Table Of ContentEB*"fruntonlless
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Contents
7 Introduction 42 Drop-Leaf Breakfast Table 89 BowbackVindsorstep
Cabriole legs and knuckle joints byStep
I Making a Walnut Occasional
make it compact and versatile Green woodworking lends its
Table
strength to this classicd esign
A simple project from a single 46 Low Tea Table Highlights
plank Joinery 95 Sculpting Chair Seatswith a
Sliding dovetails and butterfly Shop-Built Duplicator
t2 Knockdown Red-Cedar
keys make stfong connections Angle-grinder drives this high-
Trestle Table Vorks Well
production jig
Indoors or Out 50 A Shaker-Style Drop-Leaf
Hand-chopped mortises Table 98 uandtools shape a
complement simpled esign Turned legsw ith drilled-and- traditional seat
chiseledm ortises
l6 Gate-Leg Table is Light 100 uaking aRocking Chair
but Sturdy 54 Refining Table Design withDowels
Preciselyr outed and tablesawn withDetails Alignment techniques for
joinery givest he table its Twin aprons, sculpted joints drilling at odd angles
strength and chamfers
105 windsorSeffee
2l A Table for Breakfast or 58 Making anEndTable Stretching a traditional design
Banquets Multicolor laminatesa ccent to seatt wo
Drop-downlegss upport a design
I l0 Oesign aClnart thatFits like
expansion mechanism
62 Convertible Furniture aGlove
24 Making Dining Tables Tablesd esignedt o lead dual An adjustabler ig supplies the
That'Work lives critical dimensions for comfort
Careful measuringa nd common
66 A Semielliptical Table I 12 niaingthe chairto the
sensee nsufe stability, comfort
Veneering laminated aprons and customef
and good looks
inlaying ebony
I 14 Buift for Comfort The
27 SofaTable Complements
70 Building aTeaCart Three-Slat Chair
Antiques
A simple method for making Coffect curves are the keyto
This eclecticd esignb lends
spokedwheels comfort, durability
stylesa nd joinery
76 Coffee Table is Spare I 18 Craftsman-Style Comfort
30 A Butterfly Expansion Table
and Sturdy in a Morris Chair
Self-storingl eaf hides under
Looset enons simplify joinery Mortise-and-tenoni oinery looks
the top
good and makesi t last
80 Building a Gate-Leg
35 Glass{op Coffee Table
CardTable 123 uaking aChild's Rocker
Bent-laminatedg lass-supports
Tackling curved rails andinlaid A tandem Windsor for two
within a mitered base
legs toddlers
38 Building an Open-Pedestal
85 Working GreenWood 127 lndex
Table
From raw logs, chairs that will
Doubled members simplify
stand the test of time
joinery; templates make
shaping parts quick and easy
ltffsHliiil
Introduction
ablesa nd chairs are the workhorses of furniture. They areat
the center of our lives asw e sit down to enjoy amealand
somec onversation,o r maybej ust take a break from the hectic
pace of modern living. Atable may be calledu pon to servea banquet
and then be clearedt o handle afamlly craft project or a teenager's
homework. Chairs arc calledto duty ase verlthing from instant step-
stoolst o quick placesf or anap.It's no wonder then that so many
woodworkers want to build tables and chairs.
These 28 articles from the pageso f Fine Wood.working magazineo ffer a
wide variety of stylesa nd types of tables and chairs forwoodworkers to
build. Tablesi nclude everlthing from a dining table that expands to
accommodatel 4people to a simple end table. Chairsr angef rom the
refined beauty of a bowback'Windsor to the sturdy comfort of a Morris
chair. But it's not all iust projects: Mixed into thesep agesa re countless
pructicaltechniques that can be applied to other furniture-making
endeavors.T here afe tips on carving chair seats,w orking greenw ood
and designingc hairst hatfit. Awhole menu of joinerytechniques is also
servedu p.
So,l ay the book out on atable,p ull up a chair andread.I suspecti t
won't be too many pagesb efore you startf idgeting in your seat,
wanting to move to your shop to build somen ew tablesa nd chairs.
:The Editors
The "Besto f Fine Wooclutorking"s eriess panst en ye arso f Fine Woo dtu o rking magazine.
There is no duplication between these books and the popular "Fine Woochaorking
on..." series.A footnote with each article givest he date of first publication; product
avallability,s uppliers' addressesa nd prices may have changed since then.
