Coffee table - and a lesson learned

[Zeddedhed]

Just completed successful dry fit/clamp up of this little table for a client. It's a bugger to get together but all joints cramp up nice and tight.

I'll post piccies when it's glued up and finished if anyone is interested.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[markblue777]

what are the dimensions on this, it looks quite small, unless your bench is massive haha

 

[Zeddedhed]

My bench is fairly big - 1220mm x 2440mm but you're right, the table is pretty 'wee'.

It's 445mm long by 285mm wide and 225mm high. The board thickness is 32mm thick.

Not sure why the client wants it that small but don't really care - he gets what he wants.

It's the fourth coffee table I've done for him - all very different. I've never met the guy - he found me through FB I think. He just emails me with a vague request for a coffee table, I design and price it and send him a SU drawing. He pays me (in full) and I make it and post it to him. Slightly weird really but never mind.

In case you're interested it's Tulip Wood (American Poplar) and Sapele, and as a bonus foe me it was entirely from offcuts destined for the woodburner.

 

[Beau]

Nice work Zeddedhed.
Always like that sort of chunky style. As it's only a dry glue up and chance of some pics of the joints?

 

[Zeddedhed]

Always happy to provide some gratuitous joint pictures Beau. They're fairly straightforward but hey, a well fitting joint is a thing of beauty right?

I'll post some pics when I knock it down tonight.

 

[8squared]

Looks great but why so small.... You should ask.

 

[MartinCox]

Does everything it needs to. Looks good; strong; cost controllable; customer happy and profit available. The make or break is those joints which look very well done.

Like the mft-style top

 

[Zeddedhed]

Thanks Martin. The joints are as you say everything, especially the mitres. Plenty of test cuts and machine adjustment and then some careful tweaking with some of my latest toys (pieces later).

I've actually used more hand tools on this little job than anything I've done recently. All very satisfying.

 

[Droogs]

"and as a bonus foe me it was entirely from offcuts destined for the woodburner."

Let's hope it was FB he found you on Zed and not this fine virtual establishment :roll:

but mighty fine work and well worth every schekel

 

[Zeddedhed]

For Beau and any other joint junkies here's how it goes together - like I said nothing clever.

I don't know about you guys but when it came to cutting the mitres (on the tablesaw) I was crapping myself. I always get slightly more nervous about cuts the further into a project I get.

I'd never used my TS for cutting mitres before so although I took several test cuts I was still a bit wary.

For the plane fans here's the planes used on the job. The two German ECE woodies are a recent eBay purchase from Mr David Barron. If he's on these forums then thank you David - beautiful planes and weapons-grade sharpness out of the box.

 

[Droogs]

That's a really lovely Primus smoother, is it the improved version with the lignum vitae sole? what are your impressions of using it? Does the lignum's oils help or do you still need to wax it?

 

[Zeddedhed]

Droogs, you're right about the smoother - it's an absolute beauty. It does have the Lignum sole (as does the block plane). I've only had it for two days and this was the first job I used it on - to smooth down the sapele strip to be flush with the rest of the boards.

It was incredibly easy to get an extremely fine set and take truly molecular-thin shavings. As a bonus it's got an adjustable sole insert to close or open the mouth.

To be honest although I love woodies I hate the hassle of tapping, wedging, tapping, checking, more tapping etc etc . The German ones from ECE make it soooooo easy. All the benefits and none of the aggro.

 

[JSW]

Droogs, you're right about the smoother - it's an absolute beauty. It does have the Lignum sole (as does the block plane). I've only had it for two days and this was the first job I used it on - to smooth down the sapele strip to be flush with the rest of the boards.

It was incredibly easy to get an extremely fine set and take truly molecular-thin shavings. As a bonus it's got an adjustable sole insert to close or open the mouth.

To be honest although I love woodies I hate the hassle of tapping, wedging, tapping, checking, more tapping etc etc . The German ones from ECE make it soooooo easy. All the benefits and none of the aggro.

Out of interest, and if I may, but how much did the smoother and block cost you?

 

[Zeddedhed]

The Block was £41 and the smoother was £58. Both in mint condition.

 

[Beau]

Thanks for the extra pics. Should have realised there were dominoes in there but a solid joint all the same.

 

[Droogs]

Absolute bargains, I had to get a friend of mine in Berlin to get me one as the only ECE distributor I could find here in Scotland isn't one any longer (Lethenty Mill). I'm waiting for him to bring it over when he visits next month

 

[markblue777]

It is a lovely table and always a bonus if you can make some money out of what is effectively fire wood as you said.

 

[Zeddedhed]

Just given it a coat (first of three or four probably) of Osmo Top Matt Clear.

Although the picture doesn't really show it really makes the subtle colours of the Tulip Wood glow, and the contrast with the Sapele looks excellent (imho).

A lesson I've learned from this though is that just because the dry fit and clamp went OK it doesn't mean that the final assembly will turn out the same. For some reason the mitres ended up slightly misaligned (.5mm or so). I nearly wept when I took the clamps off and discovered it, but a bit of judicial sanding and no-one will be any the wiser. Phew.

 

[Droogs]

edge face mitres look go tho Zed

 

[DiscoStu]

I think that that is fabulous. I really like it.