Does anyone have any advice or know where to find a good tutorial on how to properly make and install self-storing table extensions? Specifically, the kind that are disguised in the table’s apron, then they slide out and “pop-up” and secure into position.
Bausman makes tables that do this and I wasn’t sure if this requires special hardware/etc. I have Google searched and checked all my hardware vendors with not much luck. Thanks in advance.
Replies
chuck,
I was at a friends house a while back and he had a kitchen table with extensions that slid out from under the top and snapped into position level with the stationary top in the center.
There was NO METAL HARDWARE to accomplish this action. It was all done from the way the braces/brackets were made under the table. I just talked to him and will go back and get some pics of it.
Ever since I saw that table I've wanted to make one.
Regards,
Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Edited 7/18/2007 1:45 pm ET by KiddervilleAcres
Thanks for the response. If you could get some pictures that would be great! Thanks for your help!
Is this the kind of table/extensions you are looking for? It really surprises me that we haven't seen others in Knots. I think the design is quite ingenious.
Like I said B4, after seeing it I was/am determined to make a table with extensions the same way.
Regards,
Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Edited 7/18/2007 2:18 pm ET by KiddervilleAcres
Bob,
Did you forget to put a link or picture in the last response? The way it was worded sounded like you had something for me to check out.
Sorry chuck,
Didn't mean to imply a link. I didn't get a chance to get up to the neighbors for picture taking but I did talk to the owner. He told me that the table he has is real old though. Been in the family for many years. No problem, it just might take a couple days.
I'll try to get up there tomorrow if I can. I want to make one of these too.
I did take a look at the Bausman site and saw one of their tables that uses this mechanism. Looks like the same but doesn't show any details as to the construction that I could see.
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
I examined a few of the Bausman tables, but, like you had mentioned, there aren't any good shots of how it works. If you can get some pictures that would be great. Again, thanks for the help!
I made an inquiry a few weeks back on table extensions and if you check the thread 36143.4 you may be able to get more info from that woodworker on how he made the end extensions.
http://www.grizzly.com/products/H6559
Here are plans for a draw leaf table that may help you.
Jerry
Finally a question I can help with!
We own just the sort of table you're talking about. There is no special hardware just tapered rails that the extensions slide on and "alignment pins" that allow the middle (main ) table to raise and lower. Quite ingeneous.
I'ld be glad to share pictures as soon as my kids come back from vacation with the camera and show their luddite dad how to put a picture in a message. ( I especially like the posts with the pix along with the text instead of jpg icons to click on,)
Peace, Mark.
I'm pretty sure there was an article in Fine Woodworking (quite a while ago) by Tage Frid on building just such a table.
Sounds like a Dutch Pullout - sometimes called a Refractory table. You can find an example of this in Tage Frid's Teaching Woodworking: Furnituremaking book. There is also a FWW article available here:
http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/ProjectsAndDesign/ProjectsAndDesignPDF.aspx?id=2010
I haven't made one yet, but it's on the project backlog. Got a request from a friend so I'll be building one in a month or two.
Good Luck!
Jeff
I apologize for the long delay'
I finally got the pictures I promised of the table someone in this thread called a "dutch pullout"
I hope these are helpful.
Edited 8/4/2007 7:16 pm ET by marking
A few months ago I was curious about the geometry of the draw leaf table. Not finding any plans at the time, I figured out the workings in SketchUp. If you want to work out your own table plan, you could start with my drawing and flesh out the details from there. I'd send it if you drop me an e-mail.
Here's a short animation of the table: http://www.brightcove.com/title.jsp?title=979210054
Chuck,
Do you mean a draw leaf table or a butterfly leaf table, by your original post it seems to me that you are more interested in the second.
Go to my web site http://www.aurelio-bolognesi.com I have one in there, if that's what you want, let me know.
C.
Citro-
My daughter wants me to build her a dining room table as a wedding gift. She showed me a table online and it has the butterfly extension similar to yours, although the work was not nearly as nice as yours. The butterfly design would work but not the Dutch pullout that others have offered on here. I thought I could simply search online to figure out to make one with no luck, would you be willing to share how you did it?
BTW- you really have some nice work on you site, enjoyed looking through it.
Thanks for the link, Ray
Ray,There is an article on FWWM about it, very detailed. I have that particular issue at my shop and i won't get there till the end of the week. If you don't find it on your own I will give you the issue number over the week-end.C.
C.
I spent about an hour searching for the article on here but failed to find it. Found lots of good info on extension table in general, and found a picture in the gallery of a table that has a butterfly-leaf, but no real info. If you can look it up I sure would appreciate some help finding it.
I'm sure it's reasonbly easy to figure out but sure has me stumped right now. Even tried to find one in town at a furniture store but can only find them online. I do appreciate any help you can offer.
Ray
Edit: looked one more place and think I have found it in issue #94, pages 50-54, so how can I find a copy of it? It is not one of the back issues for sale, any other source? No local library has back issues of FWW. Somebody want to sell me theirs?
Edited 8/7/2007 6:05 pm ET by woodwish
Ray,It is the issue 94. I copied the article, send me an e-mail with your address and I will mail it to you.C.
Ray,
I have it as .PDF file. I can email it to you if you want.
Just click on KiddervilleAcres and it will bring up my profile. Click on Email and I can reply with it.
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Bob,
Do you have a PDF file on the butterfly leaf table on the issue No. 94 ?
I think that's the one they are looking for.C.
citrouille,
I have scanned the article into the 'puter and then created a .PDF file of it for my own use. I contacted Taunton and have been told that distributing it could be a problem, so I'm afraid that I can't.
They did however offer to try to work it out with anyone who might want a copy of the article. They try to archive as many of the articles that they can. I would suggest emailing them.
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
This article also appears in the "Tables and Chairs" book.
Chuck,
I have to tell you this:
I am a furniture refinisher and try to be a woodworker. Over the years I have restored several of these tables (there are quite a few designs, all resembling the pics posted), and they are very prone to sticking mechanisms, which lead to pulling extra hard, which leads to scratched leafs.
Wood movement/twisting/warping is also very common on the runners that guide the leaves, again causing sticky movement.
I would ask people who own one their opinion (the pics are of a table that has obviously seen better days), and would they buy another one.
The actual woodworking apears to be rather complicated but doable.
The FWW #9 article by Tage Frid appears to be one of the least complicated mechanisms.
Edited 8/6/2007 9:16 pm ET by PCM
The table I photoed didn't have any trouble sticking. Maybe because of slop in the moving parts.The problem this able has is that when the leaves are extended, the middle sections outside edge has no support. So during this table's short stint as a dining table, too much elbow on one side could send one's dining partner's plate coming your way! I'm sure this design deficiency could easily be overcome.Any scratches on the leaves are due to the fact that the middle just sits directly on the leaves and drags unless you pick up the middle slightly as the leaf is drawn out. Some felt pads on the bottom of the middle section would help with this.
Dear Chuck,
You posted this over a month ago, but in case you’re still researching expanding tables, we republished Paul Schurch’s Butterfly-leaf expansion table article from #94. Since it’s been a topic of discussion, we’ll make it free for a limited-time only.
Gina
FWW.com
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