live edge trestle table part 11

Before doing anything permanent, we dry clamp. Basically this is just fitting things together in order to verify that our calculations are correct. Notice how I'm making sure everything fits perfectly before I whip out the drill.

It's amazing when things start to come together. Usually the idea in my mind is foggy at best, but once things physically come together and my vision is realized it's like witnessing magic.

The table top has had countless hours of epoxy pouring, sanding, more sanding, more epoxy pouring, and then sanding again. I went over the bottom of the table top with rough sand paper and the sides of the table with a wire brush.  This picture shows the table top after being wiped with a wet rag. Some parts of the table are already starting to dry up, but this is close to what the table will look like with finish applied.

I'm ready for my closeup!

Then we threw the table top on the legs to see how it'll look.

Gotta get that top level.

When everything looks good, I installed the hardware that'll hold the legs and stretcher together. These bolts are heavy duty and cost $10 each! But they are quality, and I love how they look. The bolt goes through the leg and into the stretcher, where a brass cylinder with threads receives the bolt and pulls both pieces together nice and snug.

This is the back, with that nice piece of brass showing. These two pieces ain't going anywhere, but can be easily taken apart for moving. The best of both worlds.

link to part 12