# Never made one of these before



## sunnybob (Apr 3, 2015)

I wanted a change from boxes, and came across a large oval glass table top that had been thrown out.
So I made this base out of Bubinga .
Its not quite finished yet, It has shellac but I am going to put wipe on poly over the top to make it shine.

Its 5 foot on the long edge, stands 18" high.
I havent made Mortice and tenon joints in over 50 years. I used the router table and a sled mounter router, just squared off the mortice ends with hammer and chisel.


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## sunnybob (Apr 3, 2015)

This is the short leg


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## Biagio (Mar 2, 2013)

Nice, Bob. Did you source the bubinga in Cyprus?


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

What an excellent job Bob.


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## kp91 (Sep 10, 2004)

One man's trash turned into a treasure! Way to go.


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## sunnybob (Apr 3, 2015)

I have a local woodyard that has a huge amount and variety of exotic wood. but now that bubinga is on the non export list its going to get scarce quickly. I need to get back there this week and buy as much as I can afford while its still there.


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## sreilly (May 22, 2018)

Excellent looking table. At first I thought "18 inches " is a bit short till I thought of my living room table. Love the look of that wood. Please post a picture of the finished project.


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## marecat3 (Nov 30, 2010)

very nice, wood looks so pretty


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## sunnybob (Apr 3, 2015)

Had some delays today, didnt get the varnish as its on backorder. Should have a "finished" picture in a couple days. went to buy some more bubinga today, supplies are running low as its now on the non export list and prices are rising. If anyone knows of any and want to have some I suggest they buy sooner rather than later.


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## TenGees (Sep 12, 2012)

Looks beautiful, Bob. Before I saw your second post, I was going to ask if the center joint was notched.  Nice work.


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## David Bradford (Sep 12, 2019)

Nice work on that table base.


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## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

Great job,Bob, you can add that to your resume of fine woodworking, "BOXES AND TABLES".
Herb


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## CharleyL (Feb 28, 2009)

Very nice Bob. Good luck on getting more bubinga.

When I was progressing into making M&T joints and began doing the mortises with a router, I realized that most of the joint strength came from the quality of fit of the flat sides of the mortise and tenon, so I started making the mortises with a router bit and leaving the ends round, then making the tenons with flat ends that fit into it. The 1/2 round ends of the mortise became space for the excess glue and the joint was just as strong. 

I now use a Leigh FMT jig for making my mortise and tenon joints, so both my mortises and tenons are round ended and I make them with the same setup of the jig, one of the benefits of using the FMT jig. This is the only M&T jig that I found on the market that lets you make both, and has an adjustment tor the tightness of fit. Once I get it the way that I like, I can cut them all day and they are all interchangeable, if all were made the same size. I usually shoot for a slight rub dry fit so there is a little room left for glue.

Charley


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## JFPNCM (Dec 13, 2009)

Excellent work. Superior salvage job on the top and the vision to see the potential.


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## neville9999 (Jul 22, 2010)

As it happens I also have a glass oval table top that was thrown out, all I have is the top so at some point I do have to make a frame for it, Your frame is a nice solution so I may make something similar myself. N


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## old55 (Aug 11, 2013)

Very nice indeed.


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## sunnybob (Apr 3, 2015)

I started cleaning the glass yesterday. It was originally siliconed onto a central pillar, so I had to get all the old silicone off. That went easier than I expected. Scrape most off and use white spirit on the rest and then scrape again. I think the silicone they used was poor quality to come off that easy, no wonder the top came loose off the base.
That glass is so heavy I cant lift it on my own.
5 ft x 3 ft x 1/2" laminated oval, It would have frightened me to have that in my house just balanced on a pillar.

Now I have to find someone to buy it. It's way too big a coffee table for my house. I know a hotel owner with a large lobby. I'm going to have to do a hard sell.


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