Building a Base for a 48 inch Round Table

A few weeks ago my wife and I decided we needed a round breakfast table in the kitchen area, replacing the rectangular one that is there currently (photo below). There is a purpose for why, which I will get into later.

 

I found a company in Austin TX - Mirror Lot (they have a website).  They will custom-make the top to my specification: 48 inch dia. round table, 1-1/2 inch thick, from solid red oak ( I intended to use 1 inch thick red oak stair tread at the home center to make 2-inch thick workpieces after gluing them up for the base) . 

The company sent me a drawing with specifications of what I wanted and a sample photo.

Almost three weeks later, after I ordered it, the table arrived. Two men had to carry it in (that's how heavy it is, I realized).  I had it set up on the work table at the family room. It was well packaged; it took me a while to unpack it)

Now, I needed to build the base.

I found red oak at the local home center that is 1.0 inch thick, 12X48 inches, wide and long stair treads.  These stair treads are laminated strips of red oak - perfectly flat and stable (well-seasoned and sanded).

Below, cutting it to rough length at the table saw.

Ripping them to the desired width

Gluing them up makes for a 2.0 inch thick workpiece.

Flattening the edges at the jointer

Now, cutting them to the exact length (two vertical posts)

More glue ups of the other pieces.

Below are the lower half of the two leg bases which will be glued to another flat piece to make a 2.0 inch thick foot.

Flattening the surfaces before the glue up, using a cabinet scraper and card scraper.

And hand planes

I made a little marking "jig" to insure proper placement of the holes for the bolts and threaded inserts.

There are at lest a couple of different ways that I know to join pieces in "knockdown" furniture. Bolt and threaded inserts are what I used here. The other method - cross bolt and barrel is the other.  The latter is far stronger but more holes are left visible outside of the joints.  The former will only show the bolt head (can be recessed and easily concealed).

Dry fitting before final shaping of the arms and legs

Easing the edges with a block plane

Shaping the ends of the arms

Each end of the foot was contoured at the router table

Staining and applying polyurethane finish.

Staining and finishing the underside of the table

Assembling the individual pieces to the table's underside

At this point my biggest challenge was how to flip the table to its upright position and lowering it to the floor, a 30.0 inch drop.  I wanted to make sure the base is well anchored to the table's underside, in case I mishandle it.  

I fashioned a bunch of clips from a good quality 1/2 inch plywood from scrap cabinet drawers (saved from discarded old furniture).  This was probably overkill but I had to make sure it will survive the flip-over, since I will be doing it by myself.

Screws secured the arms but I knew they were not sufficient, although good enough to hold them in place.

I  had routed long slots, as shown, earlier on the router table before the pieces were assembled.  Each clip was fastened with two screws each; an opposite clip on the other side made this contraption more robust.

Attaching the feet.

So many thoughts were running through my head about how to set the table upright and down to the floor.  By myself.😌The finished table is easily 140 pounds.

Well, I did figure one way to do it.  It was easier than I had earlier imagined.

Using sofa seat cushions, I slowly eased the table from the work table to the sofa (doubling up the seats for height).  The card board was part of the original packaging.  I made sure, of course, that the table's center of gravity kept it from toppling over as I moved the work table away.

In real sow motion I eased the table over to the cushions on the floor.

Voila!  It is upright.

Now, how about moving this and the other table?  Below, available online and delivered the next day, are these contraptions that consisted of square platforms, each with four swiveling wheels.  It came with a lifting lever, even gloves, and four square chocks.

And they worked!

My wife, who has Parkinson's, can now easily move around this table, which by the way is 17% smaller than the rectangular one.  The other reason is for this round table to be the more appropriate card table, when we play cards occasionally when friends come over.

What happened to the rectangular table?  It is now my work table!  A more permanent place for my laptop and for drawing plans for any future projects.

It is also where I will do battle with one of the original AI warriors - the chess computer program - now my chief nemesis when all is quiet in the dead of night.

