All day making little boards out of big boards

[Cliff_Johns]

Scotty,
It looks like you did it that way on purpose! Nice layout. Very bold grain.
Cliff

 

[scott_vt]

Good Afternoon Guys,
I block planed any board misalignment from the top glue up and then pre sanded both halves. I mounted the guide rails to the under side of both tops. I had some alignment issues with the guide rails in the T slot rails but nothing my trusty laminate trimmer couldnt take care of. I still have to mount limiting stops on the underside of both halves. Both leaves will be 10" wide so Im thinking of having the stops allow the halves to slide back 11" which will more than enough to accomodate the alignment dowels. Speaking of dowels, I havent put them in yet, but 3/8" with sufficient chamfers should take care of the top alignment.

First pic is the guide rails mounted.

Second pic is the T slot rails with the cutouts to allow the top to be mounted to the table.

 

[Cliff_Johns]

Thanks for the update, Scotty. It's looking great.

I am at the point on the built-ins that I need to move a couple electrical outlets. Around here, everything is in conduit, so that can be a pain in existing walls. Then I need to patch the walls and then see how well the cases fit into their respective corners. Then I will attach contouring strips to the carcase corners if I need them. I am also thinking that once I've fit the carcases, I will paint the room before I do the final intall. Just seems easier that way.

I included a couple photos of the chests standing in their corners. You can see the Electrical outlets are in the way of where the chests want to be.

This part goes really slowly, so I probably won't have pictures for a while, but Scotty's moving right along, so the thread shouldn't get too stale.

Cliff

 

[scott_vt]

Mornin Cliff,
Looking good on the built ins ! Bad luck on that darned electrical outlet. That will definitely be a pain ! I also like your idea on painting the room before the final install. At the very worst a small touch up would take care of any small marks on your newly painted wall

 

[scott_vt]

Good Afternoon Guys,
We are getting close to the point of staining this table and then applying a finish. I have had some friends suggest a marine grade tung oil finish. Do any of you guys have any experience with Waterlox marine tung oil ? I am including a link so everyone can take a look of their home page. I have used regular tung oil many times on many projects but have never used this product. Any comments or suggestions are welcome !

waterlox, tung oil, tung oil finish, waterlox tung oil, floor finishing, floor refinishing, tongue oil varnish, polyurethane, floor finish, wood floor finishing, wood floor refinishing, wood floor varnish, wood sealer, wood floor, hardwood floor, VOC compliant, low VOC

BTW I am not looking for a high gloss finish, more along the lines of a satin finish, smooth but not shiny !

 

[Cliff_Johns]

Scotty,
That finish seems like a bit of overkill for your application, but I don't see why it wouldn't work. You might want to test it on white oak first. Some of these finishes can stain white oak a little black (tannin reaction).

Pretty expensive stuff.

Cliff

 

[scott_vt]

Good Evening Guys,
I got both table halves sanded down to 240 and then I dampened them to raise the grain. I resanded again with 240 and then finally with 320. I cleaned both tops and started staining with Minwax Golden Oak. I applied a liberal coat and let it set a few minutes before wiping it off. Im attaching a pic of one side stained.

Cliff, I think your right about that marine tung oil. I contacted a local dealer and they only sell in gallons I wont tell you how much

I have decided to go with plain Watco Tung Oil, multiple coats and when all is said and done I will put a couple coats of Butchers Wax on the top.

But Im still open to suggestions !

Im adding a better picture I hope!

 

[scott_vt]

Good Evening Guys,
As Emerald would say we need to step it up a notch

Cliff thinks I am just a workaholic but in reality Im just trying to finish this project before the spring rains and puddles of water in the basement

First pic is a doweling drill jig I made years ago, it goes down to 1/2" thk and up to 2" thk. I decided on short aluminum dowels for alignment rather than wood dowels which can get damaged easily. I used a knurl on one end along with epoxy for the fixed end.

Second pic is my messy bench taking a beer break !

Third pic is the builder, if Eddie Walker and 3RRL can do it so can I !

Tommorrow I will start the tung oil application and that will really bring out the grain pattern !

 

[Cliff_Johns]

Ah yes, Watco beer. Strong mineral spirits for real men.

Aluminum dowels. That's a good idea!

Cliff

 

[scott_vt]

Good Afternoon Guys,
I guess this pretty well wraps up my project ! I put four coats of Watco Tung Oil on the top. The first two coats I cut with thinner to allow better grain penetration, and the last two coats were full strength. The top is still really not totally dry yet and needs to be totally dry before I put a couple of coats of Butchers Wax on it. Im quite happy with the way it cam out and so is Kathleen !

I would like to take a moment to thank Cliff for using HIS thread to post my project ! I enjoyed doing it and hopefully in the future we can do something like this again ! Im hoping to build a complete set of chairs next winter as a followup to the table.

I would also like to thank everyone for following along on this thread, hope you enjoyed it !

The first pic is the grain pattern on the table along with some unique worm holes that you just cant buy at Ikea !

The second and third pic are of the table in our kitchen getting ready for many years of use !