Semi-Circle Table Using Reclaimed Wood

I've started a new table project using reclaimed materials. I've glued maple veneer to a ¾" plywood cupboard door. It's flat, cabinet-grade wood with many layers of ply, and they sold it for $1. My plan is to create a border of cherry similar to my previous night stand project. The top will be a semi-circle and my plan is to show a band of poplar painted green around the side.







In my night stand, I used biscuits to align the edge of cherry to the top. The smaller radius in this project prevents the biscuit cutter from making a deep enough cut into the cherry. Instead of that approach, I've cut a 3/16" slot into both pieces. The roller bearing on the router bit allows me to follow the curved shape. This slot allows me to insert short splines to align the top and glue the pieces together.. To curve the spline inserts, I use the router circle jig to curve the spline inserts.


Before I glue the cherry piece on, I've applied a Minwax Honey Maple Gel Stain to accentuate the grain in the ash. I do this before gluing the edge to avoid getting the stain on the cherry. I'm waiting 8 hours for it to dry before proceeding.





Surrounding the semicircle is a border using figured cherry veneer. I plan on routing a bead profile along the edge of the table so I have glued a strip of cherry to plywood and then applied the veneer over this.

Before gluing the border of cherry, I use the inside curve of the piece as a template to cut the blue masking tape. I will use this with some parchment paper to cover the ash while I stain the cherry. Using a water based dye, I spray the border red. After it dries, I use the tape to mask the border and spray the ash using an amber colored dye.

To protect the table top from the water base finish, I sprayed the top with a fine film of shellac. Finally, I sprayed a couple coats of Polycrylic.

Next, on to the apron and legs.