Making slots for table

[chrisring]

We used to make waterbed frame pedestals in a factory here in Austin (Climactic Bedding Enterprises circa 1974) using this method they were about 11 " high but could easily be made higher. We would simply dado on the flat using a radial arm saw, the extra curved notch of the dado's end of cut was hidden by the mating piece when the pedestal was assembled on site. Since beds are installed on floors, there was no need for the ends of the dado cuts to be accurate or squared off. It was an ingeniously quick, strong and cheap solution for supporting a terrific amount of weight over a floor These pedestals were 1/2" particle board, 2 pieces running the length of the bed, and 3 running the width. It sounds flimsy, but I had one set up well over 10 years and it never failed. If a bed leaked though, that's a different story.

[krw]

Yeah, we had a king-sized water bed that used four 'X's made out of particle board, one in each quadrant. Each side of the 'X' slot cut half way through, so the pieces interlocked. It didn't look very sturdy but I never had a problem with the base. The bladders, OTOH...

[Lew Hodgett]

----------------------------------- Based on your inputs, here is how I would attack this project.

Start with a 48" x 97" x 12mm (4 ply) sheet of CDX plywood and cross cut a 48" x 48-1/4" piece for the top. with a guide and a circular saw.

Use a router and a straight edge to clean up cut edge for a 48" x 48" top

Cross cut the remaining ply into 24" x 48+" pieces.

Rip 5 pieces, 4" x 48+" from each 24" x 48+" pieces.

Final cross cut 2 pieces, 4" x 48".

Final cross cut 8 pieces, 4" x 47".

Set aside the 48" and 2 of the 47" pieces for the outside box frame.

Temporally screw the remaining 6 pieces into groups of 3 pieces.

Set up your dado to cut 2" high x 12mm wide dado. (Make a new zero clearance insert)

Set up a box joint jig using your miter gage to set the correct spacing between dadoes.

Again set up a zero clearance insert on the box joint jig using some scrap 1/4" material.

All the wooden parts are now complete.

When assembled, you will have a 4 x 4 box with 16, 1 x 1 boxes inside.

You indicate you may want to take box apart, so time for a trip to the hardware store.

Get 2 pcs, 1-1/4" x 1-1/4" x 1/16" x 96" aluminum angle and a throw away table saw blade to cut the aluminum angle.

Also the following hardware:

100 pcs, 1/4"-20 x 1", Flat hd bolts 100 pcs, 1/4"-20 x 1", Hex hd bolts 100 pcs, 1/4"-20 x 1", Hex nuts 100 pcs, 1/4" Flat washers

Using aluminum cutting blade, cut angle into 4" pieces (32 minimum).

Next drill 9/32" holes thru flanges of the angles.

Each corner piece requires 2 holes in each flange.

All interior and cover angles require 2 holes in one flange, 1 hole in the other flange.

That's a lot of bolts and nuts, but it insures a strong box that can be assembled or disassembled as needed.

Depending on final use and the amount of work you have invested, you may want to upgrade the plywood from CDX.

Have fun.

Lew