query - order of operations

Folks -

I'm about to start on the mission coffee table and pair of side tables. All three table tops are solid oak, the lower shelf on the coffee table will be QS oak ply w/solid edging. I will be using the new General Int'l MM and a tenoning jig on the TS for the bulk of the joinery.

Like many of you, I am working in a converted ga**ge, so space and workflow are issues. I've been thinking about the order in which I should do the work for the best quality and efficiency.

Here's my thinking so far:

Select & match grain for all table tops, drawer fronts and front aprons, rough cut, mark and set aside Rough cut all legs, spindles and aprons Do all the joinery, test fit all table base parts Cut coffee table lower shelf out of oak ply, edge and profile, test fit Make drawer assemblies Install and "tune" drawers, drawer fronts Glue up table top Cut to size, profile Test final fits of everything, disassemble Sand and prefinish components/subassemblies as needed Glue up Finish

Love to hear feedback either way - I've got about 18' of 8/4 6~8" wide QSWO and those two boards are HEAVY! I'm a bit reluctant, on some levels, to make that first cut - but the feeling will pass in a moment.

After this it's an entertainment center...

John

For those pieces, I don't think it matters much.

I'd get the tops started soon, because they're big and awkward. You also want any jointing glue ups to have plenty of time to cure. Quite possibly you don't have enough space / clamps to do all at once, so it's two passes.

Then I'd make the frames. Possibly I thicknessed and jointed the stock for this much earlier, when I'd re-arranged the workshop to allow big stock to be moved around easily. My thicknesser usually sits in a corner and needs to come out on a trestle stand to be used.

The very last thing I'd cut is the plywood shelf (and its edging). This is easy - not much scope for going wrong. However it's easy to mis-cut a tenon in the framing and find you've made the whole thing perfectly, but 1/2" too long or something (we've all done it). It's easier to make the plywood fit the frame than the other way around.

I like to use ammonia fuming for this style. I'd do some of that (maybe just offcuts) right at the start when I bought the materials, because it's often hard to match shades between different board of oak timber, let alone on plywood.