.






Over the course of the weekend, I'll get the main frame glued up in time to start working on the top on Monday - there's an awful lot of wood to prepare and I think my neighbours would appreciate a little quiet before I start! 

I may attach the stretchers later, once I've got the top thicknessed. Without it, I don't think I could accurately position the pivot pins in to the stretchers.


----------



## Boz62 (26 Nov 2009)

I've only ever used the Fiddes Hard Wax Oil (Axminster do it) - that has "4-6" hours for recoat. I regularly do two coats and buff it afterwards in a day, even in a colder workshop. Just a thought when you run out of PolyX 

Boz


----------



## OPJ (29 Nov 2009)

This morning, I finished assembling the frame... At least, for now - I will be adding stretcher rails and pivot blocks later, once I've sorted it all out. The heater was left in place to 'radiate' some heat and help the glue to cure properly in this cold weather (it was a bit big to drag indoors). After a couple of hours, I was pleased to see it had dried clear. 8)






Next time I do any draw-boring, I certainly won't be using 6mm dowels - these ones didn't take much of a beating before they snapped. :? Normally, you'd be able to remove the cramps in this situation. But, as only half of my dowels went all the way in, I decided to play it safe. As they were only 30mm long (identical to the depth of the holes I drilled), I've also have to drill them out a little bit and insert even shorter dowels, so they finish flush with the surface... Why didn't I just use 8mm?! :roll:






I am pleased with how much the Polyx Oil _has not_ darkened this beech. You can probably just see how this is notably lighter than my workbench, which was finished with Danish oil (the legs from this table were cut from the same stock). My order from _Smith & Roger_ came on Thursday or Friday and, after doing a quick test, their worktop oil doesn't seem to darken beech any more so than Osmo's hardwax oil. 

I'm not going to get much time on this tomorrow but, I hope to start working my planer/thicknesser with all that beech for the top on Tuesday. The finished thickness will definitely be closer to 38mm now, which is going to require a lot of work, considering the sawn boards are currently about 52! :? I'd forgotten to allow the pivot blocks and, anyway, I think it will looking better in proportion with the frame - which I quite like the look of, I must say!


----------



## OPJ (7 Dec 2009)

For various reasons, I've barely been able to get any work done on this table in the last week. Today though, I was able to get all the timber prepared for the top and finished the day with the two main leaves glued up in the cramps.

Things haven't quite been going my way, lately. It started at the weekend, when I fiddling with my planer thicknesser and the emergency stop button fell off! :roll:






I was actually trying to shim the thicknessing bed so that it is level with the cutter block. Actually, all I've done is put it out by 0.5mm the other way!! 

Back on the workbench, I was trying to reassemble my Veritas Wonder Dog with a new circlip to replace the one that went AWOL some time ago. I almost had it in place when, suddenly, I slipped and everything flew off the bench! It took me about ten-minutes of digging through shavings all around the bench before I realised where the head was hiding...








Back to the table and with my thicknesser still cutting slightly out of square, I left an extra 1mm on the width and 're-jointed' each board on the planer afterwards. As I don't have a lot of joy hand-planing 42mm thick beech, I used the trick of 'pushing down hard over the cutter block' to create a slight hollow on each length. Then, it was time to cut some biscuits. I'm still impressed with the low-working noise of my new vacuum. It was the biscuit jointer making all the noise today! :wink:






Before the final assembly, I got all my sash cramps set up on the bandsaw table...






...With all the board stacked on top of the table frame. At least this shows how the frame is built to last! ...It needs to be, considering the weight of all these boards, even with the cramps of!! :wink:






Hardest part was actually dragging them indoors, a little while ago. I know the cramps add _some_ weight but, bloody hell!! :shock: I ran out of glue (and sash cramps!) or else I would have done the central leaf as well.






I'm still hoping to get this done in time for Christmas, which only leaves me with a couple of weeks... :? At least the temperatures seems to be holding up outside. I ordered some soss hinges from _Isaac Lord_ last Monday but they didn't arrive with the rest of my order on Friday! :x I'll have to photograph this again but I was disappointed to find some of the boards had split or cracked quite badly in the time they spent indoors. Some of it I'll be able to cut out, others can go on the underside as they're not _that_ deep. I'm sure I cut this wood up too quickly (again!) so, I doubt I'll be using locally-grown beech again in a hurry!!


