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Anyone ever built a dining room table?
Posted on 12/4/14 at 9:53 am
Posted on 12/4/14 at 9:53 am
I'm wanting to reclaim the legs from my current table, but build my own top and frame/apron.
What would you use for the top and how would you recommend joining it?
Right now I'm leaning very heavily toward 1x6 or 1x8 SELECT pine and using pocket hole screws on the underside to join.....bad/good idea?
What would you use for the top and how would you recommend joining it?
Right now I'm leaning very heavily toward 1x6 or 1x8 SELECT pine and using pocket hole screws on the underside to join.....bad/good idea?
10
Posted on 12/4/14 at 9:59 am to AUjim
Tongue and groove oak.
Posted on 12/4/14 at 10:05 am to bamarep
With glue? Where would you recommend getting this stuff? I haven't been to a lumber yard yet, only home depot, and their selection is.....not great.
Posted on 12/4/14 at 10:28 am to AUjim
Oak lumber yards will usually sell you boards on the side. There's some nice virgin wood in the South. I've seen a 16ft long 30 in Red Oak board without a knot or a bit of stain in it. Amazing wood.
Posted on 12/4/14 at 10:42 am to AUjim
Pine is way too soft and will scar up very quickly. Find a local saw mill and pick out some Oak.
Posted on 12/4/14 at 11:22 am to AUjim
I used to have one made out of petrified bodock wood I found in a river. I have a friend who made one out of petrified wood from a civil war gunship they found on a sandbar in the ms river by their hunting club when the river got real low
Posted on 12/4/14 at 11:32 am to AUjim
I don't know that I would use pine. I had one of my friends from high school make me one out of cypress last year, and I love it.
Posted on 12/4/14 at 11:55 am to AUjim
Mr. Fancy over here is too good for TV trays
Posted on 12/4/14 at 1:13 pm to roadhouse
quote:
Mr. Fancy over here is too good for TV trays
Posted on 12/4/14 at 1:16 pm to AUjim
No but I've built a beer pong table
Posted on 12/4/14 at 1:22 pm to AUjim
quote:
I'm wanting to reclaim the legs from my current table, but build my own top and frame/apron.
What would you use for the top and how would you recommend joining it?
Right now I'm leaning very heavily toward 1x6 or 1x8 SELECT pine and using pocket hole screws on the underside to join.....bad/good idea?
Depends on the look you're going for. I built one for home using reclaimed barn wood that I spent WEEKS sanding down. Built a heavy one for the cabin using 2x8x16 and heavy-duty legs. On both, I just used carpenter's glue and a few bar clamps to squeeze it nice and tight for about 48 hrs, then joined the tops the frame using pocket-holes screws. I used some small joining plates on the underside to help with the eventual warp on the heavier table.
Posted on 12/4/14 at 1:35 pm to crispyUGA
quote:
carpenter's glue and a few bar clamps to squeeze it nice and tight
Just edge-glued or did you use biscuits?
Posted on 12/4/14 at 1:36 pm to AUjim
My dad builds furniture & definitely would go with oak for dining tables. Like others have said, pine is just too soft. ... As far as joining, he uses as little hardware as possible. He uses dowels or dovetails, biscuits, etc. a lot. He's been making custom furniture for years & has all of the equipment, and just prefers a more "old fashioned" method of doing it; it's just a preference really. There are ways to cover your screws on the underside & many "how to" websites for details. ... I'd definitely use oak for a dining table, though. On a coffee or accent tables that don't get a lot of wear & tear, it wouldn't matter so much.
This post was edited on 12/4/14 at 1:38 pm
Posted on 12/4/14 at 2:12 pm to AUjim
Keep in mind that a surface that large will move more than you realize. If anything connects across the grain the whole width of the top, you will need to use an attachment method that allows for movement. There are some excellent woodworking forums that are really helpful.
Posted on 12/4/14 at 2:14 pm to Hardy_Har
quote:That's what she said.
Amazing wood.
Posted on 12/4/14 at 2:30 pm to AUjim
quote:
AUjim
Anyone ever built a dining room table?
I'm wanting to reclaim the legs from my current table, but build my own top and frame/apron.
What would you use for the top and how would you recommend joining it?
Right now I'm leaning very heavily toward 1x6 or 1x8 SELECT pine and using pocket hole screws on the underside to join.....bad/good idea?
Need more info. Size? What will the use level be - occasional or every day?
Select pine will be easy to make and sand well but will not be durable unless you use something like tight grain heartwood. If you will only be occasionally using this, it should be fine though.
Size - boards glued on edge into a large tabletop panel WILL expand and contract with humidity changes and the seasons. I would not attach a top using a bunch of pocket hole screws. Far better to rout or saw a groove into he back side of your skirt board and attache the top with a metal "s" clip that will slide and give a little bit. If you use a plywood panel and edge band it with a board, then pocket hole screws would be fine.
Finally, what was your OLD table made of? You said you wanted to reuse the legs. What are they made of? And will you be able to match the finish?
Finally, oak is fine but most commercial grades will be red oak - be prepared to deal with some pinkness in the wood. White oak is much more attractive IMHO and has a much tighter grain, but is also much harder to work with. If you have a supplier who can get it, ash really looks nice. It really resembles oak (the average person can't tell the difference) and while much easier to work and sand, it finishes beautifully.
This post was edited on 12/4/14 at 2:33 pm
Posted on 12/4/14 at 3:48 pm to iglass
The old table legs are painted with the rustoleum black furniture paint. I was planning on painting the apron and legs and staining the top.
I found some ash at Lowes that I do like, and it comes in 1x6 and 1x8. I was planning on building the top to be 7 feet long, about 40 inches wide.
So you think joining the table top ash boards to one another with pocket hole screws is not a good idea?
I found some ash at Lowes that I do like, and it comes in 1x6 and 1x8. I was planning on building the top to be 7 feet long, about 40 inches wide.
So you think joining the table top ash boards to one another with pocket hole screws is not a good idea?
Posted on 12/4/14 at 4:03 pm to AUjim
If you paint just use poplar.
Join with glue and clamp. I prefer to use biscuits as it cuts way down on sanding to level the top.
I personally am not a fan of oak for furniture. Just don't like it. Look for some walnut, cherry, ash, etc. But if you just want to paint it, just get poplar. Way cheaper as well.
Join with glue and clamp. I prefer to use biscuits as it cuts way down on sanding to level the top.
I personally am not a fan of oak for furniture. Just don't like it. Look for some walnut, cherry, ash, etc. But if you just want to paint it, just get poplar. Way cheaper as well.
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