Re: When you cancel out the deviation from 90 degrees cutting the edges on the table saw, you said you cut one edge on right side of blade, then move the fence and cut other edge on left side. I've been leaving the fence on the same side, just cutting one edge, marked "up" then marking the other edge "down" and flipping it over to cut the other edge. When I glue them, I glue "up" edge to "down" edge. Seems faster to me, unless I'm missing something?
Nope, I think you're on track better than I am! I just didn't think of that. I always joint at my jointer, it was a last minute though to mention how to do the same at the table saw for those who didn't have a jointer. Your way makes a lot more sense. I'm going to pin this.
Good tip. Funny thing is I was doing same thing today gluing up wider threads, except I was doing it with my ts55 track saw (seems to cut straighter) And when I do bookmarch 2 slabs I just flip them as well. (Using 1 solid piece of makita 9-1/2’ track. Just clamp it and cut really slow with low tooth count blade (deep gullets clean sawdust out nicely and going slow will give you that nice arrow straight glue ready edge with no tear out. Sry for long rant
Barry Manilowa my country is US. It all started with makita sp6000 at first, then my boss liked it so much he wanted to buy it from me. So I got a used ts55 for $400. That was about 5years ago. It’s still kicking. Since then I slowly acquired most other stuff festool has: OF1010 (new), kapex ks120 (new bug 2nd hand for $900, the guy was desperate. But all legit. With receipts and extra blade) domino df500 (new, but it’s my favorite festool tool), 2 of their vacums, and 3 sanders. (One of them is 6” rotex) amazing time saver.
@@YouCanMakeThisToo IMO, absolutely. I had the same situation where I couldn't justify the prices of their high-end sanders, but I wanted something better than other brands' random orbits, mainly because I know that prolonged hand vibration can lead to nerve issues. I bought a Festool 574993 for $200 and *love* it. Connected to a Shop-Vac, there is almost zero dust, and vibration is much less than any hand sander I've ever used. Their proprietary discs are a bit expensive, but not too bad - and actually a good deal when you consider how much longer they last than most discs. They also have grit formulations specialized to different stages of woodworking. Another tip: get a Bosch VAC005 hose from Amazon or Zoro for $35 and save a big chunk of change over Festool's hose.
This table arrived well packaged and on time. ruclips.net/user/postUgkxn94T8Mu1iMnsLCMNOI9srXSsLkI4JXKW Like another reviewer advised, I pulled everything out and made sure everything was included (everything was!). I built it alone and it took me about an hour. The color is great and for the price the lift part works well. As others have mentioned, it’s not the smoothest opening/closing, but it works. The screws do show, but I plan to order white sticker covers if that bothers us too much. Really happy with this table! UPDATE: it’s been over a year since we got this coffee table and we still love it! It gets HEAVY use as our dining table, foot rest, and school desk. Over time, the opening and closing mechanism has gotten smoother. I added a new photo with the white screw cover stickers. They blend in perfectly and make it look a little cleaner. 100% recommend!!!
Boy did I learn alot from this video! I was having tons of frustration trying to glue up boards. If I glued up 4 boards at 4" wide and 3/4" thick, my middle boards would always raise up a little. Then I'd spend a lot of time sanding the crap out of them! I don't have any planes, electric or manual. Anyway, can't wait to glue up some boards the right way.
Glad I could help! If you don’t have planes you can use your sander. Or better, a flat board with sand paper glued to it. Just take it easy and sneak up on getting the flat edge.
Thanks for the video. I made up cauls out of hard wood about two inches thick and two and a half wide. (wood rescued from pallets) They are curved so the center is about a 1/4 inch taller than the ends. Drilled through them at the ends and installed long carriage 3/8" bolts instead of using clamps. The cauls are long enough to use on what might be a typical table top. Instead of tape, wax them heavily. I may drill more holes for bolts to keep the bolts nearer the edge of the work. If the bolts are too far out the pieces will arch and not touch in the center. they work great. Thanks for the great ideas.
I am just making my first build, a dining table last Saturday and Sunday. The thickness of my table top is only less than an inch and I have difficulty gluing and clamping them. I realize that I can't do it with haste lol. I have to go into the details much more that I just learned woodworking in RUclips three months ago and bought some power tools lately. Thanks Bro for the ideas. I hope you get more likes in the coming days.
Thanks! I appreciate that. Good luck with your table! And yeah.. good woodworking takes a lot of time, there's a reason most of it speed up footage or do lots of jump cuts. If you ever have questions feel free to reach out.
Dude consider making some smaller projects with wood before going for ..a dining table. Like, build a bench. That's what I did. But as the guy in the video said, you do you! Good luck.
4:45 - this is the first video I have seen that correctly describes how to joint edges of your glue-up boards to cancel out any slight deviation from square between the jointer fence and table. I commonly make desk tops that are about 22x44. To get the 22 dimension I use four 1x6 boards. I do my layout and then, when I joint them, I put the odd numbered boards through the jointer with the top toward the fence. The even numbered boards are put through with the top away from the fence. Contrary to the video, you don't have to worry about the boards sliding along each other when they are half a degree out... or even more. I use cauls anyway.
So this cabinet company had been throwing mass amounts of wood away ruff stock and s4s from them. Sooo on the ruff boards I been doing all 4 sides getting them almost square and just letting them sit. I actually been rebuilding my jointer and I am adding a extension table on it soon. Also got a craftsman table saw off Craigslist today for $150 it had one of those ultra beefy fences 3hp motor. I didn’t know the arbor bearing was bad but that like 10 bucks to fix. So I am super happy. I built a finger joint jig, a massive insane table sled I been working on. I am going to build my radial arm saw into a bench here really soon. I haven’t built for about 12-14 years so I been super happy to get back at it again. Once I have enough oak I am building a missionary bed. Super happy! Also your tool chest are amazing I have tonsssss of that wood from the dumpsters I Goto. Do you have plans on them???
I would like to say thank you. I was under the impression that a jointer & plainer were going to make everything perfect. However this isn’t the case no matter how good you are you at making stuff. You will always need to sand and plain. I wish I would have seen this video before I started my bench top. I wasted a bit of lumber on my first attempt at my bench. Thinking that my newly purchased jointer and plainer would make all the lumber perfectly straight and flat. I wish in the video that talk about planers and jointers that more of the experts would say. These tools will get you close but don’t expect to have perfect results. You will in fact still need to hand plane and sand.
Newer machines and helical heads get you a LOT closer. My antique jointer struggles... but it's an antique jointer and the beds aren't even flat. Modern premium machines can get you close enough you don't have to fuss with it anymore, but that also depends on you being able to calibrate the machine to that precision and staying up on maintenance. Sorry to disappoint that new machines don't do it all for you, but glad you are equipped to turn out the work you want going forward! If you do have good new machines and you feel like they should be doing better though, maybe they should.. look into how to check calibration and get them adjusted. Might not get you to perfect, but the less you have to finesse by hand, the faster and better it'll be!
When I worked at sign shops we used to joint very long 8 quarter slabs by butting up two boards edges and connecting them with a scrap board on the ends. We then ran the connected boards butted seems right down the middle of the table saw blade. It might take two passes but the width of the straight blade makes a very straight joint.
That's pretty brilliant, basically does what I advise but in one swoop. Because they're cut together and at the time, you could inadvertently have all kinds of error but both boards would match up perfectly.
