Mistake/over site on my table, Design help?

Re: Mistake/over site on my table, Design help?

Sgian Dubh

A simple solution might be to rout a groove into the top edge of the rail and a matching groove at the top of the leg. Make the width and depth of the groove to match either a piece of metal bar stock, or a wooden fillet (say 18 mm wide X 6- 10 mm thick).

Assemble the legset, and screw the bar stock or wood fillet in place: using a long coarse threaded screw to screw into the end grain of the leg would more than likely be secure enough. But if you feel you really need it you could bore a hole and insert a piece of something like 18 mm diameter dowelling into the inside face of the leg in line with where your wood screw would penetrate - but I really suspect that would be overly cautious. Slainte.

PS. On further reflection, you wouldn't need to screw the bar or fillet into the top of the rail, just fix it firmly into the top of the leg.

Re: Mistake/over site on my table, Design help?

Derek Cohen (in Perth, Australia)

Then it dawned on me that if I attach the top to the rails with z clips or wooden buttons and you tried to lift the table by the top to move it around the brackets might turn loose and let the base fall off. OOPS.

Barry, rather than using the z-clips into the rails (you can do a few anyway), use the z-clips to connect the leg to the top.

The sequence of assembly is: attach rails to legs with brackets. Place top on and screw down at the legs. The connection of the legs and top means that the rails are "trapped" by the top. Nothing can come apart .. until the leg z-clips are undone.

Regards from Perth

Derek

Two Good answers, keep them coming...

Barry Irby

I was wondering who would answer this question between 1:09 AM and morning. I got an international effort. Thanks

I am trying to make this easy to assemble and disassemble. In the chaos of a move you don't need to spend hours and hunt for tools to put the dining room table together. And I don't want to create something with a huge number of little parts to keep up with.

I had thought of attaching the z clips to the legs. I like it except that it means there will be lots of crews and clips to manage.

Side question: How about installing threaded inserts into the top so the z clips would attach with machine screws? Would that be better than using wood screws over and over?

How about a big heavy fender washer in the top of the leg to capture the top of the rails and not allow it to rise. Could have a oval shape to allow it to rotate to lock the leg in and allow it to be withdrawn. As usual, I am over thinking this.

Re: Two Good answers, keep them coming...

Derek Cohen (in Perth, Australia)

Side question: How about installing threaded inserts into the top so the z clips would attach with machine screws? Would that be better than using wood screws over and over?

Barry, I should have stated that I would not use wood screws for this. Where furniture may be broken down a few times, I would install metal threads and use machine screws. This way, the connections do not wear.

Regards from Perth

Derek

Over thinking this project

Bill Tindall, E.Tn.

1. My cousin is retired military and he moved all over the world, including 3rd world countries. The military movers were able to deal with anything he acquired and he acquired a lot of large French Period furniture. Your concern about making this table "knockdown" may be unimportant, and needlessly complicates the build.

2. I think the problem will be to disengage the bed hardware after it settles into place, not that it is going to fall apart if the top is lifted up.

Re: Over thinking this project

Barry Irby

I hope you are correct. That was my first thought. I made his daughter a queen sized bed and a pair of nightstands. Just simple little tables with slender tapered legs. I know you would recognize them, about 18" square with a drawer. I worried the movers would break one of the legs. Nope, they did not break a leg, at least not one the one that arrived. They lost one of the pair completely. So, they want me to make the table KD and crate it. That way they can lose it more easily. If it locks up and can not be disassembled, they can throw the crate away and move it in one piece.

I told them to go to the Artful Home web site and point to a similar table. I am guessing the 500 or thousand dollar price tag will motivate them to find it. Or reimburse me to make another.

Re: Mistake/over site on my table, Design help?

John McGaw

Some thoughts:

The mortised-in bed hardware I've used to really fits quite tightly and usually needs a blow from a mallet to loosen it.

If the aprons are attached to adjacent leg faces then, even if both sets of hardware were loosened, it would be essentially impossible to get the leg out of their grip as long as the aprons themselves are firmly attached to the top -- they are trapped and can't be moved the necessary 1/4" to release.

Simple solution, if you are still worried, would be a figure-eight fastener at a 45-degree angle at the inside corner of the leg attaching it to the top -- it would prevent separation and alleviate any anxiety.