About Time---Table Done

[Gary Max]

The finish on the Butternut table was a real pain----we had it done about a week ago and I saw one little spot. Needless to say I should of left it alone but No!!!!! I had to fix it----the short story----I had to resand the whole top and start over. It finally came out nice and is headed to the showroom/barn.

 

[TBone]

Table looks real good. Finish looks top notch. I would love to see a picture of just the table top.

 

[NavyDiver]

Looks good. Nice shine on the top!

 

[smoky10]

Good looking table Gary.

 

[Gary Max]

Here is a pic of the TOP

 

[JDPens]

Wow, looks great! But man, it sure is crooked! []
Seriously, the table looks fantastic, there's some really nice pen blanks in that top! []

 

[BigRob777]

Gary,
I'd love to tackle something like that, but I couldn't move it. I love the side to side orientation, rather than end to end, of the top. How'd you secure the top to the skirt? It looks like screws with either plugs, or fill.
Very nice work.
Rob

 

[Gary Max]

Rob your right---Screws and plugs---the neat trick-----I make my own dowel rods for the plugs--- out of butternut.

 

[BigRob777]

Gary,
It really looks nice. Is the finish poly? I have some turning squares of butternut.

All of my furniture designs use veneered plywood. I bought a ton of gorgeous veneer, for doors, desks and a corner table (plus my Christmas trays). Did you laminate the legs, or are they solid? I made my own plugs for my entertainment center out of ebony and some are little knobs. The knobs very first lathe job. The plugs I made with plug cutters and ebony thins. It was my first time working with ebony, or any exotic for that matter and I couldn't figure out why my cutters smoked so badly. I thought oak was the hardest wood in the world. Doh!!!
Rob

 

[BigRob777]

Gary,
Are those slab tables, or stools in the background? It looks like the stems are turned logs. Wow!
Rob

 

[GaryMGg]

Gary

Originally posted by Gary Max
<br />Rob your right---Screws and plugs---the neat trick-----I make my own dowel rods for the plugs--- out of butternut.

That's a nice looking table. The plugs look cool.
One question (my flatwork side coming out):
How are you accounting for wood movement?

Gary

 

[Gary Max]

Gary lets see if I can answer that one--hummm
Every seam in the top has 4 #20 Biscuits---every joint is glued together---plus the screws. It is built to move as one piece--- no independent movement.

 

[jeffj13]

Originally posted by Gary Max
<br /> It is built to move as one piece--- no independent movement.

I think that this is the exact point that GaryMGg is trying to make. If the pieces can't move independently of one another (specifically the top and the skirt)then they will crack if the wood movement of one piece is different than the other.

btw, nice looking table.

jeff

 

[BigRob777]

I'm afraid that I have to agree with Jeff about the cracking. I think that cleats underneath would have worked best. It looks like a cube with a tongue, that fits into a slot in the skirt. I'm not sure what the real name is for that though. It might actually be a cleat.

It <b>is</b> a beautiful table though.
Rob

Edit: I got that from Norm Abrams, of The New Yankee Workshop.

 

[GBusardo]

Great looking table Gary!! The way you secured the table to the skirt, does not mean the boards will warp or crack for sure, but they might. I believe if you keep the table in a stable enviroment, the chances of sucess with be the greatest. I have gotten away with things like this in the past and other times, I paid the price. Good luck with this one, it sure is a beauty.

 

[BigRob777]

That's the answer, get it stabilized.[] I couldn't resist. I've wanted to build a table like that since I first started woodworking, but I have my grandmother's table and it's the one I grew up with. I refinished it, before I knew anything about antiques, but it was a mess. I'm always looking for a reason to build one for someone else (a paying customer, or my best friend and his family). NO, this is not an offer folks. You probably wouldn't like what you got anyway. I'm still something of a novice at flatwork too.

Will it help if he finishes off the bottom of the boards too?
Rob

 

[GBusardo]

Great looking table Gary!! The way you secured the table to the skirt, does not mean the boards will warp or crack for sure, but they might. I believe if you keep the table in a stable enviroment, the chances of sucess with be the greatest. I have gotten away with things like this in the past and other times, I paid the price. Good luck with this one, it sure is a beauty.

 

[bob393]

Well ok.