Yesterday evening, I did the second application of Danish oil to the frame pieces. Because the wood had absorbed the first application nicely, I decided that it would only need two applications for the moment. I’ll need to reapply periodically in the coming months anyway, since that is the nature of oil finishes.

Today, I assembled the frame again and decided that the time had come to put the top on. Given how much time everything else had taken, I figured that this would take forever, so I braced for the worst.

But when I opened the Ikea packaging, I found that they had actually included mounting hardware that wouldn’t cause the top or frame to crack, if put on properly, that is. After measuring everything and drilling a few pilot holes, it went on quickly:

The top isn’t really finished right now; I think there’s a light application of oil on there, but it needs more. In addition, whatever they used to surface the top did not exactly leave a smooth surface. I could plane it down to fix this, but I’m considering leaving it mostly as-is if the top is flat enough, because a rougher surface has higher friction, which could be desirable. Not like applying oil, then planing and reapplying is going to hurt, though.

Other than finishing, I need to drill dog holes. I haven’t planned that yet, nor do I have the 3/4″ auger bit required to make the hole. I have a shelf planned for the top of the big stretchers, so that I can bring in a secret weapon for weight. I should get a front vise at some point.

All in good time, though. I’m in no big hurry, it seems.