Monday 4 April 2011

wood working!

I am currently sat here waiting for my hair dye to take and am not wearing my glasses so no doubt this will be littered with more spelling mistakes than usual!
I have been a Little naughty an left it ages since my last blog.
so what have i been up to? well in a nutshell PORTFOLIO!!!
it is a nightmare trying to decide what to leave out and what to leave in then finding pics and scanning sketches and i make it so much harder for myself as i cant stand to look at the stuff i have done... i am very critical of my work and never think that it is good enough!
As part of my portfolio i tootled off to my dad and his workshop full of tools - AWESOME- to make something!

the result a petty bog standard coffee table.



 Plan - after all how will you know what size wood you will need!
mark out your over all dimension  and have them somewhere that you an see them. Even if the sketch is really rough you will always have the measurement as a reference point.



 Marking out - measure twice cut once!
 To attach the rails to the leg i used mortise joints. Here i am using a mortise gauge which is a block with adjustable pins to the width of the hole that you want and then you are able to scribe the lines into the wood.


 Traditionally i would have also used a tenon joints on the rails. but the problem with pine is that it is very soft and with the thickness' I was using there would not have been the purchase and strength  needed for the frame.

Instead i cut the mortise to the top of the leg so the rail would have a snug fit only really needing a little persuasion from a mallet!

One leg one with the rails in place. 

frame is complete and constructed to make sure it is square.



I then drilled holes into the top of the legs ready for the dowels that will attach the frame to the top.

The table top 
Measures and cut the lengths for the table top

Biscuit cutter !!!!! 
this cuts a hole into the edge of the wood so you are able to insert a biscuit which will let you joint the pieces of wood side by side.
A small 'bisciut' is glued into the hole ready for the other length of timber to be glued and clamped next to it.

the result is a 'joint free' table top. Which just needed to be sanded but remember....

SAFETY FIRST KIDS!!! 

 I did not have sash cramps that were large enough to keep everything square whilst the glues dries to i had to improvise with scrap bits of wood and string. 

After everything had dried all that is left is a quick fine paper sanding and then a varnish to protect the table.

ET VOILA!








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