Watcha Makin'?

[gspren]

It looks good to my eyes so I'd leave it alone but then I'm not seeing it in person. If you want an excuse for leaving it alone it is rumored that the Amish women always make a minor "mistake" on their quilts because only God is perfect and they aren't competing with God. I don't know if that is true but I've used that logic a time or so when someone points out an imperfection in my handiwork.

[Old Greenhorn]

I know the shakers would do that in their furniture, same reason. I always have something I wish my eyes would not see in my work.
As far as that sign goes, it's just fine! But Austin pointed it out when he gave to me and it's a lot like pointing out a pimple on a pretty girl. After somebody says something, you can't stop noticing it. It has been a hard lesson for me not to point out the flaws in my work, but I am getting there. Let the client decide if they like it.
That picnic table i a case in point, I said nothing when Bill ad his wife looked it over for a while (with lots of "WOWS"). After a bit Bill noticed a spot and I just said 'you want me to fix it?' "Nope" he said real quick, "leave it as is, it's a dang picnic table not the last supper table".

 When I was doing design work with integrated systems sometimes a tech or a customer would call up and say "There's a bug, it does that when I want it to do that." I would just say, "That's not a bug, it's a feature and we designed that in special." Shut them up, almost every time.

[doc henderson]

It looks great.  That is the trouble with high standards.  As we refine our craft, our standards go up as well.  At some point you have to be satisfied.  It is also how we get better.  We are ALL getting better.  we know where every little defect or ding is.  Perfect never gets finished.  God bless rustic!  
usflag

[aigheadish]

Haha! I contemplated not mentioning it but I couldn't not see it! I'll say I went the Amish route, I certainly have the beard for it. 

[WV Sawmiller]

   I had not heard about the Amish or Shakers deliberately leaving a minor mistake on their quilts or other work  but the Muslims do the same thing on their rugs and such for the same reason from what I hear.

[Don P]

On the prayer rug my SIL brought back that is a favorite dog hangout, if you study the pattern, I think they were making sure not to offend God  :D

[Old Greenhorn]

Well, we can put this one to bed. We delivered the picnic table today ( @Tam-i-am Here's the photos you wanted, and there are others on my FB page). Not the ideal delivery setting for photos, so I may have a few extra's up here. The clients are still grading and landscaping their place, which is new. We wound up walking it on to my utility trailer and it just fit and we could just lift it.


 

The clients got a bit more than they were promised.


 

I can't repeat the words they used here, but it was fairly obvious they were a bit blown away.



 

The husband was funny. When we asked where they wanted it, they picked a temporary spot and Bill said he would move the trailer. The Husband said, "Oh, we can just carry it there, it's only 30 feet or so". Bill and I looked at each other and smiled. Bill moved the trailer then we let the husband take a corner. Again, I can't type the words he used, but it was pretty funny. He had no idea.
 I was there to explain care and feeding, how it was finished, and explain some of the features in the wood such as the ray fleck.


 

I wish I had another week on this one to get the finish a lot better, I am none too happy with that. They think it's great. What I am really happy abut is how super those RiteLegs make it look. They are super nice! I have another set of galvanized in the shop for another build order, but after that I am only buying them in black powder coat. They just look too dang elegant in that gloss black. I'd call them sexy, but I don't know if that's allowed these days.



 

 These clients were over the moon and say they have a couple of neighbors that will want one. We'll see. Right now, one project at a time is good enough for me. ;D I have two more tables to build yet. I am glad this one is done and I could finally sweep out the shop. :D

[jimbarry]

Well, we can put this one to bed. We delivered the picnic table today ( @Tam-i-am Here's the photos you wanted, and there are others on my FB page). ...

You know, I just looked the photos on FB and then come here to see the same. I never clued in until just now you are one and the same.  :D

[Old Greenhorn]

Either that, or some bozo out there stole my design! :D :D :D

[thecfarm]

Another looks good job!!!

[Nebraska]

 

 

Red Elm desk top for my daughter.  I confess to not doing the glue up my cabinet maker cow client who has the big nice equipment did the final flattening and the glue line rip. I had it to within an 1/8 inch when I handed it off.  I can't wait to put the Tung oil on this. Tom that picnic  table is awesome. 

[Old Greenhorn]

The picnic table is no where near as awesome as that desk is going to be! If your anxious, wipe it down with mineral oil and see how it looks, that will give you a clue. I use that as a cleaner before I apply my finish anyway. Sweet!

[aigheadish]

Man! Fine looking table you've made there, Tom! Great job! 

[Larry]

A little hall table.  Just a exercise in design, cherry legs with red oak.  Walnut inlay.

