Need Live Edge Table --- Base Design Ideas --- Please Help

[cwimer973]

Hi Team,

I have a few table tops complete and now looking for a repeatable design for the bottom support. Played around with simple mortise and tenon design and now wondering tapered legs, maybe smaller rails, just not sure.

Any inspiration out there with pics from past projects or ideas found on the web? The woodmizer table from a few months back that our forum member had was nice, but the strength of those legs concerns me when they get too small.

Please help me finish these projects so I can start the other Great Ideas

Thanks,
-Chris

[Bibliophile 13]

If you're looking for the right kind of base for live-edge tables, you should go straight to the master: do a Google Image search for Nakashima Table, and try to find the genuine Nakashima pieces.

[Steve N]

Steve his saying "but the strength of those legs concerns me when they get too small." might put George on the skinny side of life? I too thought of him initially.

A question for the OP, what does the picture represent? I didn't see an explanation for it in your text. It certainly looks heavy enough to dance on though. Plus just to point out that a 12" x 14" piece of wood could easily be live edge, so if heavy duty is truly a concern, perhaps you should add additional info such as weight, or barring that knowledge at least species, width x length x thickness so people can try to help.

Google images and other such sources might give ideas

I'd also seriously suggest you PM with Don Juvet, who is the Master of the large, thick, and wide table

[cwimer973]

Thank you for the feedback guys, it's much appreciated. I have one Honey Locust top that is 5X4 made of two book matched slabs and it's so heavy I can almost not lift it myself. The base was the first M&T I made to see how it would come out and sturdiness using just pine that I milled on my sawmill. I hate spending too much time on something and hating it so my slabs are dry, table tops and near complete and the bottom is the last piece of the puzzle.

Also, the self leveling feet that screw out, are they a must as nothing is ever square in the real world. If so, do you simply divide weight by 4 when sizing or is there a better method. Also, any site that have levelers that are considered quality by our community?



Thanks again for any help,
-Chris

[TomFromStLouis]

cwimer973 said:

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I hate spending too much time on something...

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This phrase caught my eye. Nobody wants to spend "too much time" on any aspect of a job, but it took me years to figure out that slowing down and giving as much time as a quality job required was key to being satisfied with the results. Unless you are in production for too little money, take a zen-like approach to the time a job requires and enjoy every step of the journey.

Looks like a nice top!

[Bibliophile 13]

cwimer973 said:

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Thank you for the feedback guys, it's much appreciated. I have one Honey Locust top that is 5X4 made of two book matched slabs and it's so heavy I can almost not lift it myself. The base was the first M&T I made to see how it would come out and sturdiness using just pine that I milled on my sawmill. I hate spending too much time on something and hating it so my slabs are dry, table tops and near complete and the bottom is the last piece of the puzzle.

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Okay, that's gorgeous!

[alnandy]

The table base doesn't need to be made of wood. See this month's FWW magazine

[DonJuvet]

thanks for the vote of confidence.

If you see much of my work, you will find I am a fan of trestle type bases.
There is some question about them as everyone says you can't sit at the ends.
IMO its because people always bring them out to the ends too far.
Typically with slab tops you don't need to worry so much about sagging as they are thicker than a traditional table top.
I don't really care for farmhouse/post bases, legs in the corners.
As a basis for bases I aim for 70% of the top size.
I like at least 14"-16"+ for leg room on the ends.

This does not mean you can make a 24" wide top with a 16" wide base. It would flop. Make a tippy model to get your best dims.


So, it really comes down to style, your style. Find inspiration as others have said.

I recently finished a 4' wide x 12' long dining table. Rustic blue oak and concrete. The base has splayed legs and an arched stretcher.
The overhang on the ends is about 24". I got away with it because the blue oak is sooo *n hard

I'll post pics of it tomorrow.

[cwimer973]

Hi Guys,

Thank you for the feedback, this has helped get my idea sketches started. The dimensional aspect is very important and I also so a reply on a second forum about making the apron with a live edge look instead of straight lines which normally drive me crazy from a look and feel standpoint. Still waiting for some pics of that F* oak table

[Bill Holt]

No help from here, but welcome to a great place!