Nakashima Inspired Table (pt. 2)

 The only way I could think to do the miter was to get it close, then finesse it to perfect using a hand plane (Low Angle Jack being the weapon of choice).  To make it easier on myself I decided to make a single purpose Donkey's Ear type planing jig.  I thought about making a generic one, but I don't see needing one 18" long and 2.5" thick in the future.  Of course first I needed to cut some miters.  For the top and bottom pieces (45* on the long edge) I used cutoffs from my french cleats which I triple checked for 45.  For the end pieces I thought about just setting my miter gauge, but 45s are something I could see doing more of so I decided to make a dedicated sled.  I liked the picture frame sled from FWW a few years ago, and its use isn't limited solely to picture frames, so I made one of those:

I put this off for far too long

And since I had some walls that needed posters, and posters that needed frames, I tested the sled a few times.  Which required a spline jig.

Nothing fancy but it works well.

The posters definitely improved the feel of the shop.

Not in love with this wall, but the posters help.

I still have 2 more posters, and wall space for more french cleats, if I can figure out what I want to put on them.  While I was distracted I figured I might as well finish that Longworth chuck I started a few months ago.

Not the prettiest but it will work.

And finally I got back to the coffee table.  I cut the 2x4 to thickness and screwed together my planing jig.

Time to make some shavings.

After getting close it was clear that hte jig was bowing a bit due to the clamps being located at the very edges.  I added a little pressure to the middle and cleaned it up.

Almost there.

As I was finishing up the first side I realized that I needed a way to reference the jig if I needed to trim it up again.  I started by just drawing a line, but even that didn't really sit well with me.  I ended up ripping some thin strips and using 2-sided tape to create a solid reference surface for the back of my jig.  Then I did the other side, and tested the fit.  At first I made used plywood to make an "inside corner" that sat on the outside of the joint, and it was easy to see how far out of 90* it was.  It wasn't.  However it prevented me from seeing how the edges met.  After some thinking and very careful maneuvering I was able to look at the outside of the joint.

Testing the fit

Pretty good

Overall the joint was pretty tight.  But after a bit more fussing I realized that the wood had cupped every so slightly.  Over 18" (then double since both the top and the leg cupped) ever so slightly isnt good enough.  Luckily I left the reference boards in place and was able to take the cup out where the jig attached.  It was probably no more than 4 passes with the plane and the joint closed up along its length.  To mortise for the tenons I need to create sort of a box joint jig.  Luckily I can use my reference strips to align the box joint jig.

Nothing fancy but it worked well.

 This was one of the few operations for which my shop struggled.  I have all the tools, and skills, the problem is the bench is in the wrong room.  I tried clamping the table to my other workbench  and hit a wall.  I tried to attach it to my table saw, but the clamps didn't feel as solid.  In the future I will look for ways to add some clamping surfaces in the machine room (though this is a fairly unique project). The only trick is making sure you flip the pattern over when routing the other side.

Alignment looks good.

 Then I just cleaned up the edges with a chisel.  Since my mortises weren't all exactly 1/2" wide, and also probably varied in length just a little I cut the tenons a little over sized ~1/32".

Ready for fitting.

 First I planed them to thickness (starting with the widest going down from there).  Then the mortises and tenons were all labeled.  I decided to alternate grain direction, though I can't image it makes any difference.  I trimmed them at the shooting board.

The first five have been fitted

The first test fit went pretty well.  Nothing bound, , but one corner didn't close.  Since I knew it fit before the tenons, it was a quick diagnosis (a few tenons were just a little oversized).  After trimming them at the shooting board all was well.

That was the first of many test fits.  Eventually I came up with a system that was fast and safe enough to actually add glue.  Then I took a breath and slowed down.  I organized my clamps, swept the floor, gathered some scraps and cauls, got out the gloves, pre-ripped some paper towels and covered my bench with wax paper.  I consciously spent time prepping for the glue up.  I recently started doing this when faced with something stressful/irreversible, and I find it helps me relax and makes the process much smoother.  Finally I stopped putting it off, and did the glue up. 

Overall it went well.  It could have been a bit smoother, but the miter looks pretty tight, and its square.  In a day or so I'll take off the clamps, and hopefully no surprises.