Projects

Occasional Table

The table is made of soft maple using old hand tools for all the work except the initial cutting to rough size of the individual pieces. Since my goal was to produce a rustic table, I didn’t attempt to smooth the tabletop beyond “approximately flat”.

The top measurements, based on the golden mean (aka the golden section or golden ratio), are 12”X19” and the tabletop is 20” off the floor. I determined the height by sitting in my easy chair and measuring where I’d like to sit my favorite drink and snack. The other design features such as the leg shape, apron detail, and top edge treatment are based on accepted furniture design guides. The legs and apron are joined with blind mortise and tenon joints and the only mechanical fasteners used are the Robertson square drive screws (Canadian, eh) that hold the table clips and corner braces in place.

The finish is 6-8 coats of buttonlac.