6 Days to Aurora – Day 3

Article - March 11, 2009

Today, we got a glimpse of the final product as parts started to come together. The day was capped with few glueups, but began with the selection and prep of the table top stock. With such a beautiful table, it was imperative that we select a board with stunning grain. Even in its rough state, we could see the beauty that was under the surface of this 5/4 board. We measured, marked, milled, and arranged the boards in the most pleasing way possible. What do you think of that mahogany? Can you imagine that with a coat of finish?!?! Yowza!

We then set out to make the ebony plugs. They were cut from long ebony sticks of various thicknesses. To create the rounded “pillow” at the top of the peg, Darrell has this sweet jig which he explains how to build in his book. Once shaped, we refined the surface with increasing grits of sandpaper and finally a buffing at the low-speed grinder. The tip is then cut off by hand and the process is repeated. And if you are Brad, you can also use this saw to create a neat little droplet of red liquid on your finger!

I finished up today with a quick dry assembly and a glueup. Pictured below are all the separate parts. Everything was assembled using loose tenon joinery. Fortunately, the dry-fit looked perfect. So I proceeded with the first sub-assembly, and left it to set up overnight. I can’t wait to get back and finish gluing up the rest of base tomorrow.

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