Thread: Simple dining table - first project

I think it will look rather nice. It is a simple design and a good design. I've made many tables like that and I am not tired of it.

It will be interesting to watch the progress.

I cut the grooves in the leg pieces to sit splines in, but need some advise as to what material to use as splines. The groove is 2mm thick (the thickness of the blade cut) and around 4mm deep each side.

All pieces are not cut to size, so construction will begin soon.

Graha.

Managed to get some time on the weekend to make more sawdust. Leg have now been glued up and I stood one up next to an apron to see how it may end up - liking it. Had a cutoff piece which I am testing with one of the finishes I have handy to see how it may look - not sure of it yet, but will put a few more coats on and see how it goes.

Did you epoxy the 90 joint for the legs?

Christos,

No epoxy - just used a wood glue. I made the assumption that the majority of force will be straight through the legs and not a lot of stress will be put on the joint itself (please correct me if I am wrong - may be an embarassing mistake if a table falls on the leps of my guests).

Graha.

I am not an expert on this and after thinking about the design I would not expect it to fall. The stress is straight down and that is taken care by the legs.

Now if you drag the table along by lifting one side will it fail, this is not the normal use of a table but sometimes people have to move furniture on their own. Same thoughs as I am thinking it will not fail. The spline has given more glueing surface.

How are you going to attach the appron to the legs?

I have already glued up legs to the end, short aprons using dowels (first use of my Aussie-Jig I bought from the Woodworking Show last year). I am attaching the longer aprons using dry dowels and knock down hardware so it can be disassembled easily. The top will then be attached to the aprons using small angle brackets (which should give me a bit more structural strength).

Pictures below of the legs and aprons.

Originally Posted by Graha

Still trying to work out what type of finish to use as it needs to be durable enough to handle a bit of wear and tear (any thoughts would be appreciated).

G'day Graha.

A very simple finish that I often use is 1 part poly to 2 parts turps. Brush on, let soak in & wipe. I usually do about 5 coats & it really builds up. Then I let it harden for a few days, & sand with about 2000 grit & then give it one more coat & wipe straight off.

The last time I did this, I wanted to try some thing a little different, so I melted a little bees wax, added a little danish oil (because thats what I had) & a bit of turps. I rubbed this on, let it dry & buffed it with a soft cloth instead of the sanding step.

I was very happy with the results see post https://www.woodworkforums.com/f40/ju...-today-139935/

Steve

Ticky,

Thanks for the info - I am practising on a few pieces at the moment so will give it a go.

Graha.

Originally Posted by Graha

Ticky,

Thanks for the info - I am practising on a few pieces at the moment so will give it a go.

Graha.

With so much rain today might be a little while before it dries. Was kind of hoping that the rain would not hit too hard but alas thats' not the case.

Nice, looking forward to seeing more of this one.

Looking good. Look forward to seeing it finished. Are you going to stain the table when finished?