Notes from IPG Meeting #2, May 18, 2019

1. After removing the bent laminated demilune table apron from the mold, Owain removes the sharp bumps of dried glue with a belt sander.  The glue is too hard for saw blades or router bits.

2. The bandsaw fence is adjusted for drift prior to trimming off the glued edges of the laminated apron.  Then the edges are jointed to clean up the apron for layout.  Owain recommends using white pastel leaded pencils for marking on walnut.

3.  A doweling jig is used to drill three 1/4 inch reference holes of approximate 1.5-inch depth in the top and bottom edges of the apron.  Next, the top 1-inch of the apron is sliced off at the bandsaw.  The bandsaws edges are jointed to clean up each piece.  Now an approximate 1.2 inch slice is cut off the bottom of the apron, again using the bandsaw.  Both pieces are cleaned up at the jointer.

4.  The three pieces of the apron are now dry-fitted together using dowels to hold the pieces in the proper orientation.  The apron is now placed on the template allowing for the layout of the drawer cuts in the middle piece of the apron.  Owain uses a bevel gauge to duplicate the angle of the drawer sides from the template onto a 3/8 inch piece of plywood that will be used as a sled. He screws the apron piece to the plywood to allow for consistent, accurate parallel cuts through the apron. The drawer cuts are done at the table saw using a crosscut sled adjusted to the the proper layout angle and locations.  The ~3 inch wide middle slice of the apron will now be crosscut into three unequal sections with the middle section being temporarily removed for later use as the drawer face

At this point Owain references Adrian Ferrazzutti, a furniture maker, woodworking teacher and Fine Woodworking author (web page www.ferrazzuttifurniture.com and Instagram @ferrazzuttifurniture ).

5.   Glue up of bottom middle and top pieces of the apron are now done using the dowel holes with dowels to get the proper orientation of each piece, with the cutout for the drawer now clearly and accurately defined, matching the layout on the template.  The ledger is removed (unscrewed) from the mold. The apron is now positioned back on the mold and carefully wrapped with a mesh material before placement into the vacuum press.

5.  Owain discusses veneer options for the apron and rift sawn stock for the table legs.  As this session was winding down Owain shared a bit of woodworking wisdom with us by asking

"How do you make a small fortune as a woodworker?  Start with a large fortune!"

6. Layout of the bridal joint cuts was discussed. The cuts will be done at the bandsaw and the bottom of the joint will be cleaned up with a chisel.  When doing the layout for the cheek cuts, Owain uses his chisel as a reference for setting the spacing.  For the joinery cuts, he always does the setup cuts on a same-dimensioned piece of poplar.  At the end of the first cut, set up a stop to make consistent depth cuts.

A 1/4 inch spiral up-cut router bit to make shallow 1/8 inch cuts along one cheek (both edges of the cheek).