Thread: WIP: S-Table

I like the idea of building it up from laminations to make mitred finger-joints but I don't think that'd be as strong as a true splined mitre joint.

For two reasons...

Firstly, the fingers would only extend as far as the board is thick. Splines extend past the board thickness; almost twice as far. (Generally speaking, the glue is stronger than the timber. So the "thicker" the joint - and the greater the glue surface area - the stronger.)

Secondly, splines go in with the grain at a 45° angle so any leverage forces applied to the joint are taken up primarily by the length of the grain. With the fingers, these forces'd be mainly applied cross-grain, which is much weaker.


Perhaps this needs testing? Anyone up for another joint destruction test?

Skew's the man who knows how to! In talking of building up the joint from laminations, I was still intending to use splines, but the splines would be the same thickness as the boards (19mm) whereas if I were cutting the joint, I'd probably make the fingers about 10 or 12mm, with the splines the same thickness, which would mean more glue to glue surfaces to take the forces.

The plan has changed to a simpler, but similar design, although probably not with such puny legs as the illustration:

Originally Posted by Christos

I do not expect that you are going to get much weight on this phone table. I will be waiting to see what you come up with.

Until a teenager uses it for a bouncy seat...

Originally Posted by Harry72

Until a teenager uses it for a bouncy seat...

Spoken from experience there Harry72?

Little progress as I hadn't allowed for the 6 months of diy required after moving into the new house. Anyway, simple version of the table as seen below. Idea is that the lower plate slides under the end of the sofa, and the top slides over the top of the sofa arm. It's only 135mm wide as that is the size of boards I have, but plenty wide enough for a wine glass and the tv remote, and it won't take up any space in the lounge.

I think that both top and bottom joints are going to be sliding dovetails, the bottom a through dovetail and the top one blind so it doesn't show on the top.

Sketchup isn't doing it for me tonight so the dimensions as shown are wrong. The table is about 700mm high, as shown, but the top and bottom should be 500mm not 600mm.

I've dimensioned some dressed QLD maple I got last year and reflattened it, so hopefully I can start on the sliding dovetails on the weekend.

Anyone got any experience with Ubeaut's Hard Shellac and wine glasses?