With all the joinery complete, the stock for the tabletop can be prepared and jointed. Once glued and clamped overnight, Paul rips it to width, planes the edges and scrapes the surfaces. Then the frame components are cleaned up, ready to be glued. Paul progresses this sequentially, ensuring crisp joint lines and an even amount of glue.
Paul chops the turnbutton mortises on the inside of the aprons, then cuts the arches in the aprons. He uses a stop cut method, cuts the arch using a chisel and then employs a spokeshave and scraper to refine it. Then the leg taper can be established with a saw, working from alternate faces, or using stop cuts. It is then refined with the plane to an even taper.
With the tenons fitted on one leg frame, Paul shows two other methods for cutting the tenons and how to fit tenons using the router. Once all the tenons and mitres are cut, the whole frame can be clamped up to check if the shoulders are seated. Then we’re ready to describe the arches for the aprons, as well as marking the leg taper and turnbutton mortises.
Paul introduces the mortice guide that helps to guarantee that the mortice hole is parallel to the outside face. This is used to accurately cut the mortises, working progressively using Paul’s preferred technique to cut to depth. The tenons are cut to width and fitted with the saw and chisel. Paul checks for anything that holds off the joint; then mitres the tenon.
A table can be made with a small selection of tools and one joint, the mortise and tenon. Once the materials are prepared, the grain orientation on the outward faces can be chosen and the joinery laid out. Firstly, the tenons are laid out using the knife and mortice gauge, ensuring they are centred. Then,…
In this project, Paul goes through the steps it takes to make a table. He starts with the material stock and follows through to the completion of a small table. These techniques and methods can be applied to the construction of any number of styles and sizes of table.
Having done a dummy run to check the fit, Paul glues the top onto the substrate board using cam clamps (see how to make them here) making sure everything is tight and lined up. Once that has been left to set overnight, there is the final fit of the skirt before it is glued in…
Once the glue has cured overnight, Paul cleans up the surfaces with a cabinet scraper. The edges are checked for square and planed for consistency ensuring they are parallel. Then the substrate board is measured and cut to size ensuring a consistent overhang, whilst minimizing tear-out. The skirt piece is grooved to receive the board…
It’s time to thickness the chess board. Paul shows how to hold the top in place so that it can be thicknessed with a cabinet scraper. The edges are then carefully trued to allow the strips to be cut accurately to width with a cutting gauge and tenon saw. Once they are cut and trimmed,…
For the making of the Chess Board, we are focusing on hand tool methods showing how to cut and plane stock to thickness. Paul shows a couple of techniques that help to guarantee sizing. Once cut to size, the sections can be glued up to provide the contrasting strips.