Sunday, November 27, 2011

mysteries revealed


a friend/client stopped by to look at the walnut coffee table he had commissioned (in the post below), and we were looking at the 'x' table. i didn't see the model at first, and so i showed him the blog post and realized that the joinery was still not clear from the photos ... after he left, i found the model, (right next to the table base, behind some cardboard), set it up, and took some more helpful pictures ... it should all be clear now ... in the end, you are gluing up two identical (except for the angles) 'ts', both with lag bolt reinforced joinery and large (2.75" x 2.75") long grain glue surfaces ... totally rigid. click the photos to enlarge them.
two 'ts' are assembled individually ...
the tennons are glued and on the real base we used countersunk 4" timberlock screws to connect and reinforce the joinery for the 'half' pieces. you can see at the top how the two ts intersect when they are assembled to create the full 'x'.
glue up and level check ... perfect !! gold star for lorne ...
and here is the jig lorne used to cut the exact angles on the chop saw (55 degrees). the timberstrand was screwed to the wood fence to orient the 3" stock on the proper vertical for cutting the 55 degree angle where the oak meets the glass and the floor....
and, i noticed will had been by the shop yesterday to take the rubberbands off his fretboard glue up and install some frets in it.
and, this morning, i got an email from another client who will be stopping by shortly to check out this expanding table which we'll be delivering to them shortly ...

6 comments:

wconklin said...

These are some amazign designs. Great work, I wish I could build such nice furniture.

Gnakabi said...

Is the jig for referencing the 55 degree chop saw cut made at a 45 degree cut ?

Anonymous said...

Awesome. What are the lengths of the side pieces? Is the half lap in the middle of each "t"?

Unknown said...

I really like the design. I am currently building a concrete table top. The top is 48" in diameter and weighs ~ 190lbs. Do you think this base would support this weight?

Joel P said...

I am attempting to make a table base of the same design (20" tall overall) with a 36"x36" square glass top. How do I find the angles and lengths? It's been driving me crazy and calculating by trial and error is a waste!

Randy from CT said...

My brother insists that he bought a table similar to the one above that had three intersecting walnut legs. He claims that the table cost him about $6000 and that the joining was done not with two t's but rather three interlocking and intricately cut walnut 4 x 4's. I have tortured my brain to figure this out and wonder if it is even possible...or is he just hallucinating. You design seems so easy and straight forward. Am I wrong or is there actually a way to do what he describes?