Reading Table

[Roy Lindberry]

This is my version of the reading table from Popular Woodworking’s December, 2010 issue. Because I had specific size books to be used, I ended up making mine substantially larger. The top measures 14×28 and it stands 28.5 inches high. This is high for a side table, but it will work well for my purposes.

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This table is made from cherry and finished with BLO, followed by garnet shellac and finally, paste wax. Not only did I change the dimensions, but I went with a different profile on the top edge and added a bead to the top of the shelves. I also made the feet thicker than the legs, because I think it makes the change in grain direction more appealing.


The joinery is also more substantial than the PWW version. The leg assemblies are joined to the feet and stretchers by wedged mortise and tenons. The shelves are also mortised into the sides.


Other than rough dimensioning of the stock, the entire project was done with hand tools.


Lessons learned: 1) I need to pay more attention to surface preparation prior to finishing (and I need better light over my workbench). 2) I still need more practice applying shellac by hand.

[Pat Barry]

Very nice project Roy. The two uprights look very nice. I also like the color and finish. Is it all cherry? Some of the pictures make it look like two different wood species were used.

[Reinis Kanders]

Looks nice. So are you supposed to stand by it and read or is it just a nice bookstand? I think I would have flipped the legs so that the thinner hourglass is towards the top.
Edit: I take it back. I just flipped the picture and and it looks better as is.

[Roy Lindberry]

Looks nice. So are you supposed to stand by it and read or is it just a nice bookstand? I think I would have flipped the legs so that the thinner hourglass is towards the top.
Edit: I take it back. I just flipped the picture and and it looks better as is.

It's a nice bookstand. I've nicknamed it my sermon table because it was designed to sit next to the chair where I do all of my pastoral preparation. Most of the resources I use are bigger books than what would fit well with the original design, which is why I had to scale it up a bit. A person could stand at it if they wanted, but I'm basically using it as a bookstand.

[Roy Lindberry]

Very nice project Roy. The two uprights look very nice. I also like the color and finish. Is it all cherry? Some of the pictures make it look like two different wood species were used.

It is all cherry, but the two feet came from a board that was not purchased with the rest of the wood. It is an interesting characteristic, that from some angles the feet look darker than the legs and at other angles they look lighter. My wife noticed that when I was applying the BLO. I also got one board of the bunch that had a much pinker hue. The only piece of that on the table is one of the shelves.

I also did the top in three pieces, though I could have done it in two with the wood I had. My intent was to try to center the cathedrals on the top, rather than have them offset. However, the grain matches weren't as great under finish as they looked during glue-up.

[Stanley Covington]

Looks beautiful! Thanks for posting.

How is the top connected to the legs? It looks like there is a batten between legs and top. Crossgrain construction?

Stan

[Roy Lindberry]

Looks beautiful! Thanks for posting.

How is the top connected to the legs? It looks like there is a batten between legs and top. Crossgrain construction?

Stan

Thanks Stan!

The legs are mortised into the batten, which is screwed to the top. No glue; pre-drilled holes should have enough room to allow for movement.