DIY Network

Trestle Table: Inlaid Butterfly Dovetails From "Wood Works" episode WWK-704

The tabletop is accented with butterfly dovetails of pernambuco wood.

In this episode of DIY Wood Works, host David Marks creates an Asian-inspired trestle table from maple. In this third episode segment, the decorative dovetail inlays of pernambuco are added to the tabletop.

Materials used in this episode:

Maple stock
Pernambuco stock for inlay
MDF for templates
Table saw
Dado-blade for table saw
Band saw
Jointer
Drum sander
Table router; flush-trim bit, & 1/8" round-over bit
Plunger router
Oscillating spindle sander
Random orbit sander
Jig saw
Drill press
Cordless drill
Hand scraper
Spoke shave
Sharp chisel
Pattern-maker's rasp
Italian riffler file
Sanding strip; sandpaper
Dead-blow hammer
Carpenter's square
Flexible bending stick
Clamps and wood-cauls
Yellow woodworker's glue
Cyanoacrylate glue
Straight-edge
Carpenter's pencil
Chalk
Double-stick tape
Carpenter's masking tape
Wood finish: commercial blend of tung oil, linseed oil and urethane
Paintbrushes and rags
Safety glasses or goggles
Protective gloves

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Figure A

Butterfly Joints and Inlays

For our table, we were lucky enough to have a very wide piece of maple stock so that the tabletop could be made with a single piece. The pernambuco inlays we opted to add were simply for visual interest (figure A). However, this project could also be done using two narrower boards edge-glued to form the tabletop. In that case, the butterfly inlays could also serve the practical purpose of strengthening the joint, acting as a double dovetail to pull the two sides together.

• To make the small piece of pernambuco easy to shape, attach it to the end of some scrap wood with cyanoacrylate glue (figure B).

• At the tablesaw, with the blade tilted to 13 degrees, make the first two cuts on one side (figure C).

  Figure B

  Figure C

  
  

• Then bump the fence 1/8", and make the last two cuts (figure D) to form the butterfly shape (figure E).

  Figure D

  Figure E

  
  

• At the band saw, cut the butterfly dovetails 1/4" thick (figure F).
  
  
• On the tabletop, lay out the position of the butterfly inlays (figure G) -- one directly over each leg, and one dead-center. Double-stick tape them to the top.

  Figure F

  Figure G

  
  

  	Figure H
  	Figure I

• Use a razor knife to scribe around the boundary of the inlay.
  
  
• Remove the inlays, and highlight the scribed lines using a sharp pencil (figure H).

• Use a plunge router, with a 1/8" carbide bit, to rout out the recess. Rout as close to the boundary lines as possible without cutting outside the scribed line (figure I). For the butterfly inlay to stand proud, rout the recess 3/16" deep. (The inlay will be flushed with the surface after gluing.)

• Clean up the boundaries of the recess using a sharp chisel.

• To finesse the fit, chamfer the edges of the inlay using an Italian riffler file.
  

• Once the fit is tested, glue the dovetail in place using yellow glue (figure J).
  
  
• Clamp the inlay with wax paper and a wood block (figure K). The wax paper will prevent the inlay from sticking to the wood.

  Figure J

  Figure K

  
  

  Figure L

  
  

• Once the glue dries, level the pernambuco inlay to the maple top using a hand scraper (figure L).
  

  	Figure M
  	Figure N