Ever since Tang, the carpenter, began learning his craft, he has completed several stools with his skills steadily improving. His friends suggested he could try making larger pieces. So, he decided to take on the challenge, collecting a pile of wood to create a carpenter’s table, truly turning waste into treasure. This piece marks the first time he has used and also attempted to join the tabletop and dovetail drawers, making it a fruitful endeavor.
The idea to make a carpenter’s table has been long-standing, but where to find the materials? Looking out the window, he noticed a demolition site across the street, which might yield some usable timber. That night, he went for a stroll and collected six usable pieces of wood. On December 1, 2021, he used a hand plane to refurbish and straighten the collected wood, obtaining four pieces of lumber. They are: square rod 1770*95*45, square rod 1980*65*32, square rod 1050*85*35, and wooden strip 570*38*22. On December 5, 2021, he continued to refurbish the wood, planing and straightening it. On December 8, 2021, he used a back saw to split the long rods in half, planing and straightening them. The materials were essentially ready, including: 44*42*1750, two pieces; 40*35*1050, two pieces; 62*29*1960, one piece; 45*27*1950, one piece; 41*29*1300, one piece; 40*27*1000, one piece; 42*30*890, one piece; 43*29*840, one piece; 36*21*570, one piece. Next, he proceeded with 3D design based on the available materials. Planning for the carpenter’s table to be stored in a corner, he determined the table’s dimensions to be 1030*580*890. He prepared to make two drawers for storing frequently used tools. Four horizontal bars were added during the production process, giving the carpenter’s table an overall appearance similar to a school desk. After completing the design, he immediately cut the materials according to the dimensions. The main goal of this project was to learn how to make. To create a sturdy, the ideal square material section size is 48×48, at least 42×42. Without enough thick material on hand, he had to compromise and use a method of local edge thickening. The material list for cutting is as follows: four table legs, 42*42*850; two long frames, 42*36*1030, with an edge of 6; two short frames, 42*30*580, with an edge of 12; two horizontal beams, 42*30*600; one long beam, 45*30*1050; one reinforcement, 42*20*570. Table assembly was completed on December 9, 2021, with all parts marked, focusing on the marking.Zongjiao mortise and tenon, named for its resemblance to the corner of a zongzi, is a traditional woodworking joint where three square pieces intersect at 45-degree angles. One vertical piece has two protruding tenons, cut at a 45-degree angle; one horizontal piece has a tenon head and a mortise hole; the other horizontal piece has two mortise holes. To create the joint, divide a 42mm piece into seven equal parts, marking 6mm grid lines, and shade the areas to be retained, while marking the areas to be removed with an ‘X’. Assembly involves inserting the tenon head of one horizontal piece into the mortise hole of the other, followed by inserting both tenons of the vertical piece into the two mortise holes of the horizontal pieces, thus completing a simple zongjiao mortise and tenon joint. On December 10, 2021, the construction of four zongjiao mortise and tenons was continued, followed by the creation of straight tenons for horizontal and vertical beams, cutting tenon heads, and chiseling mortise holes. On December 11, 2021, the final three table legs were tenoned, and all parts required for the initial assembly of the table body were prepared. The reinforcement blocks were first tenoned into the long table frame, interlocking the four table frames to form a ‘sun’-shaped frame; then, the horizontal beams were tenoned into the four table legs and connected with the vertical beams; finally, the table body was inverted, and each of the two tenons of the zongjiao mortise and tenon was embedded into the ‘sun’-shaped frame. It is important to gently tap down the corners in sequence, avoiding excessive force to prevent the tenons from breaking. Unfortunately, the wood used for the table legs in this case was soft, and the tenons were thin, resulting in two broken tenons. Immediately, all seam joints were reinforced with white glue, and new F-clamps were used for fixing. After 24 hours, on December 12, 2021, the table body was tested for stability, with the short sides being stable but the long sides wobbling significantly. Taking advantage of the glue not being fully set, the carpenter’s table was quickly disassembled to prepare for the addition of four horizontal braces for reinforcement. On December 13, 2021, four horizontal braces and two vertical reinforcements were crafted, and tenon heads were cut. An attempt was made to chisel a cross tenon for one table leg. On December 14, 2021, the remaining three table legs were chiseled, and the mortise holes of the two long beams were trimmed. The table frame was reassembled, with tenon heads fully coated in white glue to ensure no gaps after drying. After completion, another layer of white glue was applied to the table body, which, once dried, serves to solidify the wood surface. After 24 hours of drying on December 15, 2021, the table body finally took shape and was displayed. Some areas had imprecise dimensions, with varying sizes, but they were usable. For tabletop, straight tenons were used, with materials consisting of salvaged red oak solid wood flooring and camphor wood planks. On December 16, 2021, due to a shortage of materials, five more wooden strips and ten pieces of solid wood flooring scraps were collected from demolition sites. These flooring scraps, made of red oak (red oak), are quite hard, with lengths of 900mm, thickness of 22mm, and varying widths, which can be pieced together to cover the tabletop, with additional solutions found for any length discrepancies.
