Heavyweight: the dining table continues
Last week I wrote about breaking out the lumber for a table I’m making.
It was 8/4 white oak, all 8′ long. Some of it was up to 16″ wide. Needless to say, it was heavy. Dressing and laminating the planks was a challenge, but the top is just about complete now. It’s also staying put on my sawhorses until I can get a friend (or two) to give me a hand flipping it over.
My planer is 13″ wide, so I first laminated sections that would fit through it, so I could dress them down to final thickness. I then trued up their edges with a mix of track saw and table saw and started the process of bringing those sections together to form the tabletop.
Reader question #1
As an aside, I got a few questions about my column last week, a couple of which I’ll answer here. Rick B. asked why I’m not using biscuits to join the sections together. Biscuits, and other connectors, help with aligning the parts during glue-up, though they really don’t add any strength to the assembly. I used two Dominos between each 13″ wide section to assist with location and also because it just helps make the process easier when you’re working by yourself. I made sure to keep them well in from each end, as I didn’t want to expose them when trimming the outer shape of the table top to size. I centred them on the length of the top, about 30″ apart.
Come together, please
I used the track saw to ensure one edge was straight, then I ran the 13″ wide section through the table saw to give me the second straight edge for gluing. This worked well, and I ended up with three central sections to glue together. Bar clamps easily brought these parts together until the glue set.
The next few sections were more like 6″ wide, and they were added in stages as the day went on. At this point the top was very heavy. It hasn’t moved since.
Full-sized printout
As this tabletop is egg-shaped, and I didn’t want to freehand or guess at the final shape, I printed out the contour my client gave me. I just printed out half, as the tabletop is symmetrical from side-to-side. I used this printout to ensure I had enough material where I needed it, but not so much that I was wasting too much of this expensive solid white oak.
Trim it to shape
I then made a 1/8″ thick hardboard template and sanded it even. This would allow me to template rout the tabletop. First, a decent amount of waste material had to be cut away so my router and bit didn’t have to work so hard and I’d end up with a smoother edge.
I used my circular saw to cut some of the larger sections off and my jigsaw to trim closer to the line. I was able to remove material to within about 1/4″ of the marked line. I did score the area just outside of my line to ensure chip-out wouldn’t damage the top, but it turns out the white oak was less prone to chipping than I anticipated. I much prefer it to its more popular brother red oak, which chips and splinters before the blade even comes into contact with it.
Template
Since the edge of the template was a bit further from the tabletop, I added a few scraps of 1/8″ hardboard underneath it with double-sided tape. This gave me a more positive edge for the bearing on my template router bit to follow. The last thing I needed was to have a mistake at this stage.
The bearing followed the template nicely and left me with a smooth, even edge. I had to lower the bit and re-rout the edge a few times, as the cutting edges on my largest diameter template bit aren’t overly long at about 3/4″. Again, I was really surprised that I got virtually no chip-out or tearing whatsoever.
Angled edge treatment
The edge treatment my client wanted was fairly simple visually, but a slight challenge to produce. It was angled at about 8° and had a 1/8″ diameter round over at the top and bottom edges. The round overs were easy and would be machined last.
If this was a rectilinear table there would be many simple options to machine an 8° angle on these edges, but with the shape I was dealing with, none of them would work. I opted to use the router with a long flush trim bit and a small strip of wood to angle the router. The bearing would run against the curved edge while the strip of wood, which was double-sided taped to the underside of the router, would keep the bit at an angle. After some trial and error, I was ready for action. Again, my main goal here was to not mess up the entire top at this point.
Three passes around the top, dropping the bit a bit lower each time, and the tricky part of the edge was complete, thankfully. Nothing was messed up and because this was a new router bit, its sharp edge left me with a smooth surface. Once I added the small round overs to either edges, I could move on to the next stage.
Three turned legs are going to support this top, which my friend and local wood turning pro Mark Salusbury is going to take care of for me. Above where the legs will be placed, a faux detail will be added to the top surface of the tabletop. The detail will make it look like the legs extend through the top. But first I have to decide where the legs will go, as the legs and faux details have to align nicely to be believable. Today, I’ll take care of leg placement, which is trickier than I first anticipated. This top is heavy, and there are also going to be external forces acting upon it when it’s in use. Amongst other things, people are going to be pressing down on the table to stand up when they’ve finished eating and I want to make sure the table is stable. The leg placement has to also consider function, as nobody likes to have a wooden table leg in their way when they sit down. Aesthetics also have to be considered. Wish me luck!
Reader question #2
Jim B. asked how much (percentage wise) of the material I lost due to the client only wanting rift sawn material. Good question, Jim. It’s hard to say, but a quick glance at what I have left over says less than I anticipated. I did have to rip some 4″ wide sections from the centre of a few of the wider boards, but luckily I was able to use most of that to laminate three leg blanks. I also have some leftover material I can use for the coffee table I’m making for the same client. I probably “wasted” about 30% of the material due to the rift sawn requirement, but luckily it won’t all become some of the most expensive (yet greatest) firewood I’ve ever had.
If all goes well, I’ll be able to share some final photos with you next week. We also have the fall print issue of Canadian Woodworking & Home Improvement going to the printers early next week, so I’ve got my hands full. The juggling continues.
Dominos to the Rescue
Although they’re hard to see, Domino mortises are machined in mating laminations to ease with glue-up.
Bring Them Together
The first three 13" wide sections are finally brought together. Small strips of wood sit under the bar clamps and keep the bars off the glue line. This is because the bars react with the moisture in the glue and leave black stains on the wood. This is especially true with oak.
Getting Bigger
The tabletop blank is almost complete. Thankfully my sawhorses are strong.
Use the Template
A full-size template allows me to ensure there’s enough material where I need it.
Trace the Shape
I’m able to trace the final shape onto the blank so I can cut it to rough shape.
No Chipping, Please
A knife scores the area just outside of the final pencil line, while the darker line gives me something to shoot for while I remove the majority of the waste with a circular saw and jigsaw.
Trim It Flush
With the waste removed, I used the template to guide my template bit. Notice the gap between the template and the tabletop; this is due to the extra pieces of hardboard I fastened to the underside of the template.
Looking Good
Though it looks complete, there’s still a lot of work to do on this tabletop.
Angled Edge
The shim, which was just double-sided taped to the base of the router, provided me with the angle needed, while the bearing on the long flush trim bit guided the cutting edges around the curved tabletop.
Rob is a studio furniture maker and the editor at Canadian Woodworking & Home Improvement. Instagram at @RobBrownTeaches
Did you say “three legs”? For an oval table?? That will be interesting! I expect it will have an “interesting look”, but I really wonder about stability. As you pointed out, people will likely press down on the table edge as they are sitting up. On the other hand, the shear weight of the table might make it unlikely or impossible for a person to actually tip the table. Having legs near the edges will provide more stability, but then you have the issue of table legs interfering with people legs. Good luck!