Table Base Assembly

[Jeff Lamson]

Curious on how people assemble the bases of a tables, desks, etc...I have done it one of three ways, and I'm torn on my preference.

1. Assemble in stages. I assemble the ends of the piece first, so for example I attach the front legs to the back legs using the side skirt and bottom rail. The next day, I bring the ends together by attaching the left and right assemblies using the front / back skirts and rails.

2. Assemble all together, standing up. I like this because I find it easiest to see any imperfections, but if my floor is not perfectly level I have run into issues.

3. Assemble all together, but do so upside down.

Again, I've done all three, and I'm not sure which is best, as I've had some good and bad come from each. Thoughts on your preferences?

[glenn bradley]

You want to have a known reference surface for anything that stands on its own. Granted many homes do not have floors as flat as my reference surface but, that's what adjustable feet are for. As to construction of legs and aprons, any method that yields consistent results for you is the right one. If the scale is not too large I will glue up a pair of legs and short apron as an end and one long apron making an "L". I find assembling two already square "L's" easy. I rarely try to do all four sides of something in one glue up. I'm in no hurry so why fight it?

[Jim Becker]

There is no "best"...it really depends on the design and the size, etc. Making sub-assemblies isn't unusual, however, and that can be helpful in not needing three arms with some designs!