When sanding a seam I like to take a pencil and make squiggly lines that go back and forth over the seam. Just scribble back and forth letting some squiggles be short and close to the seam and some six to eight inches from ether side of the seam. This helps keep the sanding more even. As you sand back and forth over the seam the majority of the pencil line will sand off leaving a short segment on the low side of the seam. At this point draw new squiggly lines and repeat as often as necessary. When you can run your sander down over the Lankes of the seam and have no small segments your boards are smooth a crossed and because you drew lines further away you feathered out the sanding so you don’t have a big cup or trough down the seam running the length of the table.
I made a jig to hold the boards flat, the glue joint about 1/4 - 3/8 apart, depending on how straight your boards are. Then useing a straight edge, run my router, with a 1/2 inch bit, down the middle so it will mill both edges in one pass. One glue edge will mirror the other perfectly even if my straight edge isnt perfect. The glue joint fits perfectly. You can get creative and do curved or wavy glue edges as well, pre-cutting with a band saw or jigsaw.
That's a good technique. I want to try the same idea but with a tracksaw soon. I've had some friends have luck with that. I've used templates and a router before to join on a curve to follow grain. it's a tedious process but with good results!
Thanks! You might luck out with that, the first time I used them I was asking too much because I didn't mill properly and they helped but not near enough. Did some more research and learned about tapering them, it makes all the difference. Just be sure to give yours a wider hill top, not just a point. I messed that part up when I showed making them but talked about it later.
This is incredibly helpful, thank you! Love the idea of the high point cauls. I may use a few dowels but it depends on what will be easier for me to reduce joint mismatching.
When I have slight elevation differences after a glue up I use a hand plane to bring it down. I get a flatter more consistent surface than just using an orbital sander.
Your bowed cauls are a game-changer. Holy snot I’m going to have to make a set of those. Catching up on your channel - youtube has been hiding you from my subscription feed for some reason!! Hope you’re doing well, man. -Davis
They’re super handy! And if you have more than one seam, just make custom cauls that hit each spot. It works great! Haha I know what you mean, thanks for checking in!
You were correct. Cup is a deviation of the shape of one side edge moving towards the opposite side edge along the length of the board. (like a ditch) Bow is deviation of the shape wide end towards the other wide end (along the face of the board). (Like a teeter-totter with two very heavy people on it) Crook is deviation of the shape where the near wide end meets the edge at the corner moving towards the far wide end corner, keeping the face flat but the edge bent. (like a rainbow)
Sorry, this is a nice love-fest, but I don't think the comment is correct. The teeter-totter analogy is a good one for a bow, which is what can happen if a long narrow board is stored standing on one small end and leaning against a wall. The narration refers to the result as a cup in the board, but it is a bow. Anyway, in the video, the on-screen text annotation properly corrects the narration.
@@SH-pc4xt I went and watched it again to see, and I understand what you mean. When he said store the wood vertically I assumed he meant up on edge against a wall.... you assumed he meant up on end. Storing lumber flat of course is the best way. The first piece of 2X6 he put through his machine had cup in it. Cup is considered a seasoning defect which is what he's talking about in the first part of his video. The wider the piece, the worse the cup and then you usually get seasoning checks. Bow is often apparent as the log or cant is cut fresh in the mill and no amount of keeping it flat between kiln strips and kiln drying it, will take the bow out. A piece like that doesn't get through our Sawmill & Planer very well without crossing up a few times...... but if it makes it to your home, at least it's easy to screw down. Crook is the worst. Thanks S H, it took me a while to figure out the teeter-totter. I never liked the definitions they gave in the lumber grading course.
Great video. Im building my very first coffee table top out of Ash and am a little intimidated. This video will be a huge help. I just have to make some cauls.
I just finished staining a coffee table I built. 35"x18" made of 2x2's spf cut in random lengths, predrilled holes, glued and screwed each row. Stained it with 3 different colors and I'm going to apply the clear coat tomorrow. Thank you for the tip about staining each side equally. *New subscriber
Just wanted to mention that I used the same insulation on my garage door. The penguins are cool. I did mine about 3 years ago, Great video and thanks for sharing.
Great stuff, thank you! If you add a piece of scrap between your bench and the piece in the vise, you can slip the calls in the middle without removing it from the bench.
when ever i glue up multiple boards on edge i always use spline, dowel, or biscuits to lessen any sliding between the edges and create a VERY strong joint
Great information. Stoked about the halcyon finish. I'll be using that on some nightstands as we use a humidifier and always have cups of water on them
Thank you very much I get tired of these people saying this is perfect this is not a perfect world tools are not perfect you’re illustration on how to take the imperfections in your joiner and make it work is wonderful
Thanks! Yeah, I question anyone who says their set up has no error.. there’s always error, it’s a matter whether it’s enough to make a difference or not. The fence on my old jointer isn’t even flat, so expecting great results without using some good techniques is hope, not planning..
Your videos are just brilliant! Wish I'd known about them before now. Even so, you've helped me a lot. One wee bit of nit-picking though: When I was learning woodworking in high school in Scotland (long time ago) one of the first things I learned was, when putting my hand-plane down, I should lay it on its side thereby protecting the blade. Just sayin' :-D
Thanks! Yeah, I’ve gotten that bit of criticism a lot. I’ve heard both sides of it and personally haven’t noticed a difference in edge life if you’re gentle
Amazing tutorial! I have a few thick, 10’ rough cut Cypress boards that I planed and tried to get a straight edge with a DeWalt tracksaw... acclimating in my sunroom. Not happy with the edge and I’m so happy to see this large scale glue up! Really gives me the confidence and tool list to move forward. I’ve been searching for larger glue ups on RUclips and nothing till now! So detailed. Love it!
For something that size you’ll probably need to go to hand planes. When your pieces are that big it’s less about making them straight and more matching each board to each other. Stack them on edge, mark where they touch (high points), and plane those parts until they touch the whole way. This was just a 6’ glue up, but follow the principles (and use more clamps and cauls!) and you’ll have a good glue up!
It's an old school technique but super effective. A few commenters have mentioned another great trick.. just have a few super straight boards and a deck of playing cards. Instead of making cauls for each multi-board glue up. Just put some cards on the seams to get pressure there, and they're glue resistant.
Anyone else wish they saw this a year ago cause I do lol I made 2 table tops and they were well not really flat after glue up and well belt sander for a while was my new hobby lol! Thanks for the video great explanations saved to BM's =)
Ah man! I feel you though. The very first panel I glued up I ended up ripping apart at the table saw and doing over. The next few weren't much better. That's what inspired me to make this once I got it all worked out.
Hello there, love the video! As for the Halcyon product, the manufacturer recommends re-coating annually and I'm wondering if you have ever had to actually go back on any of your projects to recoat? - "...maintain the beauty with just 1 to 2 quick coats annually."
That’s for outdoor projects. It’s a marine varnish and where they recommend that they’re talking about having it on boats. If you’re using it indoors you shouldn’t ever worry about recoating unless it’s in front of a window and gets a LOT of sun.. and even then wouldn’t be annual.
I plan on doing my first table top in about a month, and I plan on using biscuits to prevent the wood from shifting. I will also use your method though in addition to the biscuits. I think that'll be the best of both worlds.
