| Bubinga-Veneer Coffee Table -- Aprons and Legs |
From "Wood Works"
episode WWK-212 |
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The Table Legs and Apron In this episode of DIY's Wood Works, Host David Marks demonstrates the steps in the construction of a coffee table made from solid maple and featuring a top covered in an exotic hardwood -- African bubinga. This piece provides the opportunity for working with commercial veneers. It also involves some special techniques for making inlays and contemporary curved legs. The simple, clean lines and curves of the table are the perfect forum to show off the beautiful, fluid grain pattern of the decorative bubinga. The sturdy legs are slightly tapered and are joined to the frame with mortise and loose-tenon joinery. The bubinga veneer covers a sheet of apple plywood to form the tabletop, and an ebony inlay spans a narrow groove between the tabletop and frame. Materials: Maple stock for legs and aprons
Table saw
Drum sander
Band saw
Multi router
Drill press; Forstner bit
Band clamp
Hand-plane
Block plane
#80 cabinet-scraper
Yellow woodworker's glue
Clamps
Chalk or carpenter's pencil
Saftety 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 veneered top of the table is treated using a vacuum press. The curved legs made from solid maple are shaped on the band saw and finished by hand. The side aprons feature a thin beading that creates a delicate shadow-line, giving the piece a greater sense of depth. Steps: - With the maple stock for the aprons already milled up, and cut slightly oversized, the first step in construction is to add the maple beading (figure A). To make the beading, use 1/8-inch stock, and cut it into 1-inch strips using the band saw.
- Once the strips have been cut, run them through the drum sander (figure B) to remove any rough spots left by the band-saw blade.
- Attach the beading to both sides of the apron stock using yellow glue (figure C). Apply glue to both the apron and the beading to ensure a strong bond.
- Apply even clamping pressure to ensure a good glue-up (figure D). Using a flat surface for the glue-up will ensure that the beading will stand proud and even above the apron.
- Once the glue is dry, use a hand scraper to clean away any excess (figure E).
- At the table saw, make trim cuts on both sides of the long and short apron-stock pieces to bring them to proper length (figure F).
- With the apron stock complete, work can begin making the joinery. Mortise and loose-tenon joinery is used to join the legs to the aprons. At the multi-router, cut mortises in the ends of all of the apron-stock pieces (figure G).
- Since the apron stock is 7/8-inch thick, the mortises are cut 3/8-inch thick. The mortises (figure H) are centered widthwise in the apron stock, and positioned so that they are 3/8-inch down from the top edge. The depth of the mortise is set to 3/4-inch.
- Mill the maple leg-stock to 1-3/4-inches square. Before tapering and shaping the legs, the mortises are cut in the legs while the stock is still square. The positioning of the leg mortises is critical, as it will create a 3/8-inch reveal at the table's corners where the apron joins the leg (figure I). So the mortises in the legs are set 3/8-inch down from the top to line up with the mortises already cut in the apron stock, then set 5/8-inch back from the front edge -- to create the 3/8-inch reveal.
- Cut two mortises in each leg using the multi-router (figure J). The multi-router, with its linear motion bearings, makes the task of cutting mortises easy and precise.
- At the table saw, cut the tenon stock to length (figure K), using 3/8-inch maple stock.
- The corners of the stock are rounded (figure L) to match the mortises already cut in the aprons and legs.
- With the joinery made for the legs and apron, dry-fit the pieces together using a band-clamp (figure M) to ensure that all of the pieces fit together snugly, and the joints are tight and square.
- With the pieces dry-fit and clamped together, use this opportunity to lay out the markings for the notches that will need to be cut out of the inside corners of the legs (figure N). The notches will allow the tabletop to be set in place later.
- Using a drill press and 1/2-inch Forstner bit, carefully drill out the notches on each leg (figure O). The depth of the cut is 3/4-inch -- the thickness of the plywood substrate for the tabletop. The notches will be cleaned up later using a chisel when the legs and apron are glued up.
- The legs are given their curved shape using two template: one to guide the curved cuts on the two inside faces, and one to lay out the rounded shape on the outside of the leg. Begin by transferring the outline of the first template onto the two inside faces of the leg stock (figure P).
- Rough-cut the curves of the leg using the band saw.
- To keep the leg square for the second cut, tape the fall-off back onto the leg and make the second cut (figure Q). The cuts will result in rough curves on the inside faces of the leg. Repeat the process for all four legs.
- Smooth the curved surfaces of the legs using a hand-plane followed by a block plane and a #80 cabinet scraper (figure R).
- Next, trace the second template onto the tops of the legs (figure S).
- Tip: The next step is to shape the outside surfaces of the legs. To hold the leg securely while it's being shaped, make a cradle out of some scrap wood. Double-stick the leg into the cradle, then place the cradle into your vise. Then begin shaping to the pencil lines (figure T).
- A block plane can be used to shape the legs efficiently. A hand-scraper is then used to finesse the curve and smooth out the leg surfaces (figure U).
- With all the maple elements complete, the base can be glued together. Use a carpenter's square to check the fit of the corners during glue-up (figure V).
In the segment that follows, the tabletop is made from apple plywood and the bubinga veneer. Sponsored Resource
> Click here to order your tools and materials for this project from Woodcraft!
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
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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