Making a'Walnut Occasional Table
A simplep rQect a singlep lank
from
by Richard Kapuaala
utting up a large, rough plank of wood is alwayse xciting for tl-ieb ill of materials on p 11 include the dimensions for all the parts
me, but I can't help feeling a little anxiet.v I worry whetl-ier To help you get started,I '11te ll you how I built my table
tl-ref urniture I intend to build will enhance or detract from
the wood's natural beauqt,T his was my dilemma when I set out to Sawing ttre parts After a little handplaning, I knew m1. walnut
build an occasionalt able from a roughsawn,1 x1,3x96w alnut plank. It planks were richlv colored with deep critnsons and purple streaks
was hard to tell what the piece of wood was like beneathi ls exterior; \il/hat I couldn't see until after I had resawn the planks was the
but upon resawing,I saw dte lovely color and grain pattern lnside, r,-ood's beautiful flame-figured grain pattern, with dark, u'ing-
and I adapted my design ideas to fit tl-re character of the wood The shapei ntrusions at the edges \ilhen I set the pieces side b1'side
resulting table, shown here, has a slngle drawer n''ith all-wood and in mirror s).rmmetryI, knew the figure would look best if the
guides, a cllstom-madew ooden pull, and a top large enough for a tabletop was book-matched. Since the table's legs required the
Iunp, magaztneso r other accessoriesC onstructioni s based on ioin- tl-rickestm aterial, I cut them out before resawing the plank to
ery that you're probably familiar with: dovetailsf or the drawer, mor- %-in thick stock for the other parts Becauset he plank was more
dses and tenons for the legs and aprons, siiding dovetails for the than twice the thickness needed for the 1%-in.-squarel egs, I cr-rt
aprons and bridle joints for the panitions Evenw ith tl-res mall details them out in pairs, so they would match and the grain would be
IVe added to make tl-ret able more visually interesting,b uilding it svmmetrical. It's a good idea to match the legs of any piece to
should take you about 30 hours. The drawing on dle facing page and minimize problems in case there is anv moisture-related fwisting
or bowing: The opposing pairs of legs will warp symmetrically. If
you can't saw matching legs frorn the same piece of stock, choose
stock with straight grain for less chance of warping
After crosscutting the plank into lnore manageable, shorter
lengths with my radial-arm saw, I jointed the bark-side edge to
remove sapwood from the walnut, ancl then I ripped the sections
to rough widths. Using a standard bandsawf ence and a %-in -wide
blade, I resawed the sections of the plank to about % in. thick
(except for the legs). This left enough stock to thickness-planet he
sectionst o'A in. or thinner, as required for the parts,B efore final
thicknessing,s ticker d-ier esas,ns tock and let it stabilizea t shop tem-
perature and humidiry for a few davs This way, ,vou can take out
slight warping with the jointer or planer and set aside ar1' stock that
warps more severell, Finally, I use the tablesaw and radial-arm saw to
cur all the parts to widd-ra nd lenp;th,f ollowing d-reb ill of materials.I f
some of the par-tso n the bill appeart o be oversize,t he exlra stock is
either for joinery or it will be trimmed awa1l,a ter.
Cutting the joints-First cut the 5-in.-wideb y 1-in.{ong tenons on
d-ree nds of the front and back aprons that will join the legs. There
are manv good machine or hand techniquesf or cutting tenons,b ut I
prefer to use my tablesawa nd a shopmadet enoning jig, which holds
t1-res tock upright during the cut lily procedure is similar to the one
described in Fw\Y +66, p. 70. Nert, I cut the sliding dovetailso n the
ends of d-res ide aprons, again using nry tablesawa nd the tenoning
1ig As with tenons, the jig holds the workpiece ver-tically,b ut the
Tbe autbor's occa.sional tctble taas designed to fit tbe cbaracter blade is tilted 12' to cut the male dovetail (see the left photo on
of tbe taood.: a single plank of 16hu alnut tbat be resauted for tbe p. 10) I prefer this method to using a router and a dovetail bit because
book-matcbed top, m(ttclred pairs of legs and most of tbe otber it allows me to change the angle of the dovetail if I desire.
parts. Tbe top bas room for mctgazines, a lamp or otber accesso'
ries, Tbe table bas a single drantter uitb all-uood guides and a Next I cut the female dovetail slots into the front and back
custom-made uooden Dull. aprons A regular miter gauge fitted with a special wooden fence is
The Best of Fine Wooduorking From tine lVctexlnorkingQ trly 1990)8 3: 80 83
Occasional table Top attached to collar with
cleats that engage groove.
