New project - kitchen table

Chris Hatfield

Former Member (by the member's request)
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The wife has been longing for a new table, particularly since our youngest is going to be able to sit at the table properly soon. She wanted to buy one, but finances have prevented that. I decided a couple of months ago that I would build her one for Christmas. I then decided to tell her my intentions in order to figure out exactly what she wanted. On the plus, no guesswork. On the negative, I have to actually deliver my promise now. The clock is ticking!

Here are the things I know:
1) she wants it to be a farm table
2) she wants a hardwood top, not ply with a border
3) I want it to be knockdown construction
4) she wants to have the apron and legs painted white, the top finished (in a light color)

Otherwise, I'm not sure what materials I want to make it out of, or even how big it needs to be. Leaf, etc. I know the table needs to sit six normally 1-2-2-1, but I'd also like it to seat up to ten in a pinch. Eight might have to do.

If you've read my introduction thread you're familiar with the tools I have. I am unsure of how wide to make each board and which way I want to register them to each other. I have an okay biscuit joiner, pocket holes...I could conceivably do splines or dowels as well. I also don't have a jointer, and haven't done much with alternative methods.

I'm not going to spend the money right now on turned legs (and I can't turn them myself), so I was going to go with a square leg, with perhaps a taper. If you could help me get started I'd be most appreciative. I'd like to keep the budget low, but it doesn't have to scrape the bottom.
 
well since it going to be painted you could use poplar, ash or soft maple whatever is lest expensive in your area. The height at the top of the apron should be 28 inches which is standard for a table you need to allow for seating so I'd go with something about 60 inches long. When I get a few minutes, I'll put something together in sketchup for ya, I'm sure other will pipe in also.
 
Much obliged. On a somewhat related note, even though I am very good with all sorts of computers, Sketchup remains my nemesis.
 
I'd like to suggest a slightly different route - have you considered searching out a used table (e.g. garage sale, good will, flea market, (and don't laugh) even your local transfer station) and re-purposing it? I offer this because I think you may be able to find either a fairly large, stabilized slab already glued up that only requires refinishing or cannibalize some turned legs and paint them to suit.

I'm 99% sure that this route would still require enough effort on your part to consider it a homemade gift but I think if your lucky, you may find some good donor pieces and save a fair amount of $$.

For what it's worth, I've done a few times and ended up with some really wonderful walnut, QS white oak and mahogany.
 
Real good idea Peter. The only thing up here in my area we aint allowed to scavange from the transfer station or dump.:( Seems anti enviromental in the world of recycling today but i can understand why with liabilties etc.

I have seen some great stuff in those bins. Even tried to bribe the guard but no deal.

I think another place that is possible to find old stuff to use as components is the goodwill stores and places like Salvation army stores but that involves cash and i have seen them asking for way to high a price.

Chris another thing you should not discount is going to Habitat for humanity restore it stores. They have tons of stuff you might pick up some lumber from them that you can use or components left over from a Woodworking shop that has closed it doors. Ours had some really gread kitchen cupboard doors recently and loads of other bits and pieces even hardware.

As to the table itself you may want set yourself a budget to pull off what you want to do. There is going to be some cost for hardware and lumber.

What i seen done and have on the table i have at home is use of a sliding rack to make the table adjustable with removeable leafs to achieve your expanded version. You could get buy without it with some other design involving sliding wood but it wont be as smooth to operate and set up.

Here is a link to see what i am refering to they call it a table extender and the picture shows you how it works. You can get these from several places not only LV so shop around i have no clue as to pricing. Dont forget Craigslist and Ebay etc. Some guys might be getting rid of one.


Here is a picture of one you could make without buy hardware and only using wood i think but you will need to be pretty good with your machining. Check around Paxtons site there is info on how to select these things and use them here and here. I have never dealt with these guys. Just using these links for info for you.

Thats it for me. Good luck keep us posted on progress.:thumb:
 
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Took the wife to the lumber yard yesterday to see what she liked. She settled on cypress over european beech. I'm not familiar with either, and don't know what it would look like finished, or if either could withstand the use. I could always default to a hard maple.

We decided to not have a leaf of any kind, and we've just about settled on final dimensions. Another question is which way should I orient the boards? Long or short?
 
Hi Chris,

She settled on cypress over european beech. I'm not familiar with either, and don't know what it would look like finished, or if either could withstand the use. I could always default to a hard maple.

