# my first project



## Scottey66 (Feb 1, 2012)

hello

just completed my first project and was hoping for some feed back, i have use a few techniques which i have learnt from books and some usefull tips on here, so thanks for that. realy a great forum.

cheers

mike


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## Stuck (Feb 3, 2012)

Really, really nice work!

Gary


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Would I be wrong in guessing that you come from a career background where precision was a priority? Very nice! 
-Dan


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## Scottey66 (Feb 1, 2012)

Lol no I sell paint for a living. Thanks for your comments


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## jlord (Nov 16, 2009)

Looks great for a first project.


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## Big Steve (Feb 12, 2012)

Looks good, Mike!


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## Woodshaper67 (Jan 13, 2012)

Great Job


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

Very impressive Mike, how about a few more shots showing your methods of construction. I think that the only change that I would have made would have been to have the top cover the ends of the legs but please take that as constructive critism.


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## lr13 (Feb 5, 2012)

Very clean work. Great job


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## bcfunburst (Jan 14, 2012)

Fantastic for a first project! Well done! Tell us about the wood, please, and the finish.

I think my first project was a rack for pool ques; it made a great blaze in the fireplace!!


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## bob14 (Aug 21, 2011)

nice clean line ! looks good
Possibly try using a drawer front.It covers the gap at the top and bottom and a good chance to use your router to fancy up the edges.


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## Scottey66 (Feb 1, 2012)

hi guys, thanks again for your comments, i used oak for the table finished with danish oil, a few misstakes along the way (split one off the legs forcing the tennon in)
The reason i had the legs going to the top was i wanted to match the rest of my furniture in the living room. bought a dinnig table, sideboard and cofffee table about 2 years ago in that design. 
some more pics to show the construction.

thanks again
Mike


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## MEBCWD (Jan 14, 2012)

Hi Mike, 
I like the legs going through the top. You did it to match the furniture you already had and that added to the value of everything you already own. It's a good way to learn about construction techniques. You will learn the good ones and the bad ones by copping other pieces of furniture. Hopefully you will learn to use the better techniques to modify a piece that you are building so the construction would improve the piece when built.

By the way I remember you splitting the leg. Did you fix that leg you split or did you make a new one? If you fixed it you did a good job, it doesn't show in the picture. If you made a new one you learned a lesson.

LOOKS GOOD!

Mike


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## Scottey66 (Feb 1, 2012)

Hi Mike yes I fixed the split thanks to your advice, it's not perfect as close up you can still see a little. I have been told by the wife to make another one now for the other side of the sofa as she was impressed. ( so must be ok if she's pleased). After that I'm going to spend some time making some jigs to help the new projects along. Plans for matching hi-fi stand and bookcase for the many books my wife is reading while I'm out in the garage. 
I'm addicted already and the bank balance is taking a hit buying new tools ( well off to a car boot today to see what's going cheap yay)
Cheers mike


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

The construction is great Mike and I now understand the reason for the top of the legs showing. Once again, please don't take this as adverse criticism, but the thickness of the draw carcass strikes me as on the thick side for the draw size.


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## MEBCWD (Jan 14, 2012)

Hi Harry,

I thought that with the boxy look the leg tops fit right in.
If it would have had a lot of profiles or curves to the legs it probably would have bothered me.
The most important thing Mike's wife likes it so now Mike can work in the shop without his wife wondering what he's up to. Keep her happy Mike!

Mike, Harry can teach you a lot. When he tells you something about a piece it's all constructive criticism (that means he's just trying to help you understand something)

We all learn from each other,
Work safe, Have fun, Cut some wood
Mike


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## Scottey66 (Feb 1, 2012)

harrysin said:


> The construction is great Mike and I now understand the reason for the top of the legs showing. Once again, please don't take this as adverse criticism, but the thickness of the draw carcass strikes me as on the thick side for the draw size.


Hi Harry
I do agree with you on the thickness of the draw, I am lacking a few tools and machines, would love to buy a thickness / planer but can't afford just yet. Any ideas for cheap alternatives would be welcome. 
Just bought a really nice vice at the boot sale and a plane which needs some work.

I always welcome constructive criticism so many thanks keep them coming, I want to learn.
Cheers mike


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

Mike, I've said it many times, when I retired I made it known to all my relatives and friends that I'm in to woodworking big time and please let everyone you know be aware that I'm looking for donations of wood. The result.........in almost 12 years I've hardly BOUGHT a piece of wood, and this includes bowl blanks for my lathe. Only today, a good friend called round for a chat and during our chit chat I mentioned that I intended to make a cabinet to house 90 DVD's, with a cupboard beneath it, the idea being that I wouldn't have to bend to select a disc, he asked what wood I intended to use and I said probably Pine, to which he replied that he had lots of Jarrah (which is very expensive and difficult to find furniture grade) and would I let him have a sketch so that he could sort out a suitable quantity! 
Mike (MEBCWD) is spot on about constructive criticism. When I see a show and tell that I think is awful, I simply ignore it, I don't ridicule the member, and when I say that I'm impressed with a project Mike, you really can believe me.