----------



## OPJ (9 Dec 2009)

Yesterday afternoon, I finished gluing up the last of the three leaves. I was right to drag each assembly indoors for the glue to cure overnight. This first photo shows the left over cascamite, after twenty-four in a winter workshop! :?






Looking at it this morning though, it has at last gone rock-hard.

As I was tightening the sash cramps on that last leaf, there was a huge BANG! as I was doing up the last cramp...






:shock:

I kind of new this might happen one day so, fortunately, I had a spare one ready to go! 8)

In other good news, I found a Bristol-based buyer for my bags of wood shavings. After a thirty-minute drive in the dark and the rain [barely a single street light for twenty-five minutes - if the government are serious about losing more of these then, heck, I'll lead a protest against that!!! :x], I came home with £15 in my pocket (£5 per bag), which would just about cover the cost of ten new bags from Axminster including postage - plus, I still have six bags left, in addition to the one I filled up earlier today! :wink:

This morning, I got the stretchers in place after applying a belated second coat of Polyx oil last night. Normally, you should need sash cramps in this situation [sliding dovetail housings] but, err, something wasn't quite right... :? (No that it would ever matter!)






I really should have left this part until later in the day. Not only did I need to get back on my 'bench but, as I was trying to use my planer and then router table, I kept getting poked in the back of the head! :roll: I've started working on the other bits and pieces that'll allow the central leaf to pivot and also stop the outer leaves from tipping over under load. Below, you can see how I intend to do the latter with a 6mm strip of beech, attached to a couple of spacer blocks fixed inside the side rails near the legs.






*Bad news* - I spoke to Isaac Lord today and I'm looking at a three-to-five week wait for the soss hinges I ordered nine-days ago.  This definitely won't be finished in time for Christmas dinner, now then. I guess it could get it ready as a four-seater though... Question is, how easy would it then be to get it back to work on?! 

----------

****EDIT**** - _Please disregard some of the above!!_ I've just re-read the e-mail I received earlier and these hinges will be available again within three-to-five *DAYS* - _not weeks!!_ 

Apologies for that, it's not like they have to be shipped in from China, thankfully (I wouldn't pay this much for Chinese hinges! :?). Still, I'll be hard-pressed to get this job done in time.


----------



## Joints (9 Dec 2009)

"This lot was left to clean up once I'd finished preparing the legs, rails, stretchers and runners."


Olly I literally have no sympathy for you! Come to my workshop I literally have about 30-35 black bin bags full of shavings! Think I managed to find someone with some stables to take them off my hands.

Still can't find the morticer!


----------



## OPJ (9 Dec 2009)

George, if you're prepared to give them away then you could list them on Freecycle for free - I've found there are plenty of takers in the Bristol and North Somerset groups, hungry for a few bags of shavings! :wink:

What about those pigs you used to feed??? Have they had enough?!


----------



## Mr Ed (9 Dec 2009)

As I understand it, hardwood shavings and sawdust are not generally acceptable for animals, due to health issues. I think they should only have softwood.

Ed


----------



## Joints (10 Dec 2009)

I think the pigs have been sent to market, dissapeared around July poor blighters.

Maybe I'll advertise them as various hardwoods for animal bedding....


----------



## OPJ (10 Dec 2009)

EdSutton":2lgu64bw said:


> As I understand it, hardwood shavings and sawdust are not generally acceptable for animals, due to health issues. I think they should only have softwood.
> 
> Ed



Hi Ed,

You've got me worried now! :?

I've been doing a bit of Googling and there are comments both for and against the use of wood shavings... It doesn't seem to matter whether they're hard or soft wood, some sites suggest that wood shavings in general are bad for small animals.

