how would you go about this? | Discord Woodworking | Page 1

ocean crystal Jul 19, 2023, 2:25 AM

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I’m looking to build this coffee table. It says it’s engineered wood, so plywood core. I want to avoid that if possible but would be ok to do it for cost and weight savings. Two questions: 1. I’ve never done anything with a plywood core.m, so how would I go about doing that? (And would it be better to just use a cheaper wood as a core like poplar or pine?) 2. This is white oak…which is expensive. Would you instead recommend to use a cheaper wood like ash and just make it out of solid wood (I built a white oak TV console and would like them to match…is that feasible? I’ve never worked with ash). Thank you. Here’s some pictures of the table I want to build and the cabinet I want it to match. Thanks!

safe socket Jul 19, 2023, 2:26 AM

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There is no reason you can't make this out of solid wood, but what machines do you have?

ocean crystal Jul 19, 2023, 2:28 AM

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Table saw, tabletop jointer and planer and tabletop bandsaw router and small router table. Drills, circular saw (no track saw). I’m pretty well stocked on tools…and don’t mind an excuse to buy a new one lol.

grand olive Jul 19, 2023, 2:28 AM

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Table is called mitered/waterfall edge. You cut the boards at 45° angles either on a table saw or with a track saw, or a router and a large V-bit with a guide (taking many many passes).

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I’ve done the router on 3/4” thick and it was a real pain

ocean crystal Jul 19, 2023, 2:29 AM

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So I know I can make it out of solid wood, but white oak is like $13 a board foot for 8/4…and I feel like it would be heavy as hell

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Would ash ($7bf) be something I can stain to match my cabinet or would it just look way off?

grand olive Jul 19, 2023, 2:30 AM

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What wood and how much you invest is up to you, but you could do 6/4 for it to be a little thinner, and if you plan to keep this a while and/or plan to buy new tools to do it, then the cost of wood is going to be marginal.

safe socket Jul 19, 2023, 2:30 AM

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I think it's worth grabbing some scraps and seeing what you can do finish-wise

ocean crystal Jul 19, 2023, 2:30 AM

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grand olive What wood and how much you invest is up to you, but you could do 6/4 for it to b...

Damn you and your logic lol

tidal seal Jul 19, 2023, 2:31 AM

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Ash and white oak are like distant cousins, same ballpark in tone, but up close the grain is pretty different. If you wanted to come in and stain both, I'd say it's possible

grand olive Jul 19, 2023, 2:31 AM

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White oak has a very distinctive grain pattern, including medullary rays, that stain won’t help with.

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ocean crystal Jul 19, 2023, 2:31 AM

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Oh yeah I forgot about that…you’re right. Ash doesn’t have those from what I’ve seen.

safe socket Jul 19, 2023, 2:31 AM

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But for the miters I like doing those with routers these days. Infinity makes a chonker for these tables

grand olive Jul 19, 2023, 2:32 AM

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Circular saw and an edge guide could work too, if it has enough depth of cut and does 45°

ocean crystal Jul 19, 2023, 2:32 AM

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Hmm…yeah in the end it would be like $600…not the end of the world, just more than I was planning to spend on the coffee table.

grand olive Jul 19, 2023, 2:33 AM

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Table saw is harder without a crosscut sled

tidal seal Jul 19, 2023, 2:33 AM

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big crosscut sled too

grand olive Jul 19, 2023, 2:34 AM

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ocean crystal Jul 19, 2023, 2:34 AM

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Yeah I guess I’m just salty that it’ll be about the same cost to buy it. With the cabinet, I spent about $600 in materials and the cost to buy was $1800.

grand olive Jul 19, 2023, 2:34 AM

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This is what it looks like with a router

ocean crystal Jul 19, 2023, 2:35 AM

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grand olive This is what it looks like with a router

Oh damn…that looks amazing

grand olive Jul 19, 2023, 2:35 AM

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But if your guides slip at all, you end up having to clean things up afterwards.

ocean crystal Jul 19, 2023, 2:36 AM

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I’m actually going to try that now…seems like you’d get much better miters.

grand olive Jul 19, 2023, 2:36 AM

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If your routing is accurate, you get very accurate 45° cuts

ocean crystal Jul 19, 2023, 2:36 AM

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So the consensus on the wood is just bite the bullet and get the 8/4 white oak?

grand olive Jul 19, 2023, 2:36 AM

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That will give you the best match, if that’s important

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But it’s your project

ocean crystal Jul 19, 2023, 2:37 AM

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Haha! I mean my wife said the same thing…just get the oak, we’ll have this for a long time.

grand olive Jul 19, 2023, 2:37 AM

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Sounds like a keeper!

ocean crystal Jul 19, 2023, 2:38 AM

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So…how do you strengthen those miters then? Just hidden L brackets on the underside of the table?

grand olive Jul 19, 2023, 2:38 AM

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You’re going to have to find a very large router bit to do a V through 8/4

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You can do splines

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Or dominos/biscuits

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I just glued mine because it was for a nightstand, I knew it didn’t need to be weight bearing.

ocean crystal Jul 19, 2023, 2:39 AM

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If not I’ll figure out a way. That’s the fun of woodworking. Tbh I’m not as much concerned about the waterfall part of it, although it would be a nice detail.

grand olive Jul 19, 2023, 2:39 AM

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But I’m making a dining table bench and I plan to do contrasting splines

