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Woodworking with Mark Singer
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Zebra Coffee Table
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With solid wood
construction versus veneer we must always deal with wood
movement. This joint is like a control joint in
construction of a building....yes its there and you see it and
you know that is where the movement will occur... like saw cuts
in a concrete slab.
The last table I made
like this employed a bridal joint and a screw from the bottom.
To the eye the joint never opened. The table surface
stayed dead flat as it was free to move and only rested on
hidden stretchers. Here the short sides are free and the
miter and short sides are not glued, but instead the spline is
only glued to one side and loose on the other.
In detailing the joint
, I slightly round the edges to disguise the surface interface.
Now miters will show about 50 less movement since the direction
of movement is 45 degrees to the joint surface. By
comparison a breadboard end sees 100% differential. This type of
joint works well for KD construction as well , like beds for
example. A single screw secures the joint. Here is
one project for wood movement on a similar table.
Many beginning
woodworkers ignore wood expansion until they make something
and it twists, bows and deforms in some manner. This
project integrates wood expansion into the design. It
acknowledges it, accepts it and celebrates it as a design
solution.
The joinery used
allows for wood movement and therefore it is a very stable
piece. The corner "bridal" joints are held with a
single screw from the bottom. Expansion occurs across
the grain and by drilling larger holes in the end cap I
allowed for 1/8" expansion which is ample. That is only
1/16" per screw. The end caps have "dry"
biscuits to keep
vertical alignment with the top. The wood carrier beams that
the stainless steel legs mount to have "slip" mortise and
tenon joints. These were not glued.
The Peruvian
Walnut was only available in 4/4. To achieve the
thicker section, I laminated 3 pieces edge grain up.
These rails were than joined to the already joined and glued
planks that comprise the top. The stainless legs were
mortised into the rails by hand using a tenon saw and paring
chisel. Any tear out would have ruined the execution.
I jointed and then
hand planed each board to fit... touching at the ends and a
small 1/16" gap at the center. It actually saves time
to carefully prepare each piece... wood fillers are ugly and
take time to apply. This kind of project requires a
variety of skills, but is within most woodworkers ability.
A friend of mine
is a "master" metalworker from Scotland and made the legs.
We have collaborated on many pieces. I draw the
hardware in CAD and a week later its ready. This table was a
gift to my wife a " Peruvian Princess".
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