Coffee table for a nephew

[Derek Cohen (Perth Oz)]

Mike, I did glue it up in two stages - the ends first, and then added the long rails.

Regards from Perth

Derek

 

[Derek Cohen (Perth Oz)]

Finishing the base ..

Splayed legs leave their tops angled with the rails, and they need to be flushed ...

... to be coplanar on both sides ...

The next step was to add corner reinforcing blocks. These were glued and screwed ...

You can see they follow the angled rails (created by the splayed legs).

The under side ..

The final stage was to level the legs. Measure the height at each corner, and use wedges under each leg until the height is the same for all ...

Hot glue the wedges so they do not move ...

Once done, scribe the bottom of each leg ...

Electrician's tape is great for marking at an angle ...

Saw off the waste, and we are done ...

I checked the result with a digital angle box. All good. Sanded to 240 grit ...

The drawer and finishing is left to do.

Regards from Perth

Derek

 

[Derek Cohen (Perth Oz)]

It is now beginning to look like something familiar ....

The legs appear pretty strong and solid. No flex.

Regards from Perth

Derek

 

[Derek Cohen (Perth Oz)]

Last time the base was completed, and we had a quick look at the parts together. It is not fully sanded yet, and no finish obviously. It feels very solid in the legs - I know there were some that were concerned about the 10 degree splay ....

The - almost - last lap is here, the building of the drawer. I do not want to bore the pants off all with yet another dovetailing, so rather here are some pictures of the decisions and tasks that need to take place for a well-fitted drawer.

The first decision was to choose the wood for the drawer front, and the panel at the other side (the drawer will open on one side of the coffee table, and the other side will be a fixed panel similar to the drawer front).

There is just enough of the Fiddleback Jarrah for these panels. The orientation of the figure needs to be chosen, otherwise it will look like a dog's breakfast ...

It is beautiful wood, but very interlocked. The double iron works its wonders ..

The length is short enough to joint on a shooting board ..

Mark the width ..

... and shoot to the line.

The ends are squared ...

I frequently read how important it is to have a backing board when shooting end grain to prevent spelching. This is not important at all. The best strategy is to score the line you will plane to, and then add a chamfer at the end. Use the shooting plane for this ...

Now plane until the chamfer disappears ...

No spelching ...

The fitted drawer front ...

... is tight to the sides and has about 1mm gap at the top.

The back board of the drawer, and the rear panel ...

These are the drawer parts: the front is 19mm thick, the quarter sawn Tasmanian Oak sides are 10mm (slightly thicker than my usual 8mm as it needs to be a little beefier) and the rear is 12mm ...

A peek at the drawer ...

All the details in the last chapter next time.

Regards from Perth

Derek

 

[Derek Cohen (Perth Oz)]

This was the model for the coffee table my nephew chose when I offered to build them a wedding present ...

Let's see how we did ....

Before the coffee table was assembled from the parts, I was mindful that it would be shipped from Perth to Sydney (which is the further than New York to LA). The main concern was that the container might bounce (be dropped or be handled roughly), and the weight of the heavy Jarrah top coming down on the splayed legs might cause them severe damage. (I am not concerned about the strength of the legs for normal home use - the construction is strong. More shortly).

So, I build a table out of MDF that could be placed under the coffee table, and would take all the weight ...

The top and base were connected with steel angle brackets ...

Part of the strength in the splayed legs comes from the corner brackets, which act to lock in the mortice-and-tenon joint by preventing movement. These steel angle brackets further lock in the base from any possible twisting.

The brackets are angled to 10 degrees to match the inside of the rails ...

Incidentally, the best, and cheapest, anvil is this section of steel angle, the insides of which are lines with Hard Maple scrap, and then clamped in the leg vise over a leg ....

The finish for the wood - Fiddleback Jarrah for the top of the carcase and the drawer fronts, and Jarrah for the base of the carcase and base/legs - was chosen for durability. It needs to be capable of resisting water marks and heat, and still have a natural appearance - not a sit-on-top finish, such as a poly or varnish. Most oil finishes are not durable enough.

What I went with in the end was Evolution (satin), a hard wax oil by Whittle. This is a floor finish, and in the examples I saw it looked more like a waxed oil finish. The reports and reviews were highly favourable. I must say, after using it, I was completely sold. It is fantastic! The surfaces were sanded to 400 grit (Abranet), and then two coats were rubbed on with a micromesh cloth, 8 hours apart. Any residue was removed immediately. There was no grain raising that I could detect, however I did rub down the first coats with 400 grit grey mesh.

The drawer case was waxed (only) with Lincoln Furniture Wax. This is a shellac-based wax. The inside of the drawer was finished with Ubeaut Hard Shellac diluted 50% with methylated spirits (alcohol). All of the above are Australian products. The interior of the drawer was lined in leather, which was waxed with Renaissance Wax.

This is a close up of the Evolution. It is so much nicer in the flesh. Silky ...

OK, to the coffee table ...

The front, with the drawer (and the agonised-over-drawer-handle-pull-whatever) ..

The colour, figure, and those rounded dovetails look fantastic ...

Other end ...

The rear has a closed panel. At the start of the project I had planned to make the drawer run all the way through, and open from each side. On reflection, this created more problems than it was worth, and so the one side was closed in with the same panel used as a drawer front ...

The Jarrah base and splayed, tapered legs ...

Finally the drawer ...

