Treasured Board Table
One precious board
is all you need.
By Tom Caspar
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Every woodworker discovers
an extraordinary piece of wood once in a
while. What do you do with it? One board is not
enough for a big project. It’s a crime to cut it up into
small pieces for a little project. So you stash it
away, like a pirate burying his treasure, and wait
for the perfect project. Here it is.
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1. Chamfer the edge of the top with a router.
Go around the top four or five times, lowering
the bit for each pass. The chamfer will make
the top seem thinner. Standard router bits
cut a 45˚ chamfer. Increase the slope of the
chamfer to 30˚ to improve the floating effect,
using a plane or belt sander.
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Click any image to view a larger version.
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2. Cut the
tapered legs
on the tablesaw.
Hold the narrow
leg in place with
toggle clamps
mounted on a
sled. This will
keep your hands
well away from
the saw blade. A
stopper board at
the foot of the
leg prevents it
from sliding.
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3. Lay out the biscuit slots with center
marks. First mark the center of each rail.
Then transfer the marks to the legs. Use
the side rail as a spacer to determine
where the front rail goes.
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4. Cut double slots
with a plate joiner for
a strong joint. Hold
the leg in place with
toggle clamps mounted
on a stiff board. Cut
the first slot with the
plate joiner flat on the
work surface. Then
raise the plate joiner
with a 3/8" spacer to
cut the second slot.
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5. Cut slots for
tabletop fasteners
with the plate joiner.
Reference with the
fence set on top of
1-1/4" the rail.
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6. Spray the base with matte-black
paint. Wear a respirator and exhaust
the paint fumes outside with a fan.
Easy-to-sand red primer is used first
to fill the pores and make a smooth
surface. The thin, black lines of the
base seem to disappear while the
beautiful top springs to life!
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This story originally appeared in American Woodworker August 1999, issue #74.
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Purchase the complete version of this woodworking project story from AWBookstore.com.
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