Shaker Dining Table

[MarkE]

WOW! Gorgeous table Bill.

 

[botebum]

Thanks for sharing your build, Bill. I need to build a dining table so your undercarriage treatment was of great interest to me. I really like that approach.

My top will be from some 8/4 Eastern White Pine (which I'll plane down and chamfer the edges on to decrease perceived bulk) and I haven't decided what hardwood to use for the undercarriage yet. All I have in the shop right now is some mahogany which seems like a bit too much contrast. I can get more large size pine but the scantlings would have to increase way beyond what I want so it'll need to be a hardwood.

My goal is more of a "farm table" than yours. If I had a more elegant place to put it, I'd definitely go with something closer to your design. As it is, I'd be putting a Rembrandt in an outhouse.

Doug

 

[meredj]

Hey Bill, I really like the contrasting wood, great job!!

 

[Bill Clemmons]

Thanks for sharing your build, Bill. I need to build a dining table so your undercarriage treatment was of great interest to me. I really like that approach.

My top will be from some 8/4 Eastern White Pine (which I'll plane down and chamfer the edges on to decrease perceived bulk the Shakers did this a lot. It provided structural strength but gave the appearance of lightness.) and I haven't decided what hardwood to use for the undercarriage yet. All I have in the shop right now is some mahogany which seems like a bit too much contrast. I can get more large size pine but the scantlings would have to increase way beyond what I want so it'll need to be a hardwood.

My goal is more of a "farm table" than yours. If I had a more elegant place to put it, I'd definitely go with something closer to your design. As it is, I'd be putting a Rembrandt in an outhouse.

Doug

Thanks Doug, for the comments. I really appreciate them. For the hardwood undercarriage, have you considered White Oak? I like to finish WO w/ a mix of BLO/Varnish or Poly/Thinner. It gives it a light honey tone, which isn't significantly different from Pine. The contrast would be noticeable, but not extreme. It would also be appropriate for a "farm table". Just a thought.

Thanks again, Bill

PS: If you decide to use the oak, there are a couple of sawyers on here that can probably give you a better price than a traditional retailer.

 

[botebum]

Thanks for the suggestion, Bill. I hadn't even considered WO. It's a great idea and I can probably raid the scrap pile at work for most of what I'd need (although I'll make a mental note to check here for better prices when shopping).

WO would go well with the 'slightly worn' look I was thinking about as well.

Rather than simply edge joining the planks for the top (I have three 8/4"x10"x5' pieces) I was playing around with the idea of using segments of sliding dovetail to join them, realizing a final width of around 27". Any thoughts?

I apologize for hijacking your thread. Sorry.

Doug

 

[Bill Clemmons]

Thanks for the suggestion, Bill. I hadn't even considered WO. It's a great idea and I can probably raid the scrap pile at work for most of what I'd need (although I'll make a mental note to check here for better prices when shopping).

WO would go well with the 'slightly worn' look I was thinking about as well.

Rather than simply edge joining the planks for the top (I have three 8/4"x10"x5' pieces) I was playing around with the idea of using segments of sliding dovetail to join them, realizing a final width of around 27". Any thoughts?

I apologize for hijacking your thread. Sorry.

Doug

Don't know that I'd do sliding dovetails. Might be difficult to keep them aligned just right over the 5' length. Either tongue and groove, or a spline would probably be easier to keep aligned, and look more authentic on a "farm table". I used biscuits to help w/ alignment when I glued up the two halves of the top, then a spline when I joined the two halves for the final glue up. W/ the breadboard ends you don't see the spline.

No need to apologize for hijacking. The beauty of this site is the discussions that are generated by each post. It's amazing what I learn just by reading the responses to other people's questions.

Bill

 

[Jeff]

Bill,

WOW and congratulations! You've produced an elegant piece that you and your wife should be proud of. ccasion1

I like your choice of contrasting woods. I want to take a look a look at your chronicle of the WIP, but have to take care of some garden work first before the temperature soars again.

Nice job!