DIY Network

Trestle Table: Stock and Templates From "Wood Works" episode WWK-704

	Attention to proportion and details distinguish this table's classic form. The wide, single-piece top is supported by gently curved legs and a shaped trestle.
	The distinctive figure and spalted lines of the curly maple are accented with contrasting pernambuco inlays.

In this episode of DIY Wood Works, host David Marks creates an Asian-inspired trestle table from a slab of curly maple.

Beautifully constructed from a highly figured curly- maple, with some spalting, this Asian table has sweeping legs that join the top with integral tenons cut in two sections at the top of each leg. For strength and design, a cross stretcher spans both legs and adds to the overall Asian flare. The tabletop is also crated from two solid boards of maple. The maple top is adorned with decorative butterfly tenons, made of pernambuco wood, that resemble two dovetails cut back to back.

This first episode segment focuses on creating the templates for the table components and milling the stock.

Materials used in this episode:

Maple stock
Pernambuco stock for inlay
MDF for templates
Table saw
Dado-blade for table saw
Band saw
Jointer
Drum sander
Table router; flush-trim bit, & 1/8" round-over bit
Plunge router
Oscillating spindle sander
Random orbit sander
Jig saw
Drill press
Cordless drill
Hand scraper
Spoke shave
Sharp chisel
Pattern-maker's rasp
Italian riffler file
Sanding strip; sandpaper
Dead-blow hammer
Carpenter's square
Flexible bending stick
Clamps and wood-cauls
Yellow woodworker's glue
Cyanoacrylate glue
Straight-edge
Carpenter's pencil
Chalk
Double-stick tape
Carpenter's masking tape
Wood finish: commercial blend of tung oil, linseed oil and urethane
Paintbrushes and rags
Safety glasses or goggles
Protective gloves

Safety Alert: Always wear safety goggles or safety glasses, and follow proper safety precautions, when working with wood, power-tools, saws, drills, routers, etc.

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Figure A

This is a project designed around the wood -- wide, raw planks of big-leaf maple (figure A). The largest plank dictated the width of our table. There are advantages to working with large slabs like this, if you are lucky enough to have access to one. The scale and uninterrupted grain-flow showcase the natural beauty of the tree.

If you don't have access to raw stock that is this wide, a table like this one could be constructed by edge-gluing two narrower boards together.

The legs of our table are made from two thicker pieces of maple and are joined with biscuits. The base is joined together with a shaped trestle. The simple lines, along with inlaid butterfly accents of pernambuco wood, make for an elegant combination.

The table stands 33 inches tall, and the top is 15-3/4" wide.

	Figure B
	Figure C

• Since we began this project with raw planks, rather than pre-milled wood, some preparation was required. First however, for design purposes and to conserve wood, two sets MDF templates were made. One from 1/8" MDF, and one from 1/2" MDF.

• To make the templates, lay out the shape of the top onto a 1/8" sheet of MDF using a bending stick to create the curve. Trace the curve onto the MDF (figure B).

• Rough-cut the curve using a jig saw.

• Shape the edges to the line using a pattern-maker's rasp (figure C).

• Smoothy the edges using a flexible sanding strip.
  

  Figure D

• Transfer the shape onto both ends of 1/2" MDF (figure D). The thicker template will later guide the router.

• Cut out the shape in the 1/2" MDF using the band saw, cutting close to the line.

• Shape the edges, again using a pattern-maker's rasp and flexible sanding strip.
  

  	Figure E
  	Figure F

• With the top template complete, you can now make the templates for the legs.

• Using the bending strip again, David created a subtle curve on one edge of the 1/8" MDF leg-template (figure E), leaving the end slightly blunt. He also created a 10-degree angle on the bottom portion of the opposite side, and left the remaining edge straight. He also traced out on the template where the dado will be cut. From the 1/8" template, he made a thicker version out of 1/2" MDF. This template will be used later as a guide for the router. On the straight side, he mounted a block for a key-way to register the template with the stock. This will align the dado on all four legs.

• Since all four of the legs are the same (figure F), only one template is required.
  

  	Figure G
  	Figure H

• With the templates complete, the raw wood can be milled for the table components, beginning with the top.

• Position the template over the best grain of the stock, and mark a line on both ends (figure G). Extend the mark using the straight-edge of a square.

• Cut away the excess wood using a jig saw (figure H).

• Repeat the steps to cut the leg stock, using the template designed earlier.
  

• Jointing Tip: At the table saw, align one edge of the large board with a level referenced against the fence of the table, and trim the opposite side straight (figure I). Then, with that straight-edge referenced against the fence, rip the other side parallel (figure J). This quick technique will save time -- in comparison to passing the edge over the jointer many times.

  Figure I

  Figure J

  
  

  	Figure K
  	Figure L

• Before passing the stock over the joiner, mark chalk lines along one face (figure K). Once these lines are gone, you'll know that the face of the board is flat.

• Apply even pressure with push-blocks as the face of the board passes over the knives of the jointer.

• Repeat this process to joint the leg stock
  
  
• Using 60-grit sandpaper, sand the boards to a uniform thickness at the drum sander (figure L).

• Repeat this with the leg and trestle stock, sanding the pieces to their final thickness.
  

  Figure M

• With the stock milled, the templates can be used to shape the parts of the table. Starting with the legs, while the stock is still square, lay out the dados. The dado on the leg is 3-1/2" long x 5/8" deep and will run the full thickness of the leg (1-1/2"). On the inside edge of each leg, position the dado-marks 14-3/8" up from the bottom.

• On the trestle, lay out the marks for two matching dados 14" from the center on each side (figure M).
  

• At the table-saw, cut all of the dados using a dado-blade. For the leg stock, we made sure that the stock referenced against the fence and a stop attached to the miter gauge. These define the boundaries of the dado (figure N).

• Next, cut the dados in the trestle (figure O).

  Figure N

  Figure O

  
  

• Double-stick tape the leg template onto the leg stock, aligning the key-way block in the newly cut dado, and trace out the shape (figure P).

• At the band saw, with the template still attached, rough-cut the shape about 1/8" oversized.

• Trim the edges at the router table using a flush-trim bit. The bearing at the bottom of the bit references against the template. Because we're routing end-grain, we used a guide-pin to help brace the stock (figure Q) and prevent the wood from tearing out.

  Figure P

  Figure Q

  
  

• Change the router bit to a 1/8" roundover to ease all edges of the legs except for the top and bottom. Those need to be kept straight.

• The legs are joined together using biscuit joinery. Using the biscuit joiner, cut #20 biscuit slots into each of the legs.

RESOURCES :

The Small Wood Shop (The Best of Fine Woodworking)
Author: Helen Albert (Editor)
Publisher: Taunton Press
ISBN: 1561580619

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

Woodworker's Guide to Wood: Softwoods, Hardwoods, Plywoods, Composite, Veneers
Model: 080836878
Author: Rick Peters
(2000)
Sterling Publishing Co. Inc.
Website: www.sterlingpub.com

Fine Woodworking
A magazine devoted to high-quality craftsmanship in woodworking.
The Taunton Press Inc.
Website: www.taunton.com