Replies

1. 
   bill_1010 | Apr 20, 2002 03:28am | #1

   first off, look to see if there is a woodworking club/co-op that has a "shop" that you can rent time in.  if that doesnt pan out, then its tool-time

2. 
   domermatt | Apr 20, 2002 08:41am | #2

   Ron,

   1. Squaring the edges of each board for the top. I would use a hand plane myself, simple and quick.  A #5, 6, or 7 would all be fine for this job, just make sure the blade is sharp.

   2. Joining the top boards together. I was thinking about buying a Dewalt DW682K plate joiner. Is this a good choice?  The answer is really subjective based on the user.  I have a Porter Cable and would heartily recommend it, but there are just as many people who would say to go with the Dewalt.  Also, if you will just need it for this job it's probably not worth it. Use some cauls and the boards will be aligned just fine.

   3. Since I don't own a power planer for the finished top, I was going to bring the table top to the local cabinet maker and have them run it through theirs. That would work fine. If you get the top glued up and it's relatively flat and just needs to be finished, you could either belt or random orbit sand it. Alternatively, you could use a handplane to flatten and smooth it.

   3. Making mortises in the legs. You can get mortising bits for some drill presses. A much less expensive solution is to bore out most of the waste with forstner bits (or whatever you have) and clean up the mortises with a chisel. That's what I use for big mortises.  More often I use the horizontal router table described in a FWW article about a year ago by Ernie Conover. I made one and it works great.

   4. Making the tenons. I was just going to buy a mortise hand saw. That would be fine, but the cuts will have to be cleaned up (probably with a shoulder plane) to make a really good glue joint. Also,  the horizontal router table that also makes the mortises will cut all the tenons in no time. As you can see, I'm biased about my horizontal router table. I don't remember what issue it's in, but the back index will tell you.  Also, there are many plans out there for tenoning jigs for the table saw you already have.

   Hope I've been helpful, good luck and be sure to post some photos in the gallery.

   Matt Mulka
1. 
   Danford_C_ | Apr 20, 2002 08:21pm | #3

   Ron,

   I would only add to Matt's post that tenons can be cut on the table saw without a tenon jig, cut them "on the flat".... pretty difficult to use a tenon jig when the tenon is on a rail that might be 5' long......

   Dano"Form and Function are One" - Frank L. Wright

1. 
   sschefer | Apr 20, 2002 09:03pm | #4

   Dano, just FYI - I made a tennoning jig that fits over my fence like a saddle. It just has a simple stop block on it and I place the wood into it and clamp it to the jig with a speed clamp. It works very well for long pieces. I got the idea from a recent issue of shop notes. It cost me about 1/2 hour labor and some cutoffs I had laying around. Steve - in Northern California

1. 
   Biscardi | Apr 22, 2002 07:00am | #5

   Steve,

   When I first started out I used to pay more for wod that was planed and jointed on all sides. You might try that before buying alot of tools. Mill time is typically $1 minute at a local cabinet shop. If you like what your doing you can always buy more tools slowly.

   I'd buy  a router and make a router table. You can joint boards on it, cut your mortises and tenons as well as making fancy edges.

   I know people with very expensive equipment who don't even know the basics. Many power tools is not a pre-requisite to hobbyist work.

   Frank

1. 
   sschefer | Apr 22, 2002 07:09am | #6

   Frank, I'm not building the table, Ronco is. Although its quite appropriate since my coffee table in my living room is made from a salvaged mahogany veneer solid core door that came out of a local pub. I made it with a skill saw, a router a miter saw and plastic miter box. That was pretty much all I had in my shop at the time. I've recieved a lot of compliments on it over the years.

   My shop is full up with routers, router table, band saws (2), well lets just say its complete. I like cutting tenons on the table saw and then finishing them up on the band saw. It's quick and accurate. This little Jig I made is really the cats meow when it comes to cheap, simple, fast and accurate.

   Steve - in Northern California

   Edited 4/22/2002 1:27:41 AM ET by Steve Schefer

2. 
   sschefer | Apr 22, 2002 08:29am | #7

   Heres a picture of the tenoning jig, its about as brain dead simple as you can get but thats the beauty of it. It works perfect. -

   Steve - in Northern California

   Edited 4/22/2002 10:49:27 AM ET by Steve Schefer

   
3. 
   ronco71 | Apr 22, 2002 09:59pm | #10

   Hi Steve,

   Thanks for your comments and suggestions. The tenoning jig sounds like exactly what I need. I am not familiar with shop notes...can you point me to any articles on how to build one of these?

   Thanks,

   Ron

4. 
   sschefer | Apr 24, 2002 07:35pm | #11

   Ronco, shop notes is a mag that I subscribe to. Their website is http://www.shopnotes.com. This was in the first issue I recieved and it was actually an insert. They might have it on their website. The sides of mine are made from 3/4" ply. It is 12" long x 6" high. The spacer on top runs the full length of 12 inches and is 1/32" wider than my fence. There is a second spacer that for my fence is set to 2 5/8" from the bottom of the Jig. This is the spacer that actually rides on top of the fence. I have a Jet xacta fence and there are four alignment bolts that protrude above the top of the fence. For this reason I made the second spacer only 8" long and mounted it flush with the front of the jig. This allows the bolts to act as a stop and helps me get the material flush up against the stop block. The second spacer is exactly the same width as the fence. I then used playing cards to shim it out to the point where it slides easily but with very little side play. I just kept playing with it until I got it right. The measurements for your fence will probably be different so you'll need to adjust my measurments to fit yours.Steve - in Northern California

5. 
   ronco71 | Apr 24, 2002 08:20pm | #12

   I just wanted to thank everyone that has replied to my message. It is greatly appreciated!

   Ron

6. 
   ronco71 | Apr 24, 2002 08:58pm | #13

   Thanks Steve - I was able to find the Table Saw Tenoning Jig in Shop Notes #6 here:

   http://www.BackIssueStore.com/sn006.html

   Ron

7. 
   sschefer | Apr 25, 2002 06:25am | #14

   Ronco, Great...!!! Enjoy...Steve - in Northern California

2. 
   ronco71 | Apr 22, 2002 08:34pm | #8

   Hi Matt,

   Thanks a lot for your reply. I really appreciate it!

   Ronco aka Ron

1. 
   HeidiDad | Apr 22, 2002 09:17pm | #9

   I to made the tenon jig that Steve talked about and he is right.  This thing is so simple to make that even I could do it and it works perfect.The secret is to make the "saddle " that fits over the fence snug.  Not tight, not loose.  Waxing helps a lot.  I made mine out of some old Walnut veneered MDF.  Go for it, you'll be glad you did.  Actually you can make most of your own jigs and fixtures.  All it takes is a little "head scratching" and time.