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Monday, March 3, 2014

Butterfly tables by Michael Fortune

Works with any base. The table in the magazine had a standard base, but this table has one thats definitely non-standard. Still, the same technique for making the leaf was used.
Photo: Michael Fortune
I have one of the best jobs in the world, at least if you love furniture making. And one of my favorite parts of the job is working with our authors, like Michael Fortune. His design chops are first rate, but Im even more impressed by his technical skill in the shop. He is a true master of the craft. Thats why his article in FWW #220, "Finest Way to Expand a Table," is such a wonderful contribution to furniture making. Not only is the tables aesthetic design elegant, its technical design is exquisite, too. He has taken something which could be a nightmare to figure out and presented it in a way that all of us can understand. Before this, the butterfly table was something only the most advanced furniture makers could execute. Hoewever, its now something that just about all of us can do, because he has clarified and simplified the most complicated part: figuring out where to put the pivots. And even if you cant do it now, its certainly within your reach not too far down the road.
The reason Michael is able to present the technique in a clear and easy to understand manner is that hes done all the hard work, making a lot of butterfly tables and learning his lessons. Id thought it would be nice to show you some of his other work. Enjoy.
(By the way, Ive always found that the truly gifted people are those who can take complicated material and present it in a way that makes it seem easy. Thank goodness for Michael Fortune and all of the other wonderful authors writing for FWW! Id be a worse furniture maker without them and the craft would be far less healthy.)
posted in: blogs, michael fortune, butterfly table
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Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Cutting Tenons by Hand

The new saws in the post below couldnt have arrived at a better time. I am building a quilt stand and it calls for a through tenon on the stretcher. I couldnt wait to do these by hand verses setting up the tenon jig for my table saw. For those of you that have done this before, there probably isnt anything new, but for those, like me, who have never tried it, I thought I would document the steps I took to finish the tenons. Not sure this is the "right" order of cuts, but it worked for me.

(1) Once I marked the dimensions on the stock, I began my cut by tilting the saw back for the back edge, forward for the front, then cut down through. (2) Once those cuts are completed, rotate the stock and cross cut on both sides, flips the board and repeat. (3) Cut each side of the tenon following your markings and clean up with a chisel to fit.

The tenons came out great (better than the photo) and I didnt compare the time difference between the machine and the hand saw because I did take time to shoot the photos.