# Looking for plans for the mechanism of an Amish Stowleaf Table



## LeeBarker

This is evidently different from a Dutch Pullout in that the center section stays at a fixed height and the end leaves come out, re-engage, and go in at the height of the center section.

You can see a video of the leaf operating here. The action starts about halfway in.

Plans, how to article, book reference, anything would help.

Thanks kindly,

Lee


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## DanKrager

Well, Lee, you are in luck. I am about to eat supper at one of these tables, though it is not Amish. I happen to own a dining set that we believe came from Europe somewhere near the turn of the century. 
I'll try to take some helpful photos for you. It is really a simple arrangement, the hardest part is deciding how to lock the extended leaf in place. This table solves that problem with a metal rod lock.
Be patient! I eat slowly!
DanK


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## Handtooler

Lee, My aunt had one just like that, maybe not cherry, but maybe mahogany, that she brought from Enlang after she married a bloke in 1932. I never saw underneath but the leaf pulled up and snapped into place then slid to meet the center main table part. Those butcher block lateral strips play a part in the operation holding the slides.


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## DanKrager

Lee, these plans ARE hard to come by. People on forums all over the place have been looking for them. I did find this, which is a bit different than your original request.

http://tomsworkbench.com/2008/02/20/stuff-ive-built/

I also learned that an early issue of FWW has published plans in an article by Frank Klaus. Since I have every paper copy published, I'll look it up but I have no means of sharing it.

I'm uploading photos and a short video to photobucket of my table. 
The video is having trouble for some reason so it may take a bit more.
DanK

DanK


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## DanKrager

This is a picture of the underside of a table like the one in the video
DanK


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## DanKrager

Image of leaf closed. I still can't see how the thing works!
DanK


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## DanKrager

OK. the video finally finished uploading. This mechanism is way different than the Amish.
The dangly metal feet are supposed to rest on a metal plate in the apron slot when the leaf is locked in position and this makes the leaf a unit with the table, cannot come undone unexpectedly. It seems to be a fussy mechanism and may not be useful to you at all. It's the best I could come up with.
http://s837.beta.photobucket.com/user/kragerd/library/
DanK


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## a1Jim

This might help Lee

http://woodworkersedge.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/drawleafgametable.pdf

http://www.grizzly.com/outlet/Draw-Leaf-Table-Plans/H6559

scroll down http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?24617-Draw-Leaf-Table

There's one in issue #9 of FWW


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## jim454

Try this link. Dining Table Woodworking Plan


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## LeeBarker

Wow. This is like having a whole roomful of research librarians!

I think Dan has the table, but we don't yet know exactly how it works.

A1Jim's first link, down to 37 and 38, may be the missing piece, but if it is, I'm not getting how it works. It doesn't look like that part refers at all to Dan's video.

Some of the other references are to what appear to be Dutch Pullouts. If there's anything about the center section moving up and or down, that's a Dutch.

Let us not give up! Onward!

Side note, the Grizzly plan is discontinued but appears to be available on the Kreg site, along with much other stuff, for $20.

If FWW #9 is Vol 2 #2, I can't find a reference to a table in it.

Thanks kindly,

Lee


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## jim454

Here the Hardware for the table. Parson's Table Fittings This hardware allows you to have a retractable leaf of 11" or 13-3/4" permanently mounted at each end of the table.


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## a1Jim

Lee the first link seems to show it all, I guess it may not show the center but that's just a floating top. I owned one in the past and you could just lift the top off. The FWW issue I'll check out I got that from another forum.


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## LeeBarker

The floating top, Jim, identifies this as a Dutch Pullout. The one I'm looking for, the top is fixed. When the leaves are pulled out, they come out past the end of the fixed top. You lift them, something goes, "clunk" and then you push them back in and they are flush with the top.

Check the link in my original post and you'll see the difference between the Dutch Pullout and the Amish Stowleaf.

A significant difference between the two in function is that you can add just one leaf to the Amish but with the Dutch, if you pull out one, you've got to pull out the other.

Kindly,

Lee


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## a1Jim

Ok Lee 
It's difficult to see the difference until you pointed it out. I found the other reference I'll have to look a gain to if it's the Amish pull leaf or not . Tage Frid Teaches Woodworking. Book 3:Furnituremaking, Page 56
just in case it's the correct one.


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## LeeBarker

Hi Jim-

The Frid design and narrative is what I used when I built a Dutch out of reclaimed fir. It's a wonderful roadmap for that design.

On with the search!

Kindly,

Lee


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## a1Jim

Looking at the photo on the site that Dan k gave with a little larger photo gives a better Idea how it works.
It looks like two sets of dovetailed slides set at an angel and a pull out dead man to hold it in place.
Just my wild guess

http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f9/amish-style-stow-leaf-table-7491/


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## casual1carpenter

found this link, but need a neighbor to the north.

http://lumberjocks.com/projects/62879

http://forum.canadianwoodworking.com/showthread.php?43263-STow-leaf-or-draw-leaf-dining-table-plans


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## MLGarofalo

Are you still looking for plans for this type of table? Kreg Jig had plans for sale. But don't any longer. I emailed them asking about it & they sent it to me for FREE. I'd be happy to share.


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## Sylvain

- "with the Dutch, if you pull out one, you've got to pull out the other."

This not my experience and 
IMHO with the one shown by A1JIM in comment #11 you are not obliged to pull the two extensions. (The center will lay on the H piece and will not drop on the aprons).
Of course with this design, the extensions are shorter than half of the main top.

- link
https://dblaney.wordpress.com/2014/10/04/draw-leaf-tables-dutch-pull-outs-too-more-about-how-they-work/

- the video link in initial post does not work for me.


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## BSharp

I'm posting this here for posterity - I've been researching Amish stow-leaf designs for a project I'm working on, and there's very little information out there, and most of what I found was this and one other thread on a different forum asking for information.

In case anyone else is like me and stumbles on this looking for info, I'm writing a (growing) twitter thread about my research, including sketches and (so far) one simple animation of my understanding of the mechanism (well, one mechanism, the one I've seen myself.)


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1349898364377174020
Hope this is helpful to someone!


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