Demi lune table
- Thread starter NickM
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Hornbeam
Established Member
Hi Nick
See link to a table with curved laminated legs i made 18 months ago
post1252848.html#p1252848
If you scroll down the pictures show the studding, pressure blocks and sideways restraint arms
Sorry if the advice is a bit late, but what you have should be fine.
One other tip is to try and get the laminations slightly hollow so the edges have good tight joints. I use a cabinet scraper down each side of each lamination
Ian
See link to a table with curved laminated legs i made 18 months ago
post1252848.html#p1252848
If you scroll down the pictures show the studding, pressure blocks and sideways restraint arms
Sorry if the advice is a bit late, but what you have should be fine.
One other tip is to try and get the laminations slightly hollow so the edges have good tight joints. I use a cabinet scraper down each side of each lamination
Ian
Thanks, that makes sense.
Yes, too late for me now, but good advice for the future. I'm actually pretty pleased with how mine has come out. The front face looks very flat and the slightly happy edges will never be seen.
Yes, too late for me now, but good advice for the future. I'm actually pretty pleased with how mine has come out. The front face looks very flat and the slightly happy edges will never be seen.
Hornbeam
Established Member
If you were worried about the bottom edge you could always apply a glued on lower lipping to cover everything.
Then the only people who would every know would be you oh and every reader on this forum
Then the only people who would every know would be you oh and every reader on this forum
Thanks Hornbeam. Yes, my original drawing contemplates the possibility of having a lip on the underside of the apron.
Not exciting progress, but I've made a start on the legs - roughly made to size and planed to length on the shooting board. Tapering is the next job. I'd originally planned to do a 4-sided taper, but I'm going to do a 3-sided (the "show" face will be flat).
Not exciting progress, but I've made a start on the legs - roughly made to size and planed to length on the shooting board. Tapering is the next job. I'd originally planned to do a 4-sided taper, but I'm going to do a 3-sided (the "show" face will be flat).
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Phlebas
Burbling Pixie
NickM
I don't know whether this is useful or not. Or possibly information too late.
I have a few of these tables knocking around, and I've just taken a look at two of them. They both have additional struts under the top, in the centre, perpendicular to the back of the table.
Exhibit A
And underneath
Exhibit B - this one has a drawer, so that is an additional reason for the supports
And underneath (and yes I know the drawer bottom has split).
Now, both of these are fold out tables, so that may be the reason for the additional support, but you may wish to consider it.
Oh, (and I know this is academic for you at this point) both of these are made by the curved blocks method rather than your laminated version, but in exhibit A's case not as in AndyT's extract, but two thin edges around a much chunkier middle.
If it is helpful I'm happy to take more photo' or dimensions for you.
I don't know whether this is useful or not. Or possibly information too late.
I have a few of these tables knocking around, and I've just taken a look at two of them. They both have additional struts under the top, in the centre, perpendicular to the back of the table.
Exhibit A
And underneath
Exhibit B - this one has a drawer, so that is an additional reason for the supports
And underneath (and yes I know the drawer bottom has split).
Now, both of these are fold out tables, so that may be the reason for the additional support, but you may wish to consider it.
Oh, (and I know this is academic for you at this point) both of these are made by the curved blocks method rather than your laminated version, but in exhibit A's case not as in AndyT's extract, but two thin edges around a much chunkier middle.
If it is helpful I'm happy to take more photo' or dimensions for you.
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Thanks, that is helpful. They're very nice tables.
I have been thinking about putting cross struts in for strength. There are some details of one John Bullar made on the Woodworkersinstitute website and he had bracing going from each of the front legs to the rear apron.
I'll see if I get that far. There are many challenges lying ahead before then!
Thanks again.
I have been thinking about putting cross struts in for strength. There are some details of one John Bullar made on the Woodworkersinstitute website and he had bracing going from each of the front legs to the rear apron.
I'll see if I get that far. There are many challenges lying ahead before then!
Thanks again.
I finished the legs yesterday. I used the table saw tapering jig I made when I built the art desk. This time I was doing a taper on 3 sides so, for the last cut, I used one of the wedge shaped offcuts to support the leg against the jig.
I hand planed to remove the saw marks, took off the arrises, and planed a small chamfer on the foot of the legs with a block plane.
Now I just need to work out how to join some bits together...
I hand planed to remove the saw marks, took off the arrises, and planed a small chamfer on the foot of the legs with a block plane.
Now I just need to work out how to join some bits together...
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I completed the joinery for the legs over the weekend. Again, kicking myself for not taking more photos.
The first task was to decide where the legs would fit to the curved apron. I want a bit of overhang at the back of the table (so that the table top can be next to the wall despite the thick skirtings we have). That meant that the apron wasn't a full half-ellipse. I drew it all out on the MDF table top I made and worked it out from that. I remembered to leave enough for the tenon!
