Copyright WilkerDos.com 2017 Project Designed By April Wilkerson - Plan Created By Jay Bates (jayscustomcreations.com)
Layout & Shopping List Page 2 of 12
Layout & Shopping List Item Quantity Description 2x8x10' 2 Pine or similar. For the top. You can substitute hardwood for this. 2x8x8' 2 Pine or similar. For the top. You can substitute hardwood for this. 2x4x10' 6 Pine or similar. For the base. 2x4x8' 2 Pine or similar. For the base. 2x6x8' 1 Pine or similar. For the base stretcher. 3/8"x36" dowel Aprox. 1 Hardwood dowel like oak or maple. Pine or poplar will crush when driving them home. Give or take a few inches depending on how long you cut each dowel. 2 1/2" wood screws 16 To secure the curved base pieces. Wood glue Sticky. Finish of choice leveling feet 4 Optional. Page 3 of 12
Reference Diagrams BOTTOM VIEW FRONT VIEW SIDE VIEW STRETCHER TOP VIEW STRETCHER FRONT VIEW SMALL FLAT SPOT BEFORE LARGE RADIUS ON BOTH SIDES, TOP AND BOTTOM. Page 4 of 12
x2 = x1 = x4 = Step 1 Glue the oversized blanks. You can save time by gluing two "glue-ups" together. Notice on the top two diagrams the boards are shifted in the clamps. This represents the outside pairs being glued together but no glue in the middle. This way you can glue multiple assemblies with the same amount of clamps. Page 5 of 12
Step 2 This diagram shows both leg posts, 90 degrees from one another. Cut the center post to size. The post is 3" x 3 1/8" x 33". Cut the female end of the bridle joint on all four ends. Each bridle joint cut is 1" wide, 3" deep, and is centered along the 3 1/8" width direction. Cut the 1" wide and 3" tall through mortise on the face opposite of the bridle joints 7" up from the bottom. Step 3 This diagram shows the top and front view of the top and bottom post pieces. Cut top and bottom pieces for each post. The bridle joint is centered on each piece. Cut it first Remember that it's better to sneak up on the fit rather than cut too much away at first. Use whatever circle object you have handy to trace an appropriate size arc for the curved ends. Page 6 of 12
Step 4 Verify the top and bottom pieces fit for each post. Do not glue them at this point. With the top and bottom fitting appropriately trim the blanks for the curved pieces to the exact length to fit between the top and bottom. Then plane them to the same thickness or width as the top and bottom pieces. Then find the vertical center between the post and each blank and drill a 3/8" hole that is 1" deep for a single dowel to connect them later. Step 5 Feel free to make this any shape you want. I chose to make an arc that has a constant width of 2 1/2". This diagram represents a final length of 27" for the curved piece. This length should be the same as the distance between the bridle joints on your post pieces. Adjust according to your exact pieces. Page 7 of 12
Step 6 Complete a dry assembly of each side. Use a 1 3/4" long piece of 3/8" dowel between each curved piece and the center post in the previously drilled holes. With everything aligning as it should drill two 1/2" wide holes through the top of the top piece and through the bottom of the bottom piece about halfway through towards the curved piece. Then secure the curved piece in place with a 2 1/2" screw through each of these holes. Once everything is fitting and secured like it should be disassemble and then reassemble the entire piece with glue in each of the joints. Step 7 Cut the lower stretcher according to the reference diagram. The tenon should fit snug into the through mortise on the post and the wedge mortise should be inset 1/8" into the post. Step 8 Use scrap wood from the base or a matching wood from the top to cut make two oversized wedges. An approximate size is shown on this diagram. Page 8 of 12
Step 9 Insert the wedges from each side and gently drive them tight with a mallet. This will pin the stretcher in place and hold it snug against the leg assemblies. This also allows the entire table base to be disassembled when you need to move the table to another location. Step 10 Glue the top panels together. Cut the completed panel to the final size shown here making sure each end grain end is perfectly flush. Step 11 The following diagram shows the front, side, and top view of the breadboard end piece. First, drill three 3/8" through holes 1" in from the edge as indicated by the dimensions. Reference from the center point and not the ends. Then use a router with an edge guide to create a 1/2" wide x 1-1/2" deep groove through the entire length on the side that has the holes. Try to set the edge guide so the router is as centered as possible. Regardless of how close you got, make a pass referencing off of each side for every pass you make. This will ensure a perfectly centered groove. It's OK if the groove is slightly more than 1/2" wide. Page 9 of 12
Step 12 The following diagram represents the front, top, and side view of the top panel. Use a router and an edge guide to cut a matching tongue on each end of the top panel. Make sure you remove an even amount of material from the top and bottom so that the tongue is centered along the thickness direction. This will require flipping the top a few times so be careful. Again, sneak up on a perfect fit before cutting the entire joint. Adjust the router depth to make an oversized tenon after one pass on the top and bottom. Test your fit. Adjust the router bit depth a tiny bit and repeat the process until your piece fits perfectly. Then complete the rest of the joint with the established router depth. Page 10 of 12
Step 13 With the tongue and groove joint fitting nice and snug place the breadboard ends on the ends of the panel. Use a 3/8" brad point drill bit and a mallet to mark the center location of the holes onto the panel tongue. Remove the breadboard ends and drill the holes and slots for the dowels 1/16" closer to the center of the panel for each of the previously marked holes. The 1/16" offset will pull the joint tight when the dowels are driven through. The end holes need to be slots to allow for expansion and contraction. 3/8" HOLE 1/16" CLOSER THAN REFERENCE MARK Page 11 of 12
Step 14 Time to install the breadboard ends. Cut six pieces of dowel that are about 1" longer than the thickness of the top. Use a knife to slightly taper about 1/2" of one end of each piece of dowel. Place glue on the center 6" of each side of each tongue on the large panel. Add the breadboard end making sure the center holes align. Drive the center dowel through the hole from the top side of the table top. Because the holes in the tongue part of the joint are slightly offset to the middle of the table the breadboard end will be pinned tightly against the glued panel. The taper cut on the dowels will allow the dowel to access the bottom hole in the breadboard end. Once the dowel is driven through the other end and still about 1/2" proud of the surface apply glue to the sides of the dowel and then drive it down leaving it slightly proud of the surface. Repeat this step for each of the other dowel holes. It's important that the glue surface only touches the top part of the breadboard end and isn't glued to the tongue part of the joint. Step 15 Use a flush trim saw or a sander to flush the dowels with the table top on both sides. Trim the breadboard ends flush with the center panel. Use a biscuit jointer or something similar to cut slots into the top inside edges to use table top hold down clips. With the table top upside down on the floor or a work surface attach it to the base with table to hold down clips. See my build video for reference if you have never used them before. Disassemble, sand, and finish as you wish. Page 12 of 12