Well, I know that some people like oak shavings for smoking meat and others may take a bag for composting... Another person told me he was in to bushcraft and wanted to use it for fire-lighting. Guess I'll have to start advertising and passing this on more carefully... I've lost a few pets in my time and I'd hate to be responsible for the loss of those who are loved by others...


----------



## bodgermatic (11 Dec 2009)

Shavings are better than screwed up newspapers for starting fires - canvas your friends to see who's got a woodburner or an open fire. I stick a large pile under my kindling, goes up a treat.


----------



## MikeG. (11 Dec 2009)

bodgermatic":2gh2jize said:


> Shavings are better than screwed up newspapers for starting fires - canvas your friends to see who's got a woodburner or an open fire. I stick a large pile under my kindling, goes up a treat.



That's fine with shavings, but not with sawdust, which can go off bang! 

Don't forget that shavings and sawdust compost quite well when combined with grass clippings, albeit they might not produce the perfect balance of nutirents.

Mike


----------



## jhwbigley (11 Dec 2009)

OPJ":8cc7j7sv said:


> *Bad news* - I spoke to Isaac Lord today and I'm looking at a three-to-five week wait for the soss hinges I ordered nine-days ago.  This definitely won't be finished in time for Christmas dinner, now then. I guess it could get it ready as a four-seater though... Question is, how easy would it then be to get it back to work on?!




maybe one day you will order your hardware before you start a project! 

it easy to forget :lol: 

A manufacture could stop making that part, the spec could change, or as with you, have to wait till they get them in, if this was a paying job, its costing you time and space.

looking good Olly, I'm making a hall table soon

JHB


----------



## OPJ (11 Dec 2009)

Thanks, John-Henry. Bear in mind that _every job_ costs me in time and space in my current workshop, which is why I'm not looking to set up a business at the moment! 

I'm happy today as I got home from college to find the hinges have arrived - earlier than I was expecting, with many thanks to Isaac Lord! :wink:

It looks like they use Hafele as a supplier though, it's not the first time I've noticed this - as another example, Toolstation's dowels also appear to come from Hafele... I wonder whether it would've been cheaper to buy direct from them?! :roll:


----------



## OPJ (14 Dec 2009)

Well, I don't know about you but, I hate Mondays!! :?

Started off with a quarter-template from hardboard for the shape of the top. Then, I decided this wouldn't be good enough to run the router against so, I made one in 12mm MDF :roll: (why I didn't do that initially, I couldn't tell you!!).







I roughly flattened both surfaces of each top with my belt sander fitted with a 60g sheet. If anything, they're very slightly concave but, it beats hand-planing! :wink:






As each leaf was too heavy for me to man-handle over my small-ish bandsaw, I had to use my jigsaw to remove most of the waste (I think that's the third time I've used it this year! ). But then, after fitting my router with a top-bearing guided cutter, something went horribly wrong and it took me a while before I realised I was routing away my template!! :shock:






Well, the plunge bars were a little bit 'sticky' and I didn't quite plunge the router down to its depth stop, so the bearing above the cutter was up inside the router's base...  So, I chose to ignore this problem area, leaving quite a bit of beech to be cleaned up by hand later. And least the second bearing-guided operation went much more smoothly (again, my trimming cutter wasn't long enough to do it in one).






...Shame about these biscuits, though (there are three them, shared between the two leaves).






The centre leaf was cut in half on top of my Workmate, using my Hitachi 9in. circular saw. I may as well mention that this saw appears to have an issue with 'blade run-out' - the original 20t Hitachi blade is about 0.5mm out and another one I have (54t) shows a 1mm discrepancy. I only use this for rough work but, I may try and get it looked at some time. The finished cut is all over the place - almost identical to what RogerM was experiencing a couple of months ago...






So, it was out with the planes again to clean up that end-grain!






I mentioned once before that this beech had split quite badly - well, here is one photo that details the worst.






All this messing about having to clean and patch things up has set me back a good couple of hours... I was out in the workshop until 20.00 tonight, with the oil-filled radiator just about keeping me 'comfortable' as I trimmed and set out all the runners and started drilling some holes.