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ocean crystal Jul 19, 2023, 2:40 AM

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grand olive You’re going to have to find a very large router bit to do a V through 8/4

Yeah that’s what I was thinking. May end up doing it with a table saw or circular saw and guide. But if you look at the original picture…their miters aren’t great either

safe socket Jul 19, 2023, 2:41 AM

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Good time to buy a shaper with a sliding table! 😉

ocean crystal Jul 19, 2023, 2:41 AM

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That thing looks chunkier than 8/4 that’s why I was asking about a plywood core or something

ocean crystal Jul 19, 2023, 2:41 AM

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safe socket Good time to buy a shaper with a sliding table! 😉

The only thing is space. I’m working out of a garage. Lol!

safe socket Jul 19, 2023, 2:42 AM

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Getting and veneering something that thick would require at least a vacuum kit. Doable, but not cheaper than hardwood.

grand olive Jul 19, 2023, 2:43 AM

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And then if it gets scuffed up, it’s harder to refinish

ocean crystal Jul 19, 2023, 2:43 AM

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Hmm…yeah that’s true. My plan was to get white oak and cut like…1/4” strips to use as veneer. So a bit thicker, but from what you’re saying I would still basically need a vacuum kit.

grand olive Jul 19, 2023, 2:43 AM

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8/4 should be plenty strong. How wide will it be? I computed sag for my bench and it was fine to hold 2 adults sitting on it at 1.5” thick and about 5’ long.

ocean crystal Jul 19, 2023, 2:44 AM

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Probably about 50” by like 25” or so. 14” high

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Give it take depending on how I feel while I’m building it haha

safe socket Jul 19, 2023, 2:44 AM

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Sagulator time!

ocean crystal Jul 19, 2023, 2:44 AM

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I’m more of a “go with the flow” builder rather then have a concrete plan lol

grand olive Jul 19, 2023, 2:45 AM

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Reinforcing the miter joints will probably be a good idea, but raw strength from the wood top should be fine.

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You could also do hidden L brackets like you mentioned.

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Route out a recess for them before gluing it together.

ocean crystal Jul 19, 2023, 2:46 AM

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Yeah the easiest thing to do would be to rout in some L brackets on the underside I would think. You wouldn’t see them unless you were under the table.

grand olive Jul 19, 2023, 2:46 AM

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Right. Domino is also an easy and effective option if you have access to one.

ocean crystal Jul 19, 2023, 2:46 AM

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…and if I really wanted to I could always hide it with some wood on top.

ocean crystal Jul 19, 2023, 2:47 AM

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grand olive Right. Domino is also an easy and effective option if you have access to one.

Maybe some day. But that’s why I was asking about dowels. Is there a way to just drill in dowels a la dominoes?

grand olive Jul 19, 2023, 2:47 AM

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Yes but it’s not as easy

ocean crystal Jul 19, 2023, 2:47 AM

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Or too hard to account for the 45

grand olive Jul 19, 2023, 2:47 AM

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I’ve seen people build jigs with a router for doing dowel holes.

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The 45 isn’t a problem. You make the holes perfectly orthogonal to the miters

safe socket Jul 19, 2023, 2:48 AM

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Dowels don't strengthen joints, only align them... and not very well

grand olive Jul 19, 2023, 2:48 AM

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And then the 2 sides combine to make 90. It’s just alignment between the two sides of the miter that is hard.

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Even on a miter joint, it won’t add glue surface?

safe socket Jul 19, 2023, 2:49 AM

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I have a research paper about how all dowel joints fail

grand olive Jul 19, 2023, 2:49 AM

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I thought that was for laminations, didn’t know it applied for miter joints, but I trust you know.

ocean crystal Jul 19, 2023, 2:51 AM

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Fuck it…pocket screws lol

safe socket Jul 19, 2023, 2:51 AM

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you are better off running a hidden spline. make a jig for your router or whatever to run down the miter and cut a 3/16" groove straigt don the middle, then slap in a strip of plywood

ocean crystal Jul 19, 2023, 2:51 AM

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I mean I was joking but it could work…although not ideal

grand olive Jul 19, 2023, 2:51 AM

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Well now you’ve exceeded my skill cap, because I know I wouldn’t be able to make it work.

ocean crystal Jul 19, 2023, 2:52 AM

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safe socket you are better off running a hidden spline. make a jig for your router or whate...

How would I go about that with an 8/4 tabletop is my only concern

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Shits heavy

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Crosscut sled and some friends?

safe socket Jul 19, 2023, 2:52 AM

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the top doesn't move. Just take a trim router, make a base that straddles the miter

grand olive Jul 19, 2023, 2:52 AM

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Like this

safe socket Jul 19, 2023, 2:53 AM

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you can even make a stopped groove so it's not visible using a trim router

ocean crystal Jul 19, 2023, 2:53 AM

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Yeah I know what you were saying. I’m having a hard time picturing it though.

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Something like this?

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Actually that seems pretty reasonable to do…ok, this is coming together lol

safe socket Jul 19, 2023, 2:58 AM

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just remember to measure your plywood strips. I forgot that 1/4" plywood is actually 3/16" / 5mm when I made my last vanity 🙂

ocean crystal Jul 19, 2023, 3:03 AM

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Haha! I would have honestly forgotten if you didn’t mention it. But yeah that’s a super useful little jig.

#how would you go about this?