Table Of ContentFURNITURE FUNDAMENTALS
TTaabblleess
17 Projects
For All Skill Levels
EDITED BY ROBERT W. LANG
FURNITURE FUNDAMENTALS
Tables
POPULARWOODWORKING BOOKS
CINCINNATI, OHIO
popularwoodworking.com
Contents
DINING TABLES & DESKS
4 Traditional Drop-Leaf Table
8 Country Settle Table
14 Draw-Leaf Game Table
20 Tailored Tea Table
30 Shaker Trestle Table
37 Providence Writing Desk
43 White Water Shaker Table
OTHER TABLES
47 Asian Coffee Table
51 Asian Bedside Table
56 Limbert Tabourette
61 Eames-Style Coffee Table
67 Pleasant Hill ‘Saturday’ Table
72 The Lost Stickley Side Table
78 Greene & Greene Mystery Table
86 Tapered-Leg Side Table
88 Victorian Side Table
90 Bow-Front Entry Table
TECHNIQUES
98 4 Ways to Build a Tavern Table
104 Building Extension Tables
109 Attaching Solid Wood Tabletops
112 How Tables Work
119 Arch Table
DINING TABLES & DESKS
Traditional Drop-Leaf Table
BY JOHN TATE
4 • TRADITIONAL DROP-LEAF TABLE
To cut the tenons, use a dado stack on the
table saw. Reduce the tenon in thickness Cut 1⁄2" shoulders on each side of the You will need to fasten the tabletop using
by 3⁄16" on each side. aprons. tabletop fasteners, which requires making
a kerf in the aprons. I made this kerf on the
table saw 7⁄16" from the edge and 1⁄4" deep.
I
n our living room, we keep a legs. I made the tenons using a dado
mahogany table that I vaguely stack on the table saw. Cut the shoulders
knew one of my ancestors had built. as shown in the photo above. Make the the aprons end and result in a leg that
After I began my internship at Popular tenons 3⁄8" thick, 1" long and 31⁄4" wide. tapers to one-half the original thickness.
Woodworking, I became more interested After cutting your tenons, cut a groove Remember: Taper only the sides that
in that table. I asked my paternal grand- in the aprons for the tabletop fasteners, have mortises.
mother about the table, and she told me which will attach the top to the table’s
that my great-great-grandfather, Carl base. Make this slot by cutting a kerf in Install the Hinges
Edward Wulff, built it at his furniture the aprons that’s 7⁄16" down from the top After tapering, sand the legs and aprons.
shop in downtown Cincinnati about edge. For a nice detail, I routed a bead on Start with #100-grit sandpaper, move up
1870. She even had a photograph of his the bottom edge of the aprons. to #150-grit, then finish with #220-grit.
shop dated 1878. In the picture you can The mortises on all the legs are made Next, glue up the legs and aprons and
see the simple sign that says “Furniture.” 17⁄16" from the inside for the short aprons clamp.
With this proof, I knew that wood- and 7⁄16" from the inside for the long After gluing up the base, turn your
working was definitely in my blood. aprons as shown in the diagram on the attention to the top. Install the hinges
Having the family tradition in mind, I set next page. Cut your mortises on the legs; that connect the tabletop to the leaves.
about building a slightly simplified fac- I used a mortiser, but you can use a chisel Use two on each side, and place them
simile. In fact, the joinery in this project or Forstner bit. 71⁄4" inches from the end to allow room
is so simple that almost any beginner can The original table had turned legs, for the leaf supports.
do it. but in order to simplify things, I tapered Lay out the location of the hinges by
the legs. Tapering jigs for the table saw first placing a 1⁄16" spacer (I used pieces
Start With the Basics can be tricky, so I used a band saw to cut of plastic laminate) between the leaf and
After cutting all your rough stock to the tapers about 1⁄16" shy of my line and tabletop.
length, surface your wood down to 3⁄4" then cleaned up the cut on the jointer. Clamp the pieces together, put the
thick (except for the legs). The original The taper should start 1" below where hinges down and trace them with a pen-
19th-century table’s top was only one
board. You can still find mahogany in
I made the mortises using
these widths, but I couldn’t. To obtain
a mortiser. In order to form
the appropriate width, I had to glue up
the holes more safely, you
two boards for both the leaves and the
should think of the path of
tabletop. I used three biscuits at each least resistance. Instead of
joint to keep the boards aligned during just going in a straight line
glue-up. Also, if you can’t get 21⁄4"-thick from left to right or right to
stock for the legs, ask for turning blanks left, make two holes with a
at the lumber store instead; you might slight gap between. Then
just get lucky. clear out the gap. If you
simply work in a straight
line, the mortiser’s chisel
Mortises, Tenons & Tapers
could bend or break.
