(Part fifteen, and final entry in the Gathering Table series)
Time to celebrate!
The benches, and thus the project, is complete. The last bit of work involved picking up a bit more teak oil. The total used on the project was just over a quart. I finished up the second bench top and turned to the first – for some reason, there were large areas that were uneven with the finish. I took the top down to 60 grit and worked my way up, and gummed up quite a bit of paper. The result was worth it though, after I rubbed on another two coats. With the finish done on the project, I had to turn to a way to attach the bench tops.
On the table, I used a total of ten attachments, with mortises cut into the inner rails of the base. I couldn’t really do that here, with the base being so narrow. I set about making the stock anyway, trying to figure out a way I could use the new, beefier anchors on the table and the benches. I figured out that if I set the Domino at 25mm to compliment the 30mm holes already drilled, it would be a good way to go. I could also take care of any peaks where it didn’t overlap with a mortising chisel.
So, that takes care of the weak attachments for the table, but the problem still remained with the benches. I turned to the router, where I hoped a rabbeting bit would at least get me close. Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough depth on the bit. Back to square one. Then by a stroke of luck, I found that the Domino just fit between the leg posts. It would be enough. So the benches only have two attachments points on the ends, but I think it will be okay. I batched out enough for the table and benches, plus have enough to repair any that break. I actually have a board of it with instructions so I can duplicate the feat for another project.
I thought I mentioned it before, but I put a small chamfer on the bottom of all the bench legs, since I know they will be moved around much more. I did all of them except the first pair I glued up, so I had to break out the plane for two edges that I couldn’t do on the router table.
