Thread: 3m Dining Table Too Big for Garage Workshop?

If you can get it to Moorabbin we can sand it for you. We'll even make the whole thing you like

Ive done some that big by myself . My space wasn't an issue but handling the top once its together was. I just completed one with a 100 kg top by myself . A rolling gantry with a block and tackle was the only way . It's either that or another guy to help, and cant be done without one or the other for my tables. Once a top is made it has to be flipped a few times to finish , fit and colour. I polish the top but the under side has to be finished / stained , as well .

Ive also made such tops on small machines . One I did years ago was huge and all done on a 6" woodfast buzzer and a 12" square head Wolfenden Thicknesser. No problems with that as long as you have the infeed and outfeed room . Anything to big for the thicknesser was just done with the electric hand planner . Everything finished by Hand plane , cabinet scraper and a light sand, before polishing .

The way our winter is going with all these clear days down here and you may be able to machine outdoors . Once / If !!? the long rainy weeks set in, all work must be done indoors things could get harder.

With the latest 100 kg topped table . I screwed that top on to its equally heavy base and loaded it and delivered by myself . Delivered by Horse float. The New Owner helped get it in the house . The key to all that is a special type of trolley I don't think many people would have seen . A guy used to make them in Melbourne a few years ago and travel around to all the shops selling them . I bought two after he came in twice trying to sell them . After we used them a while I jumped at the chance to get another two .They are very good.
From a home workshop in Melbourne.
They are a flat tray covered in carpet about 24 x 6 " with 4 castors in corners and a long padded T handle welded in the middle that acts as a rest for table tops or a place to grab and lift from .
It wouldn't surprise me if the maker was a forum member? These trolleys allow stuff to be moved that nothing else I have can do . Whole long tops can be shifted on their edge, or whole assembled tables on edge or with 4 trolleys one under each leg.



Rob

I have built a 2.5m X 1.1m Jarrah table and many 2.1m tables. Let me tell you it takes skills and experience to put one together, and it is physical.

OK things you need to know.

For a 3m long table you will probably need 3.2m boards. So

Challenge 1 – if you are using a tablesaw, jointer or thickness then you need to have 6.5m of clearance for each machine.

Challenge 2 – long boards are hard to flatten. It they slightly twisted or bowed then you will need to cut a lot of wood to get a flat board. I am guessing that you will need to have very thick boards to start with.

You will need long clamps to glue up the base.

You will find it very difficult the keep the base square and true during glue-up

The top will be very heavy. Just flipping it upside down will take at 2 people. And you will need to flip it many many times (trust me!)

Do you have enough of room for the top and the base when they need to be separated?

Good luck.

Just one question. Have you built a table before and what size?

Thanks guys, great advice. I'm leaning towards such a large table being a little beyond the capacity of my workspace. I feel I could maybe just squeeze it in but when added to my inexperience with tables I am a little anxious.

Hi Wongo, thanks for your input. The only table I have built is an outdoor one (also 3m x 1.2) but this had a slatted top and breadboards at each end and centre. Precisely to avoid long boards at the time. The aprons were annoying enough at 3m and there were only two of those! With regard to room, I could manage the two but it would be tight.

Still unsure, if was 2.4m or less I'd be 100% going for it, but 3m seems exponentially more difficult.

Cheers, Dom

Originally Posted by auscab

The key to all that is a special type of trolley I don't think many people would have seen . A guy used to make them in Melbourne a few years ago and travel around to all the shops selling them . I bought two after he came in twice trying to sell them . After we used them a while I jumped at the chance to get another two .They are very good.
From a home workshop in Melbourne.
They are a flat tray covered in carpet about 24 x 6 " with 4 castors in corners and a long padded T handle welded in the middle that acts as a rest for table tops or a place to grab and lift from .
It wouldn't surprise me if the maker was a forum member? These trolleys allow stuff to be moved that nothing else I have can do . Whole long tops can be shifted on their edge, or whole assembled tables on edge or with 4 trolleys one under each leg.

Sounds very interesting. Any pictures and/or dimensions?

Originally Posted by cava

Sounds very interesting. Any pictures and/or dimensions?

I'm just thinking It wouldn't be fair on the guy to show his work cava. He was a bit protective about the design.