That centre-lead will still need trimming and shaping but, I won't do that until I've sorted out the pivoting mechanism. I've ordered a single length of brass rod for this from eBay, which should hopefully arrive tomorrow morning. If I can get all the necessary stuff done this week then, I'd like to have next week free to finish sanding and oiling, ready for unveiling on 'the Big Day'! :wink:


----------



## OPJ (15 Dec 2009)

Today, I got the soss hinges fitted. Despite what I have read, it was a real doddle with the router. I'm still not certain I bought the right size (if anything, I'm hoping the ones I have are a little oversized for this job...). I started with a practice in some scrap beech, using a 5/8in. diameter straight cutter:






I did overshoot my lines slightly but, they're rarely ever going to be seen, anyway - that's why they're also known as _invisible_ hinges! :wink:






The fit is certainly snug enough to retain maximum strength from the hinge. As they're fitted directly in to end-grain, I drove a 10mm dowel in to the underside to give each screw something to bite on to - thanks to Steve Maskery for that tip! :wink:






Otherwise, things are going quite well. I still need to fiddle with the fit of the runners/slides at one end and, as the postman didn't show at all today, I'm also waiting for the brass rod that'll allow the centre leaves to pivot.

To give you an idea of what I'm working in at the minute, here's a view from the entrance with the door closed:






And here, from the other end:






Though, I do like the way the table is coming together, here. 

I just wish I could afford a bigger workshop.  The cold's really getting to me as well, even with the heater running and some draught-proofing in place. It's just not the kind of environment I _want_ to be in, particularly at this time of year.


----------



## OPJ (30 Dec 2009)

Clearly, I missed the Christmas deadline! After a two-week hiatus though, I'm back on the dining table, looking to get it finish early for the new year (would that count as a 2010 project ticked off the list? ).

Ignoring that 2mm gap, the hinges fit well and the leaves pivot clean and smoothly. I followed the instructions very carefully and knew they would leave a gap like this... :roll: If it was any less though, I honestly think the two arrises would rub. I didn't fancy a small chamfer as I felt it would look out of place with the rest of the design and can give the impression of a gap anyway! :roll: 






With all the wood stacked indoors for the past fortnight, I was bit shocked to see the centre leaves had cupped this badly.  It's definitely timber movement and not my excessive belt-sanding :wink: - the other faces are convex by an equal amount.






The two outer leaves are fine, as I could leave the runners screwed to the underside. That won't really be feasible on the central leaves as any cleats would only foul the underside of the top. Everything will need flattening (well, levelling, really) when it comes to fitting everything together for the final time, anyway.

I was happy enough so, I proceeded to trim these leaves to width with my router. I'm not sure how I would have done this otherwise, to be honest... You'd need a large dimension or panel saw to rip something 600mm wide between the blade and fence.






To aid the alignment of the leaves, I've routed a series of _Domino_-like :wink: slots down each meeting edge. I sanded to 120g before this and referenced my router's fence off the bottom face each time. First thing tomorrow, I'm set the P/T up and prepare a length of to fit in these slots.






Pivot blocks are now temporarily in place. I studied my rod carefully, marked the pivot point on the stretchers very carefully and then used the point of a 6mm drill to locate the block in place. There's barely 1mm above the hole for the brass rod. It's strong as it is but, I reckon this would work just as well if I cut the top off and opened it in to a U-shape... It would make removing the leaves easier for future maintenance as well.






And these are the other blocks, fixed to the underside of one of the pivoting leaves. They're a bit chunky at the minute so, I'll need to sand them down a fair bit - and, probably cut a groove under the outer leaves - before I can think about finishing. For the record, slotting the screw holes was a great idea if I do say so myself...  It allows me to adjust things so the centre of these two is bang on central to the frame. 8)






To finish off this evening, I routed more slots down the edges of the 'butterfly' leaves (I didn't want to do this before I'd checked that they swing and fit okay with the rest of the frame).






I would have gotten out there earlier this morning, if only the new Axminster catalogue hadn't arrived (_I'm eyeing up one of those new bandsaws..._)! :roll: :wink: Having a radio in the background makes a huge difference, even when you've barely got enough room to breathe. I listened to some great music on Planet Rock today and can't wait to get back out there tomorrow.


