My first thought is essentially making 2 tables that push together to make one. Use some knock down furniture type fasteners to join them together.
My first thought is essentially making 2 tables that push together to make one. Use some knock down furniture type fasteners to join them together.
Hey Kent, One of the guys in our local made 4 or 5 tables for our fire stations out of glue lam beams. Although the dimensions aren't the same for what you are talking about, I could see glueing up 2-3 with some tennons to reach the width you are looking for. He also inlayed the top of each table. We've used them for years and they will be here long after I retire.
Just an idea.. Good luck. I would really like to see the finished product.
26yrs IAFF 452
Hey Jonny
You clearly are the expert here. How about expansion, does it make sense to try this with solid stock?
Before addressing the other issues, how flat and straight are the 4/4 boards? How much thickness will remain after milling the boards flat and straight?
I'm surprised to hear these gigantic conference tables are made from solid stock. I would have expected them to be made from plywood, with some solid on the edges.
Aside from natural edge type conference tables I've seen, the majority of such large surfaces are veneered manufactured sheet goods with solid edging as you state. But even those are sectional above a certain size for practicality...'have to be able to actually get them in the hallways and through doors into a room and up freight elevators, etc.
--
The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...
From an aesthetic point of view, I don't think 4/4 stock is going to look very good at that size - the bigger the table, the thinner it will appear. Putting some thick edging around it might be necessary to get it to look "right". Are you up for two 8' breadboard ends?
My vote would be two full sheets of ply with solid wood edging, pulled tight with the hardware mentioned above. You could still rout your design and fill with epoxy.
The inset would actually be 2' x 2'.
Or, similar to Basset's suggestion, make four 3' x 5' tables, and "assemble" them together in a square ring, "head to hip", for an 8'x8' table with a 2'x2' hole. That way the tables are all identical, transportable, and useful either on their own or in various other assemblies. Fill in the 2x2 hole if/as desired.
Any combination where the sum of the width and length for each table is 8' would work. You can vary the size of the "hole" by varying their width (along with the corresponding length).
Andy - Arlington TX
Milling the stock till it lays flat is going to cost you too much wood. Some unevenness can be dealt with in the layout and joinery. It is a test of your skill and experienceto know how much and how.
A lot of functionality will be lost going from 48 lineal feet of table edge to 32 if it is going to be used as a seated gathering space. Building something that can be two smaller tables or one large one would be very versatile.