I want to make a dining table which, for reasons of space, needs to be able to have its legs easily removed for storage. It also needs not to be too heavy to move about. It will only be dis/mantled infrequently so the time taken to do that is not important. However, the appearance once erect will be important to SWMBO.
What wood would be best to use for the table top surface? Any other ideas for the construction?
I've made a couple of items out of blockboard when I wanted to keep the weight reasonable (because I had to handle everything without help!). You have to edge it with something like quarter inch pine strip, which has to be darkened with a stain before varnishing everything. There's probably better stuff around, but that technique worked for me.
Pressed bamboo timber is particularly lightweight and you can tell people you are saving forests by using it. Otherwise, sitka spruce (from boat timber suppliers) sycamore and pine are relatively lightweight woods.
This is a good way to fit removable legs to a table:
Colin Bignell
if you want it light, you will need a frame.
Oak is always nice, or for a more Victorian look, one of the 'mahoganies' - Iroko perhaps. Maple is nice for an Ikea sort of look. fruit wood or yew is of course tke dogs bollocks, but hard to get.
If you make a decent frame and bully it to confirm, you shouldn't have to worry about warpinng and so on. Another possibility is to scour the auction house for an ugly old table and use the wood from that.
Use two smaller tables for the legs at each end; they can be used as console tables for ornaments or something when not used for dining and so you avoid having to do anything with folding or detachable legs.
The long middle section (might be approximately door sized if doors are available in suitable sizes) can be joined to the leg units each end with kitchen worktop joining bolts on the underside.
Any time of wood can be used for the construction if SWMBO can be persuaded that tablecloths are fashionable once again.
Owain
except balsa ;)
Framing plus thinner top lightens the weight per rigidity, as long as you g et the dimensions of the parts idealised. So I'd look to make a top with lo ts of ribbing underneath. The sagulator can help work out what dimensions t o use for things, though its not entirely tailored to the task.
In fact if you wanted to push it, a thin wood veneer on a hollow cardbord o r polystyrene core is as light as it gets. You might take a card core door and add a vaguely attractive 4mm ply.
NT
:-)
Excellent thoughts all. Thank-you, I shall return.
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