Table Progress

Last weekend we started with a shop full of nasty boards from the barn. Complete with cobwebs, copious amounts of dirt, and random nails and screws. If you remember, I think I posted some pictures of milling new boards with the chainsaw as replacement for the ones I was to steal from the horse stalls.

Well, I took the six I thought would make the best table and cut them to rough length and the process started last weekend (2/4).



I can't pick this thing completely off the ground. I want to put it on a scale, but I'm guessing the tabletop weighs about 200#. This was the first time I ever stalled out my 5hp tablesaw. The old oak is dense as all heck. I was seriously sore come Monday after slinging those boards across the saw and through the planer for a weekend.


This weekend started with building a second table. Torsion box style (kinda). You know, just for kicks...

I needed a way to sand all of the inside curves. So I turned a head that would fit a 3x21 sanding belt, put it on a face mount motor, and attached to this new table. Now I had a whole new tool in my shop, and it only took the morning. (Did I mention my deadline is finish dry in time for girl scouts on 2/25?)

Next was lots of mortising. And the matching tenons, but the mortises are the hard part. I was surprised how sore my upper body was from chopping mortises and the like all weekend.


Next up it's time for the two top stretchers and the curved lower one. Then it will look the part of a true trestle table.