I'm going to be building a 34" lazy susan for use on a decent sized dining table, and I have a few questions for the group.
I'm not going to have a base, so the bearing will simply sit directly on the table. I'm leaning toward these bearings from Lee Valley (http://www.leevalley.com/en/hardware...,44013&p=44014), but I'm not sure which size to get. The 17-3/8" bearing seems best from a visibility standpoint, in that you probably won't be able to see the bearing from a normal sitting height. But I'm worried about tipping if the items on the platform aren't distributed evenly. The 23-1/2" bearing should solve that problem thanks to only 5.25" of overhang, but at a 5/8" bearing height would the bearing become visible and therefore annoying to look at? The big 29-1/2" bearing is almost certainly out because at only 2.25" overhang it would definitely be ugly. So which should I go with, the 17-3/8" or the 23-1/2"? Keep in mind the wood will be black walnut at about 7/8" thick, so there is the weight of the wood to deal with... although I haven't figured out what that might be yet.
Secondly, what kind of finish should I go with? I don't expect cutting to occur on the platform so something like mineral oil probably isn't necessary. Can I just go with a simple poly or shellac and still be okay from a food perspective for the occasional spillover or dropped food that is still edible?
Thanks.