As most here know, I have been trying to build a Coffee Table...to replace a storage/moving Tub sitting in the Living Room. Requirements were to be the same size as the tub, same shape for the Lid ( hinged, of course) and have storage under that lid...all out of Ash

Top?

Made as a glue up of 3 planks...

This is the "Pattern" the lid needs to match...but NOT the holes for your hands ( would break off anyway)

Something like this?

Leg Blanks...

2pc glue ups...needed planed square, and the ends trimmed square..

The "Armstrong" Trimmer....you need both arms for this one..

Legs are "roughed out", needed to then find out how long the Aprons needed to be, including the 1/2" long tenons

Stay tuned...

Lookin' Good! I like that shape for the top.

Tenons needed milled..so..

Going with 1/2" deep tenons..

Test the set up on a piece of scrap, first...

I don't have the Dado Throat Plate for this saw, so, I just nibble my way towards the fence.

Then, since I can't stand the apron up to cut the ends a bit...

About 2-1/2" too tall....have to do it the old fashioned way..

Combo square to mark a stop line....saw to the line...mallet and chisel to pop the waste off..

Rinse and repeat...

Work my way around for all 4 aprons..

Which means I need to go to the next step..

Set up a Mortise Jig....have 8 Mortises to chop out...6mm wide, by 1/2" deep...

Stay tuned...

Mortises....I use a jig to hold things still long enough to chop out a mortise....however, the last time it was used, it was for 3/4" thick stock....so..

Remove one "jaw", set a leg and the rest of the parts in the vise...re-install the 2 screws (red "x" was the old spot)then flip this over...

3 screws to attach it to the benchtop, right over the leg of the bench...add a clamp..

Remember to slide the part forward enough to allow the Mortise Gauge room to work..

Nothing real fancy with the tools...6mm Mortise chisel, 24mm paring chisel. Stanley No. 77 Mortises gauge, Narrow chisel to scrape the bottom of the mortise clean ( Crumb work), Choice of Mallets and a small square...

takes a while to do 8 mortises, but, I am in no real hurry, anyway...

Just a dry fit....will try a glue up later..

Stay tuned..

Details, always the details...

Start here...

Adjust the placement of the Bandsaw a bit...install a new blade...

Taper the 2 inside faces...clean up the saw marks with a plane..

Next, drag this box out

Some assembly required..

Comes with it's own screwdrivers...

Select a #23 bead cutter...install..

Arrange to plough some beads onto the aprons..

Each apron gets a single bead along the bottom edge..

As for those screws through the tenons? Only the glue will those holes...

Next?

First bead, rotate 90 degrees, run a second bead down the same corner..

Use that block plane to round over the other 3 corners...

Almost ready for a glue up?

Stay tuned...

Glue up?

Start here....glue on a tenon or 2..work my way around..

Making sure I am on the layout marks...

9 clamps? the 9th one was to pull the diagonals to within a 1/16" of both being 29-3/8".....got it down to 1/64"..

Need to let this sit a day or 2....

Meanwhile..

10 more clamps, to make 4 1 x 8 x 6' pine planks into 2 3/4 x 14-1/2" x 72" sides for the Pantry Cupboard Project...

Needed to move a mitersaw out of the way..

This is the smaller of the 2 I have...can use it for all the smaller part's cuts, like for building small boxes...

Still using this one, as well...

Stay tuned..

Pantry cupboard and a coffee table!!! The rest of us husbands don’t have a chance at this year’s award!!!!

Clamps had to come off, all 9 of them...

Will need to put them away...along with the 10 clamps on the pine slabs...and get the slabs off of the table saw...

Top edges needed leveled....needed to fix one corner..

Clamps..19 of them..needed hung up and out of the way, as I needed the tablesaw for a bit of slip work..

3 of the 4 I needed. I then had to cut them to length...we have ways

Seems to work, just have to set up WHERE the blade will be a-cutting....

Slips, they are called..they support a plywood panel to make the bottom of the storage compartment

3 Clamps per slip, goal is to keep them level...

Plywood panel...I was going to use this one..

But, could not extract it from underneath all of that Pine Lumber....trip to Lowes for a 1/4" x 24" x 24" panel...and a few other goodies...

Standing up out of the way...

Set up to do a bit of metal working..

Waiting around, needed to attach this to the base, so.

Set this up..as the hinges needed one leaf bent twice...

I also needed to add a bit of clearance for when the lid is opened up..

Japanese trim saw to cross cut down to the level of the apron...then a wide chisel to pop off the waste..

Something like this..

Used a piece of scrap to get the 2 bends right....then install the hinges....to the case first, then to the lid...

And make sure the lid works as planned...

And.... it closes up front, gap free, and not be hinge-bound..

Just need to sand this down, add a stain and a coat of Warm Gloss Poly...

Stay tuned...

Almost forgot....that plywood panel...

Ran a bead of glue all around on the slips...as that will do most of the holding action...once I cut that panel to size on the tablesaw, and notch the corners with the bandsaw

Add a few screws to act as "clamps"

Stay tuned...

Finishing....3 steps..

Start here..with...

A fancy little tool like this...end up using these...

I also had to buy..

Quart of Gunstock stain...a few cheap brushes and...

A bundle of rags to wipe down the stain, after it is brushed on...

Inside first, then the underside..then..

Work my way around all the outside areas, and the top of the lid last..

Once a rag gets filled up....

They get tossed...and later were taken out to the Fire Pit....so that IF they should start anything...no harm done...

Let the stain dry a day....then open up the can of Warm Gloss Poly, and go over everything in the same order the Stain was applied in...

After letting this sit a couple hours....used a clean rag, a lot of pressure and hand speed to simply rub this down....then, let it dry overnight...

Carrying this from the shop and into the house...was not the most "Fun"...But....The Boss wasted no time in filling it back up...and getting rid of the Storage Tub that this replaced...

Thanks for looking in!

Very nice!

2 hours ago, steven newman said:

Boss wasted no time in filling it back up

...and it looks absolutely awesome setting there!!!

Best projects are the custom ones that you are able to see/use/appreciate on a daily basis.

Love it.The hinge detail is unique and sets it all off.