Dining Table build-40x60 inch

allen levine

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Wasnt sure if I should post a few pics along the way, not post at all, post at the end, but figured I have no embarrassment or illusions when it comes to my woodworking skills.
My first error, as ridiculous as it sounds, is that I only planed a few inches in table width more than Id need, and it turned out one board wasnt even Mahogany, it was ash.(cant figure that out at all, didnt notice till I was done planing)
So Im short 8 inches of planed wood, and will begin again next week.
I cut the boards into 3.5 inch strips, only because thats what Ive read, and used this size to glue up the small tops Ive made(2 out of red oak, but only 18 inch width)
I was going to leave the glue up for next week, but decided to do it in sections, around 12-15 inches at a time, and then glue up the sections.

No jointer, and I used the Freud Glue up rip blade. A few burn marks, but not uneven, I gently sanded them out.(if anyone doesnt know, I am not affiliated with Freud nor have any financial interest in them, but I will accept any free products to test, :D)
Used my biscuit cutter to strengthen and align, for whatever its worth.#20 biscuits.
Heres a look, best pic I could get, of some boards and the glue up so far.

the end piece, is old growth mahogany, didnt realize I planed it up, so Im using one piece on each end of the top.
Very new territory for me, all of this, planing, big glueups, so Im not sure where Ill end up. (moderator, as usual, if this thread is not worth the space, feel free to zap and no hard feelings.)a bit of snipe of this board, will sand it out eventually, on bottom of table topwood stuff 306 (Medium).jpg
(and I didnt bother to match up any grains of different boards or even the same boards, cause my wife told me she likes the look of the different patterns)

good picture of the old growth grain next to other boardwood stuff 308 (Medium).jpg
 

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You go Allen!
Never be afraid to post here. Many, many, of us enjoy watching projects come together and we take from your posts at least as much as you learn from others. Besides, we need more flat work - the spinny guys are taking over! :eek::rofl::rofl:
 
Allen,

I have to echo Rennie's opinion that we enjoy watching projects come together. I would also like to add that while I enjoy seeing the completed projects by the more experienced woodworkers, I much more enjoy seeing the journey that we who are beginners and amateurs take on our road of learning. I see others projects, errors and all as a fantastic way to learn more myself. Please keep posting!!

cheers

John

ps : more pictures...more pictures....more pictures:thumb:
 
allen for someone doing roofing daily latly you sure got grit:thumb::thumb: your makin some of the die hards look bad in the amount that your gettin done,, slow down take a break let the rest of us catch up. on your glue up pic there try to get your clamps evenly place allen to keep equal pressur across the length as you get wider your gonna need to watch for bowing,, try using a caul to keep it flat like you have going on towards your end..now your doing fine allen:thumb::thumb: we will have to make you a capt of the flat work team this week or maybe month at the rate your going:thumb:
 
Allen, Never hold back, Never surrender!

I for one, always enjoy your posts, so post on!

Nothing we chair abusers enjoy more than seeing someone get something done....
 
Way to go Allen. I do have to ask a question though........WHY in the world would you want to slice those beautiful boards of Mahogany into narrow strips and then glue them back together for a table top?????????:huh::huh:

The only reason I know to rip wide boards into narrower strips for a glue up is IF there may be a question as to whether the wood has been "Cured" long enough to be Stable, OR to eliminate blemishes, or if there is obvious "cupping" in the boards or other faults in the wood, (OR IF YOU JUST WANT PRACTICE DOING GLUE-UPS):D Well cured Mahogany of good quality is not one of those woods that needs to be ripped into narrow boards before glue up, and the narrow strips eliminates getting the full picture of the natural grain of that beautiful WOOD.

Note: This is just MY opinion, ymmv.
 
