| Project by darryl | posted 878 days ago | 575 views | 0 times favorited | 12 comments |  |
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I know I’ve posted this table already and yes, I know it’s still not complete… but I have to paint it before I deliver it and I want to show what I’ve done while it’s still a natural color!
As I’ve mentioned, I altered the plans from Wood Magazine’s Bistro Table for this project. The biggest difference is the solid top I’ve decided to go with. This top requires me to take wood movement into consideration more than the original plan needed to.
I spent quite a bit of time considering how I wanted to attach the top to the aprons. I thought I’d use the button approach, but then considered a top that is 36” square is never going to fit through a doorway without having to be removed. I figured that if the table is moved too often the screw holes may get stripped out, which I didn’t want. I want the table to be enjoyed, not to be a burden.
I then came up with what I thought is a clever design for a tool-free removal system for the top. I attached the buttons to the bottom of the table, but not so they would be inserted into mortises in the apron. Instead I attached small tenon like pieces into dados cut into the top of the apron that could lock the buttons into place when the table top was pushed forward. (don’t worry, I’ve included pictures to help explain my crazy description!)
When in place, there is a third button (out of frame in the pictures included) that buts up against the apron to act like a stop. There is enough friction between the buttons and “tenon” (I have no idea what to call them) that there is a decent amount of pressure needed to move the top, so I have no real concerns about the top slipping out of place. The buttons have also been positioned so that wood movement is no longer an issue. The top is free to expand and contract as needed.
-- www.darrylmasterson.com ~ www.darrylmasterson.etsy.com
12 comments so far
scottb
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3402 posts in 1226 days
posted 878 days ago
Cool… nice to see it while still untouched by, gasp, paint.
I don’t recall this one from Wood, I’ve been getting it for years, must have let an issue lapse, or this is one you’ve been saving for a while?
Clever top attachment.
-- I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it. - Pablo Picasso -- http://blanchardcreative.etsy.com -- http://snbcreative.wordpress.com/
Karson
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posted 878 days ago
Very inventive darryl. Now if the owners will remember that all they need to do is slide the top you will be OK. Maybe you need to write a sharpie message on the underside.
-- What happens in the workshop stays in the workshop. No wait that doesn't sound right. Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †
Todd A. Clippinger
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posted 878 days ago
I like your inventive and creative solution, a true woodworker.
-- Todd A. Clippinger, Montana, http://amcraftsman.com
Bob Babcock
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posted 878 days ago
Great solution. Nice table.
-- Bob, Carver Massachusetts, Sawdust Maker http://www.capecodbaychallenge.org
Bill
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posted 878 days ago
An ingenious approach to the table top problem Darryl. Good job.
-- Bill, Turlock California, http://www.brookswoodworks.com
RobS
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posted 877 days ago
Very Cool. And yet simple.
-- Rob (A) Waxahachie,TX
oscorner
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posted 876 days ago
Nice pictures of your design on attaching the table top.
-- Jesus is Lord!
Don
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posted 876 days ago
I’m glad that I took the time to read your explanation, Darryl, because I would have missed this brilliant idea had I just looked at the pictures.
Only one concern I have, if you paint the table as you indicate, will this interfere with the top and stop it from sliding?
-- CanuckDon "I just love small wooden boxes!" http://www.hilsbiblechurch.org/
darryl
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posted 875 days ago
Thanks for the compliments!
My concern is the same as yours Don. I haven’t quite decided how I’m going to deal with that yet. I’ll post again when the project is complete (hopfully sometime in the coming week).
-- www.darrylmasterson.com ~ www.darrylmasterson.etsy.com
mot
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posted 875 days ago
Cool design! Neat idea with the top.
-- You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato)
jaspr
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posted 864 days ago
nice work
-- cheers, Claire (in Oz!)
Bill
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posted 863 days ago
You could leave the underside unpainted as an option. I have seen a number of tables that have nice finishes on top, but the underneath is not finished. And these do not have the type of system you are using, but simply z clips or wood clips instead. The underside of these tables may be stained to match the rest of the table, but no finish.
I guess you could finish the underside of the table, but nothing on the table holders or clips you made. That would be a way of sealing the table top, but allowing the clips to move as needed.
Let us know what you do.
-- Bill, Turlock California, http://www.brookswoodworks.com