JGBuilds Posted March 20, 2019 Report Share Posted March 20, 2019 Hello Everyone, I've recently finished a farmhouse style tabletop that is 40"W x 84" L. I was originally going to build a trestle style wooden base, but have now decided to buy "X-Frame" tube steel metal legs. I'm planning on attaching the legs so there will be about 20" of overhang on each end. I am looking for advice/guidance in how wide the metal legs should be and how much overhang I should have on each side of the table. There won't be a cross support between the two metal legs. Any advice is appreciated, thank you for your time. Photo of newly made table top and metal legs I plan to purchase attached for reference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I B Posted March 20, 2019 Report Share Posted March 20, 2019 1 hour ago, JGBuilds said: There won't be a cross support between the two metal legs. Won't that cause some racking issues? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drzaius Posted March 20, 2019 Report Share Posted March 20, 2019 Yes, anybody leaning hard on the end will make those legs flex, or pull out the screws holding them to the top. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted March 21, 2019 Report Share Posted March 21, 2019 Obtain 2 lengths of 1/4" or so thick flat steel bar, and bolt them to the legs to serve as "cross support", substituting for aprons. Then attach the table to the flat bars. Route recesses under the table top to sink the metal into, no one will ever see it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted March 21, 2019 Report Share Posted March 21, 2019 Just for my understanding, if op replaces the saw horses with these massive legs, you’re saying he will get a bow lengthways and should attach the two leg standards from one end to the other? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted March 21, 2019 Report Share Posted March 21, 2019 My though is that the 2" or 3" wide bar at the leg top provides almost no racking resistance, and little force would be needed to rip the screws out of the wood, collapsing the table. The flat bars, arranged so that the width is flat against the wood above and the tops of the legs below, provides a strong tie from leg to leg. If fastened in many places along the length, it provides a much stronger means of attaching the legs. And I mean attach the legs to the steel, not THROUGH the steel and into the wood. I would probably route a recess for each of the flats, and epoxy them in, flush with the bottom surface of the table top. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G Ragatz Posted March 21, 2019 Report Share Posted March 21, 2019 40 minutes ago, wtnhighlander said: The flat bars, arranged so that the width is flat against the wood above and the tops of the legs below, provides a strong tie from leg to leg. If fastened in many places along the length, it provides a much stronger means of attaching the legs. And I mean attach the legs to the steel, not THROUGH the steel and into the wood. I would probably route a recess for each of the flats, and epoxy them in, flush with the bottom surface of the table top. This seems like it would address the racking issue. Would there be problems with seasonal movement in the wood? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JGBuilds Posted March 21, 2019 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2019 12 hours ago, wtnhighlander said: Obtain 2 lengths of 1/4" or so thick flat steel bar, and bolt them to the legs to serve as "cross support", substituting for aprons. Then attach the table to the flat bars. Route recesses under the table top to sink the metal into, no one will ever see it. Thank you, I was thinking of this but what you just stated re-affirms. I should've specified that I wouldn't have any "visible" cross support between the legs near the floor. I appreciate everyone's insight who's commented. Any suggestion on the amount of table overhang on the sides? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronn W Posted March 21, 2019 Report Share Posted March 21, 2019 Youor minimum overhang is dictated by leg room for the people at the end of the table. The max is related to the thickness of the top. Just roughly I would think that an overhangof about 16" would be right for a 1 1/4" top. When you double the table top thicknesss the canitlevered wood can hold 4x the weight, so there is no simple rule of thumb unless you realy like math. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted March 22, 2019 Report Share Posted March 22, 2019 13 hours ago, G Ragatz said: This seems like it would address the racking issue. Would there be problems with seasonal movement in the wood? The long flats would move with the wood. The legs would not. Address that by slotting the bolt holes in the leg tops, aligned across the table's width. The bolts can go into threaded holes in the long flats. I'd use 4 bolts, 1/4" or bigger, into each end of both long flats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G Ragatz Posted March 22, 2019 Report Share Posted March 22, 2019 Got it - I was thinking the flats were going to be fastened tight to the legs, preventing the wood from moving across the width of the table. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brendon_t Posted March 22, 2019 Report Share Posted March 22, 2019 I have those exact legs on my outside walnut table. 20" is way too much overhang in my opinion. I've got 13" outside of mine and wouldn't want to go more for stability and proportion. My legs are quite sturdy. They have two rows of slotted holes offset by about 3". I tapped the wood and used stainless bolts. I have snugged the bolts up one time after the season change and not again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G Ragatz Posted March 22, 2019 Report Share Posted March 22, 2019 On 3/20/2019 at 11:55 AM, JGBuilds said: I've recently finished a farmhouse style tabletop that is 40"W x 84" L. I was originally going to build a trestle style wooden base, but have now decided to buy "X-Frame" tube steel metal legs. I'm planning on attaching the legs so there will be about 20" of overhang on each end. I am looking for advice/guidance in how wide the metal legs should be and how much overhang I should have on each side of the table. There won't be a cross support between the two metal legs. Any advice is appreciated, thank you for your time. I would echo the advice of others to put the legs closer to the ends - I think the usual recommendation is 12" - 16" to provide adequate knee clearance and to allow an unoccupied chair to slide under. Width-wise, I think I'd try to get legs that would allow the flat bars wtnhighlander suggested to be attached to the second board in from each edge - so, 6" or so overhang. Given the design of the legs, I don't think they're going to be knee-knockers. 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.