Good luck! I used biscuits my first few times but they had so much play my glue seams were way out of alignment so I started using cauls. Then I stopped using biscuits when I realized they were adding nothing but more time. Granted, I might not have been doing them right and had a really cheap biscuit joiner.
@@YouCanMakeThisToo Thank you for the feedback. I'll pay extra close attention when I try out the biscuits to see if they truly are doing their job. I think I'll try dry fitting it first to see how much play there is. I think the dominos are probably the best way, but I'm not willing to pay $1,000 just for a tool that does this one job.
@@caseybbq Check to see if your biscuit jointer blade is exactly parallel to the base (if you are registering from that) or the sliding guide (if you are using that) My cheap one was 0.5mm differebt from side to side and throwing everything out. A good jointer will allow for fine adjustment...mine does not!
Biscuits are not needed for panel at glue ups, glue and clamps is all that's needed. www.amazon.ca/Freud-LM75R010-10-Inch-8-Inch-Arbor/dp/B001V5J4QY/ref=asc_df_B001V5J4QY/?tag=googleshopc0c-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=292947999281&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=8856167662555350971&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=t&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1001899&hvtargid=pla-338189064386&psc=1
8:23, yep. Learned that the hard way. Used pine to make calls, and the pine just bent in the clamps and my table top needs plenty of planing. 😩 Ah well, next time will be better.
one way to account for a jointer out of square is to run both pieces together then open like a book and they will be totally flat when put together it can be way out of square and still works.
Do you have a video explaining what you were talking about at 6:01-6:25? I’ve heard about the jointer trick but never heard about that table saw trick! Novice wood worker here. Your video helped me tons, thanks
Thanks! I think I like a clips better. They do the same thing even easier. But buttons come up a lot so thought they deserved their due. And there’s nothing like making a batch and having them snap on the grain line when you tighten them 🤦♂️
I've do most milling or prep by hand ,but just bought bench planer today have not used it yet .I noticed that after planing boards to size and flat after a few days they have changed.I live sub tropics Australia. Humidity changeable.Maybe I should just place it more allow them to settle??
I think I mentioned that early on the video. Make sure it's had plenty of time to acclimate in your shop before working them ( and that they're properly dry). Then do several light milling sessions instead of a big one to final dimension. That lets you slowly remove the "error" as the wood adjusts as you release tension.
For sure! Panels are panels. One thing I didn’t cover here that’s helpful with cutting boards is orienting the grain all the same direction so you can plane your glue up and everything will be “downhill”. It it’s mixed up it’s super hard to not get tear out.
Alternating (top/bottom ) of cuts has long been the standard practice for small shops, so has using tapered culls. I had expected to see someone complain about gluing directly from a saw cut. I think a saw cut is actually a better surface than that from the typical jointer. Industrially virtually all glue-up is from a sawn edge. If you get some crook from sawing a board you can just set over a bit and do a 2nd trim cut. It is fairly common to have stress in lumber so making a 2nd trim cut is often needed. Making a sled is a good suggestion for getting a straight edge. Another method is using a hand plane and a shooting board. You can incorporate a miter into the end of the board so you can get perfect miters also. There is always more than one way to skin that cat. Be safe.
You didn't mention the grain of the woods and the with of the boards, having the rings of the wood opposite will give a flatter surface and the smaller the boards are the better the glue up will turn out. I would always put a dowel in between the boards and use the scoles as well thanks for sharing.
@3:20...storage....depending on your shop...where I live the face down side of the boards tend to retain moisture while the top side dries a bit more and shrinks...creating a cup...so I've learned to stand them on their side(joining edge). with spacing. @6:45..also it's a good idea to wax your cauls...don't want those sticking to your top...and by using wax they are reusable and wood safe....I just use a heat gun and a standard household candle and let that wax penetrate into the cauls...you could get crazy by adding cambers to them or creating alternating arch cauls(EDIT: you did arch them)...but just make sure you don't clap them down to tight before you clamp up the wood, they can restrict movement. @13:40...you generally want a little glue coming out the entire length of the seam.
All great points! I prefer tape to wax, but wax has a few benefits over tape. I did the side stacking for a while, but had a tendency to knock my boards over 😁 so I just put stickers underneath, but as you said that might not work in all climates.
I was confused for a while about why you did 24 ish shaves on the calls to create the pivot points. I've needed to apply clamping pressure in a similar application and my solution was having a flat portion like the "2-in flat" surface you described. Additionally, if I want to apply maximum pressure to that exact spot, instead of taking 6 shaves I'd do maybe 100?, to make extreme "valleys" as you called them. The ends of the calls would be off of the boards and even after applying maximum pressure, they would still never touch the table and all pressure is concentrated in that 2-in area.
I have one of those little square angle sensors with accuracy to hundredths of a degree, and magnets. I zero it on my table and miter saw beds, then let it grab onto the blades. Then adjust for 90°. Pretty quick and simple
@@YouCanMakeThisToo I raise my blade as high as I can and make sure it's parallel to my miter slots. Then align my fence with the slots. Best I can figure...
Can you make video on finishing the table top. I want to make a desk top and there’s so many ways to finish it and I’d like to see how you handle the finishing presses.
I'm about to make a 12' table for outdoors and have a couple questions for you: 1. What kind of wood did you use in this video, I really like the way it came out? 2. I'm new to woodworking and am curious what sort of glue you used? Everything I've read suggest glue and also either joiners or pocket hole screwing them together, do you find that that glue alone holds the top together well enough to safely move as one piece and ultimately pick up the table with once it's attached? Thanks in advance.
Awesome! This 8/4 (2” thick) soft maple. I dye stained it and sealed it with halcyon. Links in the description to that stuff. I used titebond 2. Since you’re doing an outdoor table, I recommend titebond 3. If you want a flat and smooth table top, skip pocket holes. They go in at an angle and will pull the top out of flat. A good glue joint is stronger than wood. So if you’re boards for against each other with no gaps, just your glue will be plenty strong.
great video, digging the channel. Your ability to articulate the thought process along with the physical example's like the paper cut for the jointer is invaluable to me. I'm relatively new to the game but this is most definitely one of my favorite channels so far. thanks
Improperly dried or milled boards cause cupping, as well as having them in a poor climate (sun shining right on the top, opening a humid window near them). The alternating growth ring concept presumes you have to settle between a top that cups, or a top that is rippled. I accept neither.
Great video, and really helpful! AND just for the record here, my area might be a bit... unusual in "market standards". BUT I've noticed that you generally get "rough cuts" from places like saw-mills, or lumber yards, where they're either actively sizing, cutting, milling, etc... OR very near a place that's actively sizing, milling, cutting, etc... AND this often results in the lumber just piled (or neatly-ISH stacked) on the ground in the open... weather... sunlight... what-have-you. SO it's just worth mention, when you pick up a load of fresh lumber (even from Lowe's) I'd recommend just swabbing the end-grain before you "store it"... Even just for acclimation purposes, the end-grain is where a LOT of moisture can "wick-out" really quickly AND unevnenly, causing issues like Cupping and Splitting. Sure, it's most important if you're in the practice of "private seasoning" or "custom drying" which are both more time consuming and scientifically intensive... BUT in those applications, I'd be recommending a "proper product for the job"... where in this ideal, "a swab of just about anything" over end grain will probably do. Think "Law of Diminishing Returns"... Personally, I'll bring stuff home and just stick the ends out of the back of the truck (or van) and slather a coat of "who-cares" color acrylic or even the last dividends of a bucket of Poly (that would likely otherwise just get tossed) to cause a "reasonable seal"... No need to go pay a minor fortune per gallon for something a pro' would use... when I'm just interested in kind of minimizing the splits in the ends and avoiding any more cupping than absolutely necessary... UNDERSTANDING of course, some cupping is probably inescapable... a fifty cent splatter of "crap" isn't going to hurt anything... AND we'll probably be nipping the ends off sooner or later anyway. ...OF course, there IS the caveat of "what if I want to keep those ends?"... Well, then maybe pick the particular favorite finishing product(s) for the swab. It might not do much... BUT in those cases where you didn't know they left the stuff in a week's worth of solid soaking rain... it might minimize headaches later. ;o)
That’s a good tip! Any good sawyer should be doing that, but doesn’t mean they are. Nothing like a lot of checking to ruin a board. Where I get all my boards from the ends are sealed. If an end isn’t sealed it’s cause I cut it down because my guy gets them in 14’ sticks so I’ve gotta make at least one cut for transport.
