Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Table Bases Assembled

Coffee Table Base

     At last, all of the bases are now assembled.  Thanks to Diane and a break in the heat I felt I could tackle the biggest base of all.  This was accomplished the same way as the end tables by gluing two legs and an apron one day then assembling the rest the following day.  I've made a bit more progress on the two, end table bases:

End Table Bases

     The insides of the legs have a very small, 45 degree chamfer cut on them.  I think that this will add just the slightest shadow line while still remaining very contemporary over-all.  When I met with the client we discussed how the Travertine would be placed on the base and concluded that since it's so heavy it's probably not going to go anywhere!  Probably true but the more I thought about it, it began to concern me.  If the table is moved in the future it could slide off if one end was higher than the other.  I'm thinking that once it starts to move a little bit it's not going to be easy to stop!
     Well, I've been told that I "pre-worry" and it's probably true.  What I've decided to do is to attach those blocks you see on the inside of the apron.  These are glued and screwed into place, the long sides of the coffee table will have two of these.  I bought some 4" long mending plates and these will be screwed to the block and then the piece of plywood that is already attached to the Travertine.  A little extra work but to my way of thinking, also some peace of mind.
     All that remains is cutting the chamfer on the coffee table then some final scraping, planing, or even sanding, as needed.  Next will be Danish oil and at least 5 coats of my hand rubbed top coat.  Delivery and installation will follow that so I'm estimating that two thirds of this commission is now done!

2 comments:

  1. Great post. I am far from handy or crafty but I was thinking about making my own tables. Thanks for sharing this because the table bases is the part that confuses me. I will have to bookmark this page.

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    1. Kaden, there are quicker ways to assemble tables but they're non-traditional and not as strong. Probably the easiest way is to metal bases that attach to the bottom of the table top. These have a threaded section you can simply screw a table leg into. Somewhat limited but I've seen them in "big box" home stores.

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