All the legs and stringers were glued up for the end table and the coffee table, so we turned to the behemoth that is the hall table.  As you can see, we routed a continuous spline along the vertical joint.  It was not really necessary to have a 24″ long spline to connect the two pieces, but in this case we decided that it was better to be safe than sorry.

The top is connected to the base with six loose tenons.  The tenons were attached in places to minimize and counteract any future movement of the top or legs.

The mortises in the top were routed using our plunge router and either a clamping straightedge for the shorter runs or a long metal square bar for the longer runs.

With all the mortises routed, the tenons milled, and the entire piece dry fit, we added liberal amounts of glue and clamped overnight.

The same processes were repeated for the coffee and end tables to connect the three leg assemblies together.

Balancing the coffee table base on two 5-gallon buckets was necessary to glue the three base pieces together.

Four mortises were routed in each of the base assemblies and the tenons were added.

The mortises were routed in the tops, they were flipped over, and the whole group was glued together.

The next project on the table is a trio of solid African Mahogany tables.  The hall table is 52″ by 17″ and is 32″ tall, the coffee table has a 30″ diameter top and is 18″ tall, while the end table measures 30″ by 26″ and is 24″ tall.

We began the construction on the three table by milling the tops out of some rough-sawn 8/4 African Mahogany.  Usually, when we are cutting a full-length board into smaller pieces to be milled and glued, we use out 12″ chop saw to accomplish the task, but in this case the board was so wide, about 14″, and so long, that we opted to use our trusty skil saw instead.

After a some cuts with the skil saw, a few dozen passes through the jointer, the thickness planer, and the table saw, we glued up three table tops, each 1.75″ thick.

All the glued-up tops were milled a few inches longer than their final length, but the width measures exactly as needed in the end.

With the tops completed, it was time to turn our attention to the legs and stringers.  The name of the game with these three table is weight and heft. The design calls for solid African Mahogany throughout, with the tops measuring 1.75″ thick, and all the legs and stringers measuring 2.5″ thick.

It took some clever manipulation of the three 12/4 African Mahogany boards, but in the end we managed to get all 10 legs and 16 stringers, with pretty much nothing left over in the end.

Here are all the legs and stringers, patiently awaiting the mortise and tenoning process.

I think now is a good time for me to discuss a few of my views regarding African Mahogany.  If you aren’t a nerdy woodworker like me, this may be downright boring, but I will share it anyway.

I have a love/hate relationship with African Mahogany.

I love the wavy, flowing grain.

I love the way the edge grain shimmers with a coat of tung oil or varnish.

I love how easily the material mills, machines, and sands.

I hate how much the color of the material varies.  One board will be a nice rich reddish-brown, and the next board in the stack will be an ugly yellowy-tan-orange color. I am a huge fan of not staining a wood, but rather allowing the natural colors and beauty of the wood stand out, but if the color varies all over, from yellow to red, using multiple pieces of wood in a project can be a frustrating endeavor.  It can be even harder to match solid African Mahogany to a sheet of Mahogany plywood, since the money side veneer on the plywood tends to be a nice rich red color.  When mixing plywood and dimensional lumber, hand picking the dimensional Mahogany becomes absolutely necessary.

Anyway, back to the project at hand.

We tackled the mortise and tenoning next.  We chose to use loose tenons and route mortises in both workpieces.  The mortises were cut using a .5″ stright cutting bit, our trusty plunge router with a mortising jig attached, to a finished depth of 1″.

We cut all of the loose tenons from African Mahogany, ensuring that the seasonal movement of the tenons will match the movement of the furniture.

With all the mortises routed and all the tenons milled, we glued up all the leg assemblies.

The next entry will show the glue-up of the final leg assemblies and the tops.

After the final sanding was completed, we applied the same finish to this desk as we do to many of our projects, which was a coat of sanding sealer followed by two coats of a bright rubbed conversion varnish.

The resulting finish is rock-hard, very durable, and perfectly smooth.

With the sealer and varnish applied, the end grain and face grain of the box joints really “popped”.

Another look at the cornerstone of this desk’s design.

