End Table Build Thread 3: Final Assembly

In my last post, I completed the assembly of the table base (legs and skirting).  Last night I attached the table top to the base.  Here, you can see the completed table, standing on the same piece of birch ply that starred in some of the earlier photos (the birch ply creates a nice flat work surface on top of an old lab cart).

One of the things I noticed, on putting everything together, is the color difference between the skirting and the fir that forms the top.  Originally, I think these pieces were all the same color, but the wood seems to have darkened with age (I had the futon for about 20 years).  The pieces that went into the top subsequently traveled through a thickness planer, where they lost their outer layers, but all I did to the skirting was trim it to length and cut biscuit grooves, so it retained its patina.  There are holes in the skirting where the futon bolts ran, and if you look closely you can see places where the skirting was covered by other parts of the frame, and these areas are paler.

The next step is to stain the table, followed by sealing it with polyurethane.  I picked up a half-mask respirator (North 7700) and some Organic Vapor cartridges from Grainger; Minwax oil-based conditioner and stain, tack cloth, and clean rags from the local hardware store by school (Berger True Value), and gloves I have plenty already, so I expect to apply the stain on Monday after work, let it dry overnight, then polyurethane on Tuesday.  So, I should have a finished table on Wednesday.  Where I'm undecided is whether to try and sand down the patina on the skirting, in order to gain a more uniform look for the fir after the stain is applied - I just don't know if the stain will read differently on the patina.

Joining the table top to the frame is not simply a matter of gluing and screwing.  Wood expands at different rates along its grain versus across its grain, so gluing the top down to the table can result in cracks as the temperature and humidity change.  Admittedly, the joints between the skirting and the legs employ similar cross grain construction, but my understanding is that you can get away with it for small joints.

The solution is to join the table top to the base in such a way as to allow them to contract and expand independently.  Above-left is a picture of a bracket employed for the purpose (there are other solutions, but this is the one I went with).  Using a biscuit joiner, I cut a groove in the skirting.  Then, lining up the bracket with its tongue loosely fitted into this groove, I marked the screw position on the table top with a self-centering center punch.  I drilled pilot holes, then screwed the brackets in.  The brackets and screws I purchased from Mcfeely's, since I couldn't find them locally.

My sanding block.  The block is black; the red is the sandpaper

Finally, I'll show off my sanding block, since it's here. The difference in sanding between using or not using a block is tremendous: the block give you something to grip, and keeps the sandpaper stretch flat against the work piece. This block, by 3M (obviously), has a comfortable shape to it as well. Also nice are the spikes that hold the sandpaper in place - you slide the sandpaper into place and press down on the block to force the paper against the spikes, puncturing the paper and securing it in place.  To remove the paper, I use an old table knife to raise the paper off of the spikes.

EDIT: I did decide to address those pale vertical stripes.