Cherry Chippendale Handkerchief Table - Edge Moulding & Baby Butt - Part 7

Now that I have cut out the top into two triangles, it is time to apply the table edge detail. This edge is essentially an ogee and round over.  I used a piece of scrap cherry here to practice making the cove and round over.

I have made this profile before on a low boy.  So I set up with what I can remember about how to make the profile.

I used a router with a core box bit to cut the cove shape.  I did this in 3 passes, taking a little off each time.

First pass on the 2 edges.

Now for the 1/4 inch round over on the bottom.

This is how it looks after routing.  Pretty close to the lines.  Needs to take a little off the bottom and top round over with hand planes.

I use my 1/4 inch hollow plane to round over the inside of the cove. I am taking a very light shaving.
Notice that I am planing with the grain of the board.

Now it is time to add the baby butt corners.  These are carved on the four corners.   The two that are in the table joint are more difficult because the center is not symmetrical.  One side overlaps the other by 3/16 of an inch.  I made a practice carving on the cut offs.  This one looks good enough to reproduce.  So I made a paper template of the carving.

I traced the carving on to the good table top.  I used a jig saw to cut the curves from the bottom.  The top curves must be carved.

Before I carved the baby butt corners I installed the hinges so that the two halves of the top would be in the exact position they would ultimately be before I did the carving.
I laid out were I wanted the hinges and used a marking knife to scribe the lines.  The hinge barrels are set in a groove so that they are not seen.
I purchased these drop leaf hinges from Horton Brasses.

I used my routing plane to cut out the hinge mortise.  Then I used a 1/4 inch chisel to create the groove for the hinge barrel.

Here they are installed but the joint is a little tight. So I need to plane of the corners of the joint so that it fits better.

Here is how it will hang on the table when closed.

Swing it open and it is still a little tight.

I need to take more off on the corners on the inside of this joint.  When I take it apart for finishing it will be easier to get at.

Now to carve the baby butt corners.  I carved corners on the ends without the joint, these are much easier since they are symmetrical.  Here is a link to a video I made on how to carve a baby butt corner.

After carving the baby butt corners I am ready to try the fit on the table frame.  Looks pretty good on the base.

I open the swing leg and try it with the top open.

I works pretty good but the table rocks. I need to adjust the hinge so that the leg sits flat when open.

So now I am ready for finishing.

Here is today's video:

Cherry Chippendale Handkerchief Table - Pegs & Table Top Part 6

I have started to work on adding the pegs to the joints in the table base.  First I had to make some stock for the pegs.  I milled a piece to scrap cherry to about a 1/64 over a 1/4 inch thick, it was about 12 inches long.

I used my small parts ripping jig to rip them into 1/4 inch strips. This is a safe way to rip small thin strips.

You can see one of the thin strips in the lower left on the saw table top.  As I got close to the blade I used a push stick to hold the material down.

I made this dowel jig out of a block of wood and a spoke shave blade.  I drilled a 1/4 hole and flared the hole at the beginning.  The hole is drilled right on the edge of the block just exposing a little of the opening.   You can see a larger 3/4 inch hole I had used before.

I whittled the end of the square rod to a point to start the dowel, then I put it in the drill and pushed it into the jig.  Just like an old fashion pencil sharpener the square rod gets round.

Checking the diameter with a mic. they are pretty close.

Then I cut them up into 1 1/8 inch pegs.  Used the same 1/4 inch drill bit to drill the holes in the joints.

I put a little glue on the end of the peg and drove it in with a hammer.

After the glue dried, I trimmed them with my flushed cut saw and then used a paring chisel to get them flush.

The base is complete, now to work on the top.

I had purchased some 18 inch wide cherry boards from Groff & Groff, so that each half of the table would be out of one piece.  The base of the triangle is 33 inches and the height if 16 3/4 inches.

I am using an old wooden jointer plane to take the cup out of the board.

Using a straight edge to check the board for flatness

I have removed the cup from the board but it has some twist, which means it rocks when turned over on a flat surface.  I put it on my table saw top and scribed a line on the side where the high spots where.
I am using my jack plane to lower the high corners and feather them back to the center.

I finally get it flat on one side and then used my wide belt sander to flatten and thickness the other side.

Now to layout the handkerchief design. The two boards are from the same tree so I could book match the grain.

Now I need to make the cuts. This could be done by hand or table saw with a jig.  I have an old radial arm saw which will work well for this cut.

I just lower the saw into the cut and pull it across the 45 degree angle.  I finished the cut with a hand saw since the radial arm isn't long enough to cut the complete length.

So now I have the table top, the next step is to put the ogee molded edge around the perimeter of the top.  I will start there in the next post.

Here is today's video:

Cherry Chippendale Handkerchief Table Knee Blocks & Glue Blocks - Part 5

I did get some shop time this week and finished the table base.  After the glue-up all that remained was the knee blocks, reinforcement glue blocks and peg the joints.

Making the knee blocks for this table was more work than I thought.

The two rear legs need to sawed and shaped with a curve, I traced the curve on the top of the leg.

Then I sawed away the bulk of the waste.

Then I used a rasp  and files to round over the corner of the leg.

I made a template of the shape out of paper and then transferred it to a wood block. This allows me to check the shaping as I work it with the rasp.

Making the correct shape for the knee block on the 45 degree corner was a challenge.  I make one that just did not work.  I asked Doug Moulder to take a look at it and he made some suggestions, so I made a model out of soft maple.   This worked pretty well, so now I had a template to use for the cherry.

I used the tops of the cherry legs that I had cut off when I started.  This allows me to match the grain and color with the legs.

I rough out the pattern on the band saw and then put a wood screw in the back.  This allows me to clamp the odd size in the vise.  Then using a rasp and file I shape the knee block close to the final size and shape.

The screw in the back allows me to turn the block so I can work the shape from different directions.

The left knee block has been glued on and shaped to match  the curve. It is close but not perfect yet.

Sighting it from the top you can see it is too large.  Needs to come in more.

Getting closer by using the wood template I made earlier. You can see it is still a little large.

 This is how they look when you first glue them on.  I make them a little larger and use the rasp and file to bring them to shape the the leg.

Here they are all completed with the proper shaping.  I cleaned up the file marks with a little sand paper.  I will have to go over them again before finishing.

I added the reinforcing glue blocks on the inside corners.  They were cut from a piece of 2 x 6, the grain run the same direction as the apron.  If the grain ran up and down on the glue block, it would be a cross grain glue up which is something you do not want to do.  In the long run a cross grain glue up might crack the aprons.

I did forget to peg the joints so that will be in the next video along with working on the top.

Here is today's video: