| Mission-Style Ottoman -- Cutting and Milling Wood Stock |
From "Wood Works"
episode WWK-106 |
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In this project, host David Marks demonstrates the major steps in the construction of an ottoman made in the classic mission style. Mission furniture has remained popular over the years because of its simple yet elegant design and understated detail. The ottoman in this project is constructed from quarter-sawn white oak -- a trademark of traditional arts and crafts style. It features strong lines, mortise-and-tenon joinery and a natural wood finish. The strong, straight lines of the design and careful proportions of the wood spindles are characteristic to the enduring mission style. The exposed tenons express a sense of strength, and the brown tones of the dyed wood give the piece warmth. Materials: Quarter-sawn white oak stock
Jointer
Table saw with fence
Band saw
Power planer
Chalk; carpenter's pencil
Saftety glasses or goggles
Note: Cut sizes may vary. For exact measurements, please contact David Marks through his Website -- information below under Resources. Safety Alert: Always wear safety goggles or safety glasses when working with wood, saws, drills, routers, etc. Wood-Stock Basics:
Selection, Cutting and Milling Host David Marks begins by discussing some of the basics of starting a woodworking project -- specifically, the selection and preparation of lumber. - Once you've decided upon a design for your piece and assembled a cutting list, Marks recommends purchasing wood in rough-cut form, and purchasing about 20 percent to 30 percent more lumber than the project will require. All wood -- even select grades -- is likely to have some knots, cracks, flaws and other defects (figure A). Purchasing extra wood provides you with more choices in terms of cutting out the defects, as well as more options in terms of laying out pieces for grain matching.
- Since the wood is in rough form, the first step for most stock is to joint one face on the jointer so that you can see the grain pattern clearly (figure B) and start to lay out elements for the parts and pieces of the project.
- In the ottoman project, the wood stock is quarter-sawn white oak, in keeping with the traditions of the arts and crafts style. For the stretchers on the table, a 1" thick piece of stock is jointed on one side, then marked with chalk to lay out the individual pieces and designate the cuts (figure C). Since there is excess lumber, it should be possible to lay out the cuts so as to avoid any flawed portions of wood.
- Whenever possible, it's preferable to use stock that will yield elements of the full dimension for the parts being cut. In that way, it won't be necessary to create individual parts by gluing up narrower pieces.
Cutting Wood Stock for the Ottoman Steps: - Begin by rough-cutting the pieces for the stretchers using the table saw (figure D). The pieces are cut slightly oversized, thus ensuring that there is enough wood in the stock to allow for what will later be lost in the process of milling, scraping and sanding.
- For the legs, a piece of 2" thick oak stock is used. The 2" stock will yield pieces thick enough for the full thickness of legs -- so gluing up leg stock won't be necessary. Prior to being cut, the face of the board is jointed to provide a smooth surface, and one edge of the board is jointed also (figure E). The jointed edge provides a perfectly straight line to use as a reference against the fence of the table saw.
- The piece is laid out, the cuts are marked and the legs are cut on the table saw (figure F) in the same manner as the stretcher stock.
- With the stock cut, it's necessary to make certain that all pieces are perfectly flat. Since the natural structure of wood holds some tension, cutting the wood can sometimes result in releasing some of that tension -- resulting in wood pieces that are slightly bowed. Bowed boards can be flattened by running them through a jointer. First, make some marks along the length of the surface to be jointed (figure G ). In this way, when the board is run across the jointer (figure H) and all of the chalk marks have disappeared, it will be apparent that the entire surface has been jointed smooth and the board is flat.
- Test for flatness by laying the board on a flat surface and attempting to slide a piece of paper underneath the bottom of the board (figure I). If the paper cannot be inserted between the board and the flat surface -- at any point along the board's length -- you'll know that the board is flat. Use a chalk marker to mark a J on the jointed surface, indicating that it has been jointed flat.
- With one edge of the leg stock jointed flat, the adjacent face is jointed also by running it across the jointer with a fence (figure J).
- Once an adjacent edge and face have been jointed, the result should be a perfect 90-degree corner. The next step is to make certain that the two remaining sides are also straight and parallel. This is done using a power planer rather than continuing to use the jointer. If the jointer were used on the opposing sides, the result would likely be edges that were flat but not necessarily parallel -- making for a slightly wedged shape to the leg. Use of the planer, which has knives set up perfectly parallel to the bed (figure K), will ensure that the opposing sides are not only flat but also parallel.
- With the jointed face placed on the planer bed face down, the board is run across the planer (figure L). Repeating this process on the adjacent edge of the board results in a table leg with a perfectly rectangular cross-section.
- With the leg surfaces flat and parallel, the legs can be cut to length using a sliding table on the table saw. The ends of the stock are cut at a 90-degree square, and the individual leg sections are then cut on the table saw using a stop block (figure M).
A Woodworker's Principle: Taking the time to properly mill lumber -- so that surfaces are established that are flat, parallel and 90 degrees square -- is an essential foundation in the making of fine furniture. In any given project, this preliminary process establishes reference points that will be critical for nearly all techniques that follow in the project. Sponsored Resource
> Click here to order your tools and materials for this project from Woodcraft!
RESOURCES :
Fine Woodworking
A magazine devoted to high-quality craftsmanship in woodworking.
The Taunton Press Inc.
Website: www.taunton.com
The Small Wood Shop (The Best of Fine Woodworking)
Author: Helen Albert (Editor)
Publisher: Taunton Press
ISBN: 1561580619
Woodworking Techniques: Best Methods for Building Furniture from Fine Woodworking
Author: Editors of Fine Woodworking magazine
Publisher: Taunton Press
ISBN: 1561583456
Mastering Woodworking Machines (Fine Woodworking Book)
Author: Mark Duginske
Publisher: Taunton Press
ISBN: 0942391985
David Marks Website
David Marks, DIY's Wood Works host, is a master woodworker. For more information on cut sizes and project details, please contact him via his Website at www.djmarks.com
The Complete Woodworker's Companion
Author: Roger Holmes
Publisher: Watson-Guptill
ISBN: 0823008665
The Complete Book of Wood Joinery
Author: Robert J. Decristoforo
Publisher: Sterling Publishing Co.
ISBN: 0806999500
Advanced Woodworking
Model: 0783539126
Author: Editors of Time Life Books
1998
Time-Life Books Inc.
Website: www.timelife.com
Popular Woodworking
F & W Publications, Inc.
Website: www.popularwoodworking.com
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