My wife's birthday is this week and I never know what to get her or make her. Clothes I buy her she won't wear and gift cards never get used. So I decided to make her a table.
It is made of walnut and hard tiger maple. It is 16" high by 16" wide by 30" long. It has about 8-10 coats of Zar polyurethane diluted with 50% mineral spirit applied with the blue paper shop towels. I made a jig for tapering the legs on the tablesaw. The top has 2" wide strips of maple with .20" wide strips of walnut. I chamfered the top and bottom of the legs and along both sides of the top as well as both side of the apron. The top is 5/8" thick. I thought that looked better than 3/4". The apron is held to the legs with 1" pocket screws.
I cut a dado around the inside of the apron and attached pieces of wood to allow the top to expand and contract. I made those so that there is just a tiny amount of pressure on the blocks of wood. To make sure to top stays secure, I put one 3/4" pocket screw through the apron and into the top near the center on both sides. I added a cross piece under the top and put one pocket screw into the top. Where the top meets the legs, I left 3/16" gap for expansion. I put the same number of coats of finish on the bottom and the top since at the time I didn't know which side would be the top.
Before giving her the table I will wax and buff it.
I know you guys are accustom to seeing boxes that I have made, but not this time. I have been cranking out boxes as usual.
Malcolm / Kentucky USA