@@YouCanMakeThisToo Thanks, just thought it's worth mention... AND yes, most "competent sawyers" are doing it... BUT (as originally opined?) my area has a fair litany of "hobby saw mills" running about, advertising all manners of specific species available, and specialty orders... AND they come complete with NO training. (lolz)... Industrial saw-mill and lumber yards here DO actually practice sealing the ends... BUT it's a matter of "they have a guy for that"... not that the machines necessarily do it as the boards come out... SO when you come looking for a "popular" species or type, (or you're just in a hurry) you can often get referred to "fresh cuts" that haven't been sealed (yet)... and if you don't know to do it... well... it can be frustrating as hell. "things I wish someone had told me earlier" would be a GREAT video series at this point. ;o)
Maybe I missed it but was there any mention about checking the annular rings on boards before arranging and gluing to reduce the occurrence of cup warp? Thanks for providing a good video.
Nah, I should’ve mentioned it. My thought is that line of thinking assumes boards must cup and you have to settle between a cupped top or a rippled top. If you’re using properly dried wood, mill it properly and store it properly and follow the other steps.. it’s gonna stay flat so ring orientation doesn’t matter.
I like everything you're doing! When I do big glue ups like that, I prefer to clamp all the boards for the top together for the first glue up. So in this instance I would have glued my two joints then clamped across all four boards. I'm never able to get those long boards perfectly straight, so clamping them all together kind of forms the boards to one another. Then run through the planer/drum sander, and glue up the center joint. I Appreciate what you're doing. Keep it up.
Ah, clever! That’s a good approach. One of the things I didn’t show is I like to hand plane each joint together before the glue up, so I know they’ll all line up
Very informative video. How did you remove the small ridge in the table center? Belt sand or orbital sand? Would this leave a dish in the center of the table from the sanding?
Wouldn't it help a lot more to use a biscuit jointer or rout a slot to for the panels to register evenly? The concern I had was that 1/32" misalignment would cause a lot of planing or belt sanding to get it flat. I just think the biscuits are extremely easy to do and the results are excellent.
When I used a biscuit joiner I still had to use cauls, they had too much play in them. Could’ve been my error though. I like promoting cauls because they don’t require any extra tools or material handling, just a few more clamps and once they’re made you have them. That said, this certainly isn’t the only technique, just what I like and thought would be best for my brand. Dominos are fantastic too, but that’s a big investment.
Re: When you cancel out the deviation from 90 degrees cutting the edges on the table saw, you said you cut one edge on right side of blade, then move the fence and cut other edge on left side. I've been leaving the fence on the same side, just cutting one edge, marked "up" then marking the other edge "down" and flipping it over to cut the other edge. When I glue them, I glue "up" edge to "down" edge. Seems faster to me, unless I'm missing something?
Nope, I think you're on track better than I am! I just didn't think of that. I always joint at my jointer, it was a last minute though to mention how to do the same at the table saw for those who didn't have a jointer. Your way makes a lot more sense. I'm going to pin this.
Good tip. Funny thing is I was doing same thing today gluing up wider threads, except I was doing it with my ts55 track saw (seems to cut straighter)
And when I do bookmarch 2 slabs I just flip them as well. (Using 1 solid piece of makita 9-1/2’ track. Just clamp it and cut really slow with low tooth count blade (deep gullets clean sawdust out nicely and going slow will give you that nice arrow straight glue ready edge with no tear out.
Sry for long rant
Barry Manilowa my country is US.
It all started with makita sp6000 at first, then my boss liked it so much he wanted to buy it from me. So I got a used ts55 for $400. That was about 5years ago. It’s still kicking.
Since then I slowly acquired most other stuff festool has: OF1010 (new), kapex ks120 (new bug 2nd hand for $900, the guy was desperate. But all legit. With receipts and extra blade) domino df500 (new, but it’s my favorite festool tool), 2 of their vacums, and 3 sanders. (One of them is 6” rotex) amazing time saver.
I’ve been thinking seriously about getting a Festool sander. The rotex is more than I want to invest now though. Are their lower end worth it?
@@YouCanMakeThisToo IMO, absolutely. I had the same situation where I couldn't justify the prices of their high-end sanders, but I wanted something better than other brands' random orbits, mainly because I know that prolonged hand vibration can lead to nerve issues. I bought a Festool 574993 for $200 and *love* it. Connected to a Shop-Vac, there is almost zero dust, and vibration is much less than any hand sander I've ever used. Their proprietary discs are a bit expensive, but not too bad - and actually a good deal when you consider how much longer they last than most discs. They also have grit formulations specialized to different stages of woodworking. Another tip: get a Bosch VAC005 hose from Amazon or Zoro for $35 and save a big chunk of change over Festool's hose.
This table arrived well packaged and on time. ruclips.net/user/postUgkxn94T8Mu1iMnsLCMNOI9srXSsLkI4JXKW Like another reviewer advised, I pulled everything out and made sure everything was included (everything was!). I built it alone and it took me about an hour. The color is great and for the price the lift part works well. As others have mentioned, it’s not the smoothest opening/closing, but it works. The screws do show, but I plan to order white sticker covers if that bothers us too much. Really happy with this table! UPDATE: it’s been over a year since we got this coffee table and we still love it! It gets HEAVY use as our dining table, foot rest, and school desk. Over time, the opening and closing mechanism has gotten smoother. I added a new photo with the white screw cover stickers. They blend in perfectly and make it look a little cleaner. 100% recommend!!!
Okay
I followed your guidelines on my current project and it made a big difference in the quality of the build. Thanks for your video
Glad to hear it helped!
I have no unsolicited advice or corrections to offer. I just enjoyed this video and your presentation style. Thanks!
Thanks, I enjoyed your comment!
Boy did I learn alot from this video! I was having tons of frustration trying to glue up boards. If I glued up 4 boards at 4" wide and 3/4" thick, my middle boards would always raise up a little. Then I'd spend a lot of time sanding the crap out of them! I don't have any planes, electric or manual. Anyway, can't wait to glue up some boards the right way.
Glad I could help! If you don’t have planes you can use your sander. Or better, a flat board with sand paper glued to it. Just take it easy and sneak up on getting the flat edge.
Holy smokes, a Shopsmith planer! Great to see. I started on Shopsmith and still have a few tools left that haven't been replaced. Great video.
Thanks! It served me well for a few years.