The drawer stop used was the same design as used in the Apothecary Chest. This is adjustable, which enable the position of the drawer front to be fine tuned ...

The 10mm drawer sides are Tasmanian Oak, which I find great for this purpose as it all comes quarter sawn. It is a moderately hard wood (by Oz standards). Plywood was used for the drawer bottom, as it was inset in grooves and covered in leather. Jarrah cove moulding was made to finish.

Inside there is an inscribed brass plate for remembrance ...

Thanks for all the contributions and discussion along the way.

Regards from Perth

Derek

 

[MikeG.]

I wish you'd agonised over the drawer handle issue a bit more. I can't find any way of liking that.

Well done on a beautifully made project. I am no fan of the style at all, but appreciate the craft that has gone into making it.

 

[Hand Plane]

A1 result!

Another great WIP too.

Many thanks for the efforts required to share with us - much appreciated.

 

[AndyT]

Congratulations and thanks from me too. I was skeptical at first, wondering why you wanted to make what was designed for machinery by hand. But I too like the look of those lovely rounded dovetails. Somehow they emphasise the precision of the straight baseline. And the wood just sings.

Another quality piece from everyone's new favourite uncle!

 

[Steliz]

Thanks for this WIP Derek, I have been following it eagerly. Your table looks fantastic and it was a pleasure to watch you create it.

 

[DannyEssex]

Amazing craftsmanship Derek!! Thank you for the detailed wip, a real insight into how you work =D>

 

[Derek Cohen (Perth Oz)]

I wish you'd agonised over the drawer handle issue a bit more. I can't find any way of liking that.

Well done on a beautifully made project. I am no fan of the style at all, but appreciate the craft that has gone into making it.

The drawer handle was a headache. There were many options, but the bottom line was that it had to blend in. The shape could replicate something in the design, such as the outline of the legs, or the cabinet, which is what I ended up choosing.

I must say that the recess was not my preferred choice, but eventually became one of necessity. I would have preferred a more traditional pull, such as a wooden hinge (but was concerned about its long-term strength), and anything sticking out from the front could cause damage to people walking by, blushing past., and so these were out. I thought of a campaign type recessed folding handle, but it added another element (such as brass), and it all needed to remain simple, in keeping with the Danish design (like Shaker designs) of minimal adornment.

Regards from Perth

Derek

 

[MikeG.]

.........The drawer handle was a headache. There were many options, but the bottom line was that it had to blend in.........
I must say that the recess was not my preferred choice, but eventually became one of necessity.......

Did you consider going half-depth with the same shape as you used, and putting a lip under the top edge of the cut-out?

 

[Derek Cohen (Perth Oz)]

Mike, I did consider this. However the drawer front is only 19mm thick. That would not leave enough to grip.

Regards from Perth

Derek

 

[sammy.se]

As someone else said earlier, this is inspirational (and aspirational) for many of us - thanks for sharing your progress and techniques along the way!

 

[Derek Cohen (Perth Oz)]

My deepest thanks for all the kind words to all, especially those who offered opinions since one of the reasons I post to to create discussion. There are just so many ways to do joinery, and so many takes on design. We all benefit from the diversity.

This has been an interesting build (they have to be interesting, otherwise why do it?). A challenging design to reproduce with hand tools. The first time I had attempted mitred dovetails. That was interesting. It came together very satisfactorily in the end. I am in awe of the top - that Jarrah is simply stunning ... far more so in real life where you can see the chatoyance and fiddleback.

A couple of better photos (perspective is everything) ...

Thanks again.

Regards from Perth

Derek

 

[AndyT]

That Jarrah certainly does look very special.
I know that over here it used to be imported for use as railway sleepers and iirc it has silica crystals in it which take the edges off tools quite quickly.
I am also aware that you have used it for several challenging but impressive builds. Would you say it was especially difficult, now that you are accustomed to it? Is it popular for furniture making, amateur or commercial?

 

[custard]

Absolutely impeccable.

=D>

 

[Derek Cohen (Perth Oz)]

That Jarrah certainly does look very special.
I know that over here it used to be imported for use as railway sleepers and iirc it has silica crystals in it which take the edges off tools quite quickly.
I am also aware that you have used it for several challenging but impressive builds. Would you say it was especially difficult, now that you are accustomed to it? Is it popular for furniture making, amateur or commercial?

Andy, most Australian woodworkers rarely use Jarrah. Jarrah is only grown in Western Australia. I tend to work with the local hard woods, so Jarrah is one I have access to. But it is getting harder, and more expensive, to access. It has been cut down and shipped around the world for use in roads, wharfs, bridges and roofing. It was not popular among furniture makers until recent years because it is so bloody hard to saw and plane. It is an abrasive wood, like the other locals, and is hard on blades (which is why we gravitate to A2 and PM-V11). I resort to what I can get from my local wood supplier, who is an urban salvager. Otherwise I use old roofing timbers (which are dry and like steel).

I have done a number of recent pieces in USA Hard Maple and Black Walnut. That stuff is a joy to work! It makes one aware that Jarrah is not just hard, but it is brittle. Black Walnut is like butter.

Regards from Perth

Derek

 

[AndyT]

Thanks Derek. Of the woods I have used in the last few years, I really enjoyed using walnut, sweet gum, oak and chestnut. Yew was challenging but rewarding.
I think I shall leave the remaining stocks of Jarrah to you!

 

[woodbloke66]

Absolutely impeccable.

=D>

Agreed, but that jarrah looks a right pita to use - Rob