iDRY Vacuum Kilns

Sponsors:

I want to build a table

Started by Brad_bb, January 10, 2012, 10:54:59 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Brad_bb

I need a side table for my home office.  Never made a table, but since I cannot find the size and style I need, I guess I'll have to make it(like I need another project!).   It needs to be 72"LX24"DX29.5"H.  The feet/legs must be set back 3.25" from the outer edge of the table top to clear the floor heat register.  I saw this table at Crate &Barrel that inspires what I want. 


Although this table is European Oak, It looks like Black Walnut, which is what I want.  I want each side to be live edge with about 1" of sapwood.  The top can be a glue up. 
I don't have a jointer.  I have a Dewalt planer and a Unisaw.  Should I use hand planes to joint the boards?  Should I use dowels when gluing up?  Should I use a spine down the center underside of the table, and two across for the legs?  How should I attach them to the top?  Any recommendation for leg design?  I was thinking Roman style- two legs coming down for each side with a single foot under those legs on each side.
Anything someone can design, I can sure figure out how to fix!
If I say it\\\\\\\'s going to take so long, multiply that by at least 3!

Dodgy Loner

I'll tackle your first question: If you don't have a jointer, then yes, you will need to joint the boards with your hand planes. That's exactly what I do with all of the lumber that goes into my furniture: joint one face with handplanes, then thickness with the planer, then joint one edge with a hand plane, then true the opposite edge with the table saw.
"There is hardly anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price only are this man's lawful prey." -John Ruskin

Any idiot can write a woodworking blog. Here's mine.

SwampDonkey

If it were me, and I was going to have individual legs on the corners, I would use a 3 or 4" wide apron around it and attach the top with table top mounting clamps by grooving three of the apron rails for wood movement. Both apron rails where the grain orientation to the top is 90 degrees would get grooves 3/8" offset from the top edge and on a side where the apron rail is parallel to the top grain, same.



With a table that long a rail in the middle with 90 degree orientation to the top, grooved 3/8" offset for the top clamps also, to help keep it flat.  This would not be needed if your boards where 24" instead of the 72" lengths. The grooved aprons on the 72" apron boards would keep it flat. You could end but the apron rails into legs squared at the top and make two matched 90 degree groves in the aprons with the table saw for a brace block that you would drill a hole through into the leg corners for a holding screw.





Or get steel leg braces and groove narrow slits with the table saw across the aprons for the braces.



In this example I had some fancy hips to attach so the leg is attached on the lower edge of the apron with a screw hole bored up through the hips into the apron wood for extra support along with the table clamps.


Another other approach is to use tenons on the aprons that come in and but one another inside the legs on a 45. And attach with the clamps to the top. My way only requires a table saw to make a single pass for each cut, the 45's and the 3/8" offset grooves. I would use wider brace blocks for a taller table like yours for more holding wood. Although I used three smaller screws into the legs, a heavy screw for table legs would do fine. And flatten a corner of the legs if you use a steel brace for leg attachment. :)

Just some thoughts.
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

WDH

Brad,

That design looks like it would be unstable or wobbly. 

I would also attach the top using the table top fasteners that fit in a groove on the apron or leg and screw into the top. 
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

jamesamd

Have You checked out? What is available at IKEA?
Jim
All that is gold does not glitter,not all those that wander are lost.....

WDH

There needs to be some kind of way to brace it that looks nice and doesn't detract from the simple design. 
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

Magicman

Here are a couple of pictures of a table in Burch Run, Mi. that I took on the way to the Pig Roast.  I hate that I didn't take a picture of the leg/table attachment, but it was like the two center illustrations that SD showed above.


 


 


 
I will probably build something similar to this for the Cabin Addition, 
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

WDH

Looks like it is made of good old pine.
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

Magicman

What really caught my eye was that the board ends looked intentionally sawed from the top side and splintered.  The stain then highlighted it.  Yes it was pine.
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

Brad_bb

Thanks for the responses.  Here's a pic of a table that is not wood, but this is the leg style I was talking about- two verticals and one horizontal foot.


I've got to find the material yet.  I'm wondering how this style would attach.  Also I'm also guessing that I'd need a horizontal foot where the verticals meet the table top?  How would you traditionally attach the legs?
Anything someone can design, I can sure figure out how to fix!
If I say it\\\\\\\'s going to take so long, multiply that by at least 3!

WDH

With some corner block bracing where the top meets the legs on the underside, I bet that will be fine, and that leaves a lot of leg room/working space under the table.
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

Magicman

I would simply bring the skirt in closer and still attach the legs like SD's illustration above, but I would use hanger bolts to actually attach the legs instead of screws.  That is such a strong method that can be easily broken down or tightened,
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

sealark37

I just finished a large cherry table.  I gave up on the joiner.  I did it all on the table saw.  Used #20 biscuits and Titebond glue for the top slab.  The steel clips do a splendid job attaching the top to the skirt.  If you don't use a skirt for your table, you need some serious method to prevent racking of the legs.  Start now on experimenting for the desired finish.  Find a wide-belt sander you can use to finish sand the top.  It's too easy and leaves a beautiful, smooth, flat surface.  Take your time, and spend twice as much time thinking as you do cutting.  Regards, Clark

wheelinguy

What about a board running the length of the underside of the table with the legs mortised in and some small angle braces to prevent racking.  You could make it like a sub! assembly and the just mount the leg assembly to the top with as many screws as it takes to make you feel comfortable and then plug all the holes of course. :)

