ResidentEvil Posted August 19, 2014 Report Share Posted August 19, 2014 Hello all, I've been a long time lurker on WW and these forums and thought it was about time I started contributing to the community. I'm a novice and hobbyist woodworker, mostly creating stuff for the shop and small items around the house. About 9 months ago I decided to take the plunge and create my first big project for the house. As per the bosses (wife) request the dining room table was numero uno on the list. After a lot of research and planning, I decided to go with a fixed base expanding table with butterfly style leafs. The visible portions of the table are all made from 3/4" hickory, and the "tray" built under the table top is made from birch ply. The base of the table is fixed, meaning the aprons do not expand when leaves are installed. Basically I built a standard fixed base table with aprons attached to the legs, then I built a tray that fits inside the aprons to house the extensions and the leaves (when not in use). The end aprons are notched to allow the extensions to slide out when the table is expanded, a decorative cap was placed on the end of the extensions to hide the notch when the leaves are not in place. I glued up the table top in one piece (minus the leaves) and cut in half to allow for extension. As I could only buy 3/4" lumber I laminated a layer around the edge of the top to give it a thicker look. I laminated several pieces of 3/4 together to form the legs, which ended up about 3 1/2" square. Aprons and legs are attached with M&T joinery. The legs have a simple chamfer on each corner and the top has a round over on the top and bottom edge. The table was finished with 4 coats of danish oil followed by 8 coats of wipe on poly (satin). Overall I'm happy with how it turned out, though I did run across a few problems during the build. The two most significant was the top crowning after glue up (despite reading a lot about how to keep it flat) and notching the apron on one end caused one of my legs to be a bit wobbly. Anyhow, sorry for the essay. Here are some pics from selecting and arranging the lumber to the final product. I still have to finish the leaves, but so far so good. Looking over the lumber Top glued up Legs glued up Finished product (not including leaves) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted August 19, 2014 Report Share Posted August 19, 2014 First post! Welcome! Table looks great, not sure you can call yourself a novice anymore:-) BTW, what's phase 2? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryMcK Posted August 19, 2014 Report Share Posted August 19, 2014 Very nice work. Welcome to the forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardA Posted August 19, 2014 Report Share Posted August 19, 2014 Well done! Where's the leaf? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted August 19, 2014 Report Share Posted August 19, 2014 Welcome to the forum! Beautiful table! I'm sure the boss is quite happy with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted August 19, 2014 Report Share Posted August 19, 2014 Looks sharp! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted August 19, 2014 Report Share Posted August 19, 2014 From "small items around the house" to a fine looking table, you've come a long way. Good job and welcome to the Forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ResidentEvil Posted August 19, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 19, 2014 Thanks all. Still very much a novice as there were many mistakes made, even after careful planning. The table isn't anything fancy, but it was a good confidence builder. And Phase 2 is making the leaves, and getting chairs that match (not quite sure I'm ready to build chairs at this point). I didn't want to build the full length table as one piece and then cut the leaves out from the middle, as the table will most often be in the 4 seat configuration and I wanted the grain to match that way. So I built two leaves with the grain running perpendicular to the rest of the top, but was not pleased with how they turned out. Partly because of the look of the grain in the leaves and partly because I fudged up the mortises for the hinges on the leaves. I probably should have held off on finishing the table until I remade the leaves, but we both were a bit fed up with a plastic card table for our dining room. If I'm careful I think I can get the leaves made so they dont look like an aftermarket add-on....I hope. I'm going to try to find some lumber that matches the top better and redo the leaves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted August 19, 2014 Report Share Posted August 19, 2014 I noticed the neat grain match that you have (I like hickory and pecan) and was wondering how you were going to squeeze a leaf in there without anyone noticing. But, given the fact that you use it mainly without the leaf, I think all will be fine regardless how you approach it!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Byrdie Posted August 20, 2014 Report Share Posted August 20, 2014 Sweet looking table and impressive outcome considering the lumber choices available to you. You're going to have to research a hardwood dealer near you that gives you more choices than 3/4 as you certainly exhibit the skill set to do some more challenging things. Nice start and welcome to the forums. I look forward to seeing you share more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.