DIY Network

Modern Cocktail Table: Olive-Wood Veneer From "Wood Works" episode WWK-713

	The design for this modern cocktail table comes from the contemporary studio furniture-movement.
	The highlight of this particular piece is the book-matched olive-wood veneer top.

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In this episode of DIY Wood Works, host David Marks creates a contemporary cocktail table with a stylized veneer top.

The design for this modern cocktail table comes straight out of the contemporary studio-furniture movement. The top, with the olive-wood veneer, is the real highlight and features a fantastic figure. The book-matched pieces that form the top reveal a spectacular pattern and color unique to olivewood. Standing proud, the top is framed with African wenge, which provides a contrast to the reddish jarrah wood that makes up the base. The graceful curves in the legs are capped with wenge feet, completing the elegant image of this modern cocktail table.

In this first segment, work gets started with cutting the olive-wood veneers and gluing them onto the substrate to create the tabletop.

Tools and materials used in this episode:

Olive wood stock
Wenge stock
Jarrah stock
Baltic birch plywood for top substrate
Wooden dowels
MDF for templates
Table saw
Multi-router
Band saw
Jointer
Planer
Drum sander
Table router
Multi router
Vacuum press
Hand drill
Hand scraper
Clamps
Belt clamp
Bricks
Yellow woodworker's glue
Plastic resin glue
Blue tape
Straight-edge
Carpenter's pencil
Safety glasses or goggles

Safety Alert: Always wear safety goggles or safety glasses, and follow proper safety precautions, when working with wood, power-tools, saws, drills, routers, etc.

Figure A

Olive Wood Veneer

Olive wood is a rare, exotic wood, which may not be available through your local wood supplier. It can be found in specialty catalogs and online. The piece that David used for the veneer in this table (figure A) was from a tree that was blown down in a Northern California wind-storm in 1987. It features a beautiful combination of yellow and brown tones and a spectacular figure.

The design begins with an outside dimension to the top of 18-1/2" square. The olive-wood piece itself is about 16" square, so a large piece of wood is not necessary.

• Begin by cutting a smaller board from the large slab at the table saw (figure C). The board should be 17" L x 10" W.

• Joint one face and one edge of the board.

• Plane the opposing face to make it parallel.

• At the table saw, trim the piece down a little, removing the rough edge.

• Re-saw some slices of veneer at the band saw (figure D), each at about 3/32" thick.

  Figure C

  Figure D

  
  

  
  
  

• Drum-sand the slices so that they are all uniform at 1/16" thick.

  
  

• Since the two pieces will be edge-glued to make the top, joint the edges of the veneer slices (figure E).

• One option for edge-gluing would be a slip-match to create a pattern of consecutive slices aligned identically (figure F). This approach may be preferable when more than two veneers are being glued in sequence.

  Figure E

  Figure F

  
  

  
  
  

• For the two veneers that make up this top, David opted for a book-match to create a symmetrical mirror-image (figure G), like two facing pages of a book.

• To edge-glue the two sheets together, apply plastic resin glue to the edges.

• Line up the two sides, and tape them in place with blue tape.

• Add clamps and bricks to keep the veneers flat (figure H) as the glue dries.

  Figure G

  Figure H

  
  

  
  
  

• While the glue is drying, you can cut the Baltic birch plywood for the substrate to size at the band saw. The piece should be 17" square.
  
  
• Apply plastic resin glue to one side of the substrate, then to one side of the veneer.

• Place the substrate onto the veneer (figure I).

• Repeat on the opposite side of the substrate, and place the second veneer (figure J).

  Figure I

  Figure J

  
  

  Figure K

  
  

• Tape the edges of the "wood sandwich" to prevent slippage. Set the assembly between two oversized cauls. Place the whole assembly into the plastic bag of the vacuum press, seal it and turn on the vacuum press (figure K).

• Allow the veneer to cure for about 12 hours at around 1500 pounds-per-square foot.

RESOURCES :

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

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

Woodworker's Guide to Wood: Softwoods, Hardwoods, Plywoods, Composite, Veneers
Model: 080836878
Author: Rick Peters
(2000)
Sterling Publishing Co. Inc.
Website: www.sterlingpub.com

Fine Woodworking
A magazine devoted to high-quality craftsmanship in woodworking.
The Taunton Press Inc.
Website: www.taunton.com