And here's what I use to join the metal; i call it "metallic blob deposition and removal;" craftsman calls it "welding."

Fantastic!

Nice router. I have a handheld cheap router, and it is not easy to use it. When I use it, I must practice a few runs on some scrap wood.

 

Strantor - You have a lovely router table. I have an old B&D router which I use with a clamped guide line. I think what your wife wants is an entree table for serving hors d'oeuvre.

 

Strantor - You have a lovely router table. I have an old B&D router which I use with a clamped guide line. I think what your wife wants is an entree table for serving hors d'oeuvre.

Holy crap,, ONTRAY. how did I not make the connection? do you want to move in with me and translate my wife for me (LOL)?. English isn't her first language. She's been steadily improving her english skills over the past 6yrs we've been married, and I've made very little improvement in my ability to know WTF she's talking about when she doesn't use the right words.

 

I like woodworking on smaller projects, especially on small cases for electronics and useful machines. Already have a small case planned out in vintage look something like TV sets from 60s.Still nred to finish that damn CNC that I started on....

 

Holy crap,, ONTRAY. how did I not make the connection? do you want to move in with me and translate my wife for me (LOL)?. English isn't her first language. She's been steadily improving her english skills over the past 6yrs we've been married, and I've made very little improvement in my ability to know WTF she's talking about when she doesn't use the right words.

That would be entrée.

 

That would be entrée.

Yeah that's what i said, ON-TRAAYY

 

When I first moved here I got interested in mesquite and iron wood.
Mad a few lamps, most of which I sold, but here is an iron wood piece. The face cracks are filled with copper.
This stuff is as hard as a rock and so dense it won't float.

 

Ok, I'm done enough to post pics .

"Welding" complete, metal painted, table top Sanded, router'd, and mounted.



Bolts underneath



All lacker'd up




The lacquer isn't dry in the pics. Once it dries it won't be that shiny. I'll have to put a few more coats to make it stay that shiny when it's dry.

I painted the metal with rustoleum hammered dark bronze. That paint is pretty awesome stuff. I couldn't get a good pic of it, but it's like wall texture for metal, in that hides your booboos and makes it look nice.

I really didn't want to paint the metal at all. It was rusty before I started, and after I wire wheel'd it, I really liked the post-rusty patina on it. I wanted to just clear coat over the patina, but the huge shiny spots where I had ground off all that disgusting weld blob was too much contrast, it wouldn't have looked good. Here's what I'm talking about:

The one on the right (just wire wheeled rusty metal) is the finish I wanted.

 

@ronv how did you fill the cracks with copper? Does molten copper naturally adhere to wood? Do you have to Flux the wood? That would just feel weird, fluxing wood. That doesn't sound right either, "hey, stop fluxing your wood and get in here!"

 

@ronv how did you fill the cracks with copper? Does molten copper naturally adhere to wood? Do you have to Flux the wood? That would just feel weird, fluxing wood. That doesn't sound right either, "hey, stop fluxing your wood and get in here!"

Yea, that would be fluxed up. It's a fine powder mixed with an epoxy like stuff.

 

What do you guys think about this rustic "Industrial" style of furniture?

This is pretty close to the look I was shooting for with the table, and I hit my mark exactly (except for the painted steel). I'm (and more importantly my wife is) very happy with the table, and it is just the first of many pieces. Over the next few years I intend to replace all the furniture in my house with a matching set/style of handmade furniture.

This "Combine 9 Design" brand of handmade Rustic/Vintage Industrial furniture is the spark that lit my interest in making my own furniture. It's really nice in my and my wife's eyes (and really expensive!) but I think most of it is a little too dungeony and dark. I'm shooting for more of a "rustic" look, as in "rusty" - hence why I was so disappointed with not being able to leave the rusty patina on the metal. Also, I want my wood more lively and light colored; pretty much exactly as I achieved with the table and the closet shelves.

 

Do a Google on "faux patina". Lots of stuff on how to do it. some companies even make kits of needed supplies. One of many -
http://www.valsparpaint.com/en/how-to/interior/decorative-paints/metals-and-patinas.html

 

Do a Google on "faux patina". Lots of stuff on how to do it. some companies even make kits of needed supplies. One of many -
http://www.valsparpaint.com/en/how-to/interior/decorative-paints/metals-and-patinas.html

Thanks! I knew about the faux patina paint and chalk paint for wood but it didn't occur to me that the same type of products were available for metal. I'll try some out and see if I can get the results I want, using a faux patina. If those don't give me the desired result, I'll fall back to my original plan of welding up my furniture frames and setting them in the back yard for a few months to rust before wire wheeling and clear coating. That wasn't an option for this table because the wife wanted it in the living room ASAP to set Christmas decor on.

 

I am a woodworker wannabe with about the same skill level in woodworking as I have in electronics (not professional,) but I enjoy dabbling in both. I have a good portable table saw (Bosch) and the normal assortment of hand tools. I have a router that I bought a few months ago, but it's still in the box waiting for me to build a table for it.

 

Is a table saw (one that you have to pay for) a worthwhile investment for me in making all this furniture? Until now in situations where I imagined a table saw would be handy, I use a circular saw. I clamp my builder's square to the wood and use it as a guide for my circular saw to get perfect 90deg cuts. It takes a little time, which hasn't been appreciable so far, but maybe it will become so. What do you use for? Cutting 4x8 plywood and such? Or cutting smaller boards? Most of my work will be smaller boards and i imagine a radial arm miter saw would suit me better.

 

Is a table saw (one that you have to pay for) a worthwhile investment for me in making all this furniture? Until now in situations where I imagined a table saw would be handy, I use a circular saw. I clamp my builder's square to the wood and use it as a guide for my circular saw to get perfect 90deg cuts. It takes a little time, which hasn't been appreciable so far, but maybe it will become so. What do you use for? Cutting 4x8 plywood and such? Or cutting smaller boards? Most of my work will be smaller boards and i imagine a radial arm miter saw would suit me better.

My table saw is indispensable, but then I have never used a radial arm saw. I use the table saw for everything possible and try to avoid using my circular saw. A cross-cut sled is a great home-built addition to the table saw. Ripping a 4 x 8 sheet of plywood is difficult on my table saw because of the relatively small table. When possible, I have sheets of plywood ripped on the panel saw at the home center before I bring them home.

I also do some construction of outbuildings and the like, so being able to take the table saw to the building site is really good.

 

Back when I was doing a lot of woodworking my main cutting tools were a Makita circular saw (the older version when the base was still a solid 1/8 of metal) and my routers. Had plenty of saw guides so I could cut exactly to any line, but my favorite trick for multiple identical pieces was to make one perfect, then use it as a template to route out the other pieces.

 

My main motivation to get the table saw was the price - zero. (Never mind the cost of a good blade for it!) I've been following saws on Craigslist for a while and ended up getting a nice miter saw last year, but I keep looking and jumped in the van when this table saw hit the curb.

Once you have a circular saw and a rip guide (like this), and a nice miter saw, you've really got a lot of cutting covered. The table saw will allow me to rip lumber but I've never ripped anything but plywood before, so it's not exactly an urgent need.

I found a nice looking knee switch. Maybe a good addition for my xmas list. It has a 16A rating but also is rated for 1/2HP. My table saw is 12A and, I assume, quite a bit over 1/2HP. So I'm a bit perplexed. Are they worried about starting current? I suppose I need this one.

 

I want this type of saw to cut plywood sheets. But it is out of reach - for now.

 

Yeah, that would be sweet along with a pole barn to put my workshop in.