This is my entry for the Sawdust Chronicle's, 2010 Build Challenge it is a 25" x 25" x 18" Cherry and Walnut table (Surfaces).
SketchUp Design
Finished Table
Well, since Sunday October 24th, I have manged to finish my table for the Sawdust Chronicle's Build Challenge. Well actually I build two tables the first one was a prototype that gave me the inspiration for the final design on my second table.
matching wood grains
splines cut in miters
smoothing out saw marks
homemade wedge vice
clamping miters
shooting the foots
I was going for lots interesting surfaces and negative spaces. I could made the intersection of the V on the legs a 90 degrees, but that would of gave me a square and I was going more for a diamond. so I cut the miters at 52 degrees and then splined them together for strength. I used oak and ran the oak at a 90 degrees to the spline so it wouldn't split down the grain line. Next the two V sections are halve lap together at the mid point, but not all the way. I cut the lap at 3/16 in both sections so that there would be a 3/8" step giving the legs the appearance that they are 1 1/8 " thick. I added a cove to soften the angles and added the walnut piece to highlight the diamond. Where the V sections are joint there are two 1" sq rails that connect the two leg section.u
3/8" steps
The top is a piece of 3/4" plywood trimmed in cherry with a band of pine and in the center is a piece of walnut burl, I order some more decorative banding that I had planned on using, but it didn't come in the mail in time, so I used the pine because it is what I had on hand. Maybe one day I will route in the banding and do a in lay in the center, because my wife has all ready said this is her table.
I used
2 bdft cherry,
3 ft 1/2 x 3/8" of walnut,
4 ft 1/2 x 1/4 pine,
4 sq ft of walnut burl
4 sq ft of 3/4 plywood
all of which cost me $ 5.00 at an auction I went to last year, I spent $11 on finish, I ended up using Minwax's Wipe-on Poly. I did manage to buy two wooden shoulder planes that I used for this project and a Stanley #45 that I didn't use, (but don't tell my wife) all for $30.00
trimming the top
The biggest challenge besides designing which was a lot of fun for me, has been working without a shop. I build both of these table out side or when I could inside sitting at our craft table by my computer.I carry my tools outside and set them up, do my work then pick everything up and bring it back in. I do most of the big and messy stuff outside and inside I cut all the small parts with a hand saw and then adjusted miters with a shooting board. The day I planned on doing all the joinery was the day we had the tornado's and we lost power all day so I ended up doing all the joinery with handtools, which was ok with me accept the wind was blowing and it was cold, reminded me of my days as a carpenter. All in all I have really enjoyed this challenge although I wouldn't recommend waiting till the last week to change your mind and start over, but working under them kinds of deadlines are really nothing new to me actually I think I work better that way sometimes. I hope everyone that entered has enjoyed themselves as much as I have and got something out of this I know I did and I just want to say Thanks to Rick and Neil for all you guys have done.
This is my first design a folding saw stand
my 1st design
I did want to mention my prototype table or my Z table as I call it. it was what had in mind at first. living in a small apt I just wasn't sure what to build that we need and my plan for it was to use it as a saw table for my portable table saw. after I got it build my wife borrowed it for some crafts she was making for the craft show we were in on Oct 23, so I never did get to use it for my saw, but she tells me it works great. It folds up nice and flat and will hold my weight which is pretty good, I have a couple of tweaks I want to make on it, but will have to wait till next week.
The design is a good one and it can be made into a nicer looking table for camping, patios, or for just for a tool stands.
without the top for a better view
finally in use
folded up
the finished prototype or Z table
Thanks for looking, and I hope everyone enjoyed my little tables and have a peaceful day.
Just wanted to drop an update to let everyone know I am still plugging away at my table for the Sawdust Build Challenge, I did change what I was planning building, after building the mock up I got inspired to build a higher quality piece. Not that my Z table isn't, it's just I designed it to hold my portable table saw and I build it out of 2 x 4s and plywood, nothing I would really want to enter in a contest, I know then why enter right, well it was all about the design challenge for me. I live in a small apt and didn't really need any more furniture that I could think of at the time, so I went with the fold up saw table. Then when I learned that the winner can have his piece shown at the New England Home Show, well I thought it might be a good idea to build a nicer piece.
So a couple of weeks ago I designed what I am calling my X table, it was inspired by my Z table, but a lot nicer. I cut most the piece last week and then had to put them away while I finished up some work on some wooden crafts my wife and I where doing for a craft show this pass weekend. We did OK, I got a couple of commissions for things and a sold a custom flute.
