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Building a Walnut Table

Started by WDH, November 03, 2008, 09:47:51 AM

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WDH

I am working on a small walnut coffee-type table for a good friend.  Here are some pics.

The construction is mortise and tenon.  The table has one drawer and a bottom shelf.

The legs are tapered below the shelf.  Here are the legs with the mortises cut and the dado for the shelf:





Here is the front rail with the drawer opening and tenons.





The tenons are pegged.





The drawer.  Sides are sycamore.  The back is poplar  :).





Dry fit with shelf.





I got it all glued up now.  I need to make the top, and then apply the finish!

Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

Radar67

How did you fasten the shelf to the legs? It's looking good.

Let me rephrase, other than glue, did you use any other method to fasten the shelf to the legs?
"A man's time is the most valuable gift he can give another." TOM

If he can cling to his Blackberry, I can cling to my guns... Me

This will kill you, that will kill you, heck...life will kill you, but you got to live it!

"The man who can comprehend the why, can create the how." SFC J

metalspinner

Nice design, WDH!
How did you make the drawer opening?  It looks to be one piece.  I like the rabbeted drawer front. :)
I do what the little voices in my wife's head tell me to do.

SwampDonkey

Gotta love that walnut.  :) Your coming along nicely with it. Nice touch to include a drawer. A shelf on a coffee table is about the best idea anyone could incorporate. I sure appreciate one on mine I made. Effective use of space I say.  8)

I'll have try the mortise and tenon one day. Wish I had a drill press though, to use Lee Valley's mortise bit.

Watch'n stuff unfold in this board sure is inspiring.  ;D

Looks like you have the top edge of the sides grooved to incorporate the movement of the top. Do you buy a special metal cleat you screw underneath the top to fit in the grooves? I've seen them used on factory furniture. I have an ash silverware chest that used them.
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

SwampDonkey

"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

Dodgy Loner

Very nice!  My question is the same as metalspinners :)
"There is hardly anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price only are this man's lawful prey." -John Ruskin

Any idiot can write a woodworking blog. Here's mine.

Norm


WDH

Terry...the shelf fits into the dado groove.  I glued it in, but to insure a permanent joint (resist racking pressure), I drilled and screwed the shelf through the front of each leg, through the leg, and into the shelf.  Then I inserted a plug the same diameter as the pegs that reinforce the tenons.  I could have pegged them with a long peg as I did the tenon, but I felt the 2 1/2 screw would be stronger.

Metalspinner/Dodgy.....I used a forsner bit to drill a starter hole in the drawer opening and used a jig saw to cut out the opening, leaving the front rail in one solid piece (minus the opening!).  It looks better as one board rather than a glued up board.

SD, you are right on.  I used a biscuit jointer to cut the slots in the inside of the rails to accept a L-shaped table top fastener just like you showed in the pic.  I really like that approach.  As well as allowing the top to expand and contract without cracking, it allows you to remove the top if you ever had a need to.  You can buy a package of 8 fasteners from Rockler for about $3.60 US.  You are very perceptive ;D.
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

Dodgy Loner

I agree that the front looks better as a solid piece.  You have steady hands to cut that opening with jigsaw.  Now, you just need to buy a lathe to turn a walnut knob for the drawer pull ;D ;).
"There is hardly anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price only are this man's lawful prey." -John Ruskin

Any idiot can write a woodworking blog. Here's mine.

WDH

More to come on the drawer pull ;D.
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

SwampDonkey

It looked like the biscuit jointer was used for the grooves. I looked at it at first and said, ah the biscuit jointer, he used.  ;D
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

getoverit

This is going to be a beauty!!  Building tables is not as easy as I had once thought and I am looking forward to seeing how you get it all put together.

Thanks for sharing!
Ken
I'm a lumberjack and I'm ok, I work all night and sleep all day

Dodgy Loner

I got to looking at that design and I'm curious as to how wide that lower shelf is.  It's going to want to expand and contract with the seasons and will have very little wiggle room to do so.  If you decide to use this design again, you might consider mortising two breadboard ends into the legs, then mortising the shelf into the breadboard ends with tenons that are slightly narrower than the mortises.  Gluing only the center tenon in place and pegging the two outer tenons through elongated holes would allow the shelf to move without doing any harm.  Just a thought :).
"There is hardly anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price only are this man's lawful prey." -John Ruskin

Any idiot can write a woodworking blog. Here's mine.