I have some white oak slabs that are air drying. Whenever it is that I'm ready to make a live edge table, this information will come in handy. Thanks!
Glad it was helpful!
I'm making a table out of hickory for my sister - with a bunch of different width boards so this is very helpful. Thanks!
Great! Good luck with your table!
Thanks for the video. I made up cauls out of hard wood about two inches thick and two and a half wide. (wood rescued from pallets) They are curved so the center is about a 1/4 inch taller than the ends. Drilled through them at the ends and installed long carriage 3/8" bolts instead of using clamps. The cauls are long enough to use on what might be a typical table top. Instead of tape, wax them heavily. I may drill more holes for bolts to keep the bolts nearer the edge of the work. If the bolts are too far out the pieces will arch and not touch in the center. they work great. Thanks for the great ideas.
Nice! I really like the carriage bolt idea, that’d definitely make them super easy to use. Thanks for sharing!
I am just making my first build, a dining table last Saturday and Sunday. The thickness of my table top is only less than an inch and I have difficulty gluing and clamping them. I realize that I can't do it with haste lol. I have to go into the details much more that I just learned woodworking in RUclips three months ago and bought some power tools lately. Thanks Bro for the ideas. I hope you get more likes in the coming days.
Thanks! I appreciate that. Good luck with your table! And yeah.. good woodworking takes a lot of time, there's a reason most of it speed up footage or do lots of jump cuts. If you ever have questions feel free to reach out.
Dude consider making some smaller projects with wood before going for ..a dining table. Like, build a bench. That's what I did. But as the guy in the video said, you do you! Good luck.
I've done 4' x 5' x 3/4" with zero problems with these.
www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?p=31181&cat=1,43838
4:45 - this is the first video I have seen that correctly describes how to joint edges of your glue-up boards to cancel out any slight deviation from square between the jointer fence and table. I commonly make desk tops that are about 22x44. To get the 22 dimension I use four 1x6 boards. I do my layout and then, when I joint them, I put the odd numbered boards through the jointer with the top toward the fence. The even numbered boards are put through with the top away from the fence. Contrary to the video, you don't have to worry about the boards sliding along each other when they are half a degree out... or even more. I use cauls anyway.
Thanks! It’s pretty key, but I haven’t seen many people show it. Sounds like you do tons of glue ups!
So this cabinet company had been throwing mass amounts of wood away ruff stock and s4s from them. Sooo on the ruff boards I been doing all 4 sides getting them almost square and just letting them sit. I actually been rebuilding my jointer and I am adding a extension table on it soon. Also got a craftsman table saw off Craigslist today for $150 it had one of those ultra beefy fences 3hp motor. I didn’t know the arbor bearing was bad but that like 10 bucks to fix. So I am super happy. I built a finger joint jig, a massive insane table sled I been working on. I am going to build my radial arm saw into a bench here really soon. I haven’t built for about 12-14 years so I been super happy to get back at it again. Once I have enough oak I am building a missionary bed. Super happy! Also your tool chest are amazing I have tonsssss of that wood from the dumpsters I Goto. Do you have plans on them???
That’s great! I have plans on my work benches, but not the miter station.
I really like that "humble teacher style" of yours. Could you do a video on coating? Thanks for really great videos
It's on my list! Hope to get to it before too long. Thank you so much
Excellent table building tips especially gluing up and clamping... I listened very closely!
Great to hear!
Thanks man, I'm new to the channel, but I really like the style and approach. I'll be back.
Thanks, Joe! Great to hear that. Glad you enjoyed it.
Great video. I am a part-time woodworker and have made many tabletops, but these tips helped out a lot. Thank you!
Thanks! I'm glad to hear it
I would like to say thank you. I was under the impression that a jointer & plainer were going to make everything perfect. However this isn’t the case no matter how good you are you at making stuff. You will always need to sand and plain. I wish I would have seen this video before I started my bench top. I wasted a bit of lumber on my first attempt at my bench. Thinking that my newly purchased jointer and plainer would make all the lumber perfectly straight and flat. I wish in the video that talk about planers and jointers that more of the experts would say. These tools will get you close but don’t expect to have perfect results. You will in fact still need to hand plane and sand.
Newer machines and helical heads get you a LOT closer. My antique jointer struggles... but it's an antique jointer and the beds aren't even flat. Modern premium machines can get you close enough you don't have to fuss with it anymore, but that also depends on you being able to calibrate the machine to that precision and staying up on maintenance. Sorry to disappoint that new machines don't do it all for you, but glad you are equipped to turn out the work you want going forward!
If you do have good new machines and you feel like they should be doing better though, maybe they should.. look into how to check calibration and get them adjusted. Might not get you to perfect, but the less you have to finesse by hand, the faster and better it'll be!
When I worked at sign shops we used to joint very long 8 quarter slabs by butting up two boards edges and connecting them with a scrap board on the ends. We then ran the connected boards butted seems right down the middle of the table saw blade. It might take two passes but the width of the straight blade makes a very straight joint.
That's pretty brilliant, basically does what I advise but in one swoop. Because they're cut together and at the time, you could inadvertently have all kinds of error but both boards would match up perfectly.
Thank you! You just saved me hours of planing and sanding! Wish you'd posted this two years ago! Very grateful.
Glad I could be of help! Trust me, I’ve logged those hours too.
Excellent video ! Wish I had seen this before building my desktop.
Thanks! At least ya know for next time
Caleb, excellent presentation. Will follow your recommendations on next project.
Thanks! Glad it was helpful
When sanding a seam I like to take a pencil and make squiggly lines that go back and forth over the seam. Just scribble back and forth letting some squiggles be short and close to the seam and some six to eight inches from ether side of the seam. This helps keep the sanding more even. As you sand back and forth over the seam the majority of the pencil line will sand off leaving a short segment on the low side of the seam. At this point draw new squiggly lines and repeat as often as necessary. When you can run your sander down over the Lankes of the seam and have no small segments your boards are smooth a crossed and because you drew lines further away you feathered out the sanding so you don’t have a big cup or trough down the seam running the length of the table.
That’s a good technique. I’ll do that to keep track when I sand the whole board. But haven’t for spot sanding. I will now. Thanks for sharing!
Great session! This is a must-see for anyone planning to glue-up planks with the intent of creating a flat table top.
Thanks so much!
I made a jig to hold the boards flat, the glue joint about 1/4 - 3/8 apart, depending on how straight your boards are. Then useing a straight edge, run my router, with a 1/2 inch bit, down the middle so it will mill both edges in one pass. One glue edge will mirror the other perfectly even if my straight edge isnt perfect. The glue joint fits perfectly. You can get creative and do curved or wavy glue edges as well, pre-cutting with a band saw or jigsaw.
That's a good technique. I want to try the same idea but with a tracksaw soon. I've had some friends have luck with that. I've used templates and a router before to join on a curve to follow grain. it's a tedious process but with good results!
Great info on making the calls. I always used flat calls and from now on im going to make a hill in them. Thanks brother. Great video
Thanks! You might luck out with that, the first time I used them I was asking too much because I didn't mill properly and they helped but not near enough. Did some more research and learned about tapering them, it makes all the difference. Just be sure to give yours a wider hill top, not just a point. I messed that part up when I showed making them but talked about it later.
Komar project try these, much better
www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?p=31181&cat=1,43838
Thinks, making a farmhouse table as a wedding gift & your video was very helpful.
