St. Kilian chapel – Paschal candle stand – part 2

I pulled the clamps on the base and took it to the router table to put a 1/4″ chamfer around the top.

This just takes the sharp edge off in case someone puts a foot on it. Hopefully the edge will last longer this way.

I had a request for a clear plate to sit on the top to catch any wax dripping down the candle. I have a piece of clear acrylic that I cut down to an 11″ square.

I marked the center and used a 2-1/8″ hole saw to cut a hole right in the middle.

Unfortunately it wasn’t a perfect fit over the brass cup.

I put the 2″ spindle in my spindle sander and opened up the hole slightly. This gives a much better fit.

Next, I lowered the 45° bit down to make a 1/16″ bevel on the edge of the plate.

That turned out nice.

All the flat pieces are now done except for sanding. Its time to start on the column.

I start by cutting down a 12-1/2″ wide board to a few inches longer than my column sides need to be, then I joint one edge perfectly straight.

I set my table saw fence to 2-3/4″ and cut eight strips being careful to stack them in the order I cut them so I can more easily match the grain later.

Then I joint one face and plane the other down till my boards are 3/4″ thick.

Next, I clamp them up and cut them to exactly 31″ long, removing any cracks or snipe.

I set up my 22.5° lock miter bits in the two routers I have for my router table.

I start with the male bit and cut the tongue side of all eight boards.

Then I swap routers to cut the groove side.

I have a poly set-up block that helps me set the bits to the correct depth and to help me make sure I have the right orientation for my cuts.

I ran all the boards through again and now I have eight complete sides for my column.

I clamped my straight edge down to a scrap piece of 3/4″ plywood and aligned all my boards. Please note how the grain matches up so perfectly. The column will look like it was cut from a log.

With everything square and lined up, I attach a piece of 2″ wide painter’s tape to each joint to create a hinge for glue-up.

I also ran three strips in the opposite direction for additional strength.

This allows me to flip the boards over and roll them up into a perfect octagonal column.

I liberally apply glue to each tongue & groove joint and brush glue onto the end joint as well.

Then I rolled it up and taped it shut.

I used two strap clamps to apply even pressure all the way around and draw the sides more tightly together. Another thing that the tape does is prevent glue squeeze-out on the outside of the column.