Tray Tables – Completing Trays

This is Monday and, as I normally do on Monday, I spent the morning doing my weekly radio program so I can get the disk in the mail to the radio station.  After lunch and the mail run I removed the clamps from the tray assemblies.

The first step is to sand the glue ridges from the corners of the trays.  I need the rail surfaces to be smooth for these surfaces will be the guide for a round-over router bit and any lumps will cause similar lumps on the routed face.

The round-over bit is a little dull, so I remove the guide bearing and sharpen the cutting edges.  I start by dragging it along the edge of a medium sharpening stone to restore an edge to the cutter carbide.  Then, clamping the bit into a vice I use diamond paddles to hone the surface; first a fine paddle then super fine.  The hardest part about this is keeping the paddles flat to the small cutter face.  Once done I reinstall the guide bearing and install the bit in the router table.

I round over the upper and lower edges of the trays to give them a particularly nice feel in your hand as you carry them.

The rest of the afternoon is spent hand sanding the trays.  This is the finish sanding step; It’s much easier to do this now than after the tables are fully assembled.

Tomorrow we’ll get started on making the legs.  See you then!