| Burl-Veneer Occasional Table -- Apron and Veneer |
From "Wood Works"
episode WWK-206 |
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Once the legs have been cut to length and tapered, and the leg mortises have cut, work can begin on the decorative apron for the occasional table. After that, the walnut burl can be selected and cut to create veneer panels.
Materials: Walnut stock
Rosewood trim stock
Walnut-burl stock
Jointer
Drum sander
Table saw
Band saw
Multi-router
Chisel
Carpenter's pencil
Wood glue
Clamps
Safety glasses or goggles Note: Cut sizes may vary. For exact measurements, please contact David Marks through his Web site -- information below under Resources. Safety Alert: Always wear safety goggles or safety glasses when working with wood, saws, drills, routers, etc.
The Table Apron The stock for the apron is solid black walnut that has been cut to milled to 2-7/8 inches wide. The pieces will be cut to their final length after the rosewood accents are added.
Steps:
- Attach the rosewood strips to the apron using yellow glue. By placing the inside edges of the trim and apron down on the assembly table (figure A), you can ensure that the inside is flush, and the outside of the trim sits proud.
- Glue-Up Tip: Position the aprons so that the rosewood trim pieces face each other, and clamp two aprons together using blocks to protect the wood (figure B). This will save time and reduce the number of clamps you'll need.
- When the glue is dry, trim the aprons to final length at the table saw (figure C).
- At the multi-router, make mortises at each end of both aprons to match the mortises that were cut in the legs earlier (figure D). Make sure that the proud side of the trim faces up so that the apron sits flat on the multi-router table.
- To finish the joinery, cut some tenons from walnut stock that's been milled to a thickness of 1/4-inch (figure E). Round the edges so that they'll fit snugly into the mortises.
- With the rosewood beading installed on the legs, and the rosewood trim on the apron, a slight adjustment will need to be made in order for the pieces to fit flush together (figure F). To accomplish this, a small amount of the beading on the end of the apron must be notched away to make room for the beading on the leg.
- Measure the beading on the leg and mark the beading on the apron to indicate how much to notch away (figure G).
- With the marks made, make the notch cuts on the table saw, then carefully chisel the edges square using a sharp chisel (figure H).
- Because there may be slight variations between the beading on each piece, lay out and dry-fit the pieces, and label them (figure I). In that way, you can make sure that there will be no gaps in the joints in the final assembly.
- Double-check the fit using a carpenter's square, then glue and clamp the base together (figure J). To ensure a strong bond, brush yellow glue into all of the mortises and onto the tenons and clamp securely while the glue dries. A wood shim can be used to compensate for the offset apron and make it easy to check for square.
Cutting the Burl Veneer As the glue dries on the table-base structure, work can begin on making the veneer panels for the tabletop.
Burls are cut from the raw wood (figure K ), and are one of the most distinctive and unusual materials found in woodworking. They are actually an irregular growth in the tree's cambium -- the growth layer near the bark. Burls can be caused by fungal or bacterial irritation of the cambium, or from frost damage or physical damage to the tree's surface. The result can be fantastic swirling grain patterns in the wood (figure L).
Tip: Here's an advanced woodworker's technique for selecting burl to create an impressive arrangement with the grain patterns in the veneer panels. Once the burl section has been sliced off, revealing the burl pattern, use two mirrors taped together at 90 degrees placed on the surface of the wood to select the part of the burl that's most visually interesting or appealing. Simply move the mirror around on the surface until you find a pattern that you like. The angled mirrors create a kaleidoscope effect (figure M), mimicking how the burl pattern will look when cut into four book-matched slices of veneer.
Steps:
- Once you've selected the pattern from your section of burled wood, cut the burl stock on the table saw.
- Run the face of the burl slab over the jointer to create a flat surface (figure N).
- Referencing the flat face against the fence, joint the sides to create a 90-degree edge (figure O).
- With a perfectly flat face and sides, the stock is ready to be cut to create the veneer slices. Draw a triangle on the edge of the burl slab for reference (figure P) since it's important for layout to keep the veneers in the order in which they are cut.
- Cut four thin slices from the burl using the band saw (figure Q). Each slice should be 1/6-inch thick.
- Run each of the four veneer slices through the drum sander (figure R) to bring them to a uniform thickness and remove any rough spots left by the band-saw blade.
- Once sanded, joint the edges of the slices flat on a six-inch jointer (figure S).
- With the veneer slices finished, arrange them in their final layout to reveal the grain pattern. Keep the slices in the order in which they were cut, and fold them open to show the book-matched pattern (figure T).
- Mark a triangle on the positioned pieces (figure U) as a reference to make it easy to lay out the panels in the proper order later on.
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RESOURCES :
Fine Woodworking
A magazine devoted to high-quality craftsmanship in woodworking.
The Taunton Press Inc.
Website: www.taunton.com
The Small Wood Shop (The Best of Fine Woodworking)
Author: Helen Albert (Editor)
Publisher: Taunton Press
ISBN: 1561580619
Woodworking Techniques: Best Methods for Building Furniture from Fine Woodworking
Author: Editors of Fine Woodworking magazine
Publisher: Taunton Press
ISBN: 1561583456
Mastering Woodworking Machines (Fine Woodworking Book)
Author: Mark Duginske
Publisher: Taunton Press
ISBN: 0942391985
David Marks Website
David Marks, DIY's Wood Works host, is a master woodworker. For more information on cut sizes and project details, please contact him via his Website at www.djmarks.com
The Complete Woodworker's Companion
Author: Roger Holmes
Publisher: Watson-Guptill
ISBN: 0823008665
The Complete Book of Wood Joinery
Author: Robert J. Decristoforo
Publisher: Sterling Publishing Co.
ISBN: 0806999500
Woodworker's Guide to Wood: Softwoods, Hardwoods, Plywoods, Composite, Veneers
Model: 080836878
Author: Rick Peters
(2000)
Sterling Publishing Co. Inc.
Website: www.sterlingpub.com
Advanced Woodworking
Model: 0783539126
Author: Editors of Time Life Books
1998
Time-Life Books Inc.
Website: www.timelife.com
Popular Woodworking
F & W Publications, Inc.
Website: www.popularwoodworking.com
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