November 20: Basic Furniture Making Finished

The first thing that I had to decide today is which side of my tabletop to use as the top.  I took an opinion poll but decided to use the first version which is the one that I had laid out originally.  These photos show the boards after they have been planed but before they have been ripped and crosscut.

The next task was to glue up the sides to our table bases.  Kevin and I were a good team even though I am a bit slow with things.  I like to make sure I am doing everything correctly, but with the glue I probably should have worked a little faster.  Everything worked out well, but the glue does start setting up pretty fast. 

 Next came the planing of our table tops.  It took me about 6 passes to get it to the right thickness.  (On a side note for those who know I am still  losing weight - wearing undershirts and such have made me look bulkier, so don't judge.  lol)

I am cross cutting my table ends using a table saw and a cross-cut sled.  I have come to appreciate all the time someone has put into making all these jigs, shop helpers, that help insure the best cuts.

By 4:00 a couple of people were finished with their tables and ready to leave so the rest of us put our table tops on and posed for the photo.  All the tables are made of either cherry or maple.  Once they are have their polyurathe finish they will reveal all their inner beauty and darken up some more as they age, but we are not adding any kind of stain.  Terre, the instructor is standing in the middle in front of Kevin.  She really knows how to teach to the way that I learn.

After the photo, I was back to sanding and sanding and sanding some more.  When students leave the class, their tables are ready for finishing, but the class does not  enough hours built in to finish them.  Students could purchase finishing kits, which would be great if you don't have access to the materials already.  Mine will not be finished until after Thanksgiving, but that is fine
with me.

These two photos are part of the process of attaching the tabletop to the base.  I still need to develop a little more muscle and such, but I did most of the work involved and the final tightening will probably be easier after my muscles have a chance to rest.  Kevin just ran the drill for a few screw holes because the sound was really bothering my ears for some reason.  The sanding room does have good ventilation, but my head seems to be full of it.  That always throws off my hearing.

I know I have explained the fact that my table top is made of tap hole maple, but there are interesting markings on my apron as well.  The darker areas with the little holes are called worm holes.  I liked the extra little touch.  Not everyone likes the imperfections in the wood, but I wanted this to be a Vermont memory and the worm holes tied in well with the tap holes.



Ta-Da!!!!



Terre and I wanted you to see that we had all our fingers at the
end of the workshop.  Kevin does too, but he thought we were
a little goofy.  See the twinkle in his eyes!

Highly recommend this kind of adventure to all, whether you have used tools before, or not.  Kevin is thinking of offering classes like this on a much smaller scale once we relocate to South Dakota, which is originally why I decided to take the class with him.  We worked as partners when that was the assignment, but I did the work and am proud for every bit of what I did.  Occasionally, I did receive help with certain things, but then so did many others.  After all, I may know some of the lingo, but I am a NOVICE woodworker.  Within a few hours of starting the class,  I became fully engaged and really own this table.  Expect to me to share it and tell tales about it for years to come.