Fortunately I Have Some Beer in the Fridge

The first time I build any project, there are always surprises , even when things are going well. For this Creole Table, it was a fortunately/unfortunately thing all week.

Fortunately, the cabriole legs were a cinch. The leg profile we extracted from the auction photo is easy to cut on the band saw and simple to clean up with the Shinto rasp, a file and a scraper. They came out smooth and curvy with minimal effort.

Unfortunately, I’m going to have to beef up the tenons on the next version of this table, which will introduce some complications to construction. I was already planning on reinforcing the leg-to-apron joints with triangular blocks, so the prototype will be sturdy. But I really want the tenons wider and longer than I have them now.

Fortunately, the apron shape was a cinch to cut, rout and shape. I thought the tight corners would be a bear to clean up by hand, but some quick chisel work made them all perfect in less than an hour. I also got to use the chisel-to-the-shoulder technique from Adam Cherubini.

Unfortunately, fitting the tenon shoulders to the legs took a lot of fiddling. Fitting any tenon with a 7″-wide shoulder is tricky, but try it with an emerging (and unsympathetic) curve on your leg. I spent almost two hours tuning up the eight joints for the base.

Fortunately, the side assemblies went together just fine this afternoon and are resting comfortably on my bench for the weekend. Tomorrow I’m off to the Marc Adams School of Woodworking to pinch hit as an assistant in a weekend class with Thomas Lie-Nielsen. Thomas’s planned assistant has a baby on the way (and me, I’m done in that department), so I get to help out with sharpening and plane tuning.

On Monday I should have the base together. Then I’ll tell you about how unfortunate it was that my stock for the top curled up like a potato chip.

– Christopher Schwarz