| Bubinga-Veneer Coffee Table -- Ebony Inlay and Finishing Touches |
From "Wood Works"
episode WWK-212 |
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Finishing Touches With the base and tabletop complete, and a channel cut around the tabletop for an ebony border, the final steps in the project are to create the decorative ebony inlay and apply a wood finish. Materials: Ebony stock for inlay
Band saw
Drum sander
Disc sander; jig for making miter joints
Tung oil
Paint brushes
Clean rags
Protective rubber gloves Safety Alert: Always wear safety goggles or safety glasses when working with wood, saws, drills, routers, etc. Safety Alert: Always wear protective gloves when working with wood stains and solvents. - Ebony is a very dense wood that grows in Africa. The stock used for this table is known as gaboon ebony, and is known for its jet-black color. Strips that are 1/8-inch by 1/8-inch are milled up to fit the channel cut earlier around the edge of the tabletop. They are run through the drum-sander to remove any rough cuts left by the band-saw, and to take the stock down to its final dimension.
- The disc-sander is used to gently miter the corners of the ebony inlay (figure A). A strip of wood clamped to the sander table acts as a fence to ensure that the miters are cut to precisely 45 degrees so the ebony pieces will line up exactly.
- Ebony strips are cut long enough to fit the channels at the end of the table, but for the longer sides, several strips need to be joined together to achieve the necessary length. In order to make the strips look like one solid piece, scarf joints are made for the ebony stock. A scarf joint is a long diagonal cut (figure B) that exposes the long grain of the wood. When two diagonal cuts are joined together (figure C), it creates a joint that is almost hidden.
- To make the scarf joint, a jig is made from MDF to position the piece of ebony at a specific angle to cut the long miters into the ends of the wood (figure D ).
- Once all the pieces have been cut, use yellow glue to set the inlay in place, and add some clamping pressure to ensure solid contact as the glue dries (figure E).
- It's a good idea to use some masking tape to protect the veneer when clamping (figure F).
- Once the glue has dried, use a hand scraper to flush the ebony level with the tabletop.
- For this piece, a hand-rubbed tung oil finish was used in order to accentuate the dramatic grain pattern of the woods.
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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
Popular Woodworking
F & W Publications, Inc.
Website: www.popularwoodworking.com
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