The first step is to make mortise-and-
tenon joints where the aprons join the
FURNITURE FUNDAMENTALS • 5
cil. Use a router with a straight bit to hog Cut the shape to size on a band saw and The 1⁄2" knuckle joints are made on
out most of the area. Then use a chisel to then use the template with a router and a table saw using a finger-jointing jig.
define the corners. Install the hinges and straight bit to finish the radius. Round the edges of the “fingers” with
make sure they work properly. a rasp or sandpaper so the joint pivots.
A 4" radius on the outside corners of Make the Leaf Supports Then drill a 1⁄4" hole through the fingers
the leaves on the original table was a nice To keep the leaves upright, assemble two and tap a 1⁄4" dowel in place. Instant
touch. In order to re-create this, I traced supports for each side. These are basi- wooden hinges. One note: You’ll have to
the curve from the original and made cally two pieces of wood finger-jointed cut a notch in the two supports so they’ll
a template using a piece of plywood. together to form a “knuckle” joint hinge. clear the hinge barrels on the top. Mark
the location of the notch when you dry-
assemble the table. The angle cuts on the
3⁄16" supports form a triangular hole against
21⁄4" the apron. Cut a triangular piece of
mahogany to fill this space, being careful
See detail
not to let the filler rub against the sup-
of leg joint
ports. For simplicity, you may use brass
181⁄8" 23"
hinges instead of knuckle joints.
CL CL
3" 133⁄8" 133⁄8" 3" Sanding and Finishing
Remove the hinges from the tabletop and
21⁄4"
sand the table. Because the top will be
3⁄16"
the most visible surface, I chose to go up
21⁄4" 323⁄4" 21⁄4" to #220 grit. The bottom requires only
39" 7⁄8"
7⁄8" #150 grit. In order to simplify finishing,
PLAN
Soef ek nduectkaliel joint3⁄4" d2-r2o⁄p4" lxe a1v5e3s⁄4"x 39"
3⁄4" 3⁄4"
41⁄4" 41⁄4"
Triangular filler
3" 133⁄8" 13 3/8" 3"
CL CL 283⁄4" 283⁄4"
233⁄4" 233⁄4"
4" radius on
drop leaf corners
11⁄8"
21⁄4" 323⁄4" 21⁄4" 21⁄4" 181⁄8" 21⁄4"
7⁄8" 39" 7⁄8" 3⁄16" 23" 3⁄16"
ELEVATION PROFILE
Traditional Drop-Leaf Table
NO. ITEM DIMENSIONS (INCHES) MATERIAL COMMENTS
T W L
1 Tabletop 3⁄4 23 39 Mahogany
2 Leaves 3⁄4 153⁄4 39 Mahogany
4 Legs 21⁄4 21⁄4 28 Mahogany
2 Short aprons 3⁄4 41⁄4 201⁄8 Mahogany 1" TBE; 1⁄4" offset
2 Long aprons 3⁄4 41⁄4 343⁄4 Mahogany 1" TBE; 11⁄4" offset
4 Leaf supports 3⁄4 31⁄4 18* Mahogany
2 Triangles 3⁄4 31⁄4 61⁄2 Mahogany
TBE = Tenon, both ends; *cut to fi t
6 • TRADITIONAL DROP-LEAF TABLE
1/2"
1/8" x 1/4" kerf cut
Leg for attaching top,
3/4" 1" 1c/e4n" tdeorewde ol/nh iknnguecpkilne t7o/1p6 "e ddogwen from 1/2"
3/16"
3/8" 1"
31//164"" 31/4"
1/2"
11/4" 3/8" 1/4" spacing on
knuckles
3/16" 3/16"
Leg 1/2"
3/4" 1"
DETAIL OF LEG
JOINT 3/8" r adius on ends 1/4" bead on
of knuckles bottom edge
of apron
I waited to attach the supports until after Final Construction Details Supplies
finishing. This requires masking off the After the lacquer has dried, attach the
area where the support will be glued. supports and the triangle with glue and Rockler
rockler.com or 800-279-4441
For the finish, I applied ZAR’s 118 nails through the inside of the aprons.