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## Woodsnot (Feb 21, 2012)

Looks like a fun project! Good job.


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## Scottey66 (Feb 1, 2012)

harrysin said:


> Mike, I've said it many times, when I retired I made it known to all my relatives and friends that I'm in to woodworking big time and please let everyone you know be aware that I'm looking for donations of wood. The result.........in almost 12 years I've hardly BOUGHT a piece of wood, and this includes bowl blanks for my lathe. Only today, a good friend called round for a chat and during our chit chat I mentioned that I intended to make a cabinet to house 90 DVD's, with a cupboard beneath it, the idea being that I wouldn't have to bend to select a disc, he asked what wood I intended to use and I said probably Pine, to which he replied that he had lots of Jarrah (which is very expensive and difficult to find furniture grade) and would I let him have a sketch so that he could sort out a suitable quantity!
> Mike (MEBCWD) is spot on about constructive criticism. When I see a show and tell that I think is awful, I simply ignore it, I don't ridicule the member, and when I say that I'm impressed with a project Mike, you really can believe me.


Thanks Harry, nice to hear. will spread the word about my new passion and see if any wood comes my way. I supply quite a few joinery/shopfitters with paint an have been asking if i can raid their skips, but due to stupid health & safety regs in the UK its not aloud (how stupid is that, i would be saving it going to landfill) Still ive done quite well so far with buing cheap off cuts for jigs etc
cheers
mike


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## bcfunburst (Jan 14, 2012)

*Altrenatives? Elbow Grease and Hand Tools*



Scottey66 said:


> Hi Harry
> I do agree with you on the thickness of the draw, I am lacking a few tools and machines, would love to buy a thickness / planer but can't afford just yet. Any ideas for cheap alternatives would be welcome.
> Just bought a really nice vice at the boot sale and a plane which needs some work.
> 
> ...


Before I had a thickness planer I cut what I could on the table saw and finished to size with my belt sander by hand. A little extra work and a few masks for the dust got me the results I needed. I made a CD/DVD cabinet of mahogany that way. The cabinet holds 225 CDs and DVDs. The dimentions are: 45" tall by 24" wide by 13" deep. That was my first real effort at any nice furniture. I used all 1x3 mahogany finished lumber from local big box store. This project taught me all about moisture content and shrinkage. Over the period of construction, I lost a full half inch on the width of the doors. I was able to add the needed span and finish the doors to fit propperly. Now I buy unfinished wood and size it when I'm sure of it's seasoning and moisture content. That IS a problem here on the West Coast of BC. Canada. I will include photos in the "Show n Tell" section.
Don't ever give up! There is always a solution. I think the secret to this woodwork is percerverence and stiff socks!!


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## mightymax (Mar 1, 2012)

Looks very nice. I really like the finish!


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## mightymax (Mar 1, 2012)

Sounds like you have the same kinda luck I have!...two steps forward, one step back...or sometimes...ONE step Forward, TWO steps Back!!! It looks really nice though and you learned something...so it's all good!


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## fdcox (Dec 3, 2007)

Wow first project! This is really a nice piece


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## kmpres (Feb 13, 2010)

The first thing I thought when I saw it was the German word, "zahftig!". The funny thing is, I don't speak any German! Great work Mike! I built something similar some years back out of formica'd ply boards from an old built-in shelf set. Yours is prettier by far.


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## Whford40 (Mar 4, 2012)

I would purchase that in a shop. Well done.


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## damnitboy (Mar 3, 2012)

Hello Mike,
I have seen people that do it for a living that would be jealous of your work. Wanna new job 

-Eloy


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## chairman17 (Feb 2, 2012)

From one UK Mike to another that is a sweet looking table and great for a first project. Keep it up mate.


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## AndyL (Jun 3, 2011)

Mike, I like your project, very nice. On the thicknessing question, I'd see if you can find a friendly timber merchant who will plane the boards to spec for you. My local guy is happy to machine individual boards to different widths and thicknesses as required. It's not cheap unfortunately, I just ordered some oak for a project and the machining was over a quarter of the total cost. But it saves a lot of time and mess, and I don't have space for a planer/thicknesser anyway.
I can't personally comment on any timber merchants down your way, but Interesting Timbers near Bath seems to get good reports.

bcfunburst - I'm envious that you can buy mahogany from a local big box store! In the UK, the big DIY store and builder's merchant chains will sell you spruce or pine in any size you want (as long as you don't mind if it's straight or not!), MDF and a variety of low-quality plywoods. For any sort of decent hardwood, we're looking for a specialist timber yard.


