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Trestle Table in Walnut

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Trestle Table in Walnut

#1

Alan Young

Well here's a second post in two days!  I am working on a Trestle Table in Walnut. I have a set of pictures "in progress"  My client wanted a top 42" x96"  Not a slab but still a thick top ie more than .75". This top is 1.75"  Right now I have it glued up and cut to length and width-There will be a bevel on the underside to give it a bit of "visual weight relief"  That is the next procedure to undertake.  The base pieces were joined with a Festool-Domino. I broke down and bought one for this project. There was a slight learning curve-including learning to think in metric- but I'm pleased with the purchase even though to get every thing I wanted it was a the most money I've ever spent on a tool...

This is the basic design-JOSH-DINING-TABLE96-18-FRONT.jpg
JOSH-DINING-TABLE96-18-ISO.jpg

After some thought and a bit into the base fabrication-I decided to leave out the curved brackets and the upper long apron pieces that are seen in the drawings...

Here are pictures of the table so far.
fab1_252.jpg
fab2_253.jpg
fab3_254.jpg
fab4_255.jpg

Re: Trestle Table in Walnut

#2

That will be a beautiful table.

A question for the experts: Would this benefit from a cross brace under the top?

Re: Trestle Table in Walnut

#3

Alan Young

Hi Bruce

A question for the experts: Would this benefit from a cross brace under the top?
l will be routing the underside of the ends and attaching this style brace to stabilize the ends..
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Re: Trestle Table in Walnut

#4

Nice looking table.  But I have the attention span of a fruit fly and could not help noticing the drill press looking machine in the one photo located between the Red Wing emblem and electric service panel.  Any information on it?

Re: Trestle Table in Walnut

Edited #5

Since the pix don't show them, can we assume that the frame is joined to the leg sets with sliding dovetails? ;)

Added later 15 min 08 s:

Bruce McCrory wrote:

That will be a beautiful table.

A question for the experts: Would this benefit from a cross brace under the top?

Not accepting a designation as "expert", but since the table top is glued up with (6"?) boards, and given Alan's often demonstrated skill, that top uses alternating directions for the annular rings so cupping will not be a problem and a brace is not necessary to hold the top flat.

I, however, used a cross-brace for a dining table because it was from with a book-matched pair of 20" boards that begged for a brace to keep the top surfaces registered in the center.
Dining-Table-3.jpg

Re: Trestle Table in Walnut

Edited #6

Alan Young

wallyb wrote:

I could not help noticing the drill press looking machine in the one photo located between the Red Wing emblem and electric service panel.  Any information on it?

Wally-I inherited this drill press from a lab at the University of Michigan when I retired a few years ago.  It is BEASTLY Heavy. It runs of a foot pedal. 
FAB8.jpg

Added later 12 min 56 s:

Mark Mandell wrote:

Since the pix don't show them, can we assume that the frame is joined to the leg sets with sliding dovetails? ;)
Not accepting a designation as "expert", but since the table top is glued up with (6"?) boards, and given Alan's often demonstrated skill, that top uses alternating directions for the annular rings so cupping will not be a problem and a brace is not necessary to hold the top flat.

Mark-Fortune didn't smile perfectly on me. As I laid out these boards I wasn't able to alternate growth rings consistently as the best sides were noticeably better than the not best sides. And the client didn't want Breadboard ends. So I'll be attaching the previously shown c channel metal plates on the under side to keep the top flat.  The top will be screwed to the base through cleats with elongated holes to allow for seasonal movement.
FAB5.jpg
FAB7.jpg.

Re: Trestle Table in Walnut

#7

Alan, thanks for the reply.  Yes, that is a beast. I like how the table is stationary and the upper section moves.

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