----------



## Setch (30 Dec 2009)

The table looks great in your garage - I really like the design. I wasn't sold on the top shape or the curved legs in isolation, but they look fantastic together - nicely done!


----------



## OPJ (31 Dec 2009)

Thanks, Setch. To be honest, I wasn't that sure myself but, I knew I wanted to make the top a bit 'different' to the norm. Even the SketchUp drawing didn't make it clear to me... Sometimes, you've just got to go along with it and see - I'm pleased with how it's coming together. 

Today, I really didn't get much done during the four-hours I was in the workshop. I spent most of my time arguing with XFM Radio's choices for their "Top 1,000 Songs of All-Time". Some of my favourites were only in the three-hundreds... How can they rate dung from the likes of Babyshambles and Kings of Leon several places _higher_ than _Alive_ by Pearl Jam?!? :x (One of my all-time favourites - really should have been in the top fifty... :roll [Rant over!]

Those slots I cut yesterday have been cleaned up and oak 'keys' have been glued in to each alternate slot. I'm sure someone will now tell me I should've fitted them with the grain running the other way :roll: - that didn't dawn on me until I'd put the planer/thicknesser away though, I doubt it will matter. I will ease the edges off a bit more and may even have to take a shaving or two with a shoulder plane, to ensure they're not _too tight_ when it comes to bring two leaves together.






I spent a long time sanding small bits and pieces that were to short to cut safely on my 12in. mitre saw. Whenever I sand beech, not only does it burn very easily but the heat causes the end-grain to 'crack' very slightly - you can just see the short white lines. Even when I burn oak or ash, I don't get this problem. Only with beech. :?






It's a 60g disc on my Hegner sander. I guess I should replace it, as we're breaking in to a new year and all. I think I fitted this one back in the summer and, to be fair, it's seen a lot of action since. Another thing I've noticed is that these 'small' sanders are fairly high-speed, compared the big industrial machines... Yes, there is a good reason for that but, I wonder whether it also plays a part in burning wood?

Those blocks in the last photo are for the _will-it-or-won't-it-work_ part of this design which could seriously make or break the extending mechanism of this table...






In case the image isn't clear enough, the idea is that these strips of 6mm beech will add support on top of the runners/slides and prevent the outer leaves from tipping once extended and under load. Those oak keys at the top of this post should also help (fingers crossed! [-o<). I've feared all along that I didn't make the frame long enough to accommodate this feature... Well, I couldn't really make it any bigger.

It may be that I replace the beech with strips of 6mm thick solid brass, which should offer greater resistance. I feared that getting the pivoting action correct would offer the greatest challenge but, this is the part of the build I am now truly afraid of - not even a Domino jointer could save me now!! :shock:

...Here's to the new year!!  :wink:


----------



## OPJ (8 Jan 2010)

Due to all the snow and sub-zero temperatures lately, I haven't been able to spend more than a couple of every hours in a single day working on this table. 

I've spent too much time messing around with these poorly placed biscuit slots. I tried re-cutting the slots and fitting biscuits in there (twice, in fact) but, each time I came to plane them flush, they literally fell apart (the PVA doesn't hold too well in this weather, either). :x Yesterday, I decided I would at least _try_ and do a proper repair...






I resawed some scraps of beech on the bandsaw (fortunately, I keep forgetting to offer my offcuts boxes on Freecycle! :wink and painstakingly hand-planed and sanded them down to size. The grain match is fair from perfect but, they do look better than the old biscuits and, well, at least I tried. 

It really has been cold out there, lately. Several days before the snow hit on Wednesday, I found this tin of water had frozen :shock: - it's only on the surface but, I've never known it to be that cold in my workshop before.






Also, where my roof leaks (melting ice and frost) and inevitably drips on to whatever it is I am working on, I found this frozen lump, one morning.






Shovelling snow and breaking ice to try and clear part of the drive warmed me up this morning so, I braved the conditions of my workshop to try and finish shaping the top.

