Sunday, January 30, 2011

Poker Table Day 2–Cutting the Rail

Now that I have purchased everything, it’s time to start.

The first thing I want to do is cut out the pieces of the rail.  The rail is going to be made up of 4 sheets of 3/4'” MDF and 1 sheet of 1/2”.  I initially only wanted it to be 3 sheets of 3/4, but later realized I needed a 4th.  I made the 4th layer out of scrap, but it turned out well.

First I made a “Trammel” to guide my jig saw around the curves.

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Then I realized that the blade I was using was too dull, and that allowed the blade to angle a bit as I went around the curve.  I went to a rougher blade and that made it better.  In hindsight, it would have probably been better to use a router for this part, but for a first table it turned out OK.

Here’s the outer cut of the base.  Next I did the first layer of the rail, which required a similar outer cut followed by an inner cut.  This required my saw guide.

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Below, you can see the groove left by the cut from the circular saw (and all of the dust).  Here, I’m about to cut the inner curved part of the rail.

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As you can see, it’s not a perfect science (at least not for me), but I’m expecting the upholstery to cover up any flaws.

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Watch where you’re cutting dummy…

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Here’s the progress at the end of day 1.  Can you see where this is going?

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