Axe Handle Hound

How about something like this?  I built this as a single leg per end trestle table, but it could easily be adapted to a two leg version.  If you look at the end view you'll see 2 walnut plugs.  Underneath these are hex bolts that pass through the leg assembly and daylight into a mortice in the stretcher that runs parallel to the length of the table.  The stretcher is morticed into the leg assemblies, but not glued.  I wanted this to be portable so the entire thing can be broken down into its individual parts.  Once the bolts are cranked tight the table is very sturdy.       




  

  

  

 

Ernie

Axe Handle Hound, that is one beautiful table.  What did you use for the finish?
A very wise man once told me . Grand children are great, we should have had them first

Axe Handle Hound

Quote from: Ernie on January 16, 2012, 09:52:10 PM
Axe Handle Hound, that is one beautiful table.  What did you use for the finish?

Thanks Ernie.   It's quartersawn white oak finished with a clear stain, two coats of Waterlox Original Sealer, and two coats of Waterlox Marine Finish.  I got the Waterlox for free from someone so I tried it and I absolutely love the Original Sealer.  The Marine finish is a bit soft and glossy for my tastes, but the table is several years old now and still looks great so the durability is pretty good. 

(Brad- sorry, don't mean to derail your thread.)

WDH

It can't get any roomier under the table than that, axe handle.  That looks great, love the q-sawn white oak, too.  Thanks for sharing.
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

Magicman

That is a beautiful table and very crafty workmanship.   smiley_thumbsup
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

Brad_bb

Axe, thanks for the pics- worth a thousand words.  That is similar to how I want to build mine.  I'll probably skip the cleat and screw the top brace into the top.
Anything someone can design, I can sure figure out how to fix!
If I say it\\\\\\\'s going to take so long, multiply that by at least 3!

Axe Handle Hound

Thanks for all the compliments guys. 

Brad, if you do skip the cleat and screw the brace to the top make sure you make an elongated or oversize hole for the screw in the brace.  The top on my table is about 36" wide and even though it's quartersawn it still expands/contracts a good 1/4" or more with the seasons.  If you don't allow the top to slide on the braces it will almost definitely split or possibly even bow your braces and you'll end up with a cupped top. 

Hilltop366

So why don't you making a Timber frame table Brad?

I was thinking that a leg design like in your picture in reply #10 would look nice with either a small arched timber (could be hollowed out to make it lighter and help prevent twisting and checking) or two arched boards that went from leg to leg with some sturdy knock down hardware (this sort of thing http://www.leevalley.com/en/hardware/page.aspx?cat=3,43715&p=67659 ) that could be hidden with wood plugs. The drawback to this is it does not provide a lot of support to keep the top from cupping, if the top used narrower strips of alternating grain it would be less of a issue.

Brad_bb

Hilltop366,
Regarding actual timberframe... well that would be aweful heavy, and I don't intend to live here long term.  So I don't want to have a heavy monstrosity.  If it were my final home, with more space, I could possibly do something fun like that.

I could get fancy, yes, but I need this table more for function now.  In fact I'm almost ready to go quick screw some 2X pine together just cause I need the table space.

I do like the "knock down" fasteners. 

Axe Handle Hound,
Now you've got me thinking about warpage.  My table will be 24 inches wide.  I could use narrower pieces, no problem.  So I'm thinking that I'd have to use a single screw into the top on each side so that the top can expand in either direction, or I'd have to use cleats as you have.  The cleats would allow a growing top to slide somewhat as it grew.

I know this is going to take more time than I want.  Normally you'd have fun making a piece like this, but I need function and have too many irons in the fire at the moment!
Anything someone can design, I can sure figure out how to fix!
If I say it\\\\\\\'s going to take so long, multiply that by at least 3!

WDH

Even if you use only one screw on each side of the top, the screw holes need to be bigger than the screw to allow for the expansion and contraction.  This will prevent the top from splitting like Axe Handle said. 
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

Axe Handle Hound

Brad,

In the 4th picture I added in my earlier post you can see I added a cleat across the center of the table to keep the top flat.  The pics below show more detail on that cleat. Specifically, the second picture shows the bottom of that cleat and one of the lag bolts that I used to secure it to the tabletop.  If you look close you'll see that the washer under the head of the lag bolt is much smaller than the hole it sits in.  Likewise, if you look really close on the right side of the washer you should be able to see one end of the elongated hole that I cut for the lag bolt shank.  The other end is underneath the left side of the washer.  When I originally bolted the cleat to the top the lag bolt was centered in the elongated hole.  That's how much the top has moved since I installed it. You could use this same approach on the bottom of your braces and skip the small wooden cleat that I used on my braces.  Using the lags through the bottom of your braces will keep them invisible to everyone unless they're standing on their head beneath the table like I just was.  That's how I'd do it if I had to do it again.   

 


 

Thank You Sponsors!