Now that the leg pieces are cut to their rough shape, we need to focus on blending the parts using the router, the ball mill, and the rasp. Its a process that has a lot of wiggle room depending on your tool preferences and the final shape you are trying to achieve. I also tackle the initial work on the table top, which turns out to be a little tricky due to the size and weight of the pieces. And even though I’m not completely done with the project, I have to start the finishing process for strategic reasons.

Topics Covered:

• Creating the “rounded look” using roundover bits.
• Shaping and blending using a ball mill, a rasp, and sandpaper.
• A clever way to use custom cauls for clamping the angled legs.
• Using epoxy and a high density filler as an adhesive.
• Planing the 14″ wide 6/4 mahogany pieces for the table top using the skip planing technique.
• Using hand planes to prep a long edge for power jointing.
• Alternative ways of prepping an edge for jointing.
• Gluing up the top.
• Creating a template for the curved ends of the table top.
• Finishing strategy (the bottom of the table top)

Other Parts in this Series
Part 1
Part 3

Products Used:

West System Epoxy Resin – You can also purchase larger quantities with a pump that meters out the perfect amount. This stuff lasts a long time too!

West System Epoxy Hardener – The hardener is available in both slow and fast varieties. For most projects, I use Fast, which actually gives me 5-10 minutes of working time. Slow is good for those really tricky glueups.

Cabinet Maker’s Rasp – The #49 cabinet maker’s rasp allows me to shape wood fairly quickly with a great deal of control. On projects like this, I’d be lost without it.

Rotary Burrs – Unfortunately, the 1″ ball mill shown in the video is very hard to come by. I recommend using a kit like this instead. They are smaller, but that may be advantageous on other projects.

Electric Die Grinder – This is the new version of the Makita die grinder I use. You can get a pneumatic die grinder if you have a decent compressor. For me, the electric version was much more practical.

My Shop Journal articles for this project:

Trestle Table – Playing with Curves
Trestle Table – The Dreaded Prototype

Well here it is: the big finale!! This video focuses primarily on finishing techniques and the attachment of the top to the table. I will warn you ahead of time that there are a lot of Wood Whisperer musings in this episode. This End Table series proved to be one of the most challenging and thought-provoking sets of videos I have ever produced. So needless to say, I had a few thoughts and conclusions that I felt I needed to share. Thanks for playing along everyone and enjoy! Oh and one more thing, nothing will prepare you for the first 25 seconds!

End Table (Pt. 1)
End Table (Pt. 2)
End Table (Pt. 3)
End Table (Pt. 4)
End Table (Pt. 5)
End Table (Pt. 6)

Time for the fun stuff! The legs are routed and then shaped by hand with a cabinet-maker’s rasp. I then show you how you can use card scrapers and sandpaper to achieve the smoothest finish possible. And finally we will glue all the legs to the center pieces. I finish up by requesting suggestions for a top to the table. What would you do? And here is the link for the rasp I used in the show. It’s the 10” Pattern Maker Cabinet Rasp, 2nd Cut, #49.

End Table (Pt. 1)
End Table (Pt. 2)
End Table (Pt. 3)
End Table (Pt. 4)
End Table (Pt. 5)
End Table (Pt. 6)