Zebrawood Conference table

[Mark Placek]

Did you plane the pieces for the top prior to glue-up?
Also, how did you smooth out the finish after glue-up?

Allan,

All the wood was planed, I was very fortunate to have the use of a 24" rotary planer; this reduces the amount of tear out.
I have a 24" double drum sander that came in very handy with this project.

The top is made of 12 pieces glued together. I made it in 3 sections to allow me handle them easier.
I sanded the panels in the drum sander then straightened them using a 3 1/2 horse router with a 4" straight carbide bit.

I used polyurethane (Gorilla) glue, no need to use biscuits with so much gluing surface.
The nice thing I found with Gorilla glue is that it fills tiny voids in the joints.
I now use Titebond 3 for all my projects and the exotic woods bowls I also make, and it is a lot easier to clean up.

I used a belt sander to clean-up the other glue joints after the top was glued together. I was lucky to get very nice wood from Advantage.

I hope this answers your questions.

[John Thompson]

Excellent piece...

Sarge..