Maple Side Table

I started construction on a Norway Maple side table for a customer. This is the second time I've built a project utilizing this wood. It has a nice color but doesn't work as well as Red Maple. The customer air-dried the lumber carefully (it has sentimental value) but it has still moved quite considerably since it was brought into the workshop. I'm currently selecting and cutting pieces intentionally over-sized to acclimate them as long as possible.

Final Piece, with 3 coats of Waterlox finish/sealer. I rubbed out the finish with a brown paper bag on the last coat to smooth out the satin finish.

The finalized plan. I usually don't work off of exact ones.

Top is glued up and and flattened. I will be using an intentional asymmetrical theme for this table, such as the live edge front tapering off one of the front edges

Careful selection of pieces from the available lumber for character and quality is important. The pile slowly diminished as I re-planed and weeded out highly twisted boards, although they're available for secondary pieces.

Making a template for the front and side scroll-work.

Sneaking up on the right proportions for the front frame and drawer fronts.

Dovetailing front rail for strength

Test-fitted rail, nice and snug joinery before any glue. Once all the joinery is complete I will taper the legs accordingly. Right now they look pretty blocky.

Bored holes after marking mortises. The mortise in the foreground is complete.

Photo of table legs as seen from the "back"of the table. Beer time.

Marking, cutting and smoothing leg tapers.

Cutting the tenon faces. Because of the width of the skirt, each tenon will be cut into two separate ones to deal with wood movement.

Big pile of table parts

Cheeks and shoulders of tenons cut.

A 45 degree relief was sawed into the end of the tenon where it will contact another one. This allows maximum glue surface as opposed to cutting the whole tenon shorter. 

Fitting skirt to legs

Cutting and fairing curves on the skirt pieces. I try to do as much as possible with spoke shave and rasp before sandpaper comes into play.

Fitting central drawer support to the front and back skirt

Dry assembled to check for fit, then glue-up with hide glue. Pegs will be added after a day or so of drying.

Tweaking proportion of top and back-splash.

Putting a chamfer on the leg bottoms to help prevent splinters when the table is slid on a floor. 

Fitting the drawer fronts, the first step in creating the drawers.

Adding grooves to the boards for the drawer sides and backs

Dry-fitting the drawers

Drawers fitted.

Leaves dyed

Couldn't help putting a leaf in a drawer.