Here's one tip for you - I pinned a thin length of beech to two scrap blocks. When clamped to the existing curve of the outer leaves, I could clamp this to my top and use it as a guide to draw the perfect curve. Don't know where I got this idea from though, I'd like to think of it as my own... :wink:






I did have to spend some time 'fettling' the fit between the two leaves, as I made one edge a little _too_ concave. Lots of awkward work fiddling with a spokeshave at either end, because of all the wooden keys (they also needed reducing in thickness a little bit).

My 12in. disc sander really wasn't up to sanding all that end-grain so, I had to think like a former-cricketer  and came up with this...






It worked quite well. In fact, there's an additional tip for you, here, which I picked up from watching a video on the Australian Walko Workbench (it's basically the _ultimate_ Workmate!). I can't believe I never thought of it before but, if you remove the 'fixed' heads on a quick-grip clamp, the bars will just about fit through a 19mm dog hole! 8)

I used to have a purpose made MDF jig for holding my belt sander in this position. This next shot shows why I should never have chopped it up, only two-months ago...! 






For my last tip this evening, a little inspiration from New Yankee Norm to try and hide those horrible splits on the underside (this was on the very first episode of the New Yankee Workshop, as highlighted in a recent thread in the General Woodworking forum).






I'm almost ready for finishing (worktop oil) but, the weather is against us woodworkers, at the minute. Assuming my mum can get to work on Monday and Tuesday, I might have to take my workshop in to the kitchen!! :twisted:


----------



## MikeG. (8 Jan 2010)

Looking good Olly.....and I'm glad to see you are paying attention!!

Mike


----------



## OPJ (12 Jan 2010)

Back on the table yesterday away a few more days away, I spent most of my day shaping the central leaves *by hand*. All that end-grain beech and all I had to use was my Veritas Apron Plane... (_I should've just made another router template!!_) :?






Everything was sanded, ready for finishing this morning. I'm using my ROS here but, I had to do a lot of work initially with my belt sander...






It took me a while to decide on how to 'mould' the edges of the top. I got my box rounding-over cutters and gradually increased the radius of the top curve, until I found one I was happy with (in this instance. ¾"). I started with a ¼" bit on the underside but then decided to increase that to 3/8". It's all coming together quite well, even though this photo doesn't quite show it (I need more space!).






Those grooves you can see in the underside of the top [second photo] allow for clearance of the pivot blocks, as each leaf slides in and out. These also needed a bit of work on the bobbin sander.






Despite the fact that it is now snowing again (!!!), I've splashed a first coat on to the top. I'm not fussed about the 'finish' at this stage, I'm merely hoping to give it some kind of protection and to begin 'sealing' the wood. First impressions of this Worktop Finish (oil) from Smith & Roger are that it smells lovely (almost like that Goo Gone stuff from Axminster... ) and it feels quite thin compared to other oils. This beech really soaked it up.






It wasn't until I'd done most of the oiling that I notice some of the boards had these scratches! :x






I guess that's from all the belt sanding I've done to flatten them. They weren't visible before, I thought everything was clean. Looks like I'll have to sand it all back again in the morning. 

This last photo shows the rounding-over business I was on about earlier.






If it's anything like my test samples then, this beech should dry to a lighter colour than what it is now. It's really not that different to Osmo Polyx. Certainly not as dark as Danish oil. Even after wiping off the excess, the finish felt quite nice.

I can't be the only person here who uses a belt sander for flattening panels and table tops... Has anyone got any tips for checking that you've removed these "invisible" scratches before you apply a finish? Preferably, answers that don't involve 'lots of extra sanding'!! :wink:


----------



## Paul Chapman (12 Jan 2010)

OPJ":2w28fbtm said:


> Has anyone got any tips for checking that you've removed these "invisible" scratches before you apply a finish?



If you wipe on some white spirit it will often show up defects like that.

Cheers :wink: 

Paul


----------



## OPJ (12 Jan 2010)

That's a good idea! Thanks, Paul.


