Results 1 to 8 of 8

Thread: Rules of thumb for table apron hight and leg thickness?

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Springfield, IL
    Posts
    411

    Rules of thumb for table apron hight and leg thickness?

    The boys at my hunt cabin asked me to build a large table that matches a bar top I made many years ago. It's become as much a "supper club" as hunt club . Anyway, the requested size is 10 feet long, 40 inches wide. I'm using 5/4 stock that will finish out at 1".

    I'm struggling to picture what size leg and apron to use. It's a thin top, so I'm guessing 4" legs and a 3" apron might look good? Any design rules of thumb in sizing?

    Thanks.
    Last edited by Dave Novak; 07-19-2022 at 12:36 PM.

  2. #2
    Look at pics of tables from Hepplewhite to Victorian , then mix and match. 3 inch apron is okay for ladies ,but not for a bunch of guys.
    4 inch legs ….too big !

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    San Francisco, CA
    Posts
    10,304
    The legs are at the corners, so the aprons are nearly 10 feet long? They’re what hold up the table top, food, and whatever carousing happens in a hunt club? I’d make them 4” tall and 2” wide.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Aug 2018
    Location
    Michigan, USA
    Posts
    548
    Regarding the aprons, it seems like there are several design decisions that interact: (1) table height, (2) tabletop thickness, (3) apron width and (4) chair seat height. When you put it all together, I think you want to end up with 6-7" between seat height and the bottom of the apron, in order to allow for comfortable space above diners' thighs, and ease of getting seated and getting up from the table without scraping thighs (especially if any of the likely diners shop in the "Big & Tall" store).

    30" table height, with a 1" top and a 4" apron and a 20" seat height, for example, strikes me as tight. Play around with it.

    I'm with @Mel Fulks on the legs - maybe 3-1/2" (and tapered).

    Re: @Jamie Buxton's comment - I'd definitely plan to add a couple of stretchers running the long way under the table top to provide more support/stiffness. I guess if you want to get ambitious, you could build a lattice under the top, connecting all four aprons.
    Last edited by Gary Ragatz; 07-19-2022 at 6:09 PM.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    San Francisco, CA
    Posts
    10,304
    One more general design thought. This table is going to be big and heavy. Before you build it, think about how it is going to get from your shop to the eventual home. Perhaps it should be possible to disconnect the legs/base from the top to get it up stairs or through doorways.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Springfield, IL
    Posts
    411
    All great thoughts, thanks. I definitely plan to attach the top to the base in the cabin. And the legs/base will definitely need to be quite sturdy. Lots of buffoonery happens at the cabin

  7. #7
    Have you considered making this a trestle table? This is going to be a behemoth of a table so why not have legs to match and support it, and the buffoonery that happens? You won't need aprons, you can make the trestle legs a big/strong as you like, you can have 2 legs at each end of the trestle, you can even have the stretchers removable by using wedges at the end of them as was done on this moravian workbench (https://woodandshop.com/moravianworkbench/) which will make it easier to move to the cabin.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    San Francisco, CA
    Posts
    10,304
    +1 on Don’s suggestion of a trestle table. Another advantage of all pedestal tables is that people can sit anywhere around the table without colliding with a leg.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •