Multiple Joints

[Munroast]

Apparently can't ask question in "Your Projects" so may be someone in here can make some suggestions

Been asked to do a small table and they were wanting me to use some old bits of workbench (school science lab) think the wood is Iroko ? (don't know much about it, have never worked with it before)

Problem is, it is all full of holes and shakes, it was suggested I hide these with inlays, but that probably won't work out to well, the faults will be all in the wrong place

I was thinking of cutting triangles out so as to miss the bad bits and join them together into some sort of octogon, it could be nice with all the grain running from the centre outwards - but how difficult will it be to get the angles right? - is this just a mad idea, i don't want to ruin the wood

 

[pete01]

OMG I thought youd gone on a marijuana binge

 

[yorksbuilder]

Iroko is great to work with, I did a school project using reclaimed Iroko science lab desk tops, the chemicals had hardly touched it
Its amazing wood, like a cheaper teak, think twice before chopping it up, but if you do and biscuit joint it you can get nice smoorh joints with no gaps

 

[endecotp]

I was thinking of cutting triangles out so as to miss the bad bits and join them together into some sort of octogon, it could be nice with all the grain running from the centre outwards - but how difficult will it be to get the angles right?

I think that’s a great idea, but yes you are right to worry about how to achieve a good result. Practice on something else first.

 

[Munroast]

looks like to avoid all the holes it will have to be 12 sided (12 triangles) and here lies the problem, 12 angles at 30°, if i am just a tenth of a degree out for each that will add up to 1.2° which would be a 6mm gap -

So can't do it in a one'r - may be make two halves than re-pane the edge so that they align /

then problem two, very difficult to biscuit join non paralell pieces - clamps don't work like that - will need to make specialised jig to hold them together

and a very accurate jig to cut out 12 very precise triangles

don't want to go back to the woman and say ' that very important wood you entrusted me with - its .....

 

[endecotp]

may be make two halves than re-pane the edge so that they align

There’s going to be a conspicuous point in the middle where the points meet, and any error that you correct by planing will result in that not being a single point.

Have you considered inlaying something along the joins, perhaps with a round inlay in the centre?

Otherwise, maybe some other shape would be better. Perhaps a rectangle made from pieces with alternating grain directions?

 

[foxhole]

I would start by sanding back and use saw dust created to fill holes with wood glue .
If it doesn’t improve it then nothing lost except your time .

 

[Munroast]

I've cut them all out - went well I think, quite close with the angles
I am going to do an inlay in the centre cause all them thin bits is bound to look messy
hoping to do an inlay of beech like a big sun, but will see how the first bit goes

decided to glue them up 3 at a time, so made a jig to get them very tight, one biscuit in each join - you can see the pencil mark

 

[mrrusty]

What you could do is glue it all up and when tight and solid, run a 6mm router cutter down each joint, and tap in some 6x6mm bead in a contrasting colour. Sand flat. Maybe even cut a circle in the middle and inlay a circle.

I did this with some mahogany once - inlaid a lighter bead. It looked grand.

 

[Munroast]

What you could do is glue it all up and when tight and solid, run a 6mm router cutter down each joint, and tap in some 6x6mm bead in a contrasting colour. Sand flat. Maybe even cut a circle in the middle and inlay a circle.

I did this with some mahogany once - inlaid a lighter bead. It looked grand.

I have done that cheat before, and it may be a way of rescueing the table if it all goes wrong - but I am trying my damnedest to get it perfect - there will be an inlay in the centre, where all 12 bits meet in the middle won't look good, and I am intending some big inlay in beech to represent the sun

thats the exciting thing with projects like this - never really sure how they will turn out, mistakes and errors can change the plan

when i turned this leg I had rather stupidly attached the face plate with long screws, so I had ended up with 3 stupid faults where the screw points had popped out - idiotic job planing - all not lost, inlayed a bit of dark wood and made it an eye catching feature

 

[Odds]

OMG I thought youd gone on a marijuana binge

 

[Munroast]

Made another jig so as I could glue the two quarters into a half - the big moment will be when I make the two halves into a whole, hoped they haven't warped or anything

and the middle bit looks better than I expected

 

[opps]

I would start by sanding back and use saw dust created to fill holes with wood glue .
If it doesn’t improve it then nothing lost except your time .

Jenkins make a cellulose based product that you can add the saw dust to.

Jenkins Gel Joint Wood Floor Filler - Restorate

Jenkins Joint Filler Gel is a nitrocellulose based joint filler, which is mixed 50/50 with sawdust to produce a filler for floor joint gaps up to 5mm wide.

restorate.co.uk

 

[Munroast]

Both halves done, and quite close, about 1 to 2 mm out - should be able to pair them up well on the planner

 

[big-all]

100% not a criticism as it’s brilliant
you have started some correctly as in angle both edges [half triangle cut off to start]
others you have done the full angle for both edges on one edge as in parallel one edge and double the other but as i say comment only meant to clarify why some bits look different to others ---brilliant job