----------



## TrimTheKing (12 Jan 2010)

OPJ":2g3ks1o3 said:


> I can't be the only person here who uses a belt sander for flattening panels and table tops... Has anyone got any tips for checking that you've removed these "invisible" scratches before you apply a finish? Preferably, answers that don't involve 'lots of extra sanding'!! :wink:


Wiping over the top with whire spirit should darken it up enough to see them, providing you're quick...


----------



## Paul Chapman (12 Jan 2010)

Keep up, Trim :lol:


----------



## TrimTheKing (12 Jan 2010)

Paul Chapman":2nk2f4q6 said:


> Keep up, Trim :lol:


Dammit! The time it took me to read through the post to there you beat me


----------



## OPJ (13 Jan 2010)

Thanks to Paul (and Mark! ) I managed to get the scratches out this morning and the top is looking much better. 8)

No photos for this one, I'm afraid. :shock: That first coat came off really easily, using my belt sander fitted with a 60g belt (sanding with the grain!). I then when over it carefully with a 60g disc on my ROS, before wetting the surface (as suggested) with white spirit, which did work well. Fortunately, there were no more 'scars' and, after letting it dry for ten-minutes, I was back on it with the ROS, working up to 240g.

A few more coats of oil to this and the other components and it should be about ready some time next week!


----------



## MikeG. (13 Jan 2010)

I'd have reached for a scraper, Olly. As soon as there is a finish on the timber sanding will only clog up the sandpaper. With a scraper you feel/ hear when all of the marks have been removed.

Mike


----------



## Joints (14 Jan 2010)

Got there first mike!

I was about to say the same, I wouldn't bother wasting any more sandpaper on it, its a pain using it for 5seconds and then haivng to flick the crud out of it.

Looking good Olly, makes me want some beech to play with!


----------



## OPJ (14 Jan 2010)

Thanks, guys. 

Yeah, I would've used a scraper also, if only it was a small area... Truth is, these scratches were everywhere! 

In fairness to the manufacturers, the oil had no effect on clogging any of the abrasives. I even used an old 60g especially for this (no, I don't throw anything away!! ) and it seemed to bring it back to life...

If it was a varnish or something then, yes, I definitely would've used another method. This was only the first coat of oil; most of it gets soaked in to the wood and, provided you wipe away the excess straight after applying it, there's nothing to worry about. 8)

George, I'm stick of the stuff (beech) - won't be playing with it again any time soon unless it's of the 'Steamed' European variety (which should have a lower moisture content and be far less prone to splitting). Norm's glue and sawdust trick didn't work either; I'm still left with black lines where the cracks are! :x Oh, well.


----------



## OPJ (1 Feb 2010)

This post marks the end to another long-running saga... Truth be told, I actually finished oiling it two-to-three weeks ago. Before now, I've not had a chance to get it all together properly.

I did have to trim one of the keys back flush. 







When I measured a spacing between the stretchers for the central leaves, I didn't account for the width of the keys - so, I had to remove one from each side, as they were fouling the pivot blocks mounted to the stretchers. :roll:

You might even argue that they're not necessary, with the slots cut in the stretchers rails...






Some shots of the finished table:











(Sorry, my dog _demanded_ to be in this one! )











Although this end leaf won't quite butt up to the others (still needs a little fettling, somewhere :x), the extended table top is more stable than I could've hoped (thanks largely to those wooden keys). Currently at 1800mm long, I'm half-expecting mum may now ask me to trim it... :roll: :wink:






That central runner/slide acts as a travel stop (_...purely by coincidence!!_ :wink

I'm glad this job is done though, I don't plan to tackle any more pieces of furniture until the spring, when the weather's a bit warmer (I'll be trying to reorganise the workshop, in the mean time). As glad as I am to see the back of this, I've learnt many things along the way... Most importantly of all; *NEVER WORK WITH ENGLISH BEECH AGAIN!!!* :twisted: 






It's almost like this stuff hasn't stopped growing or shrinking... I almost wish I'd gone for sycamore, now. Though, I'll definitely be using steamed European beech, in future (for anything more than 1in. thick). That worktop finish from Smith & Roger has come out really well. It's more of a "surface coating" (in Ian's words) and it doesn't darken the wood like Danish or Linseed oils.