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Hi Allen :wave:,
Try, learn and try some more, always thinking of possible change (for another piece) and improvement, improvisation and adaptation to other seemingly unrelated projects. Doing is a great teacher, keep doing.
Shaz:)
 
Keep posting Allen! :thumb:Just wish I had a little more time to post more often.:eek: One thing I might mention, something that happened to me several years ago when I glued up an oak top for a mission style end table. I had used biscuits to help align the boards and then sanded. I wish I would have waited several days before sanding the top because the glue around the biscuits had caused the wood to swell! :huh:After the the glue dried it shrank back and you could see an out line in the top above each biscuit! :eek: I didn't notice it at all.:(
I didn't have real good light in the old shop and missed it until I brought it into the house. It wasn't real noticeable but I knew it was there. :doh:
 
Way to go Allen. I do have to ask a question though........WHY in the world would you want to slice those beautiful boards of Mahogany into narrow strips and then glue them back together for a table top?????????:huh::huh:

The only reason I know to rip wide boards into narrower strips for a glue up is IF there may be a question as to whether the wood has been "Cured" long enough to be Stable, OR to eliminate blemishes, or if there is obvious "cupping" in the boards or other faults in the wood, (OR IF YOU JUST WANT PRACTICE DOING GLUE-UPS):D Well cured Mahogany of good quality is not one of those woods that needs to be ripped into narrow boards before glue up, and the narrow strips eliminates getting the full picture of the natural grain of that beautiful WOOD.

Note: This is just MY opinion, ymmv.


oh man, I read and read and read and almost everywhere I read suggested that glueing up in widths less than 4 inch gives more stability and decreases the chances of cupping and bending, and I just wanted to glue up 4 boards, .....I will take that into total advisement before I make the buffet. thankyou.(lemme tell ya, I dont know if the wood he told me is old growth, a few pieces and he said I wont get too many chances to get it at that price, and it reallly looked beautiful, darker, richer, wavier grains, and it broke my heart to slice that)
 
Keep posting Allen! :thumb:Just wish I had a little more time to post more often.:eek: One thing I might mention, something that happened to me several years ago when I glued up an oak top for a mission style end table. I had used biscuits to help align the boards and then sanded. I wish I would have waited several days before sanding the top because the glue around the biscuits had caused the wood to swell! :huh:After the the glue dried it shrank back and you could see an out line in the top above each biscuit! :eek: I didn't notice it at all.:(
I didn't have real good light in the old shop and missed it until I brought it into the house. It wasn't real noticeable but I knew it was there. :doh:

In my limited use with biscuits, Ive never seen any swelling, but Ill look out for this. Im glad I only glued up 12 inches so far.
 
oh man, I read and read and read and almost everywhere I read suggested that glueing up in widths less than 4 inch gives more stability and decreases the chances of cupping and bending, and I just wanted to glue up 4 boards, .....I will take that into total advisement before I make the buffet. thankyou.(lemme tell ya, I dont know if the wood he told me is old growth, a few pieces and he said I wont get too many chances to get it at that price, and it reallly looked beautiful, darker, richer, wavier grains, and it broke my heart to slice that)

Allen, I do understand what you are saying. I have also read many articles by "Supposed Experts" recommending using ONLY narrow strips for glue-ups, but over the last fifty plus years, I have made quite a few tables and have not had any of them cup or curl up yet and I have NEVER ripped a nice wide board to prevent cupping or curling yet. (NOTE:::: I certainly am NOT Saying it CAN'T happen):eek: I do get pretty "persnickety" when selecting the pieces of wood wood to use for the tops, and then I also alternate the curl of the grain pattern for the glue up, (looking at the ends of the boards), although some say this isn't necessary, but it was the way I was taught and it has always worked for me, soooooooo..... I'll stick with that procedure.;)

Note 2: Now "IF" you were making a project using something like a flat-sawn soft wood, I'd say that ANYTHING could happen to that top.:rolleyes:

Hope some of this helps. At the rate you're turning out projects, you're going to have a wealth of personal experience MUCH sooner than Most woodworking folks, so keep up the good work.:thumb::thumb::thumb:
 
Not going to picture the locker room :eek::rolleyes: But your projects, post at will :thumb: All good stuff. I just wish I had your energy, King of the flatlanders for sure

Tom
 
Allen I didn't see it until about two months after coming into the house. I sat down in the old easy chair and the light was coming through the window just right and there is was, little "football" dimples between each joint.:eek:

If there is anything there that I caused, I hope someone else chimes in so I don't make the same mistake again!
 
