I put the rough cut pieces on the chop saw today and cut them to rough length. I need to joint 2 edges and then cut the other two sides. I have a plan in SegCalc to make the table.
The original video had stained the wood very dark. Not sure yet if I will leave the oak natural or stain it. The inlay will need to be a light wood like maple or sycamore to show up well.
This is an ambitious plan but if you dont push you do not advance.
Some progress from yesterday. Got all the rough pieces cut to length and squared up. Will be cutting the segments out after I use my Shapeoko to make a Wedgie for 8 Segments per ring. I have from 12 up but never made an 8 segment wedgie. It is a 22.5 degree with 45 degree included angle. Should not take long to cut.
I hate using tabs but because this is so big I dont want to spend the time using painters tape and super glue. The tabs are in places that will not affect the accuracy of using the Wedgie.
For those wondering what a Wedgie Sled and the Wedgies are here is a picture of my segment cutting sled.
I made a course correction. I went into the software SegCalc and changed from 8 sides to 12. Surprisingly the length of each layer decreased. So my sled was already setup and verified for 12 segments per layer. Got to cutting. Since I had extra material I made extra segments and marked each layer and the extras. The reason for the extras is some of this wood had cracks and bug holes. This way I just swap out any bad segments.
Next is sanding 180 pieces with 220 grit paper on all 6 sides. Then gluing and waiting overnight for the glue to set. Then onward and upward.
Here is the dry fit of the table. It measures 24.5" high without the top on it.
I am about 1/3 through with this project. The second third will be gluing the project together layer by layer and then turning it round. The third third will be sanding and finishing. Well maybe 4’s because I need to mill up the top and inlay it.
The original video had the table stained a dark color. My debate is over the top. If I inlay it I cannot stain the top without staining the inlay. So I am thinking about staining the base dark and using maple or sycamore for the top and inlay mesquite dragon. Still just thinking about it because I have a long way to go before that decision has to be made.
Hit a roadblock. I got all the layers glued up and started running them through my Jet drum sander. On the second layer the conveyor belt got a tear so that meant replacing the belt. I went to the parts bin and there was a spare belt but when I pulled it down it had a tear which I must have already replaced in the past. I keep the conveyor belts and glue them to mdf to make great sanding boards.
I ordered a couple of belts and they will be here in maybe a week. So this project is stalled until I can flatten the 15 layers. There are other ways to flatten rings but I would have to retool and I will just wait for the conveyor belts.
Such is the life of a woodworker. Just as you get a full head of steam up the boiler fire goes out.
I have plenty of other projects to work on. Like cutting grass and finishing up a bathroom project. None of which I like to do.