We decided to not have a leaf of any kind, and we've just about settled on final dimensions.

I am interested in the cypress over european beech. What are the dimensions of that lumber you saw? That is, what is the thickness and width of these two woods that are in your local lumber yard? And if you don't mind the bd. ft. prices?

What final dimensions are you going to use?

I am sure you will get lots of help here and this info will be a great start.
 
To be honest, I didn't pay that much attention to dimensions of anything. I really just wanted to see what she liked, and about how much it ran. I want to say the 5/4 ran about 4.50-4.75/bf, with the cypress differing in price the wider it was. I was thinking about making it either 60 or 66 inches in length, and 36" wide.
 
Took the wife to the lumber yard yesterday to see what she liked. She settled on cypress over european beech. I'm not familiar with either, and don't know what it would look like finished, or if either could withstand the use. I could always default to a hard maple.

We decided to not have a leaf of any kind, and we've just about settled on final dimensions. Another question is which way should I orient the boards? Long or short?

Cypress, for a tabletop, is pretty soft and "ding-prone" - especially when kids are involved. It's soft enough that doing homework there, and pressing too hard with pen or pencil, will actually put mini trenches into the cypress. I'd definitely go with the maple for the top. Even switching top and bottom, and going with beech over cypress would be better, but maple over beech would keep the coloration similar to the cypress/beech.

Orient the boards length-wise, and either just leave the endgrain exposed, or use breadboard ends.

For a finish, I'd suggest half a dozen coats of Behlens "Rock Hard Tabletop Finish," sanded lightly between coats, with the final coat allowed to cure for at least a week before rubout and waxing. It's harder to work with than poly, but much more durable.

Or, since it's to be a 'farm table,' you could just oil it (Watco Natural) and wax it. The oil and wax finish would be the most easily repaird from dings and scratches (reference the kids mentioned above...:D ).
 
Thanks for the tips. I'll pass it on to my wife. I found the Janka chart, but it doesn't open on this computer.

As for the cypress and beech, we were just looking at the top. I was going to use dimensional pine for the legs and perhaps the apron, since it was going to be painted. Was going to prime and then paint with a white.

So orient the boards 60-66" long. 4" wide? 6" wide? I've seen conflicting ideas as to try to eliminate cupping by alternating the grain, or to orient it the same way to make the cupping predictable.

Was thinking using 5/4, planed down to 1" for thickness. Was going to keep the ends and sides exposed and roundover.
 
I was going to use dimensional pine for the legs and perhaps the apron, since it was going to be painted. Was going to prime and then paint with a white.

Pine will work. For very little more money you could use poplar. It's harder (think durable) than pine, and takes paint much nicer, since the grain is less pronounced, and the hardness differences in the grain structure is more even.

So orient the boards 60-66" long. 4" wide? 6" wide? I've seen conflicting ideas as to try to eliminate cupping by alternating the grain, or to orient it the same way to make the cupping predictable.

4, 6, or random widths will all work. I've never had a cupping problem with either alternating or all one configuration. I'd pay attention to the way the grain runs, and orient the boards so that it all runs the same direction. That makes for much easier planing and sanding.

Was thinking using 5/4, planed down to 1" for thickness. Was going to keep the ends and sides exposed and roundover.

That sounds like a good plan.

If you want a 'lighter' look, then you could also put a 15°~20° bevel, about an inch or so wide, on the bottom edges. Makes it look less blocky, if that's a look you like.
 
Poplar it is. I had thought about the ease of using the pine for making the legs, but I realize I've not yet done a glueup like that and could use the experience. I've read that you should make the top first and then the apron and legs - true?

I need to start on it soon, I just wish my lumber yard kept a bit more convenient hours.
 
We've had a slight change in design. Well, the 'slight' being 'everything.'

Instead of a farmhouse table, now she wants a trestle table. And I've clued her into how much a solid top would be, and she's willing to go along with a ply breadboard top. I have a couple of plans at my disposal to look at designs, but I have two questions at this point:

1) a ply top. She still wants a maple look. If I can find maple ply, is it going to look okay? I see most of the ply tops being done with a stain and we definetly don't want that.

2) actually, I forgot what the second question was.
 
I was hoping you weren't going to say that. Ply would be so much easier.

I'm hoping you're right in that it won't cost that much more. But I have my doubts.
 
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