Sapele Table

One of the first projects I wanted to do was replace the table on my live aboard Cheoy Lee trawler. It was a little too long and too wide. It had table leaves that I didn’t need, and there was no storage space in it.

On a trip to Beaver Tooth Oak found some beautiful sapele wood. Sapele is a great wood for furniture on a boat, because it is highly water resistant, which keeps it from warping. It is related to mahogany because and is native to Nigeria. It is beautifully iridescent.

Step 1 - Cutting to Size

I first milled the wood and cut it roughly to size. My plan was to make the table roughly 64 inches by 22 inches. I wanted to add drawers. Since it is on a boat it needs to be mounted to some fixed mounts rather than have legs.

https://i.postimg.cc/PxbK7gB0/Sapele-Table-Wood.jpg

Step 2 - Biscuit joinery for table top

Biscuit joinery is a process of cutting out grooves within the wood and glueing a small piece of wood (i.e. a biscuit) in the middle of it. While biscuit joinery has some detractors because it isn’t that strong, it does help a lot with alignment.

https://i.postimg.cc/02kXTN5n/Sapele-Table-Milling.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/4y5LYDPp/Sapele-Table-Biscuits.jpg

Step 3 - Glue Up

The saying goes “You can never have too many clamps”. If you know a woodworker, just get them clamps for Christmas and call it a day. I used literally all of my clamps and could have used more. I beyond needing to glue up the table top surface, I also used a lot of cauls which helps to make sure everything is properly aligned.

https://i.postimg.cc/HkjZLPy7/Sapele-Table-Clamp-Up.jpg

Step 4 - Assembly

To assemble the base I used by dovetail jig to create half blind dovetails. Dovetails are a strong and aesthetically pleasing form of joinery. I’ve experimented with doing them the old fashioned way, by hand, and I just don’t have the patience or precision for them, therefore I use a jig with a router. In addition I used pocket holes to affix the supports for the drawers. Finally, I made some home made quarter rounds to sit atop the table. This is common on boats so that things don’t roll off surfaces while out at sea.

https://i.postimg.cc/Sscth2zT/Sapele-Table-Dovetails.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/ZYFDsNm0/Sapele-Table-Drawers.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/5NsKbM6V/Sapele-Table-Quarter-Rounds.jpg

Step 5 - Finishing

I’d been experimenting with finishing sapele on a few smaller projects and was inspired by these finishing techniques. I really like the mixture of sanding sealer and then an additional coat of a harder finish like lacquer or varnish. The sanding sealer evens out the pores of the wood and allows for a more uniform finish on the wood. After a lot of research I settled on Epifanes glossy varnish. While I really like the results, its hard to get varnish perfect and it takes at least 6 coats which can only be applied about once per day. I try to avoid varnish whenever possible but felt this was the most fitting method for furniture on my boat.

https://i.postimg.cc/nh5d9Y4S/Sapele-Table-Sanding-Sealer.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/CKqcGBJh/Sapele-Table-Varnish-1.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/tJyvCq3X/Sapele-Table-Final-Coats.jpg

Step 6 - Installation

After finishing 6 coats of varnish it was time to install the drawers and later install the piece on my boat. I’m very pleased with the results!