This desk was being shipped to a client in Memphis, so we had to crate it up for the journey.  A simple crate constructed from 2×2’s and OSB and plenty of bubble wrap should ensure the piece makes it unscathed.

When it comes to crating and shipping furniture, we tend to over engineer our crates.  It might have been OK to have layered the sides with cardboard, but after some of the shipping horror stories we have heard, we assume the worst possible treatment, and package it accordingly. Plus, if a client is spending thousands of dollars on a piece of furniture, why would we skimp on the construction of the crate and risk damage, just to save $20?

In this picture, we are looking at one of the legs of the table.  Once the glue on the Maple end caps had dried, we used a flush trim bit and our router to trim away the excess Maple overhang.

It was then time to spray on two coats of lacquer to every surface that would be receiving veneer.  We would be using a peel-and-stick (PSA) backed veneer, just like in one of our previous projects, which only adheres to a sealed surface. So, we taped off all of the glue joints and sprayed on two even coats of lacquer, giving the first coat a light sand before spraying on the second coat.

We began the veneering process by cutting each individual piece from two 4×8 sheets of flat-sawn Maple veneer.  Every piece was cut roughly 3/8″ oversized, giving us just a bit of breathing room.  To apply the veneer we first cut the protective backing into 3-4 pieces that could be removed individually, rather than trying to remove the entire backing all at the same time.  The veneer was then set onto of the surface, adjusted to ensure the overhang was even on all edges, and clamped in place.  We then removed one of the backing strips and smoothed out the veneer using our veneer hammer.  The clamps were then removed and the rest of the backing strips were removed and the entire piece of veneer was pressed into place.

Even though the veneer was attached to the surface, the application process was not entirely complete. We used the veneer hammer and, applying as much pressure as possible, pulled from one end to the other to smooth out and permanently adhere the veneer’s backing to the lacquered surface.  This process builds up heat due to the friction, and ensures a permanent bond between the two pieces.

The veneer was then placed face down on a clean, flat, and smooth surface and the excess veneer was trimmed away using a sharp razor knife.

And here is a look at the desk after all the veneer had been applied!

The pieces of veneer were all applied in a very methodical manner.  The undersides are always applied first, followed by the edges, and finishing with the top.  This is to ensure that the seams overlap each other in the best possible manner.

The only thing we had left to accomplish before spraying on a coat of sanding sealer was to sand every surface by hand using a block of wood and some 220 grit sandpaper. Some woodworkers may use a random orbital sander on veneer, but with as thin as veneer is, we prefer to play it safe, and spend a bit more time sanding by hand.

We recently had a client from Memphis, Tennessee contact us about designing and building a Maple table.  The client saw the original table in an Apple store, being used as a display table, but he wanted to use the same design and turn it into a desk.

The desk is downright massive!  It measures 78″ wide, 29.5″ high, 22″ in deep, and the legs and the top are 3″ thick.  The design centerpiece of this desk is the huge box joints where the leg connects to the top.  The end grain of the maple is much darker than the face grain, which really makes this construction method pop!

These design elements required us to take a couple of issues into consideration.  First off was the thickness of each piece. Whenever you are looking at gluing a large amount of wood together at 3″ in thickness you need to stop and analyze the volatility of that will in the future.  If we were building this table for a client right here in Boise, ID, out of a material like quarter-sawn African Mahogany, we might just think about using solid wood throughout. But, since this table is being constructed from Hard Maple, which is a wood species that is fairly volatile and susceptible to moisture changes in the environment, and since, like we stated earlier, this table is being shipped to a client in Memphis, we decided the best method for construction would be to use a maple veneer on all the surfaces.

The first step we tackled was to build the three torsion boxes that would make up the two legs and the desk top.  A torsion box is simply a hollow box with an interior cellular layout, that once glued and nailed, is incredibly strong and lightweight.  We used .5″ MDF for the skins and .75″ MDF for all the interior framework.

When the torsion box is all complete, this is what it looks like. A simple box that has absolutely no give or flex.  This construction technique is perfect for anything that needs to be big, thick, flat, and solid.  Many assembly tables are constructed this way, because they will stay flat and true, even under large amounts of stress and weight.

