How to make a simple solid wood table top
Tools and materials I propose:
In this video I make a simple table top out of solid basswood.
First of all I planed one side of my material flat. I then squared it with one more side on the jointer/planer.
With two sides flat and perpendicular to each other , I squared the third side on the table saw.
Finally I passed all the boards through the thickness planer and my material was now flat and square.
I then aligned the boards so that I liked the grain orientation. I then added alignment marks and also marks for the biscuits.
I used my biscuit joiner to cut the slots for the biscuits. The biscuits hold the boards from sliding around during the glue up.
I glued the top in three sessions. This way I had less stress about the glue drying. And I think it also helps to glue the pieces nice and straight. I also used a few boards to keep the glued pieces from bending.
Once the two pieces were ready I glued them together. I also like to clean the excess glue with a wet rag. This saves me some time on sanding.
Once my top was ready, I used my circular saw and a guide rail to cut it to it’s final size.
I did my rough sanding with 80 grit and my belt sander.
I then rounded over the top edges with a block plane. Finally I sanded everything with 120, 220 and 320 grit.
I finished the piece with water based, clear satin varnish. I applied several coats ( around 5 ) while lightly sanding between coats with 400grit. I also like to use my heat gun to speed up the drying process.
I finished the underside first. Then I screwed the top on the table’s metal base. To avoid splitting I first predrilled pilot holes and then screwed the wood in place.
Finally I flipped the table over and finished the top.
The table came out great. But that was it, see you soon with a new project video!
Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, that at no cost to you, I get a small commission if you click through and make a purchase
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDelete