| Project by Alin Dobra | posted 352 days ago | 195 views | 0 times favorited | 9 comments |  |
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One day I noticed how much my wife likes the convenience of my kid’s table (project http://lumberjocks.com/projects/2982). She was using the table, that has wheels, to eat in front of the TV (not healthy, I know, but she really enjoys it). I immediately saw an opportunity to impress my wife (and justify more tool buying) and I set about designing a nice TV dinner table. The requirements I come up with were:
1. It had to go with the other living room furniture. The furniture in my living room is Shaker style and this piece had to be “Shaker enough”. Also, the piece had to be built out of oak like the other pieces.
2. The table must have leaves. This is a storage problem. I wanted a table that is large enough when in use but small enough when not in use. Ideally, I could place the table in between two sofas and have it act as an end table as well. I solved this problem by putting two leaves on the table.
3. The height has to be just right. Easy to solve problem: I just asked my wife what height she should like (this really impressed her).
I think the table I built meets this requirement. The best complement from my wife (she usually does not like to talk much about wood/furniture) is the fact that she is using it all the time. Even my kid is happy since he can use his table all the time.
The last picture shows the leaf support mechanism I used (I more or less come up with it). The finish is oil. It is followed by shellac for the top (shellac is surprisingly water and heat resistant; my wife has no mercy on this table and I have not seen any signs of finish failure).
Alin
-- -- Alin Dobra, Gainesville, Florida
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9 comments so far
rikkor
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8574 posts in 412 days
posted 352 days ago
Very nice Alin. You do good work and you are willing to share. Thanks.
-- Maplewood, MN
Grumpy
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6721 posts in 389 days
posted 352 days ago
As Usual Alin, a very nice piece of furniture. Thanks for sharing.
-- Grumpy - "Always look on the bright side of life"- Monty Python
DAN
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3501 posts in 520 days
posted 352 days ago
Alin
Looks like a fun project. Beautiful design.
Shellac will eventually watermark. I use shellac for everything. I like the glow it imparts.
I would suggest a coats of General finishes Arm-r seal for the top. It will not have any effect on the look and will last forever. That is is what I’ve used for my coffee table and dining room table. Arm-r seal stands up like no other finish I’ve ever used. Arm-r seals used to say on the can that it was for hardwood floors.
Regards
DAN
-- ..... art for lifes sake ... danwalters@lumberjocks.com
Alin Dobra
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317 posts in 425 days
posted 352 days ago
Dan, thanks a lot for the suggestion. I’ll give it a try on other things I build. I was actually hoping that my wife will ruin it a little to learn how to fix it (I’ve heard that French polishing works for fixing shellac defects but I did not manage to ruin any piece. I even left ice water on a piece for 4 hours and nothing).
Rikkor and Grumpy, thanks for the comments. Your are both being nice as always.
Alin
-- -- Alin Dobra, Gainesville, Florida
TomFran
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2371 posts in 532 days
posted 351 days ago
Alin,
Very nice table. You just have to love it when a project gets used all the time. It doesn’t get any better than that. It’s nice to make fancy stuff, but what could be better than making something that gets used and appreciated on a daily basis. Great solution! You’re right; that is the greatest compliment. That’s a win/win – your son gets to have his table back, and the wife likes to use her’s now. You win! Go buy some more tools!
-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28
Karson
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13640 posts in 938 days
posted 351 days ago
Great table Alin and a happy customer. Great on both goals.
-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com
CharlieM1958
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4589 posts in 756 days
posted 351 days ago
Very nicely designed and executed.
-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"
Alin Dobra
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317 posts in 425 days
posted 351 days ago
Tom: I got an 8” jointer for that table (not bad I would say).
Karson and Charlie: thanks for the comments.
Alin
-- -- Alin Dobra, Gainesville, Florida
MsDebbieP
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12282 posts in 698 days
posted 351 days ago
great table—and impressing the wife: priceless!
-- "Functional WoodArt" by Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)