NOTE: Rout !/4" roundovers on top edges and ends of feet. Rout !/8" roundovers on all ends and edges of pads
Build a TABLE BASE
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As with most tables, it’s best to begin at the bottom and work your way up. And that starts with the table base. As you can see in the drawings on this and the next page, the base is made up of two end assemblies. Each one is formed from a foot with pads joined to uprights with mortise and tenon joints. A WORD ABOUT LUMBER. Before you get started, I wanted to talk a little bit about the lumber for this project. I used dimensional “two-by” stock for all the parts. I also didn’t plane the boards beforehand. Considering this, you’ll want to take some time at the home center or lumberyard to find the flattest, straightest boards you can. It’s also a good idea to let them acclimate to your shop for a couple of weeks prior to cutting out your project parts. BEGIN WITH THE FEET. Once your lumber is on hand and ready for the project, you can start with the feet shown in the drawing at right. Dimensional lumber has rounded edges, so you’ll want to joint or rip those edges off before you begin prepping your parts. Then cut the two halves of each foot to final size. The mortises in the middle of the feet come next. These are formed by cutting matching dadoes in each half. The lower left drawing shows the setup I used. At this stage, you’re ready to glue the feet together. It’s a good idea to insert some waxed spacers in the mortises to
A
FOOT 3 A
6!/4
B
FOOT PAD
a. 3!/2 A
6
3!/2
NOTE: Feet glued up from two pieces of "two-by" stock. Foot pads resawn to #/4" thick from "two-by" stock
B
#/8 #8 x 1!/4" Fh woodscrew
TOP VIEW
c.
b.
4
END VIEW SIDE VIEW A
#/4
1!/2
Sand !/4" A radius
!/4
B
B
1!/2
1
ensure that they align (lower middle drawing). Then you can lay out and cut the tapers at each end of the feet (lower right drawing). Band saw cuts are usually rough, so I sanded the tapers smooth. I finished up by forming roundovers along all the ends and edges of the feet except the bottom.
45°
3
FOOT PADS. Pads with rounded edges elevate the feet and prevent floor scratches. These simply get cut to size out of a thicker board and beveled along the inside edge before rounding the edges. Center the pads under the feet and drive in screws. Make sure the screws are recessed below the wood surface.
How-To: MAKE THE FEET Aux. miter fence
1
2
3
Foot half
Cut taper slightly outside layout line
#/4" dado blade
a.
END VIEW A
#/8 A
NOTE: Use rip fence as stop
Dadoes. Cutting the dadoes requires a few passes. Cut all four parts at one rip fence setting, flip end for end, and repeat.
Waxed spacer (#/4" x 3!/2")
Spacers. Waxed spacers help to keep the dadoes lined up to form mortises as you glue and clamp up the feet.
Tapers. Lay out and cut the tapers on the feet at the band saw. Stay outside the line, then sand them smooth.
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