Allen I didn't see it until about two months after coming into the house. I sat down in the old easy chair and the light was coming through the window just right and there is was, little "football" dimples between each joint.:eek:

If there is anything there that I caused, I hope someone else chimes in so I don't make the same mistake again!

when I got home from work last night, I ran into the garage to look at the glueup.
I first left most of the lights off, figured if its ruined, Ill sort of slide into the view, but it was ok, even I was impressed.
Im going to get busy on the final glueups tomorrow, if the weather isnt too cold.

I have one question.
If the table top is approx 40x60 inchs, how far off from each side or end should I set the table legs(2.5 inch square), attached to 3.5 inche wide aprons. simple Mt joints, simple looking table.
 
Time to throw in the towel today!!!!!

:(:dunno::doh:

got up bright and early, figured ok, today I glue up second set of strips, cut the few more I need, cut the aprons, maybe mortise out the legs for the aprons, maybe even cut the apron tenons, and give the garage a good dust clean up.
And when I had my coffee in hand at 9 am, I should have stopped right there and went back inside.
The first glue up, looked ok,wood stuff 317 (Medium).jpg , the piece on right is the aged wood,no major gaps, only a small ding on top, Ill have to fill with something.(other side I didnt like)
I started to glue up second set, I put on my dust mask, just because of the biscuit cutter, and my glasses fell off and the frame broke apart.
Im lost without my glasses, so my wife spent 30 minutes finding an eyeglass repair kit, and she put them back together.
When I reached down to pick up my glasses on the floor, I knocked over the biscuit cutter, and the front fence height adjusment knob fell off, cracked off, I dont know, it wont go back on.wood stuff 319 (Medium).jpg
I finally glued it up, and it came out better than the first glue up.wood stuff 314 (Medium).jpgI cut up some scraps and put long bolts in each end to clamp down both sides, just a bit more clamping power.
(one piece short, since I thought I noticed a hairline split and today I took a visegrip and held the board and managed to see the split was all the way down, so I had to junk that board, and that left me short, but I had to glue up more anyway, so just a board foot in the garbage.(and some time)
I pushed my first piece through to get a straight edge, and I have no clue what happenned, the piece was a quarter inch off of fence in jig, and I pushed it more like a jerk, and the blade screamed, and boom, the power went off.
I went inside, hit all the circuit breakers, nada.
I went into the garage, theres a 2 old fashioned fuse box, sure enough, blew it, and I dont have a replacement in house.wood stuff 318 (Medium).jpg
(I grabbed my contractor neighbor cause I had no clue what really happenned)
He told me where to go locally so no Home Depot on sunday.
I must have killed that blade, cause then the misery began, I could not get the wood to go through the saw straight, with the jig, it kept moving, and I cut up alot of wood, 18 inches down to 12 inches,wood stuff 320 (Medium).jpg and it still is not straight,wood stuff 321 (Medium).jpg and thats when I decided to call it a day.
I was about to kick the tablesaw and bust my foot, so all the plans today got dumped in the garbage.
What a frustrating day, morning. (and things were going so smoothly.)

I apologize to the board, I just wanted to vent, and I had my camera in my hoodie, so I snapped a few pictures, just moving stuff along.
I also broke a glass jar of screws which fell all over the floor when I laid the biscuit cutter back down, so that took me 25 minutes to clean up. Was too busy saying nasty things to snap a picture. I almost threw the camera throught the window at that point.
 
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hey Robert,Todd, etc, just showing you guys what its like to be on the other side of things.(the hands on type of learning, dont know what Im doing, learning it as I go along, hoping things come out somewhat straight.)
 
:thumb:wow allen i can feel for ya,, remeber when i broke one door for my hutch? i wasnt having a good day then either.. it happens and sometimes things happen for the better we just dont see it yet.. get ahold of thos tauton books i mentioned and they will give you some good readin while your coolin back down before you get back on the horse for another ride:D you have surly had tought things to work threw before and you can do this one too... just ask and someone will help:thumb::D
 
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