Today I did get the legs all glued up, and tomorrow I hope to finish the half laps and get most the base out of my way, the top is mostly done I still have some fusing to do with it, but what has my butt in a kink is doing the finish. I work outside in the yard and it has been so windy I might have to use oil instead of the water base poly that I was planning, or find someone who will let me use their shop to spray it in.
Just wanted to show some you guys where I do my wood working these days. Yes its outside and its exposed to the weather so that can be good or bad. I do most my large work out in the grass on a portable work bench. The worse part of working this way is putting finish on my projects, between the wind which we have no shortage of here, and the neighborhood cats, and my own cats, finishing can be a challenge. I use oil for most of my finishing or shellac.
This is my old bench, I just build a new bench, but it's at my daughter's house where I have been using it to fix some of her furniture. I don't know what I am going to do with this old bench top when I move my new bench over?
Well thats my shop! I hope to show how I make the best use of what I got. I know it doesn't look like much but you will be surprise what can be accomplished with it, remember it's not always what you got, but how you use it.
I have always found the best way to work is to keep it simple, efficient, use quality tools that can be used for more that one purpose, keep your tools sharp and well maintained, and do the type of work you enjoy.
I got a new saw last month and have finally gotten a chance to do some work with it. so look for a complete review in a week or two of this Ridgit 10" portable bench top table saw. I can tell you so far I have been quite pleased with it!
Joey
Theres a change in the air as fall comes to Ohio and here at The Sleepydog Wood Shop. When I started this blog my focus was on starting a day to day working shop, but then the economy went south or somewhere and the shop never happened, and with the way things look now with my health it never will. Over the summer I finally accepted that I am not going to have a shop for a while if ever and started working on a way of start doing more project in the space I got rather than what I was doing, which was saying, I will wait till I get a shop to build in.
Now working out of a closet should not be a problem for me since I was a carpenter, it's no different than working out of a truck, so I am ahead of the game there. One of the first thing I started doing has been downsizing my tools which meant selling most my large shop tools and buying bench top tools to replace them and more hand tools. The next thing I want to do is change the focus of this blog to help the numerous other woodworker out there who work without a shop just like me. I really want to start including some video, but not till I can do it the right way, I do not want to but crappy video on my blog just for the sake of butting up content. I always welcome comment, suggestions and thought from you guys out there and I hope to keep improving my blog in the future, so if your out and your reading this drop me a line even if its just to say hi, or go to hell.
Today, I worked on the mock up for my table. I was going to use cardboard to make the mock up, but found some OSB that I had and I thought I would just use it instead. I decided to build the model @ 1/2 scale. I wanted to play with a couple of different designs one of which has parts that nest into each other when the leg fold up. This is the one I will be building the as a model, while the other design is a little more rugged that design will more that likely will be the full size stand I build for my table saw.
Doing a 1/2 scale drawing on a piece of plywood is not something I normally do for project like this, but I have been trying to show my grandson's how things are designed and build from idea to finished piece; however, doing the drawing did show me a couple of possible spots that are going to cause me some trouble. I noticed that I going have a tough time driving the screws for the hinges in the two upper leg sections because of the steep angles. Now that I know this and will not come as a surprise to me I have time work something out before I build it, and with building the model I can play with what will work and look the best, something you really don't want to do with the finished piece.
Surfaces: That is the the challenge for the build, That Rick Walters at The Sawdust Chronicle's has presented us this year, which fits prefect with something that I have been working on in my head for the last couple of weeks, It started with a friends son going off to college, and him complaining about not having a table to use his laptop on when he is sitting in his chair watching the TV. His dorm is small and the desk is cramped and he can't see his TV from the desk, so to solve the problem they got him a fold up tray that was designed to eat dinners off of, you know the type, every one has them in the closet, the old TV trays! not an idea solution.
Well that got me to thinking, there has to be a better design for a fold up table that has a little more style that could be used as a all propose desk or table and still fold up and placed out of the way when not needed.
Then last week I was ripping some boards with my table saw up on my portable work table which is to high for the task, and I got to thinking that the same type of folding table could be used as a tool stand as well as a portable computer desk.
That night I started doodling while watching TV and after about five sheets of drawings I came up with something I liked, then I drew it in SketchUp just to play with an idea I had, next step I want to get some card board and make a mock up before building the table.
When I do build the first table I think I will use plywood and 2x, because it will become my saw stand, after I know it will hold up I can tweak the design for style. I think this would be a great work surface for college student or any one with limited space, the surface can be used as a computer desk, art desk, dinning table, outdoor tables for the scouts, or a number of other possibilities that haven't even thought about.
