Side Table Part 3

So today was a little mixed up due to dealing with insurance and trying to get my surgery scheduled so I can get my finger put back together like it was meant to be, but I did get a little time in the shop. I was going to start on the table legs and get them planed square, but as I was setting up a planing stop, I had and idea in regards to the top. I realized that making breadboard ends as suggested to run the full length of the piece would be the best bet ( as nicely suggested by a reader), but then also thought of a different take on the same method for doing the top. Instead of doing one long top, I could create sections that would all slide together. This does two things: limit movement so that it will only be in small sections going front to back, and also give the top more "flair".

In trying out the tongue and grooves, I realized I don't have a cutter for my No. 45 that will go a full 3/4", at least not a 1/4" width. Also, the only 1/4" cutter I have was not a part of the set and doesn't seat in the holding mechanism on the plane, as it is too thin. This I fixed with several layers of aluminum tape and was able to test some tongues and grooves.

Now I had to practice. This is really the first time that I've used the 45 on anything other than a practice board and I didn't have a whole lot of good luck with it. For some reason, this time worked like a champ after a little fiddling.

So now the grooved test piece is done, so now it's time to try and create the tongue. I cut several boards for practice, as I noticed the last time I used my rabbet plane, I also got mixed results. I set it up based on my groove measurements.

The first shot was a little loose, but not really a bad fit overall. I made the most minor adjustments that I could and tried again. Good fit. Try again. Too tight, touched it up, and good fit. Another...good fit. One more....again good. One more piece for good measure.







Now it's time for the real stuff. About twenty minutes and all the grooves are done. If the tongues go as smoothly, I'd be surprised, but we'll give it a shot tomorrow...

Oh, and no, I'm not worried about covering up the exposed edges. Others may not like it, but I like the thought of seeing how it was put together. At least for now...

Until then!

Josh