Replies

1. 
   mudman | May 04, 2005 06:08am | #1

   I agree it has been a while since I've seen an article on Dining tables. However Dining tables are probably the easiest thing to make. The joinery is the same for pretty much all tables; ie. coffee, end, sofa, hall and dining tables. So if you read up on other tables in the style you want to build it in you should be able figure it out. Taunton has a book called "Dining Tables" by Graves. It shows how to build 4 or 5 different Dining tables with measured drawings. I think the book assumes that you already know your joinery and machining because it dosent go into every detail as to how you make a mortice and tennon joint (There are at least 4 common ways). The book also spends some time on design and space requirements for the number of people seated and such. I think that books are a better deal than magazines; $8 for a mag that explains in 5 pages what a book devotes 100 or more on for $24. Once you have a design the people here can help you with the nuts and bolts of it.

   Mike

   please excuse my spelling.
1. 
   kenshep | May 04, 2005 06:18am | #2

   Thanks Mike.  This month's FFW has the dimensioning and various styles of tables.  Also how many people can sit at a table of this dimension, etc...  I am doing an occasional table now with a shaker flavor to it.  LOML isn't a big fan of a shaker style table for the dining room.  She does like mission tho' so that's certainly doable.  I have a few projects to finish then I'll hit the table. 

   Regards,

   Ken

   "Do as you would be done by." C.S. Lewis

2. 
   Ricks503 | May 04, 2005 05:44pm | #3

   A dining table CAN be a straight foward thing, but add a drop leaf or a leaf in general and things can start to get complicated.

   Have you looked for books on the subject at the library, local mega book store or online - wood workers book club, or Google?

   I keep my magazines indexed (for the most part - have to update with last 6 months issues) and show the following

   TABLE, FURNITURE: All-Around W103

   Dining W17

   Cherry Drop Leaf WJ16-1

   Extending PW129, FW94(butterfly), FW165(for 2 then 6 people), W152,(Oak)

   Farm AW82

   Harvest FH2/02

   Sizing the table  AW82  (also as stated current issue Fine Woodworking)

   AW = American Woodworker, SN = ShopNotes, WS = WoodSmith,

   FH = Family Handyman, W = WOOD, WWS = Wood Workshop, Solutions

   H = Handy, WB = WorkBench, SS = Scroll Saw Workshop,

   PM = Popular Mechanix, HM = Home Mechanix, WW = WoodWork,

   FW = Fine Woodworking, WJ = Woodworker’s Journal,

   FWHF-xyr – Fine Woodworking Home Furniture xyr –is season and year ie S1995=Spring 1995

   PW = Popular Woodworking (PW-xYR – special ed…ie W2002=Winter2002)

    

   Reason for all the differant titles is that my collection goes back 20+ years in some cases - I occasionally subscribe, but pick up issues individually and from some used sources as well1 - measure the board twice

   2 - cut it once

   3 - measure the space where it is supposed to go

   4 - get a new board and go back to step 1

1. 
   kenshep | May 05, 2005 07:14pm | #4

   Thanks Rick.  I'll try to track down some of the issues in my collection too.  My local library had nothing on tables.

   Guess I'll have to buy a table book. 

   Regards,

   Ken

   "Do as you would be done by." C.S. Lewis

2. 
   mudman | May 05, 2005 09:20pm | #5

   Very true. Drop in leafs add some complication. But really the design is the same, you just have to make sure the slides will handle the weight. Drop leafs are even easier, not really more complicated just an extra step. No drawers, doors, or fitting parts. The hardest part is the glue up.

   mikeplease excuse my spelling.

1. 
   Ricks503 | May 05, 2005 11:59pm | #8

   Mike,

   a drop leaf table can be simple until you get to the joint wher the leaf comes up. You can make it a butt joint, but there is also a curved /coved joint just for drop leaf tables and if that is used, that is where it can get interesting and you need some special hinges for some of these as well

    

   ain't nit picking fun?1 - measure the board twice

   2 - cut it once

   3 - measure the space where it is supposed to go

   4 - get a new board and go back to step 1

1. 
   mudman | May 07, 2005 12:23am | #15

   Actually I think it is very simple. The bits are sold in sets and are easier to set up than a door cope/stick set, and the hinges are built specificly for the purpose so they simply screw right on. Routing the cove/roundover and mounting the hinges are a lot easier setting up the mortice and tennon joinery of the legs and apron. Even the automaticly retracting center leaf drop in units are as easy as screwing boards to metal brackets. All the geometry and joinery is figured out for you with this hardware.

