My wife wants an end table like the attached model. The target size is about 18″W x 30″L x 24″ H. It will be made from cherry.
The legs in this design are 1.5″ square, untapered — that’s not cast in concrete, just looked about right. I’m unsure how to accomplish the joinery for the two shelves (the “joinery” depicted is purely notional).
Is there a “normal” approach to shelves like this on a small table?
-M.
Replies
I don't know if there is a normal way to attach the shelves. I made something of a
similar size. What I did was put rails at the ends of the shelves. The rails are
tenoned into the legs. The rails had a 1/8" deep rabbit with a center mortise
of about 4 " long and slightly deeper than 3/4 the thickness of the rail. You only glue
the tenon area of the shelf. You have to cut out rectangles at the corners of the
shelf to accomodate the legs and allow for seasonal wood movement. My rails were
about 1 and 1/2" by 3/4" by length. This provided a slight lip at the end of the
shelves. I'll be interested in the answers of more experienced wood workers. I'll
say it made a sturdy table.
Is this what you mean? I've deliberately left the shelf "floating" above the rails to make clear how I'm interpreting your description. In real life, it sits on the rails -- yes?
-M
Not to speak for Rod, but that's the way I've done it. If, for some reason, you have to have the shelf so close to the floor that there's no place for a rail, you might consider floating tenons (dowels), though they won't have nearly the strength as a rail.
". . .and only the stump or fishy part of him remained."
Green Gables: A Contemplative Companion to Fujino Township
Mark, It's not as in your picture. The shelf is seated in a rabbit in the rail. If your shelf is of 3/4" stock, then I cut a rabbit 1/8" deep by 3/4" the length on the inside of the rail. Into this rabbit I cut a mortice about 4" long centered in the rail. I used a hidden mortice, but one could make a through mortice. The shelves were cut so that they had a tenon to fit the mortice. The shelf was cut from stock whose length was (distance between rails) + 2 (1/8) + 2 (depth mortice). The shelf is seated in the rabbits, which helps to keep it from warping. If the rabbit is centered in the rail then there is a lip of the rail above and below the shelf . One has to make rectangular cut outs in the shelf to accomodate the legs. The gaps between the shelf and the front (and back) legs can be very small (long dimension of shelf, with grain) but the gaps at the legs front to back (short dimension, cross grain) have to be big enough to allow for wood movement, perhaps 3/16", but it really depends on the width of shelf. I feel really frustrated at not being able to draw a figure. I have a scanner, but I don't know how to up load a drawing.
Rod
OK, is this what you mean? I've exaggerated the details a bit to make the diagram more clear, so this isn't to scale anymore.
-M.
Mark,
Yes! That's it. I also ment to mention that I pinned the tenons in the legs and the shelf.
Rod
Do U use a dawing Program to edit this...I need one,not sure where to find it..
Thanks beck2512
One way to do this is to make the shelf with breadboard ends, and then mortise the breadboard ends into the legs. The problem with the shelf of any width is that it will move, winter to summer, which may throw your legs off of true vertical. With breadboard ends, made in the usual way, this will not be a problem.
Alan
Mark,
That is a pretty large shelf...about 30x18.... I have done the rabbit on the rails style with solid wood and I have also done a dado in the rails and put in a piece of plywood. I like S4S solution with the breadboard morticed into the legs. Maybe next time I'll breadboard a piece of plywood, mortice the shorter end into the legs and put a dado in the side rails...(I'm really quite bored right now...lol)
BG, S4S --
I definitiely did consider using cherry ply with cherry edge banding instead of solid wood for the shelves, just to avoid the problem of wood movement. I'm not all that crazy about the quality of the cherry ply I've got access to though, and so am leaning towards solid wood.
I'm enough of a beginner still that although I know what a breadboard end is, I don't know how to execute the joinery for it -- I don't know what the "usual way" is. Could either of you point me at anything that shows it?
-M.
Mark,
I'm sure S4S can do a much better job, than I, explaining the breadboard joinery. I'll attempt an explanation and others can chime in to your questions.
Given that your familiar with the concept, the key technique is routing a tongue on both ends of your boards (or plywood) and centering a dado in two end boards that mate up with the tongues. In your situation, I'd probably put on breadboard ends of about 1 1/2" unless I was going to tenon the breadboard ends into the legs..that might change the dimension. I'd make the tongues about 3/4" on each end of the shelf ...
When routing the breadboard ends (the dado)I'd stop about 1" from each end. Likewise, after cutting the tongues, I'd remove the last 1 1/4" or so from each end so the board can expand and contract in the breadboard end.
I usually glue and pin the breadboard end to the tongue. In a shelf like yours I assemble dry and make three holes...center and near both ends. I remove the breadboard end and enlarge the two end holes so the shelf can move seasonally. Then I but a bit of glue around the center hole, re-assemble and put glue on the pins as I drive them home. If I want to not see the pins I drill from underneath and stop short of coming through the top. Some people cut square pins to give it the A&C look...I tend to use walnut dowel and keep it simple. I often run a bevel on the underside of a breadboard shelf to give it a lighter look...hope this helps a bit.
In your design
I don't necessarily do a breadboard end quite the same way. Rather, I run a 1/4" groove the full length of the end. Router ot TS is fine. Then, I cut tenons, about 2" wide, 2" apart, a series, with one centered. Cut mortises to match. Leave the center mortise tight, but loosen the other mortises to permit movement. Use the shriknulator to figure out the max deviation. Glue only the center tenon. Pin it if you want, but I have not found it necessary. Use a stop dado on the 1/4" slot if you like that look better. Then, M&T the breadboard end into the legs. It is a pretty simple joint. Bird's FWW article on the Penn. Secretary has good illustrations.
Alan
Alan,
So your tongues are only 1/4" long?..by two inches wide? or am I missing something..
Sorry, my fault. There is a tenon, full width, 1/4" long. Then there are 3 or more longer tenons, as noted above. My post was unclear.
Alan
Mark, not so much a how to response re the joints but more a comment on your design.
With a top and 2 shelves, one of which is close to the floor, you can go for a much smaller leg section than 1.5 x 1.5, certainly 1 x 1 and perhaps even 3/4 x 3/4. The reason is that the shelves act to stiffen the legs allowing you to use a smaller section.
Ian
Thanks for that tip. Didn't occur to me at all -- but now that you point it out, it's obvious :-)
I'll offer that up to the boss for her consideration.
-M.
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