Oak Coffee Table

[woodchip]

My first furniture project. Lots of useful advice learnt from this (and other) sites have got me this far (I didn't do woodwork at school after the first year!).

I bought the oak, PAR from British Hardwoods, 12m of 120mm x 25mm, plus 2.4m of 70mm x 70mm for the legs.

Anyway, here are the pics (I hope)

The top is made up of 7 boards, 5 biscuited together, 2 as breadboard edges:

The breadboard edges have a groove milled in them (router table), the top has a tongue (hand held router with guide)

The top befofre sanding

The breadboard edge

The legs taper on all sides, so I made a jig for my (cheap) table saw, it worked like a dream

The legs are joined to the apron with m & T joints made with the router

The frame is glued up

The top is fixed to the frame with toggles (correct term?) which fit into slots cut with the biscuit joiner.

The table has had its first coat of Osmo Polyx (more to come, then wax)

Thanks for looking

 

[OPJ]

Nice design. I really like "chunky" coffee tables; fancy stuff just isn't my thing.

With that oak you bought, was it PAR to 25mm finished size?? Must have cost a few bob if it was! :shock:

I'm very keen to see how you get on with the Osmo oil. Their name seems to be popping up all over the place at the minute and I have a coffee table project in mind myself - I was just gonna Danish Oil it, like I usually do... :roll:

 

[woodchip]

Nice design. I really like "chunky" coffee tables; fancy stuff just isn't my thing.

With that oak you bought, was it PAR to 25mm finished size?? Must have cost a few bob if it was! :shock:

I'm very keen to see how you get on with the Osmo oil. Their name seems to be popping up all over the place at the minute and I have a coffee table project in mind myself - I was just gonna Danish Oil it, like I usually do... :roll:

Thanks for your kind words, the "design" just came out of my head, and used the boards with the least amount of ripping.

The oak was planed to 25mm finish size, for 120mm wide it was £7.99 + VAT per m. I bought enough for the coffee table, and a lamp table, and enough 70 x 70 for 8 legs. Total was £164 inc VAT.

The Osmo was left over from my kitchen worktop (maple, again supplied by British Hardwoods). Its fantastic stuff, the kitchen worktop has been in for about 3 years, I've Osmo'd it twice and its stood up really well, the finish is still perfect, just a few dings where things have been dropped on it (we don't mind though, it is for working on, not a fashion accessory!)

 

[Woody Alan]

Woodchip

I really like the simple practical solid design. I always refer to the "toggles" as buttons I was hoping to find a reference to back me up but couldn't. It doesn't matter what they're called, they do the job and it looks right for allowing movement. Well done. Oh the osmo polyx I have just been using it on some skirting/doorframes etc. i have to say it is so easy and really pleased with the finish. I am wiping on with some lint free cloth. It is such an easy finish to apply it's hard to believe the results. I am using a satin finish.

Alan

 

[LarryS.]

for a first project i am massively impressed. My first project is also expected to be an oak coffee table so may steal some ideas here. Did you do a sketchup drawing to show height, length e.t.c. ?

cheers

 

[Rich]

Blimey Woodchip, if that's your first project you must be very proud, I'm still learning but if that was mine I could'nt wait to show folk, thanks for sharing it with us.
Rich.

 

[Waka]

Woodchip

Very nice project.

 

[Chris Knight]

Woodchip,
That is a great first project - well done!

BTW your "toggles" are generally referred to as "buttons" in my experience.

 

[woodchip]

for a first project i am massively impressed. My first project is also expected to be an oak coffee table so may steal some ideas here. Did you do a sketchup drawing to show height, length e.t.c. ?

cheers

Paul,

No I didn't do a sketch up, just a rough drawing. The top is 1240mm x 600mm, the legs are 425mm long. The top overhangs the apron by 45mm all round.

Good luck

 

[woodchip]

Thanks for all the kind words!

Although this is my first furniture project, my first woodwork project was on a larger scale (and rather ambitious). I made 18 new windows for my house! I bought the redwood already shaped (window sections) with the rebate, added an ogee moulding with the router and made the 18 storm sashes with a stile and rail bit. The frames were joined with beadlock loose tenons and "masons mitres". The skills I picked up doing the windows made me want to start to make other things, so I bought some power tools and set off.

 

[LarryS.]

wc,

hope you will take this as a compliment but i'm planning to steal as much of your design as I can ! Could you post some bigger or more detailed pics so I can see how you have finished it (routed edges e.t.c.) ?? Also one of the taper jig would be great

If you trawl through the forum you'll see I make a bit of a habit of smash and grabbing of ideas !


Paul

 

[Roger]

Nice one WoodChip Like some others, I'm a great believer in the straight forward 'simple' and functional designs. Plus you seem to have really brought out the texture and colour of the Oak with your finishing - nice choice of wood also it seems. A couple of higher resolution photographs would really show it off . . .

Well done!

 

[woodbloke]

Nice looking table, and agree about the Osmo, it really is fantastic stuff. I use the matt at the moment as I like a duller finish, if I want to get a bit more shine then a coat of wax does the trick.
There has been lots of stuff on the forums fairly recently about cleated or 'breadboard' ends. If the timber is not absolutely dry (down to about 10% MC as may be found in a centrally heated house) then you may find that the centre boards will shrink more that the ends resulting in a 'step' at each corner, where the breadboard end meets the long boards of the top. Even worse, if movement hasn't been allowed for, then this shrinkage may even cause the top to develop a crack...which happened to me on a project a while ago.
Sorry to rain (another term could be used here ) on your parade - Rob

 

[woodchip]

Nice looking table, and agree about the Osmo, it really is fantastic stuff. I use the matt at the moment as I like a duller finish, if I want to get a bit more shine then a coat of wax does the trick.
There has been lots of stuff on the forums fairly recently about cleated or 'breadboard' ends. If the timber is not absolutely dry (down to about 10% MC as may be found in a centrally heated house) then you may find that the centre boards will shrink more that the ends resulting in a 'step' at each corner, where the breadboard end meets the long boards of the top. Even worse, if movement hasn't been allowed for, then this shrinkage may even cause the top to develop a crack...which happened to me on a project a while ago.
Sorry to rain (another term could be used here ) on your parade - Rob

I only glues the breadboard edge in the centre, and put 3 dowels in, the outer two go through slotted holes in the tongue of the top. So the top can move freely. Agree about the step though, but it shouldn't ruin the piece I hope.

 

[woodchip]

Roger / Paul

I'll take a couple of high res photos after I've given the top another coat of Polyx.

( and a couple of my jig for paul, but its based on this

http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/pages/wvt115.asp

 

[OPJ]

Can I ask where you buy this Osmo oil from?

I've seen some quantities available on eBay but, is there any where else online that sells it?

 

[woodchip]

Can I ask where you buy this Osmo oil from?

I've seen some quantities available on eBay but, is there any where else online that sells it?

I bought mine from British Hardwoods when I bought my kitchen worktop. It goes a long way!

I've found it for sale here:

http://www.thepaintstore.co.uk/index.ph ... &Itemid=40

http://www.housedecorltd.co.uk/osmo-pol ... -206-p.asp

And with free delivery here:

http://www.vanillawoodfloors.co.uk/inde ... h=24_79_82

 

[OPJ]

Excellent! Thanks for this.