bodgermatic
Established Member
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.
Extending 'Flip-Top' Dining Table - Finished!!
- Thread starter OPJ
- Start date
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MikeG.
Established Member
bodgermatic":2gh2jize said:
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
Established Member
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
Established Member
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:
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
Established Member
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:
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
Established Member
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.
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
Established Member
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.
).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.
OPJ
Established Member
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 ***** 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:
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 ***** 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
Established Member
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:
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.
Established Member
Looking good Olly.....and I'm glad to see you are paying attention!!
Mike
Mike
OPJ
Established Member
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:
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
Established Member
OPJ":2w28fbtm said:
If you wipe on some white spirit it will often show up defects like that.
Cheers :wink:
Paul
OPJ
Established Member
That's a good idea! Thanks, Paul.
TrimTheKing
Established Member
Wiping over the top with whire spirit should darken it up enough to see them, providing you're quick...OPJ":2g3ks1o3 said:
Paul Chapman
Established Member
Keep up, Trim :lol:
TrimTheKing
Established Member
Dammit! The time it took me to read through the post to there you beat mePaul Chapman":2nk2f4q6 said:
OPJ
Established Member
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!
) 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.
Established Member
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
Mike
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!
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!
