Working 7 days a week for the past 5 or 6 weeks. Losing track of time – well, no, not really, I am very aware of it actually. Getting closer to completing these two tables. Final week for sure.
Today saw final coats going on the slab top for the coffee table, along with the breadboard ends. Mostly though I worked on the side table, polishing the stretchers and legs. Then it was a round of fitting the pegs to the legs, and finally, some assembly could take place. Here’s the first stretcher getting clamped in between two legs:
All the pegs are on a slight drawbore, and of course no glue is used. I was debating whether to use Gabon Ebony or Bubinga for the pegs, and in the end chose bubinga. I think it simplifies the visual aspect a little bit, and the bubinga peg end grain portions will look harmonious with the through-tenon tips. That means only the table top corner hammer head keys will be ebony, so I guess they get a little extra emphasis.
A while later, the four legs can be assembled up as a unit, along with the two drawer support rails with their lignum vitae runners:
The pegs are left long for the time being:
A closer look around the four corners. Corner A:
B:
C:
And D:
I’ll trim the tenon ends and chamfer them in the next day or two.
Another pic thrown in, this one showing the confluence of drawer support rail with runners and its adjustable stop, along with a post and the stretchers:
After that portion of the frame was together I could check out how the drawer was fitting. I was hoping to find that the drawer was a hair tight in fitting, and that’s exactly what it was. All good. With the system of demountable runners however, even if something had shrunk or somehow things came out so that the drawer was loose, it would be a simple matter to mill up a couple more lignum vitae side runners to take up the slop.
The drawer is assembled but the tenons are left quite long and are not wedged yet:
It’s nice when no glue-ups are involved as the assembly process is totally free of anxiety. If something isn’t quite fitting right, you can just take it apart and make any needed adjustments.
Also started work on the packing crate for the side table, which will be made of 3/4″ plywood.
Getting there….
Thanks for visiting! How about we mosey on over to post 46 for a while?