   Mikeplease excuse my spelling.

2. 
   DonC | May 05, 2005 10:01pm | #6

   I just finished a dining room table. I got the plans from an ariticle in FineWoodworking. The title of the article is Strongback table. Do a search for the issue number.  It has 4 drawers in the long aprons/stretchers and gets it's strength from a central strongback. I like is cause placemats and "stuff" can be put in the drawers.

3. 
   Ricks503 | May 05, 2005 11:56pm | #7

   For Fine Woodworking the following link gets you to their Tables index

   http://www.taunton.com/cgi-bin/artresult-fw.cgi?heading=Tables

    

   The Strongback table mentioned is at

   http://www.taunton.com/cgi-bin/artresult-fw.cgi

    

    

   1 - measure the board twice

   2 - cut it once

   3 - measure the space where it is supposed to go

   4 - get a new board and go back to step 1

4. 
   billballeza | May 06, 2005 12:34am | #9

   I like building tables and have built three of them. One was a solid maple kitchen table (36x60) for my daughter.

   Kitchen tables are easy to make because of their size. You can glue up a 60" top with relative ease and you can achieve stability with four legs and a four inch apron.

   Dining tables are so much longer and wider that it's risky and challenging to make the top out of laminated hardwood boards. The pros get around the flatness and wood movement issues through the use of a substrate and veneers.. way out of my league.

   You also have the problem of stability which is usually solved by making a base of two pedestals which is a much more complicated operation requiring greater skills than I currently posses. It's also impractical to move such a large, one piece table from one location to another.

   These considerations usually lead to a table with leafs which also surpasses my skill sets.

   Oh, have we talked about the challenges of finishing such a monster? I don't know about you but I'm sticking to building kitchen tables and shelling out cold hard cash for the big mamas.

    

    

5. 
   Ruth | May 06, 2005 05:47pm | #10

   You might find a helpful article in the Fine Woodworking Archive.

   http://www.taunton.com/store/fwarchive/index.asp

   Try browsing for subject, using the category Projects and the subcategory Tables.

   These articles are in pdf format and downloadable for a fee, which varies according to the number of articles you wish to download.

    

   Ruth Dobsevage
   Taunton New Media

1. 
   kenshep | May 06, 2005 08:00pm | #11

   Thanks Ruth.  I did go there.  There was an article about a light Stickley table, but since I can't see the thing, I don't know if I want to buy the article/plan. 

   Regards,

   Ken

   "Do as you would be done by." C.S. Lewis

2. 
   kenshep | May 06, 2005 08:30pm | #12

   Ok, cheap Charley spent the $3.50 for the Stickley Done Lightly article.  Exactly what I needed.  I like the looks of the Stickley Library table, but want one suited to dining.  Exactly what the article is about.  I'll down size it for my purposes.

   Plus I don't have a jointer and he expains how he built this one from rough planks w/o one.

   Thanks Ruth.

    

   Regards,

   Ken

   "Do as you would be done by." C.S. Lewis

   Edited 5/6/2005 1:31 pm ET by kenshep

1. 
   bobtexas | May 06, 2005 09:01pm | #13

   There is some good table info at the link below.  Matthew Burak.

   http://www.tablelegs.com/woodworking_articles.htm

   I'm getting ready to build a Queen Anne dual pedestal thick top which extends from 6' to 9' in cherry.

   Bob

1. 
   smslaw | May 07, 2005 06:19pm | #16

   I've built several tables for my office using Matthew Burak's legs (tablelegs.com).  They are very nice, ready to finish.    For those of us who lack the time and/or skill, he sells kits with legs and aprons, with mortises and tenons already cut.

1. 
   kenshep | May 09, 2005 10:56pm | #17

   Great site, thanks.  I have some Brazilian Cherry.  Might look okay on Cherry legs and aprons. 

   Regards,

   Ken

   "Do as you would be done by." C.S. Lewis

6. 
   Garry | May 06, 2005 11:57pm | #14

   I think the Mission table you are thinking about was in Wood magazine sometime last year. They had an entire run of Mission type planes last year and this year.

   Garry

   http://www.superwoodworks.com