Basically its this though.

https://www.amazon.com/GypTool-Heavy.../dp/B01LXIJ6KN


https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075Y18994...&pd_rd_w=CMgQn



Except the folded sheet bottom on this that's on an angle is flat and parallel with the floor . and with a raised edge to stop things sliding off the length but open at ends. lined with carpet.

This has bent tube as a back rest which does the same thing as what mine has . Just a T at same height in the middle and padded

This trolley has two fixed and two swivel castors where my one has four swivel.

One of these can handle a top . Or a built table on its edge. Two does the same . you can walk away and leave it standing that way. One each end of a chest of drawers with its feet sitting in the tray . I had one under each leg and was able to get a heavy table up a ramp and onto a horse float with no problems.

Rob

A few of my local timber suppliers will joint, thickness and straight line rip for minimal cost I'd see if you can get that done at least. Then you can thickness to final size at your place to take the initial strain off of you. As others have said handling a 3m beast will be a struggle but with the help of another pair of hands it should be OK if that is available.

What kind of base are they wanting? That'd be another concern in terms of construction methods and so on. I've followed your previous builds there is no doubt you'd be capable of doing it. I'd enjoy the challenge!
As long as they're properly jointed / planed table tops are a sinch. A few biscuits or dominos there and you'll have a pretty flat panel. I usually flatten out any inconsistent spots with a hand plane then sand it.

Originally Posted by hurcorh

A few of my local timber suppliers will joint, thickness and straight line rip for minimal cost I'd see if you can get that done at least.

I personally will not trust their workmanship, but it is just me.

Originally Posted by Wongo

I personally will not trust their workmanship, but it is just me.

Yeah I tend to agree. I just can't see any supplier achieving the level of precision required/desired, unless they are actually a furniture maker.

Given my inexperience with tops like this, i presume that if there is a gentle curve to a 3m board(s) that can be easily flexed out with a little pressure (so not a kink but a really large radius curve/sag) this won't present any problems once glued up together - aside from the initial alignement which would be helped by domino's? Even if the whole panel has a very gentle twist or curve provided the frame is rigid I couldn't see it being a problem? Of course the edges would need to be perfectly jointed 90deg and preferably with even a tiny bit of hollow towards the centre to get a sprung joint to keep the ends tight.

I see face jointing as the bigger challenge over 3m with short jointer beds thats all. This is one of my primary concerns. Twist would be the worst and would necesitate winding sticks and hand planing - not really that much of a problem but compounded slightly by the length of boards and would obviously take a lot more time than using a large long bed jointer. I assume the guys that typically make long tables would do so with long bed jointers and would also have large wide belt sanders for both the boards and complete tops?

Having said that I enjoy hand tool work and am happy to work for closer to peanuts but if it takes me 10x longer than a properly set up shop it might not be worth it for all involved.

Cheers, Dom

Originally Posted by hurcorh

What kind of base are they wanting? That'd be another concern in terms of construction methods and so on. I've followed your previous builds there is no doubt you'd be capable of doing it. I'd enjoy the challenge!
As long as they're properly jointed / planed table tops are a sinch. A few biscuits or dominos there and you'll have a pretty flat panel. I usually flatten out any inconsistent spots with a hand plane then sand it.

Not sure of base yet. Nothing too outlandish / fancy though I believe. More modern clean lines but not completely simple - that's still something we would work out.

Thanks for the vote of confidence mate. I would love to give it a crack.

Maybe I didn't explain it well. At least them putting a bowed board through a straight line rip saw puts an almost dead flat/straight edge on a board. Far easier to then take a final 1mm pass or two on a jointer (your own) to then have a glue ready surface that you've prepared. Same with face jointing the large boards. They'd have an old Wadkin or similar that'd have longer beds. At least if the majority of the boards twist, cup and bow is taken out you can 'finesse' it at home a whole lot easier. Using alignment aids during glue ups would aide in alleviating any inconsistencies on the faces along the 3m length. Straight line rip saws are just about the easiest way to put a nearly perfect straight edge on a board in a single pass. Along with a large sliding table saw. Of course not accessible to all. A long straight edge and a hand plane to knock off the majority of the high spots will work followed by a pass or two on the jointer to finish it up.

I suppose if you dont have access to a good joinery business or a decent timber supplier that can process timber accurately (surprising if you live in a big city or near one) you're going to have to tackle it solo.

I don't want pictures for the above post haha. Slip of the finger.

Dom, if you do decide to take the job then don't forget to show us your WIP. I will be interested to see it as it happens.