How To Make A Timber Table – You can't go wrong with making your own DIY dowel table. With it, you can stock up on countless items, find somewhere to eat or perk up after a long day, or, yes…anything else.
Using 1-inch dowels, a bunch of 2x4s, a few 4x4s, and a bucket of glue, Rob from Make Things shows you how to make your own high-end, super-strong 2×4 dowel table with less than $100 of materials:
How To Make A Timber Table
When the table top was stacked side by side with 19 2×4 dowels, he marked the center of each piece of wood and placed eight dowels 2 inches from the edge and 2 inches from the edge—in all. 10 pins in total – huge.
Make Your Own Wooden Table Using 2x4s And Dowels For Under $100
Using his drill press, Rob carefully drilled 170 or so holes in 19 2x4s using 26mm diameter Forstner bits. To make sure the holes are right, he does a few things:
First, he added 2×4 supports to the sides to keep it clean and straight. While using the drill press, he makes sure that the drill bits are regularly cleaned and dipped in water. Both of these steps increase drilling time, but save your drill bits.
Using modified dowels with equal 1/8-inch grooves for easy glue flow, Rob began assembling the table top. He also smeared a thick layer of glue on one side of the first 2×4 and taped the tips of the dowels.
Photo 13 Of 18 In A Curved Holiday Home Nestles Into A Spectacular Clifftop In New Zealand
For the first set of 2x4s, the second and third 2x4s are placed under the first, but not before they are evenly coated with glue. Once nice and frivolous, Rob knocks Dowell off. To make sure it's secure, he puts glue on the dowels every now and then.
Lightly press these parts together as you did with the second and third panels. Apply glue to the new pieces as well, as they approach the other glue-filled brothers.
After giving the glue some time to dry, Rob took his router and smoothed the top and sides of his stack of 2x4s using the router rails from one of his previous videos – now it's starting to look like a table.
Custom Pedestal Dining Table
You can't call it a table without legs, so Rob created and provided a sketchup file for the various parts of the table base.
The legs are 30″ 4×4's with a center mortise. Each square hole is made by drilling three small holes with a Forstner bit and hand chiseling the rest of the block.
To make the section for the bottom stretcher (more on that later), cut the bottom with a table saw to make the rab lap joints. This made it easier for him to put down the hammer and saw more wood and sand for later use.
Big Timber Table Live Edge Table Natural Solid Wood Made
These are basically 2x4s with connectors similar to the legs. The process for making them is the same: cut the lap joints with a table saw and chisel and sand them.
With both pairs of legs more or less stable, Rob added 2x6s on top of the legs. Using the same hammer and chisel method, he made connectors that easily attached to the legs.
He uses long planks called “stretchers” to connect the two pairs of legs. These are placed at the bottom and top of the table legs and are glued together to strengthen the bottom of the table.
How To Make A Live Edge Wood Table — Blacktail Studio
Once the tenons, 2x6s and stretchers were attached, Rob set them securely and let the glue do its magic.
To attach shelves to your tabletop, you'll need rails and screws. It supports the base of the shelf under your desk.
However, the floor of the shelf is a special rectangular plank fixed to the lower top of the shelf. To make the shelf stronger and reinforce each plank, Rob added biscuits (small semicircular pieces of wood that fit into the slots of adjacent planks).
How I Built My Modern White Oak Dining Table
Although he could have used glue to hold the boards together, he said adding biscuits felt satisfactory and added strength to the bottom.
Adding wheels to the table is completely optional, but it makes lugging this large table around the store much easier. After using peg tables for a year, Rob says he's glad he added them.
This project starts with the dowels, so it goes the same way to finish the installation. Rob attached the tabletop to the rest of the table by drilling six dowel holes (6 inches each), applying more glue, and tapping a dowel with a mallet into each hole. Pro tip: Put a little tape around each dowel hole to keep the glue from seeping into the surface.
What Are The Different Types Of Dining Table Slides?
After the glue dries, he removes most of the wood from the dowels and sands them down.
Since Rob uses his table for woodworking, he added three ¾ inch dog holes in the top for tools, etc. Last year he said he had enough.
He applied some Danish oil to it to give it a filmy finish and his dowel table was finally complete.
Best Ways To Fix Wood Table Scratches
This is a brief summary of the dowel countertop design process. Rob has created an in-depth guide (with pictures and side notes) here. To see more of his work, be sure to check out his YouTube channel, Make Things.
Carlos fights the crocodile and the crocodile means we mean business. He also likes good design, good books and good coffee.
Previous Post Model of the Week: Heavy Loader Construction Robot [I'll Load You! ] May 19, 2020 2 min read
Stained Mass Timber Table
Next articleWhat happens when you put the wheel of a Formula 1 car on a hoverboard? May 19, 2020 3 min read Bio: I'm an Italian freelance structural engineer, graphic designer and photographer, now I teach physics in Waldorf high schools. I am always looking for electronics, robotics and general science, I pass… More about Andrea Biffi »
Although this is not an original project, I think some readers may not be aware of this great table design.
I made a small table/large stool, of course you can modify the project to get an actual table.
How To Make Your Own Timber Coffee Table
I drew the side view of the table to a smaller scale for proportion and size.
In the 3D image I created for this tutorial, you can see the proportions and some dimensions, although they are not what I actually used, you can keep the same proportions and change the dimensions.
Choosing the right location for the platform board involves placing everything on a flat table, centering each piece, and gluing all the pieces to the correct couplers.
Great Craftspeople Who Can Make You A Table
In my other projects I have tried to hide the pins inside the plates and rods, but in this case I thought they would be better, but it was faster and easier this way.
Drill holes of proper size (in my case 8 mm diameter and 3-4 cm length) from the top of the plate to the axis of the rod.
Now you have to deal with some details. Do not drill a hole too deep where the nut will be inserted. Then cut the legs diagonally at right angles. The best way to determine the angle is to place the assembled table on the surface and use a goniometer.
From Tree To Table
I decided to place the bottom plate directly on the floor. This way the table is very stable.
So you have to take care that the bottom edge of the board touches the floor surface before attaching.
Time to drip glue into the holes, insert the dowels, and see what the Japanese say.
How To Make A Rounded Timber Desk
Putting these parts together is easy. I used a pair of long nuts for the internal connections, so inserted a bamboo tube as a handle to carry the piece of furniture.
I added rope around the handle to improve the grip and look. Apply a layer of glue on the surface of the cylinder and wrap it with rope. We use cookies to do our best. By using our site, you accept our cookie policy. Cookie Settings
This article was co-authored by Jeff Huynh. Jeff Huynh is the owner of Moseybolt, a full-service solution for home service, renovation and repair in the Greater Seattle area. He has more than five years of handyman experience. He holds a BS in Business Administration from San Francisco State University and a Certificate in Industrial Electronics Technology from North Seattle College.
How To Protect Your Wooden Table (a Comprehensive Overview)
The nine references cited in this article can be found at the bottom of the page.
An article is marked as Reader Approved once it receives enough positive feedback. This article received 12 testimonials and 85% of readers who voted for it found it helpful, earning it our Reader Approved status.
Making a table for woodworking is a great entry-level project, but it can be complicated for more experienced woodworkers. A basic table consists of a top, legs and an apron. Use some wood to make these parts,