Knob detail Y4yr%
Notch to interlock
Ebony( sides)a nd with wing.
cocobollok nob
Constructiond etail
Maple drawer runners
Frontv iew are screwed to collar.
Maplew ing, % in, thick
Fronto f apron
Top view Drawerr unner corriffir"", screwed
Maple partition frame,
screwed to corner braces,
is joined at corners with
?. irlinn bridle joints.
::vetail Apron detail
ainsa pron Tabletoo Collar
\
ra rtition 18%
Edge detail shaped
with /a-in.-radius
cove bit in router.
)rawer front is
,,=!nut;s ides and Drawer bottom ispoptar,
:ack are maple. % in. thick.
Front view Side view
zashl
243h
Drawer opening, 31%ain .
high, cut out in apron.
Leg, 15/ain . square
Tables and Chairs
,_: Bob La Pomte
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I0 Jqe gaN ol ltua 11oopmot41u3
maple scraps) so you can shift them around to adiust the drawer the top of each leg to prevent the short endgrain at the top of the
tracking in the future \fith the drawer front flush with its opening mortise from splitting out (it gets cut off after mortising)
in the apron, position each guide block to lightly contact the out- I wanted the tops and bottoms of the legs to be slightly round-
side edge of each runner, and screw both to the back of the draw- ed, and so instead of shaping those profiles on the router table or
er with round-head screws and washers. shaper, I used a combination of files, planes and spokeshaves
Before flipping tl-re apron assembly over, I make the table's parti- First, I ease the edges with a small block plane, and then use the
tion and the four corner braces it will be screwed to. In addition to files and spokeshavest o create the soft contours on the edges and
keeping the apron from racking, the partition supports the drawer, ends. Finally, I finish-sand the legs before gluing them to the
like a dust-panel frame in a dresser, and provides a surface for the apron, since it's a real pain to try to sand after glue-up.
drawer to slide on. The 3A-in.-rhtck panition frame is ioined at
the corners with bridle joints These joints are cut on the tablesaw in Making tl.e drawer pull-Since I built my occasionalt able from an
much the same way that the apron tenons were earlier. original design, I wasn't about to settle for a store-bought puli for the
The corner braces, made from maple scraps with 45o cuts on drawer For this design, I came up with the pull shown in the draw-
each end, are screwed to the inside corners of the apron through ing becausei t seemedt o fit the mood of dre piece. The design has a
angled holes (see the drawing on p. 9). Before securing the braces, central knob glued up from small pieces of ebony and cocobolo,
I scribe a line around the inside of the apron to mark where the top with a horizontal maple '\lling" intersectingd re knob.
edge of the partition will be when installed. This way, when the To make the knob for the drawer pull, I cut out three round
table is upright, the top of the partition is flush with the bottom edge blanks using a 1,3/8-in.-diah.o le saw in the drill press. This yields
of the drawer opening. Since the pafiition screws to the braces,t his three !1/',-in.-dia.d iscs tl-iat I laminate together: two %-in.-thick
Linea lso determines where the bottom edge of each brace will be' ebony with one Yz-in.-thickc ocobolo in between. After the glue
When everything jibes, I screw on the braces, but I leave the pati- dries, I clamp the knob in the vise on my workbench and cut out
tion offuntil the top has been attached. the notch for the wing, proportioned as shown in the drawing I
used my Japanese dovetail saw for the cuts, but any thin-blade,
Gluing up tlle tabletop-If you haven't aheady glued up your sharp handsaww ill do. I then shape the knob to its soft contour on
tabletop, do so now. I used blind splines to join the two 9fa-in.- a stationary belt sander, holding the knob rn a pair of channel
wide book-matched walnut boards, but ,vou may prefer biscuit locks with padded jaws so I don't sand my fingertips.
ioints or just glue. In any case,a fter the glue is dry and the excess The pull's maple wings are marked out with a compass and then
is scraped off, I lay out the top's curved outline with the spline- cut out on the scroll saw. I set my pencil compasst o 37/8-inr. adius,
^
and-weight method described rn FVV #71., p. 4!. However, I and then sketch an arc on the %-in.-d-rickm aple stock. After sawing
didn't have real architect's weights; so I used regular C-clampst o the arc, I cut out the notch to fit the krob with a standard dovetail
hold the spline I made from a 1/a-inm. aple strip, and tl-renI band- saw Nex1,d ry fit the pieces and trim the notches to fit. Gradually use
sawed the top. The table's edge detail consists of two small cove finer and finer grades of sandpaper to polish the pull. Finally, glue
cuts, one on the top of the edge and one on the bottom. I would the knob and wing together, drill two lre-n.-dia. holes on the back of
have preferred to use a 3/"-in.b all-bearing-piloted cove bit in the the wings, and screw the pull to the drawer front.
