Building a Federal Style Table with Veneering and Inlay

[Mike Allen1010]

This is the first post of my attempt to build a federal style table in mahogany modeled after one in a Fine Woodworking article by Steve Latta. This will be a semicircular table and intended to go against the wall in a hallway, unlike the more typical “card table” design where the top folds open to create a round surface.

I’ve done a limited amount of inlay before, but virtually no veneering. This will be my first attempt to do the string inlay and Bellflower inlay on the legs often seen in federal tables. I’m not really sure what I’ll do with the tabletop but I’m considering some sort of design with different types of veneer, which is certainly waaaay over my head.

The curved apron is built with a “Brick Laying” construction using 5 layers of 4/4 pine built up to achieve the 3 ½” height of the apron.I started with a plywood template and then tried to figure out the angles I need to cut the first layer of pine to fit with the curved apron profile. I tried using geometry to determine the angles but that was an utter train wreck, so I ended up just making paper templates that looked right..









Grooves are plowed in the end grain to accept splines that will strengthen the joints between the pieces that make up each layer.







Here’s the first layer glued up.




I clamp the first layer to the template to draw the curved profile and then saw the curves on my cheesy bandsaw (the most difficult tool for me to tune correctly).

[Mike Allen1010]

After the curves are rough sawn, I screw the bottom layer to the template and fair the curve with a spoke shave and block plane.



The joints are staggered between adjacent layers and the layers are glued together. Screws in the waste area help secure each layer while the glue dries.




Next is dimensioning the mahogany legs: their 1 5/8” square at the apron and immediately below the apron start tapering to 7/8” square at the bottom. The two front legs are tapered on three sides, while the back legs are only tapered on the front and inside surfaces.






I really have trouble visualizing things in three dimensions so laying out the taper on the legs required double and triple checking to make sure I wasn’t tapering the wrong sides – I hate when I do that!
It was much easier for me to saw the tapers with a rip saw, than to try and figure out a jig for running them through the bandsaw (the geometry problem again!).




A #6 fore plane and a smoother finished the leg surfaces. The mahogany has some significant reversing grain so sharp blades were required to prevent tear out.

[Mike Allen1010]

I’m using Holly for the stringing and wenge for cuffs on the bottom of the legs.



In the limited amount of string inlay I’ve done before, one of my biggest problems was getting the stringing to a consistently accurate thickness, which is important so that the line is a uniform width when inlayed. Previously I used a block plane and sandpaper to try eyeball the stringing to consistent thickness - which didn’t work very well.

Here is a scraper from LV which makes this job a lot easier. Blade is sharpened to 45° bevel and tilted slightly forward in the direction the tool is pushed. I used the .040” thick blade that will cut the grooves for the stringing, to set the height of the blade.




The Holly scrapes nicely and leaves a nice surface.







Next I build a jig to slice the stringing; it’s MDF with a tiny fence along the edge that the stringing stock is held against when slicing. I used a LV inlay cutter with the provided slicing blade to cut the stringing strips.

[Mike Allen1010]

Truing up the Holly blank to slice slightly thicker strips I'll use to cut the bellflowers out of

















With the materials mostly prepared I’m ready to start cutting the grooves for the string inlay – wish me luck, I know I’m going to need it!

If this doesn’t turn out to be firewood, all post additional pictures as I move forward with the rest of the build.

Thanks for looking.

All the best, Mike

[Brian Holcombe]

Very nice Mike! Excited to see this project come along. Cool to see the brick layer technique in action.

[Thomas Schneider]

Hi Mike,

Thanks for taking the time to post this! This is a side of woodworking I have yet to delve into but hope to in the not too distant future. Besides how else can I justify buying all those cool inlay tools!

Looking forward to following along.....

Tom.

[James Pallas]

Looks like a good project. I'm interested in the string inlay also. I'll be following along. I have a table like that on the maybe list. I think I'll check out a scraper like yours, looks like it may be of some value. Any difficulties with it?
Jim

[Mike King]

I've just completed stringing doors on a spice cabinet with the Lee Valley scraper. I routed the grooves for the stringing with their stringing tool and it's compass attachment. It worked great! I sawed my holly stringing with a veneer saw -- scribing it with the scoring blade wasn't working well for me because of crazy grain in the holly strips!

mike

[Andrew Hughes]

I was going to say that's a pretty hard piece to make.And I don't think you can do it.
But it looks like you are.
Darn it wrong again.

Aj

[Christopher Charles]

Mike,

your capacity to underestimate your abilities is as remarkably consistent as it is inaccurate.

those are the most interesting designer holdfasts I've seen (the blue ones). Hope to see the matching robe soon.

and good to see the local(ish) brew migrating south.

Looking forward to to seeing more, thanks as always for making the efforts to post.

c

[Mike Allen1010]

I've just completed stringing doors on a spice cabinet with the Lee Valley scraper. I routed the grooves for the stringing with their stringing tool and it's compass attachment. It worked great! I sawed my holly stringing with a veneer saw -- scribing it with the scoring blade wasn't working well for me because of crazy grain in the holly strips!

mike

Sounds like a great project Mike, I would love to see pics if you have a chance.
Mikw

[Mike Allen1010]

I was going to say that's a pretty hard piece to make.And I don't think you can do it.
But it looks like you are.
Darn it wrong again.

Aj

Don't be too sure AJ, I've got a long way to go and this will be my first attempt at any significant veneering and a couple other techniques so high screw up potential remains very much I play!

I'm doing thecstringing and some banding to highlight cuffs on bottom of the legs. Hope to be able to post some pics this week.

Best, Mike