Project w/ Pics What I’m working on

[Charlie Buchanan]

Heat and humidity has slowed me down, but progress continues on a walnut drop-leaf table with swinging cabriole legs. This week I’ve been shaping the knee blocks.



Time to take a heat break—starting to drip sweat on the work.

 

[Jack A.]

Looking good!

I'm sooo glad I got the mini split installed in my shop before summer. Constantly sweating into the work last summer was one of the deciding factors.

 

[Bill Clemmons]

Very nice, Charlie. I hope we see more progress pics of the table.

 

[JNCarr]

Those are "shaping up" nicely.

 

[LeftyTom]

Delicate work done smoothly.

 

[Graywolf]

Looking good Charlie. Please share the rest of the journey.

 

[Charlie Buchanan]

A few more update photos with the undercarriage assembled. I still need to do some sanding before starting the finishing. My plan is to get some shellac on the undercarriage and set it aside while I build the tabletop. I’ll need the full bench top space for that.

1. 2. 3. 4.

1). Hinged leg partly open. 2). Closeup of closed hinge
3). Swingleg showing corner details. 4). Undercarriage assembled.
I used 3/16 welding rod for the hinge pin. When I am ready to attach the top I’ll cut the pin to length and peen the top so it won’t fall out.

 

[Gene Turner]

Looking good. Outstanding work!

 

[Wilsoncb]

Looks great, can’t wait to see more as you progress.

 

[Charlie Buchanan]

I’ve arrived at a point with this dropleaf table project where the undercarriage is finished except for a final rub-out. I can put it away and start on the tabletop. That will need all the space on my bench. The lumber for the top is still in a rough-sawn state. Lots of work to do yet. When finished the top will be a good color match for the undercarriage since I’m using the same finish. I used an application of red walnut water-soluble dye followed by amber shellac thinned and padded on.
I’ve had these boards stacked and stickered in my shop for probably ten years so they should behave predictably when I joint and plane them. They came from a large walnut that was taken down in Tanglewood County Park. It was sawed, air-dried and kiln-dried by a sawyer and woodworker near Clemmons.
The boards are 14” x 80” x 4/4 and adjacent cuts. The boards will make a two-board fixed top as well as two hinged rule joint drop leaves.

 

[Wilsoncb]

Wow, that’s looking great! I love that finish, it keeps the natural beauty of walnut but gives a really high end look.

 

[CharlieGator]

Very nice work. Thanks for sharing and including pictures!

 

[Joinery]

Heat and humidity has slowed me down, but progress continues on a walnut drop-leaf table with swinging cabriole legs. This week I’ve been shaping the knee blocks.

View attachment 238016

View attachment 238015 Time to take a heat break—starting to drip sweat on the work.

Very nice

 

[Charlie Buchanan]

Boards for the table top worked up today. Since I don’t have a power jointer I flattened one side and one edge by hand plane then ripped to 12 7/8 to fit my thickness planer. I ran the boards flattened side down through the planer taking light passes and flipping the boards to work both sides equally. Stacked to rest at 1” both sides clean.
I’ll probably plane them to 7/8 or so after they rest a bit.
The boards are 12 7/8 x40” now. The fixed component will be about 25” wide glued up from two of these pieces. When that’s done I’ll work the rule joints.

 

[Charlie Buchanan]

The fixed top is glued up from 2 pieces of a board to make a panel 25 1/2” wide. One central joint. It is a hand-planed spring joint glued and clamped overnight.
If you’ve never used a spring joint you’d be surprised at how little pressure is needed to close the joint even with ~13” boards.
After rough scraping the squeeze-out I use a sharp cabinet scraper to level the joint. Pen tip shows the glue joint after cabinet scraper.
The fixed top is now ready for the rule joints.

 

[Charlie Buchanan]

After gluing up the fixed panel top the next job is cutting the mating parts of the rule joint. I use a 1/2 inch radius for the cove and round over. The top is about 7/8” thick and that looks to be right proportional to the thickness.
At left is a sample cutoff to test the setup.
At right is a dropleaf hinge. It is upside down but it shows that it lies flat as it needs to do. The distance from the hinge face to the center of the axle determines the center of the arcs from the bottom of the tabletop.

The hinge is mortised into the underside of the top and the hinge barrel is buried in a mortised trench so that the axle falls at the center of the arcs.


With the hinges attached I check the swing of the joint for binding and adjust as necessary for a free swing but close fit so the joint is clean when in the dropped position. I cut the joint parts with a router but make adjustments on the cove side with a round handplane. The cove side is hidden so it’s handy to relieve any binding on that side.
The last thing before sanding is to work the table edge so that it makes a nice complement to the rule joint.

 

[Mike Davis]

After gluing up the fixed panel top the next job is cutting the mating parts of the rule joint. I use a 1/2 inch radius for the cove and round over. The top is about 7/8” thick and that looks to be right proportional to the thickness.
View attachment 239802 View attachment 239803 At left is a sample cutoff to test the setup.
At right is a dropleaf hinge. It is upside down but it shows that it lies flat as it needs to do. The distance from the hinge face to the center of the axle determines the center of the arcs from the bottom of the tabletop.

View attachment 239804 The hinge is mortised into the underside of the top and the hinge barrel is buried in a mortised trench so that the axle falls at the center of the arcs.
View attachment 239805View attachment 239806View attachment 239807View attachment 239808

With the hinges attached I check the swing of the joint for binding and adjust as necessary for a free swing but close fit so the joint is clean when in the dropped position. I cut the joint parts with a router but make adjustments on the cove side with a round handplane. The cove side is hidden so it’s handy to relieve any binding on that side.
View attachment 239809 View attachment 239810 View attachment 239811The last thing before sanding is to work the table edge so that it makes a nice complement to the rule joint.

Thanks Charlie. I always wondered how that worked and never had the opportunity to learn. Still not sure I could do it but now I understand what goes into the process.

 

[creasman]

Nice job! Thanks for the write up.

 

[Charlie Buchanan]

Well, I got it done before the cold sets in. Here’s a few photos of the finished table. The top is attached with walnut tabs to allow for seasonal movement. Finish is wiped-on amber shellac.
Leafs down it has space for two—just my wife and me normally.

Leafs up it will seat four but still fit into the breakfast nook.
Now I have to move out the old table—a fairly clumsy pine affair that I built in the 1970s when I was just beginning.

 

[Hmerkle]

@Charlie Buchanan
Thank you for taking us along on this journey.
I am VERY impressed with your skills and even more impressed with the final product!

WELL DONE!