Table Construction 4

The next step is mounting the legs to the table. The apron of this table is designed to provide not only damage resistance and protect the edges of the veneer but to prevent motion of the legs with their propensity to rock back and forth if weight is applied. Therefore, the legs must pass tightly through the apron before being secured to the underside of the table. To do this this I must cut rounded edge holes to accommodate the legs and they must be angled at approximately 25 degrees from a line through the center so that the bend is parallel to the table edge. I began by making a quadrant on the underside of the table. This was my reference for where to place the legs. I set a protractor to the proper angle and marked where the holes should be. I first drilled a pilot hole for a jigsaw to pass through and then roughed the cut using that tool. The remainder of the work was completed with hand tools. I used an edge gauge and chisels for the remainder of the work. I fit the holes to accept the pieces individually. I ensured proper placement by numbering the legs and the holes.  After all four were completed, I fixed the table legs to the base of the table top with lagging screws.

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Table Construction 3

I previously left off with the table top getting cut with a router on a trammel. The next step is to wrap the solid wood around the round edge in plies and laminate it to make a nearly completely solid wood edging. I cut my walnut piece into 1/4″ thicknesses and planed them down until perfectly square to facilitate a good bend. The 1/4″ pieces were still too difficult to bend around the table top edge. I then used my steamer to assist in the process again. After 45 minutes in the steamer I pulled out my pliesand bent them around the edge and secured with a nylon strap ratchet strap. I let the pieces cool for a few days to assist in minimizing springback. After I took the clamps off, I observed quite a bit of springback anyway. I think this is because I must have used kiln dried walnut. However, this should not be an issue as it can clamp down to the round edge of the tabletop.

After the plies were steamed and clamped, I glued up the plies with urea formaldehyde type glue to ensure no creep and a solid lamination. I applied the ratchet strap as before. With the edges of the plies, I created a bridle type joint by interlocking the ends of the plies. This should assist with the overall strength as well as making the joint aesthetically pleasing. After the glue set, I strengthened the bond to the table top with pocket screws which would have split the thinner material had I used them prior to this point.

I then rounded the edges and cleaned up the excess glue. The result turned out very well.