The simplest of designs for Huon slab coffee table.

**artful bodger** · 8th December 2016, 03:04 PM

The client for this job (who knows little about woodwork) bought a slab of Huon pine while visiting Strahan on the west coast of Tassie. The slab was 2 meters long and about 650mm at widest point. They assured me it had been sanded and was ready to finish.
They asked me to make a coffee table from it and it must be to this design....did not matter what timber was used for the legs.
Huon table063.jpg
I said that "you can't just glue the legs on to the top and expect everything to be fine". Maybe a support of some sort to tie the legs together is in order?
They said "No supports are wanted, you are the woodworker so you work it out"
A few months later they dropped the slab off to me. This was a pretty gnarly hunk of wood.....
DSCF5792.jpg Riddled with knots, most of them with cracks in them and others so oily they were like touching grease. One of them had completely rotted right through so there was just a hole where it was.
It was true the slab had been sanded however it appeared that it had been sanded with 10mm blue metal.
DSCF5798.jpg DSCF5796.jpg DSCF5795.jpg
Anyway in keeping to client's desires I decided to get some 6mm aluminium plate bent up to the correct angle and do an aluminium tennon epoxied into the legs and recessed into the underside of the table.
Legs are from ordinary old radiata pine.
DSCF5802.jpgPicture showing ally plate and 130mm deep slots.
DSCF5803.jpgTennon surfaces roughed up to give the epoxy something to really bite into.
DSCF5804.jpg All glued up after the legs have been sprayed.
The slab just took time. Took it to a local shop and had it run through a thickness sander to get it somewhere near an orbital sander range. Filled all the cracks with epoxy mixed with fine sanding-dust. Put a birdseye huon patch over the rot hole, wiped down the greasy knot-holes with lashings of thinners. Spent hours on the natural waney edges as this log must have end for ended down a flooding river at some stage resulting in lots of splintery areas and other rotted sapwood areas. After 3 coats of 2 pac.
DSCF5810.jpg DSCF5809.jpg DSCF5811.jpg The upside of a gnarly slab is that there is going to be plenty of feature, birdseye etc.....
DSCF5808.jpg And the legs as the client wished.DSCF5806.jpg DSCF5805.jpg.

**Kuffy** · 8th December 2016, 03:18 PM

It may be a simple design, but it needs a bit of farting about to get it done.

what did you use to cut the 130mm deep slots in the legs to accept the aluminium plate?

**artful bodger** · 8th December 2016, 03:54 PM

Originally Posted by Kuffy

It may be a simple design, but it needs a bit of farting about to get it done.

what did you use to cut the 130mm deep slots in the legs to accept the aluminium plate?

You said it Kuffy!. Can't wait to see clients face when I hand them the bill.

I cut the slots on my woodfast table saw. Gradually working up to the 130mm in a series of cuts. Also clamped a second fence to the saw table so that the legs would not go sideways in an emergency.(a fence both sides of the legs).

**auscab** · 8th December 2016, 04:47 PM

That's a problem well solved artful !!

**LGS** · 8th December 2016, 05:48 PM

Really well done! Excellent stuff. What timber are the legs, or did I miss it?

Regards,

Rob

**artful bodger** · 8th December 2016, 07:04 PM

You missed it,common old radiata pine.

**Rod Gilbert** · 9th December 2016, 06:37 AM

Hi artful bodger,
Job well sorted, you're client sounds like an architect I drew it you must be able to build it.
Regards Rod.

**IanW** · 9th December 2016, 08:57 AM

Yep, what the others said - an excellent solution to a thorny problem!

There are times when I'm tempted to just go ahead & make something "as requested", and get the satisfaction of saying "I told you so" when it comes back in pieces. But I doubt many would accept that their design was flawed, they'd still blame you!

Cheers,

**Lappa** · 9th December 2016, 09:12 AM

Great solution. Did you recess the aluminium panel into the slab so the legs abut the slab or does the slab just sit on top?

**wheelinround** · 9th December 2016, 09:21 AM

Great looking piece from a ratty slab legs look so good might sort of pinch idea for a Cedar table.

**artful bodger** · 9th December 2016, 10:04 AM

Originally Posted by Lappa

Great solution. Did you recess the aluminium panel into the slab so the legs abut the slab or does the slab just sit on top?

Yes, the aluminium is recessed into the underside of the slab and the legs abut the slab. So from side on you cannot see the ally.

**chris0375** · 9th December 2016, 11:39 AM

I like your thinking with the aluminium. Strong and simple

**manicalalfasist** · 9th December 2016, 01:06 PM

Very cool. [emoji2]. Again simple appearing so easy. Oh yeah you can just slap that together in two hours. Ha.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

**artful bodger** · 9th December 2016, 01:06 PM

Originally Posted by chris0375

I like your thinking with the aluminium. Strong and simple

Originally I was thinking about using 1/4 inch steel plate, which would have been cheaper however it would have weighed 15 kilos. Thankfully client agreed to aluminium which is a fraction of the weight.

**selectedgrub** · 9th December 2016, 05:02 PM

Nice work

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