To keep things easy, I decided to keep the mortise in the legs square, and angled the tenon to suit. I know that's not the strongest option, but given the laminated apron, I think it's plenty strong enough. It's not going to have a heavy load on it like a chair would. Having said that, one of the tenons is looser than I would like, so I'm going to have to see if I can remedy that by adding some wood back.
That got me to this point:
I then made the rear apron and tenons on that. A much easier task given flat reference faces! That got me here:
The next job was the bridle joints for the front legs. This involved cutting rebates on either face of the curved apron. I could finish the rebate on the convex face with a router plane, but had to do everything on the concave face with a chisel:
The "female" part of the joint in the top of the leg was cut with a bandsaw down to depth with the waste removed with a coping saw and chisel. I was worried it would be hard to get a tight joint and that I might need to brace the legs to the rear apron, but they're very tight so that won't be necessary.
The first task was to decide where the legs would fit to the curved apron. I want a bit of overhang at the back of the table (so that the table top can be next to the wall despite the thick skirtings we have). That meant that the apron wasn't a full half-ellipse. I drew it all out on the MDF table top I made and worked it out from that. I remembered to leave enough for the tenon!
To keep things easy, I decided to keep the mortise in the legs square, and angled the tenon to suit. I know that's not the strongest option, but given the laminated apron, I think it's plenty strong enough. It's not going to have a heavy load on it like a chair would. Having said that, one of the tenons is looser than I would like, so I'm going to have to see if I can remedy that by adding some wood back.
That got me to this point:
I then made the rear apron and tenons on that. A much easier task given flat reference faces! That got me here:
The next job was the bridle joints for the front legs. This involved cutting rebates on either face of the curved apron. I could finish the rebate on the convex face with a router plane, but had to do everything on the concave face with a chisel:
The "female" part of the joint in the top of the leg was cut with a bandsaw down to depth with the waste removed with a coping saw and chisel. I was worried it would be hard to get a tight joint and that I might need to brace the legs to the rear apron, but they're very tight so that won't be necessary.
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Here are a couple of photos of the finished frame (not glued up yet) with the MDF template top sat on it.
I'm pretty pleased with the construction but I'm not certain I like the aesthetics of it. It looks too "modern" I think.
It's hard to make a final judgment without the top in place and without finish on it (I think I will need to stain it somehow for it to suit our house - more questions on that). However, I'd be pleased to hear suggestions on any improvements I could make.
A few ideas I had:
1. Taper the front of the leg. Currently they're only tapered on three sides, with the front face being flat. That might make the legs a little more delicate.
2. Put a chamfer on the legs.
3. Put a rounded edge on the legs.
4. Rather than taper the front of the leg, put a scallop on the back of the leg.
I'm pretty pleased with the construction but I'm not certain I like the aesthetics of it. It looks too "modern" I think.
It's hard to make a final judgment without the top in place and without finish on it (I think I will need to stain it somehow for it to suit our house - more questions on that). However, I'd be pleased to hear suggestions on any improvements I could make.
A few ideas I had:
1. Taper the front of the leg. Currently they're only tapered on three sides, with the front face being flat. That might make the legs a little more delicate.
2. Put a chamfer on the legs.
3. Put a rounded edge on the legs.
4. Rather than taper the front of the leg, put a scallop on the back of the leg.
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The final instalment for now is that I started on the top. I got it jointed and glued up:
I also scraped it with the No. 80. I hadn't really used the No. 80 much in anger before, but I watched a couple of sharpening videos and had a go. It now produces lovely fluffy shavings so I was really pleased with that:
I also scraped it with the No. 80. I hadn't really used the No. 80 much in anger before, but I watched a couple of sharpening videos and had a go. It now produces lovely fluffy shavings so I was really pleased with that:
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Looking good!
A few suggestions for making it less plain.
Run a small bead along the apron lower edge and down the front edges of the legs. A scratch stock is ideal for this.
Alternatively, add a protruding lipping to the bottom of the apron.
More ambitious, add some stringing on the legs. Garret Hack probably has some online articles or videos on this and says it's easier than it looks. I don't know, I've not tried it.
A few suggestions for making it less plain.
Run a small bead along the apron lower edge and down the front edges of the legs. A scratch stock is ideal for this.
Alternatively, add a protruding lipping to the bottom of the apron.
More ambitious, add some stringing on the legs. Garret Hack probably has some online articles or videos on this and says it's easier than it looks. I don't know, I've not tried it.
Thanks Andy.
I won't dismiss stringing, but I'm not that keen.
Beading is a good idea and one I had forgotten about. I recently picked up an old combination plane which has some beading cutters. That might do the legs but I can see a scratch stock would be easier for the apron.
I'd also forgotten to put protruding lip on my list.
I won't dismiss stringing, but I'm not that keen.
Beading is a good idea and one I had forgotten about. I recently picked up an old combination plane which has some beading cutters. That might do the legs but I can see a scratch stock would be easier for the apron.
I'd also forgotten to put protruding lip on my list.
