Table apron width???

[Mike Hoyt]

Morning guys, I have been asked to help come up with a simple dining table design and my question is about sizing the aprons. Is there a rule of thumb thats used when calculating the size required to support the top. I was thinking about a finished size in the 40"X84-90" range. Given those dimensions and using a 3/4" thick apron, how wide should they be?

Thanks,
Mike

[Peter Stahl]

I would say after you get the table height you like make it so your legs will fit under it when seated in a chair. What I would do is go to a furniture store and look at tables sizes I like then measure the apron.

[Gary Herrmann]

If you don't have any software to use - I still use visio, since I haven't taught myself cad yet - get some graph paper and draw out the table from a side view. Play with the apron width till you like it.

Keep the height of the clients in mind. Since it's custom, you can make the legs longer and still have the size apron you want.

[glenn bradley]

Dining table height is nominally 29 - 30". Leg clearance, floor to apron is nominally 25 - 26" so based on top thickness; there's your number . . . That is, 29" top height, 1" top thickness = 3" apron max. . . or there-abouts ;-)

[Anthony Watson]

I just built a small dining table for my in-laws (see "small dining table" in the woodworking projects subforum). I determined the height of the aprons by measuring our own dining table at home. :) 3-1/2" tall. The same height worked as well with my 45"x30" table as it does our 60"x36" table.

Anthony

[Ted Shrader]

Mike -

The other recommendations in the 3~3½" range are about right. What height are the the chair seats? Just need to leave enough room for the people to get their legs in comfortably.

Another option is to make the aprons wider where they join the legs and a little thinner for most of the length of the table. The transitoin from wide to narrow can be styled to fit the style of the table/chairs. This feature will add another bit of visual interest to the table's apperance.


Regards,
Ted

[Frank Drew]

For a table that long I'd probably go with a bit wider aprons (maybe 4"); I think you'd still have enough room for legs given the average chair seat height. Depends a bit on your leg design, though.

And, again, for a table that long, I'd probably make the aprons out of 1" material as it would add a bit more stability than 3/4".