Well, it does also accommodate four-chairs much better than our old pine table did. Thank God she's _BUYING_ the new ones!! :shock: 8)

Thanks for following this thread (and also for your patience).


----------



## MikeG. (1 Feb 2010)

That's lovely Olly! Congratulations on your perserverence, and well done. 
Get rid of those chairs, pronto!

Mike


----------



## Paul Chapman (1 Feb 2010)

Looks really good, Olly =D> 

Cheers :wink: 

Paul


----------



## Boz62 (1 Feb 2010)

Nice . Thanks for posting projects like this, you're far more advanced than I'll ever be, and I learn lots from you...

Boz


----------



## jlawrence (1 Feb 2010)

OPJ, It looks great. I constantly amazed by the standard of work you produce - given the amount of space you have to work in it's even more of an achievement.


----------



## Chems (1 Feb 2010)

Thats Brilliant Olly, to echo others you really turn out great work in such a small space!


----------



## Beardo16 (1 Feb 2010)

OPJ":ub19lrgz said:


> Thank God she's _BUYING_ the new ones!! :shock: 8)



You mean your mother isnt making you make a new set of chairs?


----------



## wizer (1 Feb 2010)

You're a natural Olly. You'll never be hungry mate 

Well done, I do like the design. Very nice.


----------



## OPJ (1 Feb 2010)

Thanks for all the replies. 

Mum likes it so much she's now talking about buying a cover to _protect_ it and keep it clean (my sister makes more mess than our dog)!! :roll: 

I feel like bit of a . though... After uploading these photos and loading my Bosch mitre saw in to the back of the courier's van, I set about cleaning up my planer/thicknesser, which has suddenly become covered in rust... It's my own fault, as I was wearing thin fingerless gloves but, I managed to slice my thumb on one of the sharp knives! 

Might have to stay clear of the workshop for the next few days, possibly a week.  Blood all over the floor, my thumb's wrapped up like a giant gobstopper... This is one of those moments where you wish you could regenerate, like Claire in _Heroes_.... Instead, both my hands were even bloodier than Sylar's! :wink:

I can still feel - no, actually, I can _taste_ or smell the steel?! :shock: - when I think about what happened. If only I'd worn a thicker pair of gloves (and I was going to...)


----------



## mailee (1 Feb 2010)

That is one beautiful table Olly. I should imagine it weighs a ton, hope Mum doesn't have to move it much. (I know just how heavy the Beech table I made was when we came to move it) I really like the intricate movement of the flip out centre. Great work.


----------



## Jake (1 Feb 2010)

Very clean, unfussy, nicely judged curves. Really good stuff, and a lovely finish.


----------



## The Shark (2 Feb 2010)

Hi Olly,
Nice job!
Thanks for going to the trouble to document and WIP the project, I really enjoyed the read.

Malc


----------



## Chems (8 Feb 2010)

I read this whole thread but for some reason hadn't realised what mechanism this uses. Do you have a video of it in action?


----------



## WoodAddict (8 Feb 2010)

Nice looking table, I like a nice honest account of things with all the mis-haps thrown in, great thread, and a lovely table! 8)


----------



## OPJ (9 Feb 2010)

Chems, give me a week or so and I'll hopefully be able to shoot another short video (as I did with the drawer-leaf table). It needs a bit of tweaking as the operation isn't quite as smooth as I'd like... I think this bloody beech has moved again! :x

Thanks.


----------



## Benchwayze (9 Feb 2010)

Ironballs":1xekvc1l said:


> Don't worry Olly, I enjoy a good prevarication as much as the next man, half the fun of this is being stood in the garage with a cuppa with a thousand yard stare pondering things.



IB, 


Oh how true.. and whilst staring, wondering when SWIMBO will appear with the cheese on toast for elevenses! (Hoping she doesn't forget the Worcestershire Sauce!) 

John !


----------



## wardroom (9 Feb 2010)

Olly as a newbie I really enjoyed looking back from the start to finish.
One question I do have is what do you reckon the man hours were for the finished article.

Respect


----------