The next step, after the edges of the boxes were cleaned up using the table saw and a hand sander, was to begin laying out the five fingers of the box joint.

We had two issues to deal with at this point.  The first one being the creation of a perfectly fitted box joint, and the second one being the creation of end grain on the ends of each of those fingers.

Usually box joints are created on a table saw using a dado blade and a jig, but when you have a box joint that is 4.4″ wide and 3″ deep, you have to begin looking to more creative ways to create the joint.  Our decision was to make the box joints independent of the table top and legs, rather than trying to make them an integrated part of the table top and legs.

We accomplished this by dividing the 3″ deep finger joint in half and constructing the bottom half from MDF and the top half from Hard Maple end grain.

We began by gluing two .75″ pieces of MDF together and, once the glue had dried overnight, cut five equal width pieces that spanned the entire width of the side of the torsion box.  We then clamped the outside and middle blocks to the end of the top with polyurethane glue, while using the two blocks that would be glued to the legs as a perfectly sized spacer between.

When the glue had dried, and the excess glue was cleared away, we were left with five perfectly fitted half box joints.

It was now time to complete the rest of the box joint, which would be a 1.5″ thick piece of end grain Maple glued to the half box joints we just created.  We began by milling some 8/4 Maple to 1.625″ thick and gluing two pieces together to form a 3.25″ thick piece.  Once the glue had dried we milled the width to 4.5″, and cut ten caps from the Maple stock.  We then glued on the caps using liberal amounts of polyurethane glue and clamps, making sure that the Maple block overhung all sides of the MDF box joint below.

Next time we will look at how we finished the box joint and veneered the torsion boxes.

After the glue had dried overnight,we unclamped the tables, preformed one last final sanding to remove any nicks and dings acquired during the previous stage, and headed off to the finishing room.

The finishing process for these tables was pretty much the same as most of our other furniture: 220 grit final sanding, one coat of sanding sealer, light sanding, one coat of a bright-rubbed conversion varnish, followed up with a light sand, and ending with a final coat of conversion varnish.

As I have mentioned in past entries, the sanding sealer as a first coat does amazing things for the varnish top coats!  The sanding sealer, rather than soaking into the wood and raising the grain like a lacquer or a varnish will do, penetrates into the wood, fills the pores, and creates a nice sealed layer.  Once the sealer has dried a light sanding using a fine grit sanding sponge creates a perfectly smooth surface for the varnish or lacquer to adhere to.  I always prefer a sanding sealer as the first coat because that is what the product was designed for. Lacquers and varnishes will also seal the wood, but they end up raising the grain and it takes much more sanding to acquire the same smooth surface as the sanding sealer.

The final products look absolutely amazing!

All of the tables are going on a stamped concrete floor, which is anything but perfectly level and flat.  Therefore we added four metal leveling feet on each table.  Whenever we add leveling pegs to any of our furniture we never use the plastic collars that come with the leveling feet. We always use metal pronged t-nuts for the foot to screw into.  Why would you build a spectacular piece of furniture, designed to last a lifetime, only to have some small piece of hardware fail in a few months?

Here is a final shot of the dining table in the clients home!

The house has a very open floor plan and the table fits perfectly in the dining area, which looks out over the surrounding Boise foothills and the city of Boise over 1000′ below!

Likewise, the kitchen fits perfectly into the nook area, which also overlooks the city of Boise and the surrounding foothills.

Originally, we were commissioned to just build a dining and a kitchen table, but partway through he construction phase, the client added this coffee table and the end table below.  Even with the client adding two additional pieces, we still adhered to a deadline of 3 weeks from design to delivery!

The final piece was this small end table, which is a perfect addition to the sunken sitting area around the fireplace.

Thank you for your quality work, commitment to schedule, and fair price. You exceeded all expectations – the tables came out more beautiful than we could have ever imagined. We are absolutely thrilled with our tables! Please don’t hesitate to use us as a reference. I can’t wait to share you with my clients.

