Oak Pedestal Table (PICS)

[Ralph Barhorst]

I just finished a pedestal table for my daughter and her husband. They have a small breakfast nook and needed a small table. I decided to do a pedestal table since it would eliminate the corner legs that would get in the way in a small area.

The post for the pedestal was originally used on my grandfather's kitchen table. It was a five legged table made from oak.

I used quarter sawn oak for the top. I couple of pieces are somewhat darker than the others but I think it came out OK. The size is 34" by 48".

I used Olympic "Colonial Oak" Gel Stain and four coats of High Gloss Poly.

I know that you guys like pics, so here they are.

[Lou Morrissette]

Nice work Ralph. The top looks great!

[David Wilson]

Ralph
Very nice. Will you be building 4 more to use the remaining legs?

[Lloyd Robins]

Well done! Thanks for sharing.

[Waymon Campbell]

Ralph - That's a nice table. What does the underside support look like? Also, did you edge glue or did you use biscuits to join the top boards?

[Dick Parr]

Very nice Ralph!

[Jason Tuinstra]

Ralph, it turned out really nice. I'm sure your daughter and son-in-law will love it.

[Eric McMillan]

Ralph,

I'm just starting a small pedestal table for my 7 yr old daughter as a drawing/craft table. How did you attach the column to the tabletop? How tall is the leg and what diameter is it? Any pics of the underside/attachment? I'm going to make mine adjustable in height so it can grow with her by having a smaller column that slides up and down in the base column.

Thanks,
Eric

[Jim Guy]

Great looking table Ralph. Do you have a 42in planer???
How else could you get the top that flat.

[Ralph Barhorst]

Thanks for the compliments. I really enjoyed making this table.

To answer your questions:

The table leg that I used as a post was 24" long and 5" in diameter. The supports under the post added another 3" to the height.

The table top was supported by an "X" shaped support made from 2 pieces of 1-1/2" by 3" half-lapped oak. I cut an "X" shape into the top of the leg that was 1-1/2" wide and 1-1/2" deep. I then glued the support into the top of the leg. After this was done, I now had an assembly that was 28-1/2" tall. The top was made from 1" thick oak making the top of the table 29-1/2" off the floor. The support was screwed to the top with 8 screws that went into slots cut into the support. The slots should be long enough to prevent any cracking due to shrinkage and quarter sawn oak doesn't shrink much anyway.

The tough part was figuring out how to cut the "X" shape into the top of the leg. I ended up making a jig that held the leg in a horizontal position and then I rotated the blade of my RAS so that it was in a horizontal position and I carefully cut the slots. It worked real well. I then planed down the oak table top supports so that they fit perfectly into the slots cut on top of the post.

I used biscuits to join the top together. It is not as flat as it looks in the picture. I had a minor problem with it bowing a little bit. I will do better next time.

I only have two more legs left. I have already made a couple of lamps from the other two.