Mahogany Consort Table - WIP

[Dodge]

Well having completed the Davenport and a few small jobs started on this weeks project this morning - A mahogany consort/Hall Table. You may recall I made an oak one about six months ago and whilst making this a customer saw it and asked for a similar table in mahogany.

The basic dimensions are 30" tall, with the top being 40" by 16" with fine tapered legs and a pair of narrow drawers.

Started by taking some square section stock

Which was rough sawn down on the table saw to just over 40mm square

Before being planed down to 40mm square on the thicknesser

The taper in the legs was initially cut using a home made taper jig on the table saw, only the two inner edges were tapered leaving the outer line of the leg straight

The tapered edges were then planed with a jack plane (No5) leaving a nice crisp finish despite the mahogany having a very twisted/interlocking grain.

The legs were duly morticed ready for the frame rails

The customer had specifically requested that the top be made from a single piece of timber rather than jointed and I had a well figured board in my woodstore that had been sitting there for a number of years which was ideal for this, it also had a particularly nice grain pattern

The board was duly cut and both thicknessed and then passed through the panel sander to flat the board

The rest of the board was machined and used for the sides/back of the table as well as the drawer supports.

When I left this afternoon it was looking like this

I placed the top onto the frame, and whilst the edges are not yet moulded i think it will work quite well

Tomorrow will start the the inlaying of the stringing in the top/legs before gluing the carcase up.

 

[woodbloke]

Nice start Rog and a hell of a bit of wood for the top :shock: But I have to say I'm disappointed...only the carcase work and top done in a day. Tsk :lol: :lol: - Rob...hat, coat etc

 

[MickCheese]

I've had a day off work and spent the afternoon in the workshop and made the princely sum of two small dovetailed drawers.

Best I stick with the day job to pay the bills.

Looking good as usual Roger.

Mick

 

[Hudson Carpentry]

Wow on the piece of wood. You must have a merchants worth in your store.

 

[Crooked Tree]

The top looks like it will be pretty impressive. Hope that the customer has friends who will notice that it is from a single piece!

 

[Dodge]

Wow on the piece of wood. You must have a merchants worth in your store.

I wish! No I have just accumulated wood over the years

My wood store looks like this (Some of you may remember these photos from my workshop tour thread)

One of my butts of English Yew - the boards are approx 13' long to give you an idea of size

The plastic is there because the roof leaks a little if the wind blows the rain the wrong way!

You can see that mahogany board leaning against the wall here

The oak stock is a bit depleted at the moment - waiting for a delivery

 

[No skills]

To have such wood in stock, hmm need a dreamy smilie.

 

[Charlie Woody]

Wow! Never seen that much timber outside of a timber yard, and looks to be lots of nice stuff too! I thought I had a reasonable sized workshop - 9m x 3m approx. - but it looks as though your wood store is miles bigger! What are the walls made of as they are an unusual colour.

The table looks up to your usual high standard and I'm always amazed how quickly you can do stuff.

 

[Hudson Carpentry]

Takes the mick out of my wood store (8x12' I think). Although I do end up storing a lot of my wood above the beams in my workshop as the wood store is jammed full. I maybe have a 3rd of what you have laying around.

Was the mahogany what you already had in stock? I struggle to get any now.

 

[Dodge]

yes Alan, the I got a large stock of mahogany many years ago but I must admit the pile is getting a bit low now

The orange walls are actually that sprayed foam stuff that was put on for insulation by my farmer landlord many years ago as for a period it was the dairy cold store and them later used as a hospital for their sick pigs. As with all farms though the pigs and dairy herd are long gone and the farm has diversified.

 

[Dodge]

Ok so what have I been up to today??

Started by routing a 2mm groove around the top ready for the black inlay stringing line to be fitted

And after gluing in the stringing put the top aside to allow the glue to cure, I then cut grooves into the front face of each front leg again with the router

and after cutting in the stringing, duly mitreing the corners the stringing was also glued into the legs.

The customer only wanted the stringing in the top and front faces of the legs so with that done made some cock beaded moulding and having duly rebated the bottoms of the rails to accept this glued it into place and held with masking tape.

The titebond had now cured on the stringing so the proud excess was planed off leaving the surface nice and crisp

This is when you can tell if your glue has taken ok as the shavings come off looking like liquorice allsorts!

The carcase for the table frame was then glued up and left in cramps for a couple of hours whilst I got on cleaning up the stringing in the top and applying the top mouldings to the edges.

I then got the timber machined for the drawer sides/fronts ready for dovetailing tomorrow.

The table frame and top is now complete - just the drawers to go!

The customer supplied me with the handles which they wish to use which I believe are ones from an old antique cabinet and are nice solid brass, not naff pressed repro ones!

Its getting there!

 

[adidat]

Mailee would have finished this two days ago, whats keeping you roger!

:lol:

Adidat

P.s. very nice indeed like the solid top

 

[MickCheese]

Ok so what have I been up to today??

Started by routing a 2mm groove around the top ready for the black inlay stringing line to be fitted

I stared at this photo for ages wondering what the really deep two groves were and how in the bottom photo they disappeared.

Then I enlarged it and realised it was the two pieces of stringing and shadows.

Keep up the WIP.

Mick

 

[mailee]

I may have finished it two days ago but it wouldn't have looked anything like that. LOL. That is looking really nice Rog. You certainly can get up a pace mate.

 

[Dodge]

No progress today - played mechanics and serviced my land rover!

I now know why I'm a wood butcher and not a spanner jockey! :lol: :lol:

 

[liam8223]

Horses for courses!
I run a garage for a living, and try to butcher wood in my free time! - I'm not sure I could do it every day though....

Liam.

www.gilmortongarage.co.uk

 

[gasman]

Looks lovely - stringing is such a visually impacting addition to a piece like this
Also loving that piece of mahogany
Mark

 

[Dodge]

After a couple of days on other things I was back on the Side Table today and started by inserting the oval marquetry fan into the centre of the top, having marked the position I starting by initially scoring around the motif with a marking knife

The majority of the waste was then removed with the router free hand leaving just a small edge to remove by hand

having glued the inlay in one the Titebond had cured I carefully scraped away the backing film with a freshly sharpened cabinet scraper being very careful not to cut through the veneer

And after a careful sand with fine paper that was completed

I then turned my attention to the drawers and got these made, inlaying the drawer fronts with the same black inlay stringing, unfortunately I cannot post many pictures of the drawer construction as my camera batteries died just as I started taking piccies so you will have to trust me that I made them!

Anyway the construction is now complete and ready for finishing which I will start on Monday with a wipe of brown mahogany spirit stain to balance the colour before polishing, obviously masking the inlay fan in the top.

Will post finished pictures next week.

 

[wallace]

Hi Roger truly inspireing work. What kind of landy do you have. My defender has decided to need a new starter motor, brake pads, track rod ends, PAS box ball joint and today clutch fork which will need the gearbox splitting. All in the last 2 weeks.
Mark

 

[deserter]

Sorry to be a PIA but did you manage to get a finished photo of this one?
Look forward to reading the next WIP.