Awesome! Good luck on your table! I’m sure they’ll love it.
Very helpful thank you for your time
You are very welcome
Okay, this video is just plain fantastic. Clear, concise, and well explained.
Thank you very much!
Fantastic video mate
Many thanks!
Some great information! I didn’t think to use the planer in multiple sessions and I know that too is going to be super helpful!
Glad it helped! Sometimes you get luck and wood is good with just one milling.. but in my experience that hasn't been the case, haha.
This is incredibly helpful, thank you! Love the idea of the high point cauls. I may use a few dowels but it depends on what will be easier for me to reduce joint mismatching.
Yep, tons of ways to skin the cat.
Very helpful and well made video on table tops. Thanks!
Glad it was helpful!
When I have slight elevation differences after a glue up I use a hand plane to bring it down. I get a flatter more consistent surface than just using an orbital sander.
Very valuable info within the first minutes of the vid. Props !
Glad it was helpful!
Great video, man! Thank you. Solid tips for this apprentice.
You bet!
Your bowed cauls are a game-changer. Holy snot I’m going to have to make a set of those. Catching up on your channel - youtube has been hiding you from my subscription feed for some reason!! Hope you’re doing well, man. -Davis
They’re super handy! And if you have more than one seam, just make custom cauls that hit each spot. It works great!
Haha I know what you mean, thanks for checking in!
These are awesome tips, Thank you!!
Glad it was helpful!
great info on caul construction. Thanks.
Thanks for watching!
I don't know how many videos I have seen on this topic but yours was very helpful. Subbing and liking.
Awesome, thank you!
You were correct. Cup is a deviation of the shape of one side edge moving towards the opposite side edge along the length of the board. (like a ditch) Bow is deviation of the shape wide end towards the other wide end (along the face of the board). (Like a teeter-totter with two very heavy people on it) Crook is deviation of the shape where the near wide end meets the edge at the corner moving towards the far wide end corner, keeping the face flat but the edge bent. (like a rainbow)
Great clarification, thanks!
Sorry, this is a nice love-fest, but I don't think the comment is correct. The teeter-totter analogy is a good one for a bow, which is what can happen if a long narrow board is stored standing on one small end and leaning against a wall. The narration refers to the result as a cup in the board, but it is a bow. Anyway, in the video, the on-screen text annotation properly corrects the narration.
@@SH-pc4xt I went and watched it again to see, and I understand what you mean. When he said store the wood vertically I assumed he meant up on edge against a wall.... you assumed he meant up on end. Storing lumber flat of course is the best way. The first piece of 2X6 he put through his machine had cup in it. Cup is considered a seasoning defect which is what he's talking about in the first part of his video. The wider the piece, the worse the cup and then you usually get seasoning checks. Bow is often apparent as the log or cant is cut fresh in the mill and no amount of keeping it flat between kiln strips and kiln drying it, will take the bow out. A piece like that doesn't get through our Sawmill & Planer very well without crossing up a few times...... but if it makes it to your home, at least it's easy to screw down. Crook is the worst. Thanks S H, it took me a while to figure out the teeter-totter. I never liked the definitions they gave in the lumber grading course.
Great video. Im building my very first coffee table top out of Ash and am a little intimidated. This video will be a huge help. I just have to make some cauls.
For sure! Just take your time. Be deliberate. And don’t try to take any shortcuts.
@@YouCanMakeThisToo will do!
Really good info! Thanks!
Glad it was helpful!
Tracksaw would be a great addition for you for the end of those tables
Oh yeah, I’ve had one about 2 years now. It’s awesome
I just finished staining a coffee table I built. 35"x18" made of 2x2's spf cut in random lengths, predrilled holes, glued and screwed each row. Stained it with 3 different colors and I'm going to apply the clear coat tomorrow. Thank you for the tip about staining each side equally. *New subscriber
That sounds awesome! Glad to hear this helped some. Thanks for watching!
imgur.com/a/Pcez0O2
Just wanted to mention that I used the same insulation on my garage door. The penguins are cool. I did mine about 3 years ago, Great video and thanks for sharing.
So did I! It’s made a HUGE difference.
Great stuff, thank you! If you add a piece of scrap between your bench and the piece in the vise, you can slip the calls in the middle without removing it from the bench.
Smart, thanks!
the wooden vertical leveling/clamping set up is an awesome idea
.
Thanks! It doesn't always work, but sometimes it's handy.
Awesome video, super helpful advice! Thanks for posting!
Thanks for watching!
when ever i glue up multiple boards on edge i always use spline, dowel, or biscuits to lessen any sliding between the edges and create a VERY strong joint
That's a solid technique.
Baby wipes make a quick easy way to clean up any glue as well. It was a great tip one of my friends past down to me.
That’s a great tip!
Great information. Stoked about the halcyon finish. I'll be using that on some nightstands as we use a humidifier and always have cups of water on them
Great! It’s an exterior finish so should hold up well to that. Don’t forget to use the code to get 10% off
Great tips !
Gonna try myself at making my first desk for my son.
Wish me luck!
Great, good luck!
Thank you very much I get tired of these people saying this is perfect this is not a perfect world tools are not perfect you’re illustration on how to take the imperfections in your joiner and make it work is wonderful
Thanks! Yeah, I question anyone who says their set up has no error.. there’s always error, it’s a matter whether it’s enough to make a difference or not. The fence on my old jointer isn’t even flat, so expecting great results without using some good techniques is hope, not planning..
Thanks for the pointer to the TotalBoat Halcyon.
Sure thing! I like it a lot
@@YouCanMakeThisToo Do you brush the first coat and roll the second. Im not clear as I see you using both a brush and a roller.
Your videos are just brilliant! Wish I'd known about them before now. Even so, you've helped me a lot.
One wee bit of nit-picking though: When I was learning woodworking in high school in Scotland (long time ago) one of the first things I learned was, when putting my hand-plane down, I should lay it on its side thereby protecting the blade. Just sayin' :-D
Thanks! Yeah, I’ve gotten that bit of criticism a lot. I’ve heard both sides of it and personally haven’t noticed a difference in edge life if you’re gentle
Same as that - I have the same habit of laying the plane on it’s side, also having been taught that way decades ago.
Great video
Thanks!
Thank you, found your predation quite enjoyable.
Thanks!
Amazing tutorial! I have a few thick, 10’ rough cut Cypress boards that I planed and tried to get a straight edge with a DeWalt tracksaw... acclimating in my sunroom. Not happy with the edge and I’m so happy to see this large scale glue up! Really gives me the confidence and tool list to move forward. I’ve been searching for larger glue ups on RUclips and nothing till now! So detailed. Love it!
For something that size you’ll probably need to go to hand planes. When your pieces are that big it’s less about making them straight and more matching each board to each other. Stack them on edge, mark where they touch (high points), and plane those parts until they touch the whole way. This was just a 6’ glue up, but follow the principles (and use more clamps and cauls!) and you’ll have a good glue up!
I've done 4' x 6' panels with these with no problems
www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?p=31181&cat=1,43838
@@killingoldgrowthsince
I tried your link. Didn't find what your clamps.
Can you link to the specific product?
I've never heard of making the cauls (sp?) Like you did and it makes so much sense. Thank you so much . New sub
It's an old school technique but super effective. A few commenters have mentioned another great trick.. just have a few super straight boards and a deck of playing cards. Instead of making cauls for each multi-board glue up. Just put some cards on the seams to get pressure there, and they're glue resistant.
