| Glass-Top Table -- Plywood Sides and Stiles |
From "Wood Works"
episode WWK-305 |
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In this episode of DIY Wood Works, host David Marks builds a mahogany table with a glass top. This contemporary styled table works perfectly as a coffee table and has the added benefit of providing an open display area that's ideal for showing off collectible pieces or a magazine collection. The construction of this sturdy piece employs some classic woodworking techniques and fine craftsman touches. It is held together with mortises, loose tenons, and hidden biscuit-joinery. The open shelf and decorative corner splines give the piece a decidedly contemporary style. The face, top and stiles of the table are made from solid mahogany stock -- already milled and cut to size. The shelf and sides are made from mahogany plywood.
Materials:
Mahogany stock
Plywood stock
Table saw; cross-cut sled
Band saw
Biscuit joiner; wood biscuits
Yellow wood-glue
Biscuit-glue applicator
Paintbrushes
Clamps
Straight-edge
Carpenter's square
Chalk
Carpenter's pencil
Safety glasses or goggles
Note: Cut sizes may vary. For exact measurements, please contact David Marks through his Web site -- information below under Resources. Safety Alert: Always wear safety goggles or safety glasses when working with wood, power-tools, saws, drills, routers, etc.
Cutting Mahogany-Plywood Stock
- Before beginning work on cutting the plywood stock, draw out a diagram to help you with making the cuts (figure A) for the plywood elements -- back, sides, shelf, etc. Planning your cuts in advance will help you maximize yield and avoid wasting costly mahogany plywood.
- Transfer the lines of the diagram onto the actual plywood sheet, and make your cuts at the table saw. Begin by cutting the plywood sheet to width. Because the sheet is so large, we used anti-kickback rollers to hold the stock tight to the fence ( figure B). To avoid splintering, use a plywood blade in the table saw. The finer teeth will provide a smoother cut.
- Next, cut out the individual plywood elements using the cross-cut sled on the table saw (figure C).
- Tip: To minimize splintering and chip-out, score the wood before making the actual cuts. Raise the blade to 1/16-inch and make a pass to score the wood according to your marks. The scoring cut just removes the first layers of the plywood (figure D). Then reset the blade to full height make the final cuts (figure E). This is especially important with this piece in which both sides of some plywood elements will be visible.
- Using the scoring technique, and a plywood blade, will result in clean edges for the plywood elements (figure F).
Biscuit Joinery for Back Panel
- For preparing the stiles, position each so that the grain for all of the stiles runs in the same direction. Use chalk layout marks to indicate the face and top of each piece. This will help simplify the process of batch-cutting of stock prior to glue-up.
- The plywood back and sides to the stiles are joined to the stiles using simple biscuit joinery. To mark the stiles for the biscuit slots, fashion a layout stick from a piece of scrap plywood. Using marks on a single layout stick as a guide will ensure uniform placement of the slots on each stile. The marking stick should be the same length as the stiles and panels. Lay out marks for the biscuit slots in a symmetrical pattern, and use the layout stick to mark the faces of the stiles using a straight-edge (figure G).
- Transfer the marks to the edges using the straight edge of a carpenter's square (figure H).
- As seen on the prototype for this piece, the back of the case is flush with the stile on the inside (figure I).
- To ensure that the inside faces butt up against each other flush, reference the inside faces down against the flat surface of the work surface when making the biscuit cuts (figure J).
- Using the biscuit joiner, and following your layout marks, cut four slots along the edges of the back panel (figure K).
- Then, cut the slots along the edges of the side panels (figure L).
- Again following the layout marks, cut the slots in the stiles that join the back panel (figure M). Remember to place the inside face of the first stile down against the flat surface, and cut the slots where the back panel will join them.
- Where the stile is attached to the back panel, there is an 1/8-inch reveal on the outside face -- to create depth and a decorative shadow line -- while the stile and panel remain flush on the inside face. To attach the sides to the stile, and create a matching shadow line, the biscuit cutter must be adjusted by 1/8-inch. This can be done by adding a 1/8-inch shim to the base of the biscuit cutter (figure N) to raise the cut slightly.
- Clamp the stile stock to your workbench and, with the shim installed on the biscuit cutter, cut the biscuit slots on the back and front stile stock where the side panels will attach (figure O).
- With all of the slots cut, glue-up can begin by attaching the stiles to the back panel. Apply yellow glue to the slots in the back panel using a biscuit-glue applicator. Also brush glue onto the biscuits and the edges of the panel (figure P).
- Use three clamps to provide ample clamping pressure to the back assembly (figure Q) as the glue dries. It's a good idea to use wood scraps or cork when clamping to avoid marring the stock.
In the segment that follows, a different style of joinery is made for the front frame of the table.
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 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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