Project: Cherry Dining Table

[Matt Meiser]

Those who have been around a while probably remember the kitchen I did for my parents about 2 years ago. Mom decided that she wanted a table to match so at the end of the summer she ordered some Amish-made chairs, had the auction house pick up her old dining set, and had me bring over one of our folding banquet tables. We ordered some very expensive (and very nice) cherry from Irion lumber. I got started on it last week milling up the lumber for the top and did the first glue-up tonight. The glue up is 35" wide by about 48" long and is definitely the biggest I've ever done. But also the one that's come together the nicest.

We are up to 10 adults and 3 kids so far so holidays require a lot of seating. Open it will be 110" with all 4 11.75" leaves installed. Why 11.75? Because I have a 12" planer! Closed it will still be an oval shape since the slides can only accommodate up to 48" of leaves. That's about the biggest table the room can handle.

Leg design is still up in the air. We've ordered plenty of lumber and played with some sketches. The plan is to mock the base up with construction lumber and test it out at Thanksgiving if I make it in time.

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[Jerome Hanby]

Looks like a good start. I'm interested in what you decide for the legs. I've got a kitchen table project on the near horizon and haven't worked out the base yet...

[gary Zimmel]

Looking forward to seeing this one unfold Matt.
Keep us up to date.

[Matt Meiser]

I glued up the other side before work and forgot about it so I didn't get the squeezout scraped off while still soft. I just went out and lightly scraped, then sanded with my new Rotex. What a beast--but it sure did make quick work of getting a nice level panel!

[alex grams]

Matt, how do you plan on flattening the end half ovals/circles? When I do multi-board glue-ups like the one you show, I usually put a couple of cauls on each side to keep all of the boards coplanar, or else a few will squeeze to one side or another and the full panel isn't perfectly flat.

[Don Jarvie]

Matt, check out Pompanoosuc Mills at the link below. It may give you a few ideas. My wife liked the bottom to the Goodard style.

http://www.pompy.com/furniture/?category=20

Don

[Matt Meiser]

I initially had clamps on either side and sighted down them to be sure they were flat. leveling any minor differences will be done with the Rotex--don't know anyone with a widebelt big enough.

[alex grams]

Matt, Mike Henderson has a nice tutorial on making cauls which work pretty well for holding boards coplanar while you are clamping them. That is typically how I flatten mine up while clamping.

[Don Bullock]

Matt, your table build is looking good. I'm looking forward to seeing the finished product.

[Matt Meiser]

Lots of progress tonight. I made a template and cut the rounded ends. I got tearout in both pieces at the exact same spot on the curve. On the first I was able to shift the template ever so slightly and get it all out. The other I did the same but still had some left so I blended it in with the edge sander. No one will ever know (except for 1000's of creekers that is.) I need to get the alignment pins installed in all the leaves next so I can get the edge put on the top.

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[willie sobat]

Looking good Matt. I am planning to do a dining table sometime next year. I am not looking forward to working such a large flat surface. It looks like you've done it right though.

[Matt Meiser]

Here's some recent progress. As discussed in another thread I made the aprons using a bent lamination process. This weekend I got those to final size and installed.

I also drilled for and installed all the alignment pins and did all but the final sanding on the top. To install the alignment pins, I made a jig, based on a jig a friend loaned me, which he based on one by Michael Fortune. What's nice about this jig is that you are actually using the same holes to drill each side.It worked out great. What I added was the T part of the fence which positively locates it against one side of each piece. The pins I used are from Lee Valley--very nice.

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Finally, I made some trim pieces to hide the seams between the aprons at each joint.
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You might notice in the first photo that two of the leaves have aprons and two don't. The idea behind this is that one or two leaves will always be in use so they have aprons. Two will only be used a few times a year and are going to store inside the table between the slides (still have to work that out) but that means they can't have the aprons.

Other than final sanding, installing the leaf-locks, and finishing, the top is done. Now on to the legs.
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[gary Zimmel]

Great progress Matt and thanks for the little tip on installing the pins...

[John Keeton]

Matt, I don't get over here much anymore, but this is going to be a really nice table! Looks like you may well have the temporary "mock up" base done in time for turkey! Or, are you skipping that part and going to the real thing?

[Matt Meiser]

Skipping it. There aren't going to be too many people home for thanksgiving and the cost of the temporary base was suprisingly high. The leg mockups were just poorly screwed together for appearance. I've gotten started on milling all the rough parts for the base and laying out joinery. Cutting that is next, then making templates to cut them to final shape on a friend's shaper with a Byrd cutter head.