[Old Greenhorn]

Beautiful, and now some of us want to know how you made the inlays. :D Photos?

[WDH]

Once again, you do amazingly well designed, elegant, and beautiful work.  

[21incher]

Beautiful piece. Now we need the inlay secrets.

[caveman]

Phenomenal work.  I agree with the others.  I want to see pictures of the process with explanations of each step.

[WDH]

Larry, you have opened the proverbial Pandora's box.  The shoe fits so you are going to have to wear it, Sir.  

[Old Greenhorn]

 

[Larry]

Well at least WDH is not calling me stoolman!

To cut out the table top I first made a template out of 1/4" MDF hardboard. I two sided taped my template to the oak top and cut it out with a router pattern bit. Than to cut the slot for the inlay I moved the template a couple inches from the edge. I followed the template with a router using a 1/8" bit to cut the slot. I route .100 or so deep, not critical. Repeat four times for each edge.

I also cut the curves on the aprons with a template and router the same as the top. To cut the inlay slots I used a different method. I cut a new template out of 1" pine and clamped it to a router table. Than I dropped the apron onto the 1/8" bit and pushed it through. Think of it as using a fence with a curve in it.







For the legs I cut the slot by dropping them on the cutter in a router table with a straight fence.

For the walnut inlay strips I want them .005" over sized which makes them .130". Than I sand one edge a couple of times and they fit tightly in my 1/8" router slot.

Three methods to make them. First is totally on the table saw. Made lots of them years ago with this method but its hard to hold such close tolerance and I had lots of rejects. Second way is to run them through the planer. I can easily keep them in tolerance but the down side is it takes two or three test strips to get the thickness exactly right. Third way is to put them through my wide belt sander. It will take them to .130" easily and hold that all day long. That's how I make all of them these days.

Now that I have a few walnut strips that measure .130" by 2" plus or minus. I take that strip back to the table saw and rip them to .100+" which is my depth measurement. Not critical because when I glue the inlay in it will be proud of the surface and gets sanded flush. When I rip small pieces like this I use a 40 tooth thin kerf 7-1/4" blade on my 10" table saw with a zero clearance blade insert.

A friend was watching me cut the slots in the table top. He remarked if I made one small bobble or a whoops that it would be impossible to recover and the top would be firewood. My reply was "no guts, no glory". It does take a little practice to cut the inlay slots without booboo's but easy after you do it a few times.

Hope my exclamation makes sense.  I didn't take many pictures when I made this but if ya have a question ask.

I found some inlay strips and took a picture.



The five on the right are ready to use and the wide one is .130" thick and ready to be ripped .100"+ wide. 

[WDH]

The taper on the legs is very nice.  

[Old Greenhorn]

OK Larry, I read your explanations and you make it sound simple. :D ;D I have two questions:
A) Since you are routing the slots blind, how do you get the start and stop points so perfect? Are you just using that witness mark on the guide/fence?
And
2) How are you trimming the lengths of inlay to match the slots so perfectly? Surely not by eye, right? Are they all the same, or is each one match separate?

 These details are what makes this so pretty and elegant and what holds me back from attempting something on that level.

[Crusarius]

Larry I would love to see this as a new post so it doesn't get lost in this thread. Beautiful work and very nice method. Thanks for taking the time to share.

[Larry]

OK Larry, I read your explanations and you make it sound simple. :D ;D I have two questions:
A) Since you are routing the slots blind, how do you get the start and stop points so perfect? Are you just using that witness mark on the guide/fence?
And
2) How are you trimming the lengths of inlay to match the slots so perfectly? Surely not by eye, right? Are they all the same, or is each one match separate?

These details are what makes this so pretty and elegant and what holds me back from attempting something on that level.

A)  Yes, the witness mark aligns with a second witness mark on the apron.

B)  I attach sticky back sandpaper from Klingspor to a block of wood.  I use it like a file and round one end of the inlay to fit the slot.  Put that end of the inlay in the slot gently.  If I push it in hard I can't get it back out.  Push the rest of the inlay in the slot, again gently until I get to the other end.  Mark that end with a pencil mark.  Remove the inlay and cut it 1/16" long.  Round that end to the pencil mark.  Put glue in the slot and put the inlay back in.  Its such a tight fit I will have to tap it with a wood mallet to get it seated.

WDH, glad you noticed the taper on the legs.  I only tapered two sides of each leg, the inside.  The table was an exercise in design plus a couple of new techniques.  I used a taper jig from Woodcraft to cut the leg tapers on the table saw for the first time.  Worked ok.  But......60 years ago I learned how to cut leg tapers in school shop class using a jointer.  The jointer is way faster than the taper jig and lots easier.  Their are videos on youtube of how to do it.