Round Table

[Splinter Puller]

Here is one of my projects from 2017...  A round dining table.   I looked over hundreds of photos and decided on the look I wanted and designed this table.



I had just enough white oak left in the racks to construct it.   The top is 54" in diameter which seats four easy and six in a pinch.  It also is large enough that the chairs can be anywhere around it without the legs interfering with the seated person too much.  The top is around 7/8" thick and at the outer edge I doubled it with a 6" wide ring of oak to make that thicker. I then rounded the bottom (see plan)  ring so its easy on the hands and bellys.  This thickened edge ring also has pockets to accept the tops stretcher.





I wanted a nice heavy base to add stability to the table so I laminated the oak into curved blocks roughly 5" wide.  The cross brace at the bottom is an overlapped lamination also.  The through tenons of the cross brace where it meets the legs is secured by an embedded nut in the cross brace and long bolts extending up from the bottom of the legs into the nuts.   The bolt  heads are in recesses in the feet which are covered with HDPE slide block "feet"  These are about 2" x 4" x 3/4" thick and live in a 1/2" recess and allow the table to slide easily on the dining floor.    The feet fit snug into a recess but are also held in place with a couple recessed screws.  The bolted crossbrace would allow the base to be knocked down for moving in the future.



The top cross brace "X" sits in groves formed into the top of the legs and are bolted down with two 1/2 inch lags into each leg.  The tabletop then sits on the cross braces and is secured from below with screws in elongated holes to allow the top to expand and contract.   The recess in the middle of the top cross brace is for the stretcher on the bottom of the tabletop.   This stretcher is orientated perpendicular to the grain of the top to keep it flat.  It's glued at the center and is not secured at each end but instead sits in pockets formed into the outer thickened edge of the top.   The pockets allow about 1/4" movement in or out as the top expands and contracts yet still hold the top snug to the stretcher.  So far after 6 months the top is still perfectly flat.



Dark is the trend and what my wife wanted so off to the finishing room.  I hardened and sealed the wood with shellac and then darkened the oak with medium brown aniline dye sprayed on.   I topped it off with oil based polyurethane for durability.







We've used the table for a few months now and it's worked great.  The top is very stable and will support the hefty using it as a crutch to get up without a bit of movement.   This was my main concern as I had seen many round tables in the past that had a weak base and moved terrible whenever someone got up.  Stable as a rock.

[DaveR1]

Very nice!

[chips ahoy]

Love the table,beautiful job.I am sure it will give you many years of use.

Mel

[handi]

Very Well Done!

I am working up Plans right now for a dining table to match with the chairs I am currently building. I want to make it with a hidden folding leaf in the center.

Ralph

[Bill Holt]

Nice job.  Great design with a lot of thought going into table top stretchers and pockets.  I really like your base; it is "substantial" but does not look too heavy.

I did a 52" round table for our daughter some years ago; stability and knee space were primary concerns for me also.

[goredsus]

Very nice table. I like the design for the base. Thanks for taking us through your thought process.