Bottom attachment

[Brian Penning]

Been trying to figure out the best method of attaching a bottom to this table. I can see dadoing a slot in the bottom rails, but it's getting a slot in the posts that concern me. Unless there are other suggestions.
Will have to be strong. Wondering if it could become a glueup nightmare.
TIA

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_eDYZqM9-MJw/S6yVIpjt1xI/AAAAAAAAYkg/at6tyT0UnQY/Dropleaf.jpg

[Lee Schierer]

My grandfather had a table similar to that and the bottom shelf in his sat on pegs coming out of the bottom stretchers. Gravity held it in place and it was fully functional.

[Kurt Cady]

Why can't you build a simple jig to cut a dado in the corner of the post?

Just a 45 degree ramped sled if you will...

[Jamie Buxton]

Put rabbets on the inside bottom edges of the rails. Notch the corners of the bottom to avoid the legs. Glue up the legs and rails without the bottom. Later, glue the bottom up into the rabbets. If just glue makes you nervous, use screws too.

[Brian Penning]

Put rabbets on the inside bottom edges of the rails. Notch the corners of the bottom to avoid the legs. Glue up the legs and rails without the bottom. Later, glue the bottom up into the rabbets. If just glue makes you nervous, use screws too.

I dunno....I can see after a couple of years those 20-25 Nat'l Geographic mags taking their toll on the bottom.
Then there's the wood movement issue....

[glenn bradley]

I built something similar leg and rail-wise. I just notched the corners of the bottom panel where the leg posts were.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=144107&d=1267750530

[Bruce Page]

I think Lee’s suggestion is simple & elegant. If you don’t like the idea of using dowels you could add a small (½X½) rail on the inside bottom length of the stretchers and rest the bottom directly on them.
That’s exactly how the bottom was installed in my granddaughters cradle that I made

[Frank Drew]

Brian,

I'd go with your idea of grooving the insides of the lower rails to accept the bottom; you could either let the corners of the bottom into notches in the legs or, easier, cut out the bottom at the corners to fit around the legs, leaving smallish gaps which no one would ever see in any case.

But whatever methods you choose, if you're using a solid bottom allow for cross-grain wood movement .

[mreza Salav]

although you didn't ask for opinion about the design:
IMO it would be a pain to put things in and take from that basket you get down there! At least try to remove one of those side rails. Don't scream at me for suggesting this though...

[Frank Drew]

although you didn't ask for opinion about the design:
IMO it would be a pain to put things in and take from that basket you get down there! At least try to remove one of those side rails. Don't scream at me for suggesting this though...

You've got a good point there; maybe Brian could lower one of the rails halfway if he didn't want to eliminate it altogether.

[Brian Penning]

although you didn't ask for opinion about the design:
IMO it would be a pain to put things in and take from that basket you get down there! At least try to remove one of those side rails. Don't scream at me for suggesting this though...

Hmmmm.....I don't disagree. It's for a client. I'll try and visualize what it would look like when most of the parts are cut but not assembled. Overall height is 24" so it is on the low access side.

[Brian Penning]

In case you were wondering...
I did lower the height of the rails a touch to make easier access to the mags..
The bottom sits loosely on some glued on rails.

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_eDYZqM9-MJw/S87GeHyhqnI/AAAAAAAAaCI/i4Klb6L1EYM/s640/IMG_4111.JPG

[Frank Drew]

Nice work, Brian.

"The bottom sits loosely on some glued on rails."

Do you mean loosely as in it's just sitting there and you could lift it off loose?

[Brian Penning]

Nice work, Brian.

"The bottom sits loosely on some glued on rails."

Do you mean loosely as in it's just sitting there and you could lift it off loose?

Yep, Exactly.