Thread: Camp fire coffee table

no thoughts as yet

Sounds simple, but it's not really. Here's some simple thoughts I've had on the matter, from when I thought about building something similar for myself. (It's not advice as such, but more just my thoughts on different options.)

Using square stock for legs, you'd need to cut a pair of flats on each leg for the other two to nestle into (unless you want gaping gaps) and as these'd be compound angles not even remotely related to "square" and different for each leg, they're a right headache to calculate.

Using round stock for the legs simplifies this and would give cleaner lines, IMHO.

Simply bolting 'em together would be impractical, as all three bolts would need to be staggered - you can't put them all in the same plane as you'd be drilling each bolt-hole "through" the previous bolt-hole. And staggering 'em would move two of the bolts far enough away from the joint that you'd see their shafts in-between the legs. Not exactly an elegant look.

I guess screwing or pegging 'em together or using dowels would be a viable possibility, temporarily holding the legs together "in situ" and drilling pilot hole 'n fitting the fasteners in place.

With only one fastener per pair of legs, it'd act as a fulcrum (the legs'd swivel around it) so you'd either need to also fasten the legs to the underside of the table top, or somehow find room to fit two fasteners per leg at the joint. Again, not as easy as it sounds.

Another option... just like a "real" camp fire table, use rope, wire or a similar tied binding wrapped around the joint. I'd still recommend that the legs also be fastened under the table top, as there's not much rigidity with that type of binding.

Finally, what I think I would do is laminate up a disk, maybe 1" thick of the same material (cross-plied for strength) and then at 120° spacings mark use a hole-saw in a drill-press with the table tilted to the desired leg angle to drill holes for the legs to slip through. With the legs placed in these 'oles you can simply run dowels/screws/whatever from the outside edge of the disk and into the legs to lock 'em into position. Easier than effing around trying to fasten 'em to each other and would look a bit classier in my books. With a bit of extra effort, these holes could be dressed out to take square legs too.

A pair of these disks (or the centres could also be cut out to make rings) spaced more than a few inches apart would also make the legs a rigid structure, so you could make a lift-off top. This'd also require some brain-work to calc the right positions & angles for the holes (to get 'em to align to the legs properly) but no more than calculating the afore-mentioned flats would in the first place.

I didn't actually build mine, as someone else went ahead and built one (for the pallet challenge perhaps? I'd post a link but couldn't be bothered searching. Sorry. ) and I switched tacks, not wishing to be accused of copying. I was just playing mind-games with myself at the the time. it's not like I had a burning desire to actually build one or something! (To boil it down... all the above is simple theory, never put into practice! )

Good luck with however it works out!

Hi Ratchet

In PNG it is fairly common to carve three legged table legs from a single piece of timber, so that the middle sections each contain a loop that goes through the loops on the other legs - they cannot be separated. (Similar trick to carving chains from a single piece of wood.)

I have one that holds a rosewood bowl - about three foot across - but I cannot locate the legs at the moment.

Have a look at some PNG artifact sites and you should get some ideas.

Cheers

Graeme

The 3 foot bowl sounds similar to the burls I have ,

hope you can find them

a photo would help

Thanks

Sorry Ratchet

Her's a picture of the bowl - its New Guinea Rosewood, 38 inches across the top and about 35 years old. It is hand carved, not lathed.

Its been down in my cellar for the past 10+ years, but I have been unable to find the legs. They are there where they won't get lost!

Merry Christmas

Graeme

Thanks Graeme and Skew

Merry Christmas

Rod

Originally Posted by GraemeCook

...In PNG it is fairly common to carve three legged table legs from a single piece of timber, so that the middle sections each contain a loop that goes through the loops on the other legs - they cannot be separated. (Similar trick to carving chains from a single piece of wood.)...........

Is this what you mean Graeme??? It's only a little one my sister has - took the pics to put it on the veeerrrrry long to-do list

Wow!

Originally Posted by TTIT

Is this what you mean Graeme??? It's only a little one my sister has - took the pics to put it on the veeerrrrry long to-do list

Thanks, That's exactly what I meant except for the scale. Felt a bit of a dilll when I could not find mine. Its down in the cellar, somewhere...

I have seen them used in villages to hold wooden sago bowls. Sago is a sort of porridge made from the pith of a palm tree and is the major food in some areas of PNG.

Merry Christmas

Graeme