Nakashima inspired End Tables

Good one Shawn.
Yep, knew about, and used it quite a while back.

 

You might like this video. Maybe you've already seen it. Or maybe I first saw it here.. getting old and can't remember.

 

If you see Eric with an iron......RUN!

 

Not wrinkles.....creases.

 

Oh cut it out....

 

Not wrinkles, experience lines.
Character (I've been called that from time to time) lines.
Worry lines.
Some....are scars.

 

I started planing the second slab last night. This one has a pretty significant twist to it so I'll probably need to remove 1/2" or more of the thickness to flatten it. That's quite a lot to hog off by hand so it's best to start with a "scrub plane" set to take an aggressive shaving.

Mine is simply a #4 smoother, with a 6.5" radius camber ground into the iron. I also moved the frog back almost as far as it would go in order to open up the throat for the thicker shavings. The radiused profile of the iron allows it to make a shearing cut in almost any direction.



So I first determine where the high spots are and focus my efforts there. I don't bother with winding sticks or straight edges for this - I rely and my eyes and hands. As long as it looks and feels flat that's good enough for me. I marked out the high areas with x's for the pic but again I don't usually bother with that.



This was about 15 minutes in. There's a bit more flattening to do on the far corner but it's getting there. Most of the milling marks from the chainsaw are gone as well.



This certainly isn't the easiest or fastest method for planing lumber, but it's probably one of the cheapest and there are no restrictions in terms of the size of the lumber.

 

Shawn, do you ever use hand scrapers for the final "cut"?

 

Yes, that's the final step. Good job papadave you go to the head of the class. I use a card scraper to remove any leftover track marks from the hand planes. I find even with cambered corners on my iron and a very fine setting on the plane, I can still feel track marks after I'm "done", even if I can't see them. Another minute or two with a sharp scraper takes care of that.

 

Did you get any tear out with the grain going in different directions?

 

Not very much this time, but I was already familiar with the grain direction(s) after the first slab. It's pretty wild - it pretty much starts at the knot in the center and radiates out towards the edges from there. I'd hate to try sending it thru a machine.

I forgot to touch on that subject but it is very important as you would discover rather quickly. At this stage though, a little tear out can be a good thing, because it's helping you to discover the grain direction, which was not all that obvious in a piece like this.

 

Nice work/pics and now thanks alot. Looking at the shop pics, I can see that there is a whole lot of big and small purchases in my future....

I guess the best way to approach that is to buy tools/equipment as I need them.

 

Yeah the best way to go is to just start making something that you want to make. The thing about woodworking tools, and this can be both a blessing and a curse, is that there are countless ways of accomplishing the same task. Which means that you can usually get by with what you've got, but there's always some other tool you could buy to do it better/faster. You thought CAD was bad!

For me, you know I thought I was finally to a point where I had a pretty complete set of woodworking power tools that I wanted. And then I proceeded to build my workbench with them so that I could do more stuff by hand instead...

But at least I do have a few pretty nice things to show for it all. Some guys will sort of fall into a trap, where all they need to do is just buy "one more tool", and then they can finally get to building something. Amy tells me she doesn't mind the tool purchases, because "there are worse things you could be spending it on". But I do at least try to keep her bribed with handmade gifts and such from time to time.

 

You guys probably already know this, but try hard to not use your TS outfeed table as an assy./work table.
Very limiting when you need to use the saw.
Take my word for it.
TAD. I need clamps....bad. Lots of 'em. Still don't have a set of Forstner bits (not sure how often I'd use 'em).
Are storage cabs. considered a tool? If so, I need to make a bunch more of those....I'd love a bandsaw, and an oscillating spindle sander.
I could make a longer list.

 

Curious how the tops mount.

 

Yep, that's a constant battle. Seems I can never just go ahead and use any of my machines without having to clear the decks first. And I've got a good amount of storage and a place for just about everything. Each machine even has its own scrap bin. It's just me not putting things away where they should go.

The current plan is four 2-1/2" coated exterior deck screws right down the middle, thru the countersunk holes in the upper trestle foot. I plan to plug the holes after the screws are in.

Speaking of which, that reminds me - I need another woodworking tool... One of those plug cutters so I can make them myself from matching wood.

 

I love reasons to buy new tools!

 

How about Kreg jig pocket holes up from underneath?