Shaker Dinning Room Table Begins

[Jason Tuinstra]

When we were just looking at our new home, my wife noticed the kitchen table that the former owners had. It was perfect for the unusually large dinning area. It was a Pottery Barn table that measured 60"x60". It seats 8 people without a leaf! And becuase the table is square, it makes for a great place to entertain. You don't feel like your down the table from the other couples. You're all right there. So I snagged the overall dimensions, added some Shaker lines in CAD, and put it on the to-do list.

Well, here it is so far. I still have a number of things to do, but I thought I would post some construction pics. Last night, I got the curves cut and sanded. It's dry fit right now. I need to get some longer lenths of pipe to clamp the sides. Man their big!!! So things have slowed down for now.

Anyway, thanks for looking!

P.S. John M. - I kept my promise! I even left some of the evidence on the floor for you to see

[Maurice Ungaro]

Nice Jason! Looks like you're jumping right in on that new shop.

[Martin Shupe]

Looking good, Jason, I'll be watching for more pics!

[Ron Jones near Indy]

Looks good Jason. It's nice to see some sawdust on the floor. That's going to be a nice size. I can see why you were drawn to it.

[Michael Gabbay]

Very nice. I really like shaker style tables. They are fun to build and never go out of style.


Mike

[Alan Turner]

Jason,
Looks great. Which way are you going to run the grain on that table? Possibly to accomodate table slide extensions in the future?

[Norman Hitt]

Jason,
Looks great. Which way are you going to run the grain on that table? Possibly to accomodate table slide extensions in the future?

Alan, I think he's going to run the grain along the 60" dimension.

(Just couldn't resist)

Looking Great, Jason. Are you going to make matching Chairs also?

[Alan Turner]

If he is going to do it that way, then I hope he is thinking in terms of quarter sawn dowels.

[Tim Morton]

I'm going to bookmark this site so that in about 10 years when I learn to cut straight I can build my wife a farm table ...looks perfect. BTW...did I miss a Festool Gloat, or did you just get the carboard boxes from an upscale recycling place?

[Mike Cutler]

Nice work Jason. I like the taper of the legs, they really seem to be in the proper relatoinship to a table that size.
What is the joint at the top of the legs?
I can't wait to see the top when it's in place, I'm sure it's going to be nice. Will the top incorporate breadboard ends or solid ends with a table lift profile?

[Mike Leonard]

Jason, very nice. It looks like you are well on your way to a very nice table.
Instead of buying longer 3/4" pipe, that you may not use much in the future, you might want to consider getting some 3/4" couplers and joining two shorter lengths together. Just a thought.

[Jim Becker]

Oh, that's going to be a beauty, Jason!! And you're going to get a reputation as that "Shaker Preacher" who moved in to town... Seriously, I'm really looking forward to the steps and results of this project. And guess what...chairs and a buffet are next!! hee hee

[Dave Avery]

Jason,

I saw a similar square table constructed on a different site where the craftsman added cross-supports because the 60"X60" table was less than fully stable. We have a smallish DR and I've thought about this type of table many times - seats 8 with a minimum of space. Is your dry-fit stable? Please let us (me) know how the final product turns out. All the best. Dave.

[Jason Tuinstra]

Mike L. - great idea! A lot cheaper as well.

Mike C. - it's a mortise and tenon joint. It's 1" long.

Alan - I'm actually building a leaf as well, so I am going to put an extention slide on right from the get-go. Why, what's your thought? I've never done this before, so if I'm missing something please let me know. I was planning on using Lee Valley's brass alinement pins as well as their table latch. I checked out Horton's, but LV seemed about the same so I'll get everything from them. Anyway, the thought was to glue up the table frame, get the top located and screwed, and then take the table top off and cut the base in half. This is what I saw Beksvoort do in an artilce that I have. Sound right to you?

[Jason Tuinstra]

Jim, you're exactly right! Jody has a hutch/buffet from Thos. Moser already picked out. I made one for a friend of mine a long time ago, and now LOML wants hers!

The chairs are already designed, for the most part. I have full scale working drawings, but I still have some issues to work out. Basically, I'm trying to copy the chairs on the front cover of FWW #160 (Annual Tool/Shop Issue). I'm also planning on using some of the techniques from Issue #166. I'm going to need a boatload of help from all the chair makers on SMC, so be prepared for lots of questions ! I'll make a rough version out of 2x6's first.

Dave - you're making me nervous . I can't tell about stability from the dry fit, but your heads-up will come in handy. How do you add that kind of support to an extension table though? Hopefully I won't have to worry about that. I'll keep you up to speed because I'm sure you'd love this style of table. This is a real solution to so many table/space problems.