The inner measurements of the table are 39" by 48" and since our grooves are 3/8" deep we want to over cut that by 1/2". You don't want to over cut by the whole 6/8" because then you wouldn't leave any room for shifting or movement! Being exact in this case is not the way to go. It can really suck when you go to glue everything you are left with a tiny gap in the seams because you didn't leave enough room.
Start by marking the first measurement of 39 - 1/2" and making your cut. If you purchased the 5' x 5' Birch plywood you can start on any edge!
Make your first cut with either the table saw or circular saw.
Next, take the second measurement of 48 - 1/2" and cut the board to final size.
Once the plywood is cut down to size put all the pieces together with the plywood in the groove and clamp it so you can see how it fits together before you glue it.
NOTE: DO NOT GET RID OF THE EXCESS PLYWOOD, YOU'LL USE IT FOR THE DRAWERS!
This is how your table should look so far:
NOTE: DO NOT GLUE TABLE AT THIS POINT!!!
If everything fits nice and snug and all the corners have tight even seems with no gaps, you are ready to glue your table together!
Make sure you have a nice flat surface that you can place your table on that is sturdy and secure. You need a lot of room and it's possible to use the second 1/2" birch plywood placed on top of two 2x4 studs. So, in your garage place the two 2x4 studs down on the ground and place the plywood board on top of them. Next, put all the pieces on the plywood but DON'T PUT THEM TOGETHER. Get the following items and have them ready before you start gluing:
1. A large bottle of wood glue. I use TITEBOND II Premium wood glue in the blue labeled bottle, which works great!
2. A wet rag to wipe off the excess glue that oozes out the sides.
3. A small 1/2" paint brush to help brush on the glue and get it in all the nooks and crannies of the biscuit cuts and biscuits tabs.
4. At least 4 long pipe clamps that will be used on the top and bottom of each edge.
5. Some small flat clamps to help keep the edges flush and tight as you tighten the pipe clamps.
6. A putty knife or flat edge stick that will help scrape off the excess glue on the inside of the corners that are hard to wipe away with a rag.
7. A couple of 90 degree fence clamps and four small wood clamps that will be placed in the corner to help keep the table square and true when drying. A large metal square can also be used to check the angle of the corners and make sure they are true!
When you have all the above items and all the pieces ready, start gluing all the edges, the biscuit grooves and the biscuits.
NOTE: DO NOT GLUE THE PLYWOOD OR THE GROOVES FOR THE PLYWOOD, YOU WANT THE PLYWOOD TO BE ABLE TO MOVE AND SLIDE WHEN PUTTING THE PIECES TOGETHER AND GLUING EVERYTHING!
Don't worry about using too much glue because you will be wiping the excess away with the wet rag and puddy knife.
Once all the corners are glued and you have everything put together you can clamp the two sides together. These are the two sides that overlap and are of the long side
"see photo below"
As you tighten the clamps you will see excess glue ooze out, just wipe it with the wet rag. Tighten the clamps as tight as you can but don't over tighten or you will dent the wood. You know when it is tight enough when all the corner gaps are closed and no seem is showing.
Check all the corners and make sure they are flush and even, if they aren't use the flat clamp and set them right. You may need to loosen the pipe clamps to get the corners flush then tighten them up again!
When everything looks good and the table is gluing FLAT, FLUSH AND SQUARE, you should let is set for a full day or 24 hours!
When finished your table should look like the images shown below!
Below is the image of the table flipped over.
Now that we have the main table finished, we need to route out the middle section to remove some extra weight AND be able to have access to table frame below to secure the main table to the top of the table frame!
For this build you will need your router with a 1/2" square bit, a hand drill with a 3/8" drill bit or higher, a 90 Degree angle, a composite square, and your sander.
NOTE: If you have a jig saw the job will be a lot easier but you could just use the router if you don't have one.
Make a pencil mark that is 5 - 1/4" from the inner edge of the table border. This pencil mark will be on all four sides of the table surface.
Below you can see how I use a straight piece of wood to make my pencil mark around the inner surface.
Once you have the entire surface marked start by drilling a starter hole for the jig saw using a 3/8" drill bit. This starter hole is so you can put the blade of the jig saw in the hole and start cutting out the inner material. By removing the inner material with the jig saw you make it much easier to route the rest of the edge.
Below you can see I've started cutting the material with my jig saw and will work all the way around the inner surface of the Birch plywood.
CRITICAL: Make sure you stay as close to the line but DO NOT cut on or past the line!!! You only want to leave an 1/8" of material next to the line which you will trim off with the router. If you end up cutting below the line you will have to adjust all the lines. Be careful as you cut with the jig saw and take your time!!
WARNING: Try to cut out the inner material in two or more pieces because due to the size of the inner piece you are cutting out it is very heavy and if you try to cut it in one piece when you get to the end of the cut the weight will cause it to drop and end up splitting or cracking the base material! By cutting the piece in two or three sections you avoid this problem!
Below you can see the first piece cut out from the base material. You will use the jig saw to remove the corner sections.
Now I'm cutting out the second piece.
After you trim off the corner sections go ahead and use a vacuum to clean off all the saw dust before you start with the router. With all the saw dust it makes it hard to see the pencil line when using the router.
Below you can see how I cut some wood pieces to use as guides to trim off the excess material right up to the pencil line! You can gauge the width by measuring from the outside of the router plate to the outer edge of the router bit.
WARNING: DO NOT even try using the router by hand without a guide to trim off the excess material because you will end up cutting a jagged line and NEVER GETTING close to the pencil mark!! The router is spinning so fast it is almost impossible to keep it in a straight line let alone try to follow a line! DON'T DO IT!!
Below you can see the difference between the clean cut of the router and the jagged edge of from the jig saw! I ended up having to trim off more than 1/8" but I took my time and made a slow pass!
Below you can see how I used the guide to help follow the line and produce a nice clean straight cut with the router!
After you trim off the entire middle section with your router, go ahead and use your sander to clean off the edge. Sand off the upper and lower edge of the material!
Below you can see the main table after the inner section of the base has been removed. The table is now a lot lighter in weight and looks pretty sharp!
NOTE: Make sure you keep all the extra material cut from the plywood and don't cut it or throw it away! You will be using these for the drawers in the table frame!!!
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