| Circular Kitchen-Table -- Walnut Tabletop |
From "Wood Works"
episode WWK-211 |
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Host David Marks demonstrates the steps in the construction of a sturdy walnut kitchen table. The contemporary, functional design of this table provides a pleasant alternative to a formal dining style. A strong, unadorned pedestal supports a richly grained tabletop, and the clean, simple lines of the piece are softened by gently beveled edges. The circular tabletop and support pieces are all made from solid black walnut. There are four basic parts to the construction: the bottom cross support, the pedestal with bridle joinery, the top cross-support and the round tabletop. Materials: walnut stock
MDF (for template)
table saw; trammel arms
jointer
jig saw
hand router
hand scraper; cabinet scraper
chalk or carpenter's pencil
saftety glasses or goggles
Note: Cut sizes may vary. For exact measurements, please contact David Marks through his Website--information below under Resources. Safety Alert: Always wear safety goggles or safety glasses when working with wood, saws, drills, routers, etc. Walnut Tabletop This project begins with the creation of the walnut tabletop. Because the tabletop is the focal point of the piece, extra time and care is taken in selecting and grain-matching the stock pieces that will be used for the top. Steps: - To help in the selection of the stock pieces for the most eye-pleasing grain match, begin my outlining the grain markings with a piece of chalk (figure A). This makes it easier to assemble the boards in a sequence that yields an aesthetically pleasing grain pattern. In grain matching, strive to create a sense of harmony among the pieces. Begin by selecting a board with a distinctive pattern for the center piece, then work your way outward. In our demonstration, the centerboard featured a distinctive oval pattern in its middle, and the pieces on either side possessed complementary curving grain patterns.
- To determine the size of the stock pieces needed, a 48-inch-diameter template was cut from MDF (figure B). To mark out a perfect circle, a homemade trammel arm was constructed out of a thin piece of wood and metal attachments. One attachment marks the center-point on the template, and the other holds a piece of graphite for marking the outer edge of the circle. Intersecting x and y axes were first marked on the MDF to locate a center-point; the trammel arm is then used in a manner similar to a compass--pivoting around the center point to mark the circle (figure C).
- Once the MDF has been cut out, it can be used to determine how much stock is needed by laying it across the stock pieces (figure D). Shorter boards can be used on the sides in order to minimize wasted stock.
- With the black-walnut boards measured and marked, cut each of them to length on the table saw.
- Take the cut boards to the jointer, and joint the edges flat (figure E). The jointer prepares the adjoining surfaces that will be glued together.
- Use yellow woodworker's glue (figure F) to glue the edge-glue the stock together in the pre-determined layout. Because the boards are glued long-grain to long-grain, the bond will be strong.
- Use a glue-roller to ensure that the glue is applied evenly on the edges of the stock (figure G).
- Given the large size of the tabletop, it's easier to glue it up in sections.
- Using the chalk-marks made earlier as a reference, begin by gluing up the three pieces that will form the center of the table. Glue these pieces, and clamp them (figure H) to hold them secure until the glue has dried.
- With the center boards glued and clamped, glue the other sections together.
- Once all of the sections have been assembled and the glue has dried, glue them to each other and clamp the whole assembly securely. Use wooden cauls to ensure that all of the boards stay flat as they are clamped together and as the glue dries (figure I).
- When the rough tabletop has dried, use a hand-scraper and a cabinet scraper to scrape away the excess glue and level the surface (figure J).
- Once the assembly is complete and the surface is smooth (figure K), trace out the circle of the tabletop using the MDF template as a guide (figure L).
- Use a jig saw with a coarse blade to cut the circle by hand (figure M). Make the cut just outside the line, leaving the circle just a bit oversized.
- The jig saw leaves a rough edge on the circle. The next step is to shape the edges to form a perfect circle using a hand-router in conjunction with yet another trammel arm. In this case, a larger trammel arm is built to support the router (figure N).
- With the router attached to a piece of cut plywood serving as the arm, a block of wood is temporarily attached to the center of the underside of the table using wood screws. (The screw holes will later be covered over by the table's support pedestal.) The trammel arm pivots from a pin in the center of the block, and travels in a perfect circle as it supports the router. A 1/2-inch spiral carbide router-bit sweeps along the edge of the circle (figure O). A total of four passes are made, lowering the bit 1/4-inch each time, to cut a perfect circle.
- To give the table a little more dimension, the edges of the circular tabletop are beveled. A hand router and bearing bit is used--referencing off of the flat edge of the circle--to cut a clean 30-degree bevel along the bottom edge all the way around the circle (figure P).
- To complete the tabletop, a hand router with a 1/8-inch round-over bit is used to shape the top edge of the circle.
In the segment that follows, the pedestal base is made from solid walnut. Sponsored Resource You can order the tools and materials for this project from Woodcraft!
RESOURCES :
Fine Woodworking
A magazine devoted to high-quality craftsmanship in woodworking.
The Taunton Press Inc.
Website: www.taunton.com
Woodworking Techniques: Best Methods for Building Furniture from Fine Woodworking
Author: Editors of Fine Woodworking magazine
Publisher: Taunton Press
ISBN: 1561583456
David Marks Website
David Marks, DIY's Wood Works host, is a master woodworker. For more information on cut sizes and project details, please contact him via his Website at www.djmarks.com
Popular Woodworking
F & W Publications, Inc.
Website: www.popularwoodworking.com
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