Here’s my first attempt at shooting a video with the new camera. It’s not real exciting, but it shows a bit of my approach to the construction. You can see why it’s so slow. I’ll try to do some actual editing and explanation on subsequent videos, this is somewhat of a technical test. I’m pretty happy with the quality considering it was dusk.
Here you can see the curved main rafter. I’ve cut off one end to the proper length, and I’m cutting the notches for attaching the side posts. The uprights will be laminated from a 2×4 and two 1x4s, as you can see here I’m allowing room for the two outside thinner boards to carry on through to the top and the thicker middle will stop below the rafter to hold the weight. I’ll then peg through the sides to fasten together.
For a closer view of the finished rafter end, see the picture in the previous post.
Argh don’t cut your finger exclamation point.
You mean when starting the saw? Don’t worry, it’s hard to see but I have my finger tip above the teeth as a guide. It really helps get the saw lined up and keeping it in line as the cut is started. Also a cut with a handsaw is worlds apart from a power saw, no matter how sharp it is. One of the many benefits of hand tool woodworking.
I don’t know what I meant exactly, just being goofy.
I’m trying to figure out how to put my dining room table (salvaged oak, probably mentioned it when we still lived in AR) together the old fashioned way. Might actually get around to it this year.
I saw your photo. Looks like a good project. Are you planning on running the boards through a jointer (or hand-planning), or leaving it somewhat rustic without tight joints? Either way you’ll probably want to build a box frame to set them on. I’ve seen some really neat butterfly key joints with live edge table tops before but I don’t know if something like that would be worth the time for this project, and it wouldn’t be strong enough without the frame anyway.
I am planning to run the edges through a jointer at this point. The plan is to build the box around (not under) the boards. I have some salvaged oak 2-by material for this (from a house on Elm and Quarter Rd, the boards are from a house in Gentry) that I’ve already planed down — it was very rough — and four or five of the boards have quarter sawn grain on their edges. So in essence the table will have a border of sorts. However, there will probably be some sort of stretcher type support underneath as well, perhaps in the form of a sliding mechanism to add a leaf. Not sure yet.
I’m trying to figure out joinery tonight. At one point I had thought of butterfly joints, or decorative dowels for the surface, but I think I’m going to go a simpler route in order to highlight the beauty of the wood. That is what the project is about after all, this crazy awesome salvaged oak full of worm holes and nail holes. I think I’m going to go with a dead simple box joint, singular box, for the corners of the border, perhaps with a stainless steel dowel on each corner.
We’ll see!