router to shape the detail, but since I didn't have one, I used the By now your occasionalt able should be ready for a good finish
cove portion of my Roman ogee bit. I used several coats of tung oil, with a final coat of beeswax after
Small cabinetmaker's buttons are screwed to the underside of the tung oil had dried A11t he work I put into my table seemed
the top and attach it to the table; a small tongue cut on one end of worthwhile tl-ief irst time I saw the midday sun hit it, sending shim-
each cabinetmaker'sb utton engagest he groove around the inside mering ripples of light across the walnut top. n
of the collar. The buttons allow the top to float: an important fea-
ture since wood can get very cranky if it's denied freedom to ex- Richard Kapuaala is a professional woodworker in Salinas, Cal.
pand and contract I space the sk cleats around the collar; you
might want to use more than six, but don't use fewer or the top will Bill of Materials
move whenever you touch it. \X4reny ou set the cabinetmaker's but-
tons, make sure the tongues don't bottom out in the grooves,a s drat No Description Dimensions( TxWxL)
would restrict the'top from moving and defeat the purpose of the 4 Legs l5/e x',t'hx24
1 Top 3Ax LSrA x 265/Bi
cleats. Once the top is attached, screw the par-tition to the braces. 2 Aprons (front and back) 3/rr x 5j/a x 243h*
Now, flip the apron/top assembly over and make sure the drawer 2 Aprons (sides) 3Ax 53/4x l5Y2**
slides smoothly Adjust-fie guide blocla if ttrey rub too hard against 2 Collars (front and back) 3/+ x 1rt/r6 x l6+i
the runners and wax them if necessary. 2 Collars (sides) 3Ax It3/ft x l43Arl
1 Drawer front 5/e x 33/+ x 123/E+
2 Drawer sides lzx 35Aex l4t
Shaping and mortising the legs-N7ith the top on and the drawer
1 Drawer back lzx 35Asx 723/++
in place, it's time to attach the legs to the occasional table. Taking the 1 Drawer bottom 3/s x 16 x 123/4i
blanks that were cut out earlier, hold the top end of each leg against 2 Drawet runners lzx l1/fi x 133/si
*re bonom of the tabletop with one edge butted to the apron tenon 2 Drawer guide blocks lzx 3/nx2
it will yoin Now, with a marking knife, scribe lines at the top and 2 P^rtitlon frames (ftont and back) 3/E x 2 x 16##
bottom of the tenon to show where the mofiise will begin and end. 24 PCaotrtniteior nb rfaracmeses (sides) 33/h+x x 22YYs4 xx 2l4t+3h
Repeatw ith all the legs, and then lay out the width of the morlises, 6 Cabinetmaker's buttons 3hx lY2x2
centering them tlre in. from the outer face of each leg. To chop the
* Includes l-in.-long tenons it 45" mitet on both ends.
mortises, I used the mortising table attachment on my combination on both ends. # Includes Tt'-in.-thick
jointer/planer. However, a router witLr a straight bit and a good mor- *>k Includes 3/e-in.-longs liding tongue on one long edge.
tising jig, like the one describedi n F\FM #80, p. 46,will also work. If dovetails on both ends. ## Includes bridle joints
you chop the mortises by hand, you may wish to leave a "horn" at i Trim to final size. on both ends.
Tables and Chairs 11
,nrllllilrlil|il,.,^.,,
Krrockdown Red-C edar Trestle Thble
Works Well Indoors or Out
Hand-choppedm ortisesc omplemenst impled esign
bv Tonv Konovaloff
This red.-cedar table's mass is lightened. aisually by its gently rounded and beuel-
edged top, taperedfoot and thin, slightly tapered uedges. Just the sa.me, the table is built
solidly to tttithstand'years of use and. abuse. both indoors and out.
hen I was a student atJames Kfenov's woodworking ing and cutting joinery by hand, and I really don't enjoy the
program at the College of the Redwoods, money was screamo f electric saws,r outers and sanders.