Anyone else wish they saw this a year ago cause I do lol I made 2 table tops and they were well not really flat after glue up and well belt sander for a while was my new hobby lol! Thanks for the video great explanations saved to BM's =)
Ah man! I feel you though. The very first panel I glued up I ended up ripping apart at the table saw and doing over. The next few weren't much better. That's what inspired me to make this once I got it all worked out.
Hello there, love the video! As for the Halcyon product, the manufacturer recommends re-coating annually and I'm wondering if you have ever had to actually go back on any of your projects to recoat? - "...maintain the beauty with just 1 to 2 quick coats annually."
That’s for outdoor projects. It’s a marine varnish and where they recommend that they’re talking about having it on boats. If you’re using it indoors you shouldn’t ever worry about recoating unless it’s in front of a window and gets a LOT of sun.. and even then wouldn’t be annual.
@@YouCanMakeThisToo Thanks much for the reply! This will be used on a new studio desk build, so that makes perfect sense. Keep up the great videos!
Love your style
Thank you!
I plan on doing my first table top in about a month, and I plan on using biscuits to prevent the wood from shifting. I will also use your method though in addition to the biscuits. I think that'll be the best of both worlds.
Good luck! I used biscuits my first few times but they had so much play my glue seams were way out of alignment so I started using cauls. Then I stopped using biscuits when I realized they were adding nothing but more time. Granted, I might not have been doing them right and had a really cheap biscuit joiner.
@@YouCanMakeThisToo Thank you for the feedback. I'll pay extra close attention when I try out the biscuits to see if they truly are doing their job. I think I'll try dry fitting it first to see how much play there is. I think the dominos are probably the best way, but I'm not willing to pay $1,000 just for a tool that does this one job.
@@caseybbq Check to see if your biscuit jointer blade is exactly parallel to the base (if you are registering from that) or the sliding guide (if you are using that) My cheap one was 0.5mm differebt from side to side and throwing everything out. A good jointer will allow for fine adjustment...mine does not!
Biscuits are not needed for panel at glue ups, glue and clamps is all that's needed.
www.amazon.ca/Freud-LM75R010-10-Inch-8-Inch-Arbor/dp/B001V5J4QY/ref=asc_df_B001V5J4QY/?tag=googleshopc0c-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=292947999281&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=8856167662555350971&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=t&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1001899&hvtargid=pla-338189064386&psc=1
8:23, yep. Learned that the hard way. Used pine to make calls, and the pine just bent in the clamps and my table top needs plenty of planing. 😩 Ah well, next time will be better.
That workbench is interesting, looks like it was made of some heavy 4x6s?
6x8ish… it was a cypress beam. The video of it is on my channel
Great job breaking this down into manageable information for newbies
Thanks! That was my goal, so it's great to hear that's how it came together.
great video . thanks for the tips
Thanks for watching!
Thank you sir! I just got started out these tips are phenomenal
Best of luck!
one way to account for a jointer out of square is to run both pieces together then open like a book and they will be totally flat when put together it can be way out of square and still works.
That's a much better explanation of the concept than I managed.
This is a great video , very informative
Glad it was helpful!
Thanks you very mach
Thanks!
Do you have a video explaining what you were talking about at 6:01-6:25? I’ve heard about the jointer trick but never heard about that table saw trick! Novice wood worker here. Your video helped me tons, thanks
I don't.. shoot me an email or DM on instagram and I'll send you a quick clip showing it.
Some good tips in there...especially about the wood buttons you made to secure the top and how to secure them to allow for movement.
Thanks! I think I like a clips better. They do the same thing even easier. But buttons come up a lot so thought they deserved their due. And there’s nothing like making a batch and having them snap on the grain line when you tighten them 🤦♂️
By the way, I didn't mention in my previous comment....THANKS for making a great video!
Thanks!!
I've do most milling or prep by hand ,but just bought bench planer today have not used it yet .I noticed that after planing boards to size and flat after a few days they have changed.I live sub tropics Australia. Humidity changeable.Maybe I should just place it more allow them to settle??
I think I mentioned that early on the video. Make sure it's had plenty of time to acclimate in your shop before working them ( and that they're properly dry). Then do several light milling sessions instead of a big one to final dimension. That lets you slowly remove the "error" as the wood adjusts as you release tension.
Beautiful work and some excellent tips it helps me a lot in my cutting board projects
For sure! Panels are panels. One thing I didn’t cover here that’s helpful with cutting boards is orienting the grain all the same direction so you can plane your glue up and everything will be “downhill”. It it’s mixed up it’s super hard to not get tear out.
Great video with good info thanks for putting this together! I do a little of this and it's great seeing different people's approach.
Awesome! Thank you!
What kind of wood was that table. Watch all your vedios and this ond was very help full. TY
Maple, thanks for watching!
I appreciate this video. I’ve been woodworking a long time, but these are some great tips that helped me a lot! Great stuff.
Great to hear!
Alternating (top/bottom ) of cuts has long been the standard practice for small shops, so has using tapered culls. I had expected to see someone complain about gluing directly from a saw cut. I think a saw cut is actually a better surface than that from the typical jointer. Industrially virtually all glue-up is from a sawn edge. If you get some crook from sawing a board you can just set over a bit and do a 2nd trim cut. It is fairly common to have stress in lumber so making a 2nd trim cut is often needed. Making a sled is a good suggestion for getting a straight edge. Another method is using a hand plane and a shooting board. You can incorporate a miter into the end of the board so you can get perfect miters also. There is always more than one way to skin that cat. Be safe.
Great tips!
You didn't mention the grain of the woods and the with of the boards, having the rings of the wood opposite will give a flatter surface and the smaller the boards are the better the glue up will turn out. I would always put a dowel in between the boards and use the scoles as well thanks for sharing.
@3:20...storage....depending on your shop...where I live the face down side of the boards tend to retain moisture while the top side dries a bit more and shrinks...creating a cup...so I've learned to stand them on their side(joining edge). with spacing.
@6:45..also it's a good idea to wax your cauls...don't want those sticking to your top...and by using wax they are reusable and wood safe....I just use a heat gun and a standard household candle and let that wax penetrate into the cauls...you could get crazy by adding cambers to them or creating alternating arch cauls(EDIT: you did arch them)...but just make sure you don't clap them down to tight before you clamp up the wood, they can restrict movement.
@13:40...you generally want a little glue coming out the entire length of the seam.
All great points! I prefer tape to wax, but wax has a few benefits over tape. I did the side stacking for a while, but had a tendency to knock my boards over 😁 so I just put stickers underneath, but as you said that might not work in all climates.
Great content
Thanks
I was confused for a while about why you did 24 ish shaves on the calls to create the pivot points. I've needed to apply clamping pressure in a similar application and my solution was having a flat portion like the "2-in flat" surface you described. Additionally, if I want to apply maximum pressure to that exact spot, instead of taking 6 shaves I'd do maybe 100?, to make extreme "valleys" as you called them. The ends of the calls would be off of the boards and even after applying maximum pressure, they would still never touch the table and all pressure is concentrated in that 2-in area.
Now I cheat and don't bother shaping with a plane. I just grab some little shims from the floor and stick them where the joints are.
That jointer should have a guard and please use push blocks!
