Some projects seem to defy all sense of reason. My trash heap table is just such a project. Though I had the best of intentions of this project being a “quick build,” it just kept getting put on the back burner — until now. With the cooler weather at hand in the shop, I finished the last holdout of what turned out to be a 14-month wait.
As some of you may remember, my last effort with this project was gluing up four solid oak legs and stripping the old finish and nastiness. Roughly 14 hours after taking this picture, the table was stacked against a workbench where it remained until last Saturday.
After hauling it back out and knocking the cobwebs and accumulated dust from everything, I started back into the process: I knocked the corners off the legs with a 3/8″ roundover bit and left a few inches at the top to receive the trim pieces in between. Then I sanded each leg smooth.
Next, I positioned each leg two inches from the two closest sides and marked with pencil to locate and form the corner.
After each corner was marked, I added four trim pieces to fit between each leg. First the trim pieces were glued then nailed into place, followed by the legs which were treated the same way.
One coat of amber shellac and two coats of clear gloss shellac added the correct color and gave the resulting finish a warm hue. When the first photo originally posted, readers had some concerns that the resulting finish would not be even in color or that surfaces wouldn’t be pleasantly flat — however, both turned out quite well.
A little finish sanding to smooth out the microbumps and rough patches, and the table was ready to join the rest of its set once again. This was one of the only shots I got of the resulting trash heap project before I was interrupted.
For a father, there is no greater joy than hearing a shriek of delight as your offspring pushes you aside to play with something you just finished building for her. Regardless of timetables, I consider this a major win.
Post 1 in this series [Toolmonger]
Post 2 in this series [Toolmonger]
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8 Responses to Project: Trash Heap Table Rescue, Part 3
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{ Just grind the sides of an extender to the proprietary leatherman shape (actually a flattened 1/4"hex)and you can use standard bits (at standard prices) in... } – May 23, 6:37 AM
{ What did you do about the glass surfaces on the limbs? Did you sand and refinish them as well, and if so, what did you... } – May 22, 9:48 PM
{ The DP350 is discontinued and some people are saying it has a lot of breakdowns. What have you experienced since 2010 when you did this... } – May 22, 12:04 PM
{ Fool me twice, shame on me! Do not buy into any battery fix from Ryobi or some tool review monger. Remove the dead batteries from... } – May 22, 10:52 AM
{ He should produce it in small quantities,their is so much demand ,but little in the way of products for the disabled.A little reminder,665 confirmed child... } – May 21, 2:06 PM
Great timing for getting around to finishing your project -
perfect example of Form Fits Function – just the right size.
Nicely done, it looks great. I like the green color too.
This is awesome! I love seeing a neglected old piece of furniture restored and given a new lease on life. One question though: how are the legs attached to the table top? You mentioned glue and nails… did you toe nail them in? Or did you use something more exotic?
forgive me for my naivety; I’m sort of a beginner woodworker here!
My favorite part of this entire project?
“For a father, there is no greater joy than hearing a shriek of delight as your offspring pushes you aside to play with something you just finished building for her”
I can only imagine how that must’ve made you feel.
Seconded.
Now find me a kitchen table in the trash heap.
@Zoidberg glued the trim pieces in then nailed them with a 45 degree cut trim piece on the inside. Then glued the legs in on top and two sides and popped brads in from top and two sides. (yep, I did toe in the sides to the legs)
…and five minutes later my artistic kid got out the hand paints and the table looked just like before I started.