Drill Press Table, Part 2

In Part 1 of this saga, I detailed how I had spent hours milling quarter-sawn lumber from 2 X 12 framing lumber for a bottom-weighted rolling table for my drill press, and the pluses and minuses of the technique I chose. Now, let's use that stock to build the table, starting with the legs. They have open mortises at top and bottom to create what is called a bridle joint. This one is unusual because the joint is so wide - six and a half inches. Here are two legs done, and two more in clamps after gluing:

Once that was done, it was time to work on the framework for the table. The first step was to cut the tenons for the rails, using the technique detailed in Part 1. In the photo below, the left side shows a tenon, and the right shows the leg fitted over it:

Once the tenons were done, more table saw work created shallow mortises to hold the cross stretchers. Here are all the pieces - it's obvious how they will fit together.

The legs needed a bit more work to dress them up a bit. The ends of each tenon were chamfered to make the joint look more finished, and a detail was added on each edge - a 45 degree chamfer called a "lamb's tongue," because the end of the cut supposedly looks like the tongue of a lamb:

I've never actually seen the tongue of a lamb, but if you Google it you see some woodworking joints plus some very disgusting meat. Once all the joinery was done, I glued up the frame, using some fancy blue screws to reinforce the joints and add some visual interest. You can see the compartment where the sand goes to add weight to the bottom of the table:

Well, this part of the table was so heavy that I didn't want to keep lifting it on and off the workbench, so the next step was to add the rolling base:

I glued up the top (two layers of 3/4" plywood) and installed it, and then the next step was to add 100 pounds of sand to the base. I didn't have 100 pounds of sand, and that seemed like a prescription for a big mess anyway. I looked around and spied my big box of cut-off wood scraps. I usually let that get full, and then put them in a dumpster. Why not use that instead! It would be like having a big tree stump at the base - plenty heavy enough. I "brick-laid" each piece in, cutting as necessary to make them fit. Here's about halfway through:

I kept thinking about how much fun my three-year-old friend Everett would have, helping with that process. I was a kid again, playing with blocks! Once it was filled to the top, I added a permanent top panel of MDF. It's like a time capsule of scrap wood.

After that, a quick trip to Lowes to get some big bolts, and I mounted the drill press to the table:

I must say, I'm extremely pleased with the way this turned out. It is really stable - even pushing sideways on the drill press head won't tip it. And compared to my old setup, this is genuinely better, because I can walk all the way around it to make adjustments to the drill press.

The original plan (see photo in Part 1) had some small drawers at the top that were very "fussy" to build, and all the space between that and the bottom compartment was open. Not for me - in Part 3, I'll add a two-drawer base that will hold lots of drill bits and other accessories. I've already started on that, so my hope that the project will be done before summer is very likely to be fulfilled!

UPDATE: Well, there never was a Part 3, because I decided that the photos of building a little drawer base were too boring to post. But, the two-drawer base was indeed added, and the drill press and its table still are a very useful part of the Grant St. Garage. END UPDATE