Feasibility & cost of building a dining room table in 12 woodshop classes

[Swingman]

Go for it ...

[Lew Hodgett]

------------------------------------------------------------- "Sw>

-------------------------------------------------------------- It's like chicken soup.

No medicinal value, but hadn't oughta hurt.

Take it, you'll have fun.

Lew

[David L. Martel]

Bill,

3 hrs. sounds pretty good but that's class time. How much of each class is actually shop time. Remember that you can't run the table saw during lectures. Go talk to the teacher. Go look at the shop. Check out the equipment. Remember that you can't use the pipe clamps if someone else has them. I took a simple wood working course in grade school. Getting enough pipe clamps was a pain. Scheduling time on the mitre box was a pain. I think that was the point of the class. Machine shop class was the same. My grandfather was a carpenter with a basement shop. Doing things in his shop was much easier than doing things in a classroom shop. The $25 shop charge for materials suggest a beginner's class and beginners are slow.

Dave M.

[krw]

The class is probably a good idea. You didn't state what area of the country you're in but places like Woodcraft and Rockler (stores that cater to wood workers) offer such courses, too. They have courses targeted a little more specifically, too. In addition, some larger metropolitan areas have a woodworking club or businesses that rent out shop space and tools.

[Gordon Shumway]

Your posts of late have shown a vast increase in intelligence compared to what preceded them.

[Father Haskell]

What finish? Walnut's lovely, but open grained, and needs to be filled if you're using a varnish or lacquer. Figured maple looks amazing with a dyed stain such as Transfast, and will be much easier to finish.

For varnish, nothing better than Rockhard (Behlen's). Phenolic resin base, cures tough and easy to rub.

[Larry Jaques]

I thought you'd found yet another thing to criticize me about. After finding out how you feel about me a few weeks ago, you can kiss my ass. I'd just as soon not hear anything from you again. Feel free to filter me, too.

-- A human being must have occupation if he or she is not to become a nuisance to the world. -- Dorothy L. Sayers

We need to find -jobs- for our CONgresscritters! -- Larry Jaques

[William Don**ly]

I was planning on gluing solid wood together, side by side and not using plywood. At least that's how I would have done it 40 years ago when I was in high school shop class.

[Swingman]

And that coming from the #1 critic of any other finish but that which you deem suitable to your taste?

... go figure.

[Ed Pawlowski]

No way can you finish a table under those circumstances.

Are you taking the class to learn or just to use the tools? Two weeks are just teaching and probably very little hands on except to run a board through the saw. Now you are down to 30 hours total. Will you be allowed to be ripping your wood while the teacher is showing how to use a hand plane? Will you be able to clamp up your top at the same time a dozen other students are trying to clamp up their TV stand or bookcase? Will Norm be there to put in a brad to hold things together?

Take the class, but find a place where you can rent time on the tools. My guess the teacher won't want you planing your wood in the big planer while he is showing how to sharpen a chisel.

[William Don**ly]

I remember in my high school woodshop class 40 years ago that we would turn the "U" curves of the grain the opposite way for each board in order to keep it straight over multiple boards.

I was planning on doing the same if that's still the current technique.

Then, I would outline the curved sides, and probably cut those with a band saw.

I'd router the top edge all around.

I'm not sure how to make the center pedestal but I'm likely going to glue pieces together and then turn them on the lathe.

Again, that's how I would have done it 40 years ago - but I'm not sure what changes have been made to shop equipment over the years.

[Larry Jaques]

Criticizing poly finishes is not calling someone a google-fed airhead, asshole. Go f*ck yourself.

-- A human being must have occupation if he or she is not to become a nuisance to the world. -- Dorothy L. Sayers

We need to find -jobs- for our CONgresscritters! -- Larry Jaques

[dadiOH]

Still the best way IMO. And not that much more expensive. For example, a

4x8 sheet of walnut ply can be had for less than $100. Select, surfaced 4/4 walnut lumber is less than $6/brd.ft so an equivalent amount of would be about $180. However, if your table top is less than 4x8 you won't need an equivalent amount and you won't have part of a plywood sheet left over.

Regarding rounded ends, someone mentioned the necessity of a router compass jig. That's one way of doing it but there is nothing wrong with drawing a line, cutting off with a sabre saw and smoothing the edge with a belt sander. The edge can then be profiled to your liking with a router. The resultant curve may vary slightly from end to end. So what?

[Swingman]

Thank gawd for tagline generators, eh Larry ... otherwise meaningful content would once again be nonexistent.

[Smitty Two]

In addition to other comments, I'll add that the project might be physically too large for the class. I took an adult ed furniture refinishing class years ago, and was told that the dining table I wanted to refinish was too big. Not a time constraint as much as a size constraint, as each participant was allotted 1/2 of a 30" x 8' work table. I ended up just doing the leaves.

[Larry Jaques]

Further proof that you don't know a thing about me. I collect those signature quotes from things I read and from online quotations pages.

I feel sorry for you Cajun-Americans.

Thus ends any dialog between us.

-- There is s no such thing as a hyphenated American who is a good American.  The only man who is a good American is the man who is an American and nothing else.  We are a nation, not a hodge-podge of foreign nationalities.  We are a people, and not a polyglot boarding house. --Theodore Roosevelt

[Swingman]

Much better than original thought, eh?

Your loss ...

[Leon]

Actually I think Swingman was paying you a complement on your tag lines....you know, the part of your posts that makes sense.

[Larry Jaques]

Get a room, you two.

Buh bye!

-- A human being must have occupation if he or she is not to become a nuisance to the world. -- Dorothy L. Sayers

We need to find -jobs- for our CONgresscritters! -- Larry Jaques