SwampDonkey

I see walnut shrinks a little bit more than butternut, but seems to stay in place well. I think what little the shrinkage is across that width, will only amount to 0.5 cm at most. I think there is enough give in the legs to allow this without damage. I've seen a butternut table similar in design, except no drawer, made from air dried wood. A friend of mine made it years ago and it was right beside his favorite lounge chair like a faithful dog. Actually Penny, a cocker spanial my grandfather gave him, laid regularly atop it. ;)
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

Dodgy Loner

I think it will probably hold up for a long time, but after my first piece of furniture I have always paid careful attention to allowing for wood movement :-\
"There is hardly anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price only are this man's lawful prey." -John Ruskin

Any idiot can write a woodworking blog. Here's mine.

WDH

Like SD points out, the shelf should be far enough down the legs from the attachment of the rail to the leg at the mortise and tenon to allow for the give in the lower leg to handle the wood movement.

The shelf is about 14 1/2 inches wide.  This is the third table that I have made with this design, so time will tell.  So far, the other two have been through 3 or 4 summer/winter cycles and are doing good.  I also see this design in other commercially produced bedside tables.

I see what you are saying, Dodgy.  That is a lot more work, but it may be necessary to do all that work if there is not enough give in the lower legs to accept the wood movement.
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

Patty

Very nice, I really like walnut. Do you have pictures of the finished project?
Women are Angels.
And when someone breaks our wings....
We simply continue to fly ........
on a broomstick.....
We are flexible like that.

WDH

The table is still in-progress :).  I am making the top and I have started to apply the finish to the carcass.
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

wannabeonetoo

Beautiful job !!! What type of walnut are you using ?? Did you mill it yourself ? The figure in the front apron looks as though it could be claro .
How does the drawer slide/ride ??
What finish are you using ???
Do you feel as though you are being interogated  ;D
Just being nosy thats all  :D
Steve

Larry

Quote from: WDH on November 03, 2008, 05:56:44 PM
Metalspinner/Dodgy.....I used a forsner bit to drill a starter hole in the drawer opening and used a jig saw to cut out the opening, leaving the front rail in one solid piece (minus the opening!).  It looks better as one board rather than a glued up board.

I agree and the last drawer front I made was a glue up.  I considered a jig saw as you did to cut the opening but I didn't think my skill level was near that good....figured it would take hours to get rid of the saw blade marks.  So....I've been thinking... again...what if you cut a rectangle pattern and used a router to cut the hole?  Clean up would be near zero unless you wanted to square the corners.

Looking forward to see the finished table...walnut is my favorite cabinet wood and looks like you are using it quite effectively.
Larry, making useful and beautiful things out of the most environmental friendly material on the planet.

We need to insure our customers understand the importance of our craft.

WDH

Wannabe,

The walnut is Juglans nigra, regular old black walnut.  I did mill and dry the lumber myself from log to finished product!

The drawer has a center slide that I made.  The female portion is attached to the bottom of the drawer and the male portion is attached to the front and back rails.  I will take a pic of how it works.  The finish will be danish oil and satin poly.  The piece is oiled per the instructions on the can (Minwax Antique Oil) and allowed to dry for several days.  The oil really brings out the figure and the natural color of the walnut like no other finish that I know of.  After the oil has thoroughly dried, the oil finish is buffed with 0000 steel wool, and the piece is vacuumed to removed all residue from the steel wool.  Then, I apply several coats of Minwax fast drying satin poly using a foam brush.  The piece is buffed with the 0000 steel wool between each coat.

Larry,

The jig will work good, then you could chisel the rounded corners square.  I haven't had too much trouble with the saw marks.  I use one of those micro-planes to shave off the roughness and then sand with 80 grit sandpaper. 
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

metalspinner

An approach I've used once was to start with a board a bit wider than the apron and rip the top and bottom off.  Then crosscut the drawer front away from the middle section, then glue the four remaining pieces back together.  It was lots of extra steps.  Then in the end, I screwed up the drawer front and couldn't use that piece.  >:(  ::)  Unless the board has lots of figure running through all the pieces, all that work may not be worth the effort.
I do what the little voices in my wife's head tell me to do.

WDH

Here are the drawer slide details.  The drawer has a center guide with a dado groove.  This groove rides on a runner attached to the front and back aprons. 

Here is the center guide on the bottom of the drawer:





Here is a pic of the runner that rides in the groove on the drawer bottom:





Here is a view that shows the center runner and the side guides for the drawer box to fit into:



Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

Radar67

Is that a stamp I see on the back of the drawer Danny?
"A man's time is the most valuable gift he can give another." TOM

If he can cling to his Blackberry, I can cling to my guns... Me

This will kill you, that will kill you, heck...life will kill you, but you got to live it!

"The man who can comprehend the why, can create the how." SFC J

beenthere

You thinkin that stamp says H.....D..... on it?    ;D ;D

Might need a close-up pic.... :) :)

Nice looking workmanship. Will be beautiful piece of furniture.
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

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