Phlebas
Burbling Pixie
A few thoughts, for what it is worth
The two tables I posted images of earlier are:
1) tapered on all sides, as far as I can make out
2) stringed and edge banded (doubtless I have the terminology wrong)
3) surprisingly consistent in the taper, both c. 42mm down to c. 22mm, which might be a bit more of a taper than yours
4) with a very small projection of the leg in front of the apron, c. 3mm, again which looks less than yours
And of course the wood is darker.
All of these might make your table a bit less modern - as the Catalans say, que no haya novedad.
The two tables I posted images of earlier are:
1) tapered on all sides, as far as I can make out
2) stringed and edge banded (doubtless I have the terminology wrong)
3) surprisingly consistent in the taper, both c. 42mm down to c. 22mm, which might be a bit more of a taper than yours
4) with a very small projection of the leg in front of the apron, c. 3mm, again which looks less than yours
And of course the wood is darker.
All of these might make your table a bit less modern - as the Catalans say, que no haya novedad.
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Quick update.
Using the MDF top I made previously, I cut out the actual table top. The process involved band sawing close to the line and then using a bearing guided bit in the router to cut to the MDF template before sanding the edge to remove tool marks. I like using the machines, but I can see a compass plane in my future :roll:
This is it, only loosely in place at the moment:
The next job will be to round over the edge of the top. A spokeshave is going to be my weapon of choice for that. I could use a router, but because I want a complete round over it's not so easy as there is no edge for a bearing to ride against.
I then need to make some final decisions about other "decoration" before I start gluing bits together. I think the look of it is growing on me so I probably won't do very much to it.
I'm also thinking about how to finish it. Currently I'm leaning towards a stain (Van Dyke crystals perhaps as I have some of those) and shellac/French polish. I probably won't aim for a mirror finish as I don't want to lose all the texture of the wood by filling pores etc. I'll run some test pieces with the offcuts from the top.
Using the MDF top I made previously, I cut out the actual table top. The process involved band sawing close to the line and then using a bearing guided bit in the router to cut to the MDF template before sanding the edge to remove tool marks. I like using the machines, but I can see a compass plane in my future :roll:
This is it, only loosely in place at the moment:
The next job will be to round over the edge of the top. A spokeshave is going to be my weapon of choice for that. I could use a router, but because I want a complete round over it's not so easy as there is no edge for a bearing to ride against.
I then need to make some final decisions about other "decoration" before I start gluing bits together. I think the look of it is growing on me so I probably won't do very much to it.
I'm also thinking about how to finish it. Currently I'm leaning towards a stain (Van Dyke crystals perhaps as I have some of those) and shellac/French polish. I probably won't aim for a mirror finish as I don't want to lose all the texture of the wood by filling pores etc. I'll run some test pieces with the offcuts from the top.
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I did some experimentation with making a scratch stock yesterday evening. It worked OK, but I found it a little too easy to slip and mess it up as evidenced by the photo below (the right side was OK, but the left was a write off):
I suspect I could get a decent result with more practice, but it was hard work. I decided to give the Record No50 a whirl and I was able to produce a nice (albeit less interesting) bead with that. I'm going to have a bit more of a play, but I think this will be the way to go.
In the meantime, I went at it with a spokeshave and managed to do a decent job of rounding over the edge of the table top. I did the straight side with a plane.
Lastly, I've been thinking more about the finish. I think I'm going to go with Van Dyke crystals to stain it and then have a go at French polishing it. How hard can it be... Practice/sample pieces to follow once I've manage to get some supplies (cotton etc.).
I suspect I could get a decent result with more practice, but it was hard work. I decided to give the Record No50 a whirl and I was able to produce a nice (albeit less interesting) bead with that. I'm going to have a bit more of a play, but I think this will be the way to go.
In the meantime, I went at it with a spokeshave and managed to do a decent job of rounding over the edge of the table top. I did the straight side with a plane.
Lastly, I've been thinking more about the finish. I think I'm going to go with Van Dyke crystals to stain it and then have a go at French polishing it. How hard can it be... Practice/sample pieces to follow once I've manage to get some supplies (cotton etc.).
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I think the beaded legs with their extra taper, together with a lip under the apron have made a big difference to the look of the table. I'm much happier with it (excuse the mess):
Still not sure about the finish. I'll do some test pieces with a stain and French polish, but I'm leaning towards Osmo and wax with no stain.
Still not sure about the finish. I'll do some test pieces with a stain and French polish, but I'm leaning towards Osmo and wax with no stain.
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I like that a lot. I do agree with you, the beading makes a huge difference. I also think you are right to keep it pale. If you ever want to change your mind in the future, it would be easy enough to darken it or make it shinier but it would be far harder to undo a dark finish if you didn't like it.
AndyT":3dzgfdtf said:
Thanks Andy. I hadn't thought about it like that. The most likely location for the table will suit a pale finish I think.
I've read on another thread that Osmo with wax will achieve a decent glossy finish. I wonder if it matters which Osmo I use. I have a nearly full tin of satin so would like to use that if possible. If it's the wax which provides the gloss then I don't think it should really matter. I'll have a play on some scraps.