I promptly made a stand for my opponent.  Set to No. 8 power level (out of 10), I manage to eke out a 20% winning record against it.  I do better at the lower settings but I would only be kidding myself.  I'm happy despite the low percentage win; besides, I'm just glad there is always a willing opponent who doesn't complain, make snide remarks or dole out judgments, and doesn't take breaks, for as long as it is adequately charged, of course.  I must add that I used to play a lot in college but that was almost 60 years ago 😒.  All the chess openings that I had memorized  and the strategies learned are now all gone and faded into memory lanes I no longer have access to.  Meanwhile, my opponent is equipped with faultless algorithms and unrelenting patience.  But I am not complaining.

I simulate the moves from the screen to a regular-size chessboard nearby for an actual 3-D view of the pieces as the game progresses, which also allows for a realistic feel of the game, win or lose. 

To those who only read my woodworking blog, I'd like them to read my musings about this project, before this was all finished at:

https://abreloth.blogspot.com/2023/11/for-all-intents-and.html

Remember, while age is indeed an empirical number, it can and should be also a state of mind.  I didn't let my age discourage me from doing this project because if we let intent and purpose serve as inspiration, there is quite a lot we can still do (a message to all seniors out there). 😎

Small Workshop Solutions, Part 1 (Tool Organizers)

I recall someone said, "When in doubt. organizise". Playful fun with the word organize but a small workshop, such as what I have, needs a dose of it.  Plenty of doses actually. Clutter and finding the tools when you need them is the bane of every hobbyist woodworker (next to sanding).  I must admit it is hard to keep a workshop neat and clutter-free, if one is actively used.  But the most frustrating part is finding the tool when needed and making sure it goes back to where it must, after it is used. At the same place, every time.  Easier said than done.

Marking tools are 99% of what starts a project. All of these (below) were needed to be in one portable carrier. Limited work space calls for keeping these tools (below) in as small a caddy as possible, i.e., one with a mere 3 X 9 inch foot print and the portability of a condiment holder.

Two rare earth magnets at the bottom secures this stand when set on top of the table saw. It will slide smoothly enough or it can be picked up and moved via a handle with a finger hole. 

Each marking tool in a specific slot makes finding and returning easy.  

Pocket hole joinery is quick, strong and convenient to use.  Depending on the thickness of the material to be joined, the special drill bits must have a specific stop collar.  Having each set, marked  and readily available adds to convenience.

Seldom used, small carving chisels need portability too and a small footprint caddy makes it easy to set aside and stored on a shelf.

Drill accessories and drill bits (below) at "parade rest" ready to be called upon ..

.. by the drill sergeant on duty (below). My wife asked once, "Why do you have so many drills?" I answered, "One can't have too many drills".  Because ..

"One can't have too many clamps", along the same line of  non-sequitur arguments husbands use when it comes to buying tools. But clamps need to be organized too.

From above ..

To middle height ..

To below ..

These long clamps (below), some as long as 48 inches, take up residence outside by the workshop door. Often they are used for assembling bigger projects that require space outside the small workshop, such as at the adjoining car garage, so they might as well be conveniently there.

Below, also with a magnet bottom, this caddy typically sits on the table saw fence containing the remote switch for the dust collector, a remote for the air cleaner, a digital angle gauge and tape measure. Procedurally, I'd turn the dust collector and air cleaner on, before turning on the table saw.  The digital gauge is needed when setting the angle of the saw blade. All within easy reach as I stand in front of the table saw. Of course, the entire caddy will slide along the fence or it can be picked up and set aside near-by if called for.

Individual saw blades in their tray..

.. and tucked into their individual slots to the right of the table saw within arms length.

Another caddy, designed to slide along a track on the side of the bench. It is removable if the entire workbench surface needs to be used.

Tucked away in a large drawer are the various hand planes. 

Below is another drawer with the "drill sergeants".

When it is not doable on the drill press this tool makes it possible to drill prefect 90 deg. holes using a hand drill attached to it.

CA glue and accelerator are now  an invaluable part of woodworking, specially for gluing up small pieces or for quick adhesion until regular glue dries.

Camera batteries and charger caddy (often used to take the photos for this blog)

Obviously, it helps to organize a maddening array of tools in a small workshop. I am not a neat freak by any means but a little organizing takes away the madness otherwise.