Best way to make a 5ft round table top

[Brian Runau]

Friend wants me to help him make a 5ft dia table top. Panel glue up is fine. I would make a jig to cut the 5ft circle and was thinking to use a jig saw for initial cut, then same jig with a router to clean up the jig saw cut edge. I wanted to make the edge thicker than the body of the panel. Can I do the panel in 3/4" and cut this rough circle, then glue 2 x stock as best I can around the edge then jig saw cut a 2nd time then final clean up with jjg/router?

Appreciate any advice on how to go about this and how thick an edge on a 5ft dia table.

Thanks.

Brian

[Maurice Mcmurry]

I do not have answers other than promising to post an image of a very old chair table with a 5 foot round top made from two boards! It is a New Hampshire relic from the in-laws family. The top is about 1 1/4 inch thick.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Rough cutting and then final trim with a router should work well. I have a two-piece circle cutting jig for my router that I can use for small circles using just one piece or mount that piece on the 2nd piece and cut larger circles. IIRC, I have a double bearing trim bit that will cut a 2" depth.

[Brian Runau]

Rough cutting and then final trim with a router should work well. I have a two-piece circle cutting jig for my router that I can use for small circles using just one piece or mount that piece on the 2nd piece and cut larger circles. IIRC, I have a double bearing trim bit that will cut a 2" depth.

Thanks Ken. Any suggestions on how to thicken the edge and triming in the process discussed? Thanks brian

[Kevin Jenness]

Whatever you use for the buildup should line up with the main panel's grain direction. If you make the blank large enough you can trim down the cutoffs to get a fairly decent grain/color match, although building up several layers to get the desired thickness is bound to show.

A 5' diameter solid wood tabletop will be quite heavy and prone to movement. What will this be used for?

[Prashun Patel]

Make sure you line up the grain and that you are ok with how it looks and feels from underneath. Imho, I would either get thicker stock or leave it 3/4. Your aprons or base can add visual weight to the piece if that’s the look you are going for.

[Brian Runau]

Whatever you use for the buildup should line up with the main panel's grain direction. If you make the blank large enough you can trim down the cutoffs to get a fairly decent grain/color match, although building up several layers to get the desired thickness is bound to show.

A 5' diameter solid wood tabletop will be quite heavy and prone to movement. What will this be used for?

Dining table top. Thanks Brian

[Maurice Mcmurry]

Here are some images from the web of a traditional chair table design. The one that F.I.L. has is painted with strange red paint (someone called milk paint). It is made with thicker lumber, is more country-ish, and very plain.

Screen Shot 2022-09-30 at 7.10.48 AM.png Screen Shot 2022-09-30 at 7.12.31 AM.png

[George Yetka]

I would make a jig for the router and use it to make a pencil mark. Then rough cut with a jigsaw close to the line. Then come back with the router jig to clean it up. As for doubling up the boarder Im not sure how much it would save. It seems like you would only be saving 5-10 BF over just building a 1.5" table.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

How is the table to be finished? If you are going to use solid wood, I'd use thicker wood to begin with to get around cross-grain situation during potential seasonal expansion. If it's to be painted, then you could just use 3/4" birch ply for the field and cut thicker material to safely edge it.

I am getting ready to start the design and layout on a "butterfly extension table" for our dining room. We are in our mid-70's and it's getting harder to haul the extensions for our current table from the basement to the upstairs dining area. I plan on using thicker material to begin with for the pieces of the tops.

[Brian Runau]

How is the table to be finished? If you are going to use solid wood, I'd use thicker wood to begin with to get around cross-grain situation during potential seasonal expansion. If it's to be painted, then you could just use 3/4" birch ply for the field and cut thicker material to safely edge it.

I am getting ready to start the design and layout on a "butterfly extension table" for our dining room. We are in our mid-70's and it's getting harder to haul the extension for our current table from the basement to the upstairs dining area. I plan on using thicker material to begin with for the pieces of the tops.

Thicker stock. Avoid cross grain. Thanks. Brian