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## Kenny King (Dec 27, 2009)

Great project!


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## gevans02 (Jul 1, 2011)

Scottey66 said:


> hello
> 
> just completed my first project and was hoping for some feed back, i have use a few techniques which i have learnt from books and some usefull tips on here, so thanks for that. realy a great forum.
> 
> ...


Very nice. I like the contrasting color of the top with the leg tops extending all the way to the top. Keep up the good work.


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## papasombre (Sep 22, 2011)

Hi, Mike.

The layouts for the mortises are impressive. Did you make them with na router, a drill bench or what? The edges are totally clean. Good job.


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## rrlindh (Feb 22, 2010)

Nice job....


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## RobThexton (Feb 25, 2012)

Wow! If that's your first project you're heading to be one formidable woodworker!


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## woodog (Oct 7, 2011)

Looks great! Is that maple on top?




scottey66 said:


> hello
> 
> just completed my first project and was hoping for some feed back, i have use a few techniques which i have learnt from books and some usefull tips on here, so thanks for that. Realy a great forum.
> 
> ...


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## denniswoody (Dec 11, 2011)

Nicely done, especially for a first-time project. A small suggestion for the next time - a taper on inside edges of the the legs would lighten the overall look a bit.


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## Scottey66 (Feb 1, 2012)

papasombre said:


> Hi, Mike.
> 
> The layouts for the mortises are impressive. Did you make them with na router, a drill bench or what? The edges are totally clean. Good job.


Hi I made the mortises on my router table (shop made) cut the tennons by hand,
I have since made a couple of jigs to do both jobs as the mortises were hard work on the table 
Mike


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## Scottey66 (Feb 1, 2012)

denniswoody said:


> Nicely done, especially for a first-time project. A small suggestion for the next time - a taper on inside edges of the the legs would lighten the overall look a bit.


Hi Dennis. Thanks for comments. Can you explain what you mean by a taper on inside?? Still prity unsure on a lot of techniques

Mike


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## Scottey66 (Feb 1, 2012)

woodog said:


> Looks great! Is that maple on top?


Hi woodog. No it's all oak
Thanks for comments


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## Scottey66 (Feb 1, 2012)

RobThexton said:


> Wow! If that's your first project you're heading to be one formidable woodworker!


Thanks rob
Would love to take it up as a job. But it won't pay the bills like selling paint which I do now


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## Scottey66 (Feb 1, 2012)

Guys. I am overwhelmed with all you comments, I'm starting my next table (same design and size for the other side of the sofa). So wil post some new pics as I go using the new jigs I've made
Many thanks. You have all got me buzzing


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## denniswoody (Dec 11, 2011)

Scottey66 said:


> Hi Dennis. Thanks for comments. Can you explain what you mean by a taper on inside?? Still prity unsure on a lot of techniques
> 
> Mike


If the legs are say 1 1/4 square then the taper may take them down to 1 inch or slightly less on the two sides with mortises. The taper would start a bit below the drawer. So you end up with two straight sides and two tapered (or narrowing down). It makes an interesting effect and takes the straight lines away a bit. In the end it is a matter of taste.


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## papasombre (Sep 22, 2011)

Hi, Dennis.

Can you post an sketch for your proposed taper. I have made a lot of tables but, always they have a "blocky" presentation due to the straight lines. I'd like to try your tip.

Thank in advanced.


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi Alexis

Just a butt in post, here's a very simple jig you can make to put the taper on legs,some like only to do two side but I like to do all 4 sides of the legs to get the lighter look..


==



papasombre said:


> Hi, Dennis.
> 
> Can you post an sketch for your proposed taper. I have made a lot of tables but, always they have a "blocky" presentation due to the straight lines. I'd like to try your tip.
> 
> Thank in advanced.


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## papasombre (Sep 22, 2011)

Thank you very much, Bobj3.

Not too much words to aggregate.


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## rrlindh (Feb 22, 2010)

Mike,Looks good!


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## ORBlackFZ1 (Jul 14, 2011)

Nice looking table! Matching existing furniture is not always as easy as it sounds!

I like to eliminate the end grain look on the sides of a table top. One really nice technique is to cut the table top longer by 2". Then cut off 1" on each end at a 45degree angle. Cut the table top with a complimentary 45 degree cut. This will allow the first cut off to be glued back on at a 90 degree angle. 

I like the look, because the table grain then continues down the side of the table top for 1". The end grain is facing the floor and is only seen if you are crawling on the floor.

Eric


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## blindsniper (Aug 21, 2011)

Well done!


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## megnin (Apr 14, 2012)

Wow, that looks really nice. Good work! I think the leg tops being visible give it a unique look.


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