Oak dining table (pics)

[Brian Shutter]

Here are a couple pics of an oak dining table I built a few months ago. It's 48 inches in diameter--just perfect for a family of four. I made only one 12 inch leaf but the extensions I used can accept two 12 inch leaves. The table seats 6 comfortably with the leaf in place.

The curved apron was made by sandwiching thin strips of oak between 2 mdf forms. The forms were heavy and a little difficult to get "just right". I think if I had to do it again I would go with just the outside form and buy a few more clamps to hold the strips in place. The aprons were laminated to a thickness of about 3/4".

The extensions were difficult to install but I'm impressed with how well they work.

[William Lewis]

That's one beautiful table. What kind of finish did you use?

William Lewis

[Dick Parr]

Great job Brian.:)

[Jim W. White]

That table looks fantastic!!

[Chris Dodge]

Excellent work! I like the extension hardware!

[John Miliunas]

Very well done, Brian! I really like the base on that. Sort of AC, sort of contemporary. Cool!:) :cool:

[Dev Emch]

Nice job. As for your form work. I think you done good or giiid as some say.:D Yes, they are heavy but you should use the inner and outer forms if possible. Looks good and rather useful.

[Gail O'Rourke]

Your table came out lovely, and I am sure the extension slides were a total hassle installing. I am sure you can offer tips in the future.

Great execution.

[Nate Rogers]

That looks great, nice work..
Nate

[Jeff Sudmeier]

Wow I really like that table! I am not too much of a center support person, but this one looks really great!

[Travis Porter]

Wow.!!! The best compliment I can give is that it looks like it was store bought.

[Tom Ruflin]

Brian,

Great table. I am just starting on a pedestal table and will be using the same slides. Any tips would be appreciated.

[Ron Robinson]

Beautiful job Brian! The finish is fabulous. What did you use and how did you do it?

Ron Robinson

[Brian Shutter]

That's one beautiful table. What kind of finish did you use?

William Lewis

The finish is McCloskey's Heirloom Oil Base Varnish. I applied 3 or 4 coats using a good quality brush. I sanded between coats using 600 grit w/d paper. The varnish took quite a long time to dry which worried me a little but it turned out well.

Thanks for the kind words.

Brian.

[Brian Shutter]

Wow I really like that table! I am not too much of a center support person, but this one looks really great!

Jeff

I agree with you. I don't usually like pedestal tables either but in this case it seemed that a legged table would seem a little too chunky in the space. This design seems to keep the space more open.

One thing I really like about the table is that the pedastal doesn't open when the table top opens. I didn't want to have to worry about scratching the floor or about having to move a lot of weight while extending the top. Those vertical pieces in the middle are solid and the table is very, very heavy. I think with a bigger table the design would have to be a little more complicated to get good support at the ends of the extended top.

Brian

[Brian Shutter]

Brian,

Great table. I am just starting on a pedestal table and will be using the same slides. Any tips would be appreciated.


First, download the instructions from Rockler's website. Although, there's not a ton of info on them there was enough for me to understand how the extension are meant to work. If you need to remove the extensions for any reason be sure to mark their orientation so you can get everything back where it should go. Because I wasn't smart about this I had to install them 3 different times (yeah, I'm no Einstein!). Good luck!

Brian.