Truth
I have one of those little square angle sensors with accuracy to hundredths of a degree, and magnets. I zero it on my table and miter saw beds, then let it grab onto the blades. Then adjust for 90°. Pretty quick and simple
I have one too, it’s really handy. Doesn’t help for checking fence alignment though.
@@YouCanMakeThisToo I raise my blade as high as I can and make sure it's parallel to my miter slots. Then align my fence with the slots. Best I can figure...
Ah! My bad man. I thought this was on one of my machine set up videos. Just saw it was on the table top video.
Can you make video on finishing the table top. I want to make a desk top and there’s so many ways to finish it and I’d like to see how you handle the finishing presses.
One is coming soon! There’ll be an abbreviated one in two weeks and one in depth in July.
Also need to check your lumber for moisture
Yep.
I'm about to make a 12' table for outdoors and have a couple questions for you: 1. What kind of wood did you use in this video, I really like the way it came out? 2. I'm new to woodworking and am curious what sort of glue you used? Everything I've read suggest glue and also either joiners or pocket hole screwing them together, do you find that that glue alone holds the top together well enough to safely move as one piece and ultimately pick up the table with once it's attached? Thanks in advance.
Awesome! This 8/4 (2” thick) soft maple. I dye stained it and sealed it with halcyon. Links in the description to that stuff. I used titebond 2. Since you’re doing an outdoor table, I recommend titebond 3.
If you want a flat and smooth table top, skip pocket holes. They go in at an angle and will pull the top out of flat. A good glue joint is stronger than wood. So if you’re boards for against each other with no gaps, just your glue will be plenty strong.
Excellent tutorial! Thank you!
Thanks for watching!
great video, digging the channel. Your ability to articulate the thought process along with the physical example's like the paper cut for the jointer is invaluable to me. I'm relatively new to the game but this is most definitely one of my favorite channels so far. thanks
Thanks! I try to cover both audio and visual learners. It’s always great to hear my attempts are working, thanks for watching!
What about alternating the growth rings? Can't do that without flat and square. Growth rings that aren't alternating will cause cupping.
Improperly dried or milled boards cause cupping, as well as having them in a poor climate (sun shining right on the top, opening a humid window near them). The alternating growth ring concept presumes you have to settle between a top that cups, or a top that is rippled. I accept neither.
nice work. very well presented.
Thank you!
Great video, and really helpful!
AND just for the record here, my area might be a bit... unusual in "market standards". BUT I've noticed that you generally get "rough cuts" from places like saw-mills, or lumber yards, where they're either actively sizing, cutting, milling, etc... OR very near a place that's actively sizing, milling, cutting, etc... AND this often results in the lumber just piled (or neatly-ISH stacked) on the ground in the open... weather... sunlight... what-have-you.
SO it's just worth mention, when you pick up a load of fresh lumber (even from Lowe's) I'd recommend just swabbing the end-grain before you "store it"... Even just for acclimation purposes, the end-grain is where a LOT of moisture can "wick-out" really quickly AND unevnenly, causing issues like Cupping and Splitting.
Sure, it's most important if you're in the practice of "private seasoning" or "custom drying" which are both more time consuming and scientifically intensive... BUT in those applications, I'd be recommending a "proper product for the job"... where in this ideal, "a swab of just about anything" over end grain will probably do.
Think "Law of Diminishing Returns"...
Personally, I'll bring stuff home and just stick the ends out of the back of the truck (or van) and slather a coat of "who-cares" color acrylic or even the last dividends of a bucket of Poly (that would likely otherwise just get tossed) to cause a "reasonable seal"... No need to go pay a minor fortune per gallon for something a pro' would use... when I'm just interested in kind of minimizing the splits in the ends and avoiding any more cupping than absolutely necessary... UNDERSTANDING of course, some cupping is probably inescapable... a fifty cent splatter of "crap" isn't going to hurt anything... AND we'll probably be nipping the ends off sooner or later anyway.
...OF course, there IS the caveat of "what if I want to keep those ends?"... Well, then maybe pick the particular favorite finishing product(s) for the swab. It might not do much... BUT in those cases where you didn't know they left the stuff in a week's worth of solid soaking rain... it might minimize headaches later. ;o)
That’s a good tip! Any good sawyer should be doing that, but doesn’t mean they are. Nothing like a lot of checking to ruin a board.
Where I get all my boards from the ends are sealed. If an end isn’t sealed it’s cause I cut it down because my guy gets them in 14’ sticks so I’ve gotta make at least one cut for transport.
@@YouCanMakeThisToo Thanks, just thought it's worth mention...
AND yes, most "competent sawyers" are doing it... BUT (as originally opined?) my area has a fair litany of "hobby saw mills" running about, advertising all manners of specific species available, and specialty orders...
AND they come complete with NO training. (lolz)...
Industrial saw-mill and lumber yards here DO actually practice sealing the ends... BUT it's a matter of "they have a guy for that"... not that the machines necessarily do it as the boards come out... SO when you come looking for a "popular" species or type, (or you're just in a hurry) you can often get referred to "fresh cuts" that haven't been sealed (yet)... and if you don't know to do it... well... it can be frustrating as hell.
"things I wish someone had told me earlier" would be a GREAT video series at this point. ;o)
Maybe I missed it but was there any mention about checking the annular rings on boards before arranging and gluing to reduce the occurrence of cup warp? Thanks for providing a good video.
Nah, I should’ve mentioned it. My thought is that line of thinking assumes boards must cup and you have to settle between a cupped top or a rippled top. If you’re using properly dried wood, mill it properly and store it properly and follow the other steps.. it’s gonna stay flat so ring orientation doesn’t matter.
I like everything you're doing! When I do big glue ups like that, I prefer to clamp all the boards for the top together for the first glue up. So in this instance I would have glued my two joints then clamped across all four boards. I'm never able to get those long boards perfectly straight, so clamping them all together kind of forms the boards to one another. Then run through the planer/drum sander, and glue up the center joint. I Appreciate what you're doing. Keep it up.
Ah, clever! That’s a good approach. One of the things I didn’t show is I like to hand plane each joint together before the glue up, so I know they’ll all line up
Very informative video. How did you remove the small ridge in the table center? Belt sand or orbital sand? Would this leave a dish in the center of the table from the sanding?
Orbital sanding. Didn’t take long. And no dish, only one side was higher so just brought it down level. Thanks!
Solid wood joinery has a few issues overlooked... but the cauls are great meekness.
Everything is a balance of pro and cons, trick is finding what’s appropriate to the application
Wouldn't it help a lot more to use a biscuit jointer or rout a slot to for the panels to register evenly? The concern I had was that 1/32" misalignment would cause a lot of planing or belt sanding to get it flat. I just think the biscuits are extremely easy to do and the results are excellent.
When I used a biscuit joiner I still had to use cauls, they had too much play in them. Could’ve been my error though. I like promoting cauls because they don’t require any extra tools or material handling, just a few more clamps and once they’re made you have them. That said, this certainly isn’t the only technique, just what I like and thought would be best for my brand. Dominos are fantastic too, but that’s a big investment.
Biscuits are not needed for panel glue ups what so ever.
Great video Caleb. Thanks for the info! The calls were the one thing I missed out on my first time doing this, and they make a world of a difference.
Thanks! They do make all the difference. I used to dread edge to edge glue ups, now they're just another process.