Dark Mahogany stain made by United Place the top on the base and make sure 4 • Hinges for drop-leaves,
item #29249, $11.99/pair
Gilsonite Laboratories (visit www.ugl. the supports keep the leaves level. Now
com to find a retailer in your area). After attach the top. 6 • Tabletop fasteners,
item #34215, $2.99 for pack of 8
letting the stain cure, I applied four coats Because of the expansion and con-
of clear lacquer. traction of wood, you will need to attach Prices as of publication date.
the aprons to the tabletop using tabletop
fasteners. The tabletop fasteners are
installed by simply screwing the fasteners
into place. Because the wood will move
more in width than in length over time,
be sure to leave more space on the long
apron sides for the fasteners.
Overall, I was extremely pleased with
the results of my project. I think my
great-great-grandfather would be proud
to know that I’ve continued the family
tradition.
I made the leaf supports
using a knuckle joint. You
can see the notch I cut out
in order to allow the leaf
support to swing out past
the hinge. Though optional,
I thought the triangle rest in
the center was a nice touch.
Notch
I tapered the legs on a band saw, then ran
the legs over the jointer in order to make
them smooth.
FURNITURE FUNDAMENTALS • 7
DINING TABLES & DESKS
Country Settle Table
BY TROY SEXTON
W
hen furniture was more pre- The top is also simple. The boards are You also need to cut a matching
cious to its owners, it was joined using a tongue-and-groove joint. groove on the front and back pieces to
common for a piece to have The rails on the underside are attached to hold the bottom. Cut the groove on the
more than one purpose in the household. the top using sliding dovetails. inside face of your front and back pieces
The settle table is a form that dates Once you joint and plane all your beginning 1⁄2" up from the bottom edge
back to at least the Middle Ages, though material, glue up all the panels you need of each piece.
some trace it back to a Roman form for the project and then begin construc- Now comes a tricky part. You need to
where even the base of the table folded tion by building the base. notch out the front and back edge of your
flat. While it remained popular in early side pieces to receive the front and back
modern Europe, the settle table was quite One Big Dovetail pieces. This 1⁄2"-deep notch begins at
common in colonial American homes. After cutting the pieces for the base to the dado you just cut for the bottom and
It combines the functions of table, chest their finished width and length, begin by runs 83⁄4" up the edge. You can cut this
and chair. In a home, it could be used as a plowing a 3⁄4"-wide × 1⁄4"-deep shelf dado in a variety of ways, such as with a band
table to serve the morning meal and then (as used in casework) in the side pieces saw or jigsaw. I do a lot of operations with
be converted to a chair and placed next to that’s 91⁄2" up from the bottom edge of my dado stack, so I secure the work to a
the hearth. In addition to creating a place the sides. I use a dado stack in my table miter gauge and run it on edge over the
to rest, the expansive back/top of the saw and guide the work against the fence. dado stack.
settle table also provided some shielding A router with a straight bit is another Set the side pieces aside and work on
from the drafts of early American homes. sound option. the front and back. To make the large
This version is typical in form and
proportion to originals and is surpris-
Here I’m beginning to cut
ingly straightforward to build. And like
the notches on the edges
many of the originals, the base is painted
of the sides. With the work
but the top is not. Some furniture histori-
fi rmly against my miter
ans have speculated that the tops of these gauge and an accessory
tables were also painted originally but fence, it’s quite secure. If
were scrubbed clean so many times that you have any trepidation
they ended up as bare wood. about this technique, use a
band saw or jigsaw.
Slab and Dado Construction
The base is a simple box made from
glued-up slabs of 3⁄4"-thick poplar. The
bottom rests in dados in the sides, and
grooves in the front and back. The front
and back are secured to the side pieces
using an unusual joint that is both rab-
beted and dovetailed. It’s nothing dif-
ficult; even beginning woodworkers
should find the joint easy to execute.
The rabbets on the front and back pieces also help you mark the
I’m just about to begin cutting the dovetail portion on the notch. joint on its mate. Press the tail board against your side pieces and
Here you can see the rabbet on the front and back pieces, plus the mark the shape on the side. Then mark your cut lines on the inside
mating notches and the dados on the sides. and outside face of your side pieces.
FURNITURE FUNDAMENTALS • 9
