Console Table project, all from left over's

Bryan Cowing

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Location
Ridgetown, Ontario, Canada
I used a lower grade of walnut, lots of knots and sapwood to deal with. I built this for my DIL's birthday coming up on the 21st. I had just enough walnut left over from a xmas gift to build this table, but had to use some very light sapwood in the top. I stained the table with a 30 minute fast dry stain from ML Campbell to even the color out. Semigloss lacquer. Plan is from a Rodale book of 100 projects of country furniture I had got free with a WW subscription years ago.
 
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Bryan,

I like the table! The finish turned out very nice :thumb:

I have a question though... When you made the legs on your lathe, how did you get them to come out all the same?

I'm sure that alot of people on here will think thats a dumb question, but I don't own a lathe and I have never used one before. Needless to say I don't know much about them... :dunno:
 
...I have a question though... When you made the legs on your lathe, how did you get them to come out all the same?

I'm sure that alot of people on here will think thats a dumb question, but I don't own a lathe and I have never used one before. Needless to say I don't know much about them... :dunno:
Not a dumb question at all.

Some guys make a paper or wooden pattern and use it as a reference (using calipers and such to transfer the dimensions from the pattern to the wood). Some of that is discussed in this thread.

Some guys use magazine editors as motivation to get it right. ;) :p

Bryan had a trick up his sleeve though, since he has a lathe duplicator.
There's a little discussion in this thread about it, but hopefully he'll post more pics and descriptions, since I don't know much about how duplicators work.
 
Bryan,

I like the table! The finish turned out very nice :thumb:

I have a question though... When you made the legs on your lathe, how did you get them to come out all the same?

I'm sure that alot of people on here will think thats a dumb question, but I don't own a lathe and I have never used one before. Needless to say I don't know much about them... :dunno:
This Mini Max copy lathe has a large heavy duty support bearing. It eliminates the flexing on small , long spindles. The 3.25" hole in the bearing takes bushings to reduce the hole size. This one is 1&7/8ths inches. 1st I draw a full size paper pattern, and use 3m spray glue to fix it to some 1/4" pexi glass for a pattern. I then bandsaw out the pattern, and using a 1" belt sander, and sometimes my spindle sander, also use files, sand the pattern to the line. Pattern is then bolted to the copy rail of the lathe for the follower pin to ride on. the copy rail can also take and existing spindle as a pattern. The lathe has a pre cut knife, reducing the diameter to 1&7/8 ths, to match the support bearing, and the profile knife is used across about 1 inch width of the stock at a time , in repeated passes, till the follower pin is down to the pattern. Because of the fine detail of the beads, etc. the copy lathe can't get that close so you use your turning tools to touch up and sharpen the turning. It takes about 10 minutes to rough turn the spindle and another 10-15 minutes to sharpen the details and sand. You can buy add on copiers from Vega, but you also need either the support bearing or use a steady rest to support thin turnings. Once you get up to 3" and larger, no support is needed.
Some pictures of the Mini Max, also a Vega pro 36 copier and some of turnings I have done. The Vega copier only needs tempered hardboard for a pattern and will do much larger diameter copies than the Mini Max. I have turned 6"x6" stock using the Vega.
 
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Very nice Bryan!

I love three legged tables, as they never wobble :D :D :D

Finish looks great, kinda wishing I had one of those duplicator thingies too.
Lots of stuff I never started because I knew I couldn't get 4 legs to come out the same :huh:
 
Bryan, that stain worked great. I can't believe what a difference that made. Great looking project. I'm sure you DIL will cherish it very much. Great job!
 
Bryan, If you can do that with "Scrap." What in the world could you do with a truck load of good stuff????? :eek:

DT
 
You did a great job Bryan and all from scrap make the project even better. By the way, your table looks like a dead-ringer for one that my Grandmother had in her hall for as long as I can remember. It brings back very fond memories.
 
Good job, Bryan. ML Campbell stains are my favorite. Walnut is an excellent choice for "scraps" because it takes stain so well the difference between heart and sap seems to disappear. Same with poplar.
 
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