Andrew J. Wainwright - Fine Woodwork

The finished piece...

Glue-up is a nerve wracking process for woodworkers. It is a make or break time where hours of meticulous labour and fine materials can be lost in a matter of minutes.
I try and plan carefully, have whatever tools and materials necessary on hand. Still, no matter how many times one "dry fits" a piece, the glue adds another element...
In this case, all went well. Note the tapered cauls I made that conform to the radius and taper of the legs.

The legs turned out well, and the mortises are nice and crisp after removing the sacrificial blocks of cedar...

I've started on my first piece of the New Year. It is to be a coffee table, fairly contemporary in design, and whose shape came to me some time ago.

The legs will be turned round, and their mortises for the tenons of the understructure have to be very precise, as they are completely visible. After squaring up the hard maple blanks, I cut the mortises with a router, finishing them with a chisel. A lot easier to do this while the blanks are square! I also cut a shoulder for the top of the leg, and chamfered the blanks to make the turning process faster.

Finally, to protect the edge of the mortises from tear-out while turning, I wedged in little blocks of sacrificial cedar, visible in the close-up.

Long overdue photos of the dressers!