A coffee table for my nephew - #7

Re: A coffee table for my nephew - #7

William Duffield

Did you measure the angle of the reinforcing blocks or calculate it?

I was also wondering about a design decision on the top: It seems that no one would have ever noticed if the fillets inside the dovetailed corners, and in particular the top fillets, weren't continuous the whole width of the table. If you had extended them only a couple of inches from both sides, would it have significantly weakened the dovetail joints?

Re: A coffee table for my nephew - #7

Bill Tindall, E.Tn.

I need to remember your clever means of leg leveling.

My first thoughts were that the leg assembly looks frail. I think it is frail. However the box that sits on it is ridged under any imaginable load. Any vertical load, like one of my recently visiting grand daughters doing hand stands on it (but that is another story), will be carried by the legs only.

weakened the dovetail joints? !

Bill Tindall, E.Tn.

Every fiber of this assembly would splinter before these many well-made dovetails would fail, fillet or not.

However, since there is no intention of putting a drawer in this space, I too did wonder about the need for a full length fillet.

Re: A coffee table for my nephew - #7

Derek Cohen (in Perth, Australia)

Did you measure the angle of the reinforcing blocks or calculate it?

I was also wondering about a design decision on the top: It seems that no one would have ever noticed if the fillets inside the dovetailed corners, and in particular the top fillets, weren't continuous the whole width of the table. If you had extended them only a couple of inches from both sides, would it have significantly weakened the dovetail joints?

Hi William

I did consider having just the ends of the corners with end grain sections and long grain in the middle. But that was when I planned to plane the hollows with planes. I did not think of just doing the outer ends alone - it would be noticeable to anyone looking through the table, such as when inserting a magazine.

The filets do not reinforce the dovetails. They simply extend the round corners.

Regards from Perth

Derek

Re: A coffee table for my nephew - #7

Derek Cohen (in Perth, Australia)

Bill, I am hoping that the corner brackets boost the strength of the legs significantly. In my mind, what they do is create a sort-of dovetail by triangulating the mortice and tenon. The leg cannot more forward as a result.

These legs are typical of the style of Danish Modern. One wonders how they fared over the years. Not my first choice of design. The worst case scenario is I shall be re-making a base in the future (don't think it!).

Regards from Perth

Derek

Re: A coffee table for my nephew - #7

Don Stephan

Did I see seven round marking gauges in the background? (lol)

Re: A coffee table for my nephew - #7

Derek Cohen (in Perth, Australia)

Don, yep!

Two are Titemarks, two are Veritas (when they had a special a few years ago. The SS versions were an absolute bargain), one is the new adjustable Veritas (sent to me for preproduction assessment), then there is the double arm Veritas mortice gauge, and one I made (with a wide head for extra registration - the plan is to use this one also for a panel gauge).

Generally, I can have 2 or 3 cutting gauges in use at all times. They are used to transfer marks, rather than using a scale/ruler.

Regards from Perth

Derek

It is now beginning to look familiar ...

Derek Cohen (in Perth, Australia)

The legs appear pretty strong and solid. No flex.

Regards from Perth

Derek