Modular kitchen/dining table design question

[Tim Quigley]

A friend of mine just challenged me to design and build a modular dining room/kitchen table. She wants a table that is made up of 5 pieces as follows:

- a four foot square table
- a six foot x 4 foot rectangular table
- a ten foot x 4 foot rectangular table
- 2 half circle 2foot radius tables

The idea is that she could use the 6 footer as a kitchen table every day. The ten footer as an every day dining room table. The four footer as a card table in the basement and the two half circle tables agains a wall as side boards or something like that.

But, if her home changes or she has family over for a large dinner, she could assemble them all together into a single table 24 feet long (rounded on each end) that would sit up to 24 people).

She could also assemble them in other various configurations to get seating for anywhere from 4 people (two half rounds pushed together) all the way up to the 24 with everything.

So, my question...anyone ever seen anything like this? If so, any designs or pictures available?

Or, do you have any suggestions on how to design it? She wants to be sure the legs aren't a burden for people sitting at the table and wants to be sure any piece is stable as a stand alone unit or as an integrated unit.

Any thoughts?

Best,
Tim Q

[Art Mulder]

Tim,

Have a look at "Table Maximus" on p48 and following of "Measured Shop Draings for American Furniture" by Thomas Moser (1985-Sterling). It is similar to what you describe, though they have drop-leaves on the "center section" tables to help grow their length.

[Nathan Hoffman]

My grandparents live in a retirement home where the dining room is a bunch of 4 x 4 pedestal tables that the staff rearranges frequently. I think the idea is a good one, and if you can get creative with a pedestal style base, you should be able to make it happen. Maybe there could be some way to "lock" the tables together under the edges of the tops so when they are set up as one, you don't have that annoying not-quite-even crack that always shows up. Do a search on pedestal tables and see what you can find. Just my $.02

[Tim Quigley]

Art and Nathan....thanks for the input. Will have to check out the library to see if I can track down that book.

Nathan...I agree...pedastal design sounds ideal. It would eliminate problems with the legs getting in the way. Connecting them...will have to think about that one. My friend wants that...the challenge is a design that will do it without be awkward when they are used stand alone.

Thanks again,
TQ