On December 17, 2021, all these floors had tenons, requiring only to plane the other side and then to chisel out mortises 6mm wide. However, chiseling these mortises was quite labor-intensive. On December 18, 2021, one board groove was made. On December 19, 2021, two board grooves were made. On December 20, 2021, another board groove was made. The newly purchased groove plane arrived, but its quality was unsatisfactory and it became unusable after a few uses. It was better to stick to using a chisel for chiseling, and immediately apply glue and assemble after chiseling. On December 21, 2021, two and a half board grooves were made. On December 22, 2021, two board grooves were made. Finally, on December 23, 2021, ten floor pieces were joined, and then weighted down to flatten for 24 hours. On December 24, 2021, an old camphor wood board was planed smooth. On December 25, 2021, a piece of camphor wood board measuring 580x130x22 was cut, grooved, and joined. The thickness was not planed to be used as a partition. On December 26, 2021, F-clamps and G-clamps were used to position the tabletop with the table body, and a backsaw was used to cut off the excess part beyond the tabletop. On December 27, 2021, lines were drawn for positioning, eight blind holes were drilled, and eight 8x40mm round wooden pegs were used to connect the tabletop with the table body. Both the tenons and the mating surfaces were coated with white glue, and 50kg weight plates were distributed in two boxes to press down. On December 30, 2021, after three days of drying, the table was fully formed. Files were used to smooth all edges and corners, hand planes were used to smooth all surfaces, and sandpaper was used for polishing. The wear layer on the floor surface was not planed off. The overall effect was quite satisfactory, and painting could be considered. Two dovetail drawers were planned, which were thought to be easy, but they turned out to consume a significant amount of time. On December 28, 2021, several pieces of paint-free boards were picked up downstairs and cut with a backsaw. On December 29, 2021, the drawer boards were completed, planed smooth, rounded, sanded, and filed. On December 31, 2021, before starting to make dovetail joints, a 3D model design was conducted to determine the assembly plan. On January 1, 2022, the sawing of dovetail joints began, with as many as 12 pairs of dovetail joints used for the connection between the side boards and the bottom board. On January 2, 2022, the cutting of dovetail joints continued. The backsaw was first used to cut the bevel, then the jigsaw was used to remove the material, a chisel was used to trim the edges, and a file was used for smoothing. The drawer panel required blind dovetails, which could only be made with a chisel. After a busy day, the assembly of the first drawer was completed. On January 5, 2022, the drawers were filed and then inserted into the table body. On January 6, 2022, four drawer supports were sawed, with dimensions of 520x35x20. On January 7, 2022, eight notches were chiseled on the crossbars, and the four drawer supports were installed.
On January 8, 2022, I continued to make the second drawer. Learning from my experience, I didn’t make the dovetail joints as dense. I halved the number and only made six pairs between the side panel and the bottom panel. On January 9, 2022, I completed the assembly and fixation of the second drawer. The production time for a single drawer was reduced from 10 hours to 4 hours. Even so, compared with quickly nailing with a staple gun, it’s still too slow. No wonder dovetail drawers are rarely seen in daily life. It’s good enough as long as it’s sturdy for my own use. On January 10, 2022, I finished filing the drawer and installed and fixed it to the table body. Then I put in my commonly used tools. On January 11, 2022, I drilled seven φ10 holes on the table head, which can be used to temporarily place tools such as chisels and screwdrivers. Here is the finished effect display of the woodworking table. The drawers are not perfect. Maybe I overdid it a bit. Next, I’m going to install a woodworking vise so that I can freely make other small items. Here is the production record of the woodworking table. This project consumed up to 80 working hours, including 32.5 hours for the table body, 20 hours for the tabletop, and 27.5 hours for the drawers. The time cost is really high. However, the exercise effect is also very good, much better than playing games or watching videos.