tight. Having virrually no furniture, though, I needed to
make some basic utilitarian pieces including a kitchen table. I went The tresfles
to the local lumberyard and purchased lust enough 2x stock to I built the two trestles first, then the related pieces (stretcher,
make a trestle table like the one in the photo above. I liked that first wedges and battens) and, finally, the top. By having the trestles
table's lines and wanted to try it in a nicer wood, so I chose clear, and related pieces readywhen I finish the top, I can attach the bat-
vertical-grained red cedar because it's highly rot-resistant:T he tens to the underside of the top right away, connecting top and
table can be used outside as well as in the kitchen or dining room base before there's any chance of major wood movement. If I built
Building this table can be done just as easily with power tools as the top first, it could have warped while I was building the base,
with hand tools and may even be slightly quicker. Bur the scale of making it difficult to connect the two.
the joinery and the simplicity of the design also make this an ide- I used dimensional red cedar for this project, which I cut to
al project on which to practice cutting joints by hand. length, planed smooth and laid out for mortises and tenons. I
I use hand tools exclusively, partially because acquiring and clamped each of the trestle members in my bench vise and bored
practicing hand-tool skills is what initially attracted me to wood- holes for the mortises using a brace and expansion bit (see the top
working. But mostly I use hand tools because I really enjoy plan- left photo on p. 14). I set the expansion bit to the width of one of
12 The Best of Fine Woodtuorking
Photo this page: David Scherrer
Indoor/outdoor trestle dining table
Detail: Tabletop-edge bevel
Tabletopd imensions,
34x74
Curve,3/in+. ,f rom center
to cornerso n tablee nds;
Cuwe,lz in.,f rom center
:o cornerso n tables ides
Tables upPorts
beveled4 5'at ends
Stretcher,
Overalhl eight, 1lzx5x63
29%i n. high
21 in. betweent able
supporta nd
foot piece
All trestle members are
.oughly 3% in. sq'
Footp iece
Stretcher bows uP % in.
over 43 in. between trestles'
Wedges insert into
kerfs in tenons.
Battens1, x2%x24
Eletail: Stretcher wedge
31/t
Diagonalk er{s
for wedges
Stretcher's wedge moftise extends
1/ain . into leg post to allow for cross-grain
shrinkage of the leg Post'
21/e
.--.i tlofiise chiselsa nclp ositioned a depth stop to iustl esst han half and square( see the bottom left photo onp.74')'
'ldepthofthemortise.Toensuretheholesafeperpendicularto once I,ve finished all six tfestle moftises (four for tfestle assem-
. sllrface of the workpieces, I clamped the work so that my bly, two for the stretcher), I cut the shoulders and then the cheeks
- :-r, 1rihneg m siodteioso nf ktheee pwso trhkep ibeict en atotu kreaellyp ltehvee bl itI fsriogmht w aalonndge trhineg b tiot osunr ftahcee tsew niothn sa oshf othuelc vleerr ptilacanel t arensdt lkee mrf ethmeb teernso,n ssm doiaogtho naalll ltye (nsoene
= 1efto r right. After boring to the depth stop, I repeat from the the drawing above). Kerfing the tenons diagonally, toward the out-
-,iciera sniceide ,lo euatv tihneg jmusotf tais weiss pw iothf wao moda llient tahned m ai dredgleis'tered mortise sthidee t eonf othne t ote snpolna y(,s aelme othset ldikrea wai nhgin),g ec.a Dusiaegso thnea l okuetrefrs sreedcttlicoen sth oef
, - .e1.w hich has square sides but is not as thick as a standard likelihood of a crack extencling beyond the tenon when I cirive the
rise chisel (see the photo at right on p 14) I kept the blade wedges home later Cracks are also less likely with diagonal kerfs
rtendicular to the length of the mortise, and I chopped from because the plane of the sawkerf does not follow the grain'
::- end of the mortise to the other, staying iust shy of the marked Next I shaped the two horizontal trestle memberci a 45" bevel at
' : :rnd the bottom shoulder lines. After hogging out most of the the ends of the top pieces (which suppoft the tabletop l, a 7s-il-rt'a -
- :-Lisew ith the bit and brace and the fegistered mortise chisel, per on either side and a 5/s-in taper on the top of the foot piece
:-.meb ack with a paring chisel.I pared the mofiise clean,s quar- isee the drawing). I also planed dovetail rabbetsi nto both sideso l
: : r11ee nds and making sure the sidewalls are relatively smooth both top trestle members where they'll slide into the battens o::
Tables and Chairs 13
. .\ceptwherc notecl llllcenlLaurence; cilawingr Lee Ilov