After we had routed the mortises for the splines in the underside of the four table tops, we turned our attention to the three splines and nine legs. Each spline received a mortise of the same length as the one in the table top and a mortise on each end, which would connect it to the side of the leg.

All of this was accomplished using our plunge router and a mortising jig.

With all of the mortises routed, we milled and cut the splines, and began dry fitting the tables.  The dining table is shown above and the kitchen table is in the background.

The spline under each of the table tops accomplished two things; it added even more strength to the 1.5″ thick table top, ensuring that it will never bow downwards from to much weight, and it provided much needed rigidity to the legs, keeping the table from crumpling over from to much force placed upon one of the ends.

If the table was small enough, and the legs short enough, a stringer could be left out completely, but we included one on all three of our tables, varying in heights from 4″ on the coffee table, to 7.5″ on the dining table.

After performing the dry fit on each of the tables, we final sanded all the parts with 220 grit sandpaper and, using a plethora of culls and clamps, glued everything together.

We just finished up a suite of tables for a client that were very modern in design, yet were still elegant, warm, and inviting. Each table consisted of a solid 1.5″ thick Cherry top, two solid 1.5″ thick Cherry legs, and one solid 1.5″ thick Cherry stringer.

After the designing of the four tables was complete, it was time to turn our attention to the 250BF of 8/4 Cherry that we ordered to built all of the tables!  The top of the dining table was 36″ wide and we were able to construct it from just the four boards above! One board was 12″ wide, one was 10″ wide, and the final two were about 8″ each!

Once we had run the boards through the joiner to flatten one side, and the planer to take the thickness down to the final 1.5″, it was time to route a dado down the entire length of the boards to accept a spline.  Whenever we make table tops from solid wood that are thicker than 1.25″ and longer than 5′, we will join the boards with a spline, not just butt them together.  The spline, usually 1″-1.5″ wide, helps prevent the boards from ever separating vertically or horizontally.  The splines may be overkill, but with large table tops I tend to assume the environment is going to wreak havoc on the boards, so we engineer against what we see could be the worst possible outcome.

With all the splines routed into the sides of the boards, it was time to glue everything together.  I am not sure how much glue was used for these two table tops, but all three glue bottles you see in the picture are empty!  You can almost never add to much glue. The excess will just ooze out. If you don’t add enough, you will regret it later, and there won’t be much you can do about it at that time.

The next day, after the the six leg assemblies and the three table tops had glued overnight, we scraped off any remaining glue, and sent everything through a 37″ widebelt sander.  After dozens of passes, every uneven seam and joint was a thing of the past!  Next, we cut one edge square on the panel saw and made the final pass on the table saw.

With all the legs and tops sanded and cut to length, we focused our attention on routing the dados to the underside of the tops to accept the legs and stringers.  Two .5″ wide mortises were routed crosswise for the two legs and one mortise was routed lengthwise for the stringer.  The full length mortise-and-tenon joints would assure, once again, that the table top would not ever cup or separate, and that the table would be incredibly stiff and sturdy.

More on how that would be accomplished in the next post.

With the carcass built and the curved sides completed, it was time for us to turn our attention to the two layers of trim work on the top and the bottom.  We decided to make the trim work a frame that followed the outside perimeter of the dresser, rather than being a solid sheet of MDF or plywood. This method not only saved us a lot of material, but it also saved us a lot of weight!  Each layer of trim was made up of two concaved sides, a convex front, and a straight back piece.  Once the pieces were shaped, they were joined together, detailed on the router table, and attached to the dresser.

The base of the dresser was made up of two layers of trim. The top layer was .75″ thick with a .5″ reveal, while the base layer was 2″ thick, also with a .5″ reveal.  Each layer was attached to the dresser with glues and screws.

The top trim work was made up of a .75″ thick stained Alder top, which is not shown in this picture, a .75″ thick layer of trim directly below that, a 1″ flat face, and finally a .5″ thick trim moulding that wraps around the entire dresser.

The overall look of the dresser is just fantastic with the curved sides and fronts and the multi-layered curved trim pieces!  The next step is to build and install the drawers and then it is off to the finishing room for the paint and glaze and clear coats.