Sofa tables revisited

Some time ago I posted asking for ideas about some "L" shaped sofa tables I'm planning to build to wrap around an "L shaped sectional. I thank all who responded.

It is going to be a while before I get around to actually building them but I've stolen some moments from my hectic, what doc do I see today retirement life to diddle around with SketchUp to figure out what I'm going to do when I actually DO get around to chopping wood.

For any of you who might be muttering, "WTF is SketchUp?", here is a jpeg of the tables as they will be. Someday.

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For those of you who know and love SketchUp and view it as quite possibly one of the most useful programs ever written, here is a link to the skp...

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If you do look at the model file I'd be interested in any comments, negative or positive. I pretty well have it in my head as to how I intend to build it but ideas are always welcome. My current vacillation concerns electrical. The tables sit 4' or so from the nearest wall and there will be lamps on them; thoughtfully, I had a floor outlet installed when I built the house but I'm still not set on how I'm going to pipe power to the nether regions of the tables.

There are four main things in the model file:

  1. all three tables hooked together, not much info as to how they will be built. The long tables are one component, the little square one another.

  1. a leg and portions of the top showing the structure

  2. a leg and portions of the bottom shelf showing the structure

  1. part of a leg and a height adjuster; I need this because the tables will be sitting on a Saltillo tile floor and there is no way all legs will automagically rest solidly.

Each of those items is on a separate layer. There are also layers for each that contain my notes, comments, mutterings, etc.; I like to be able to turn off all that text when I am drawing.

Reply to
dadiOH
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Nicely done. My only problem, which is the one I had at the beginning when I started thinking about your original post, is trying to do something with that "forest of legs" at the inside corner.

I'm wondering if tapered legs, or maybe a bevel on the inside corner of all legs, might mitigate that visual somewhat?

With regard to Sketchup, good to see you using layers for organizing your drawings.

You might want to now consider using "Scenes" in conjunction with your "Layers",

By assigning only those layers you want to a particular "Scene", you can organize your drawings much better for both presentation and printing.

Reply to
Swingman

Nice design!

As the drawing indicates the bottoms of the table tops and bottom shelves are filled in with no hollow space. I think I would leave that open, don't close in the bottoms and hide the electrical in that open hollow space.

And to add to what Swingman said, and concerning the use of Sketchup..;~)

I see that you have made the main units in to components but those appear to be only a part of a small number of components. You absolutely should make each and every one of the pieces of the project into components separately. When each and every part is made into a component the pieces no longer stick together and editing is 1,000 times easier and faster.

Once I have put all of my components together to form the project or a section of a project I keep them together by making them into a "group" vs. a component.

Reply to
Leon

Yes, the legs are a nuisance. As it is now, the corner table only has one leg (outside corner) but there is still a lot going on at the inside corner...that is true even if I dump the hollow chase for electric cord..

I tried a drawing without the corner table, making the long ones meet at a miter. That definitely helped with the legs but I didn't care for the general appearance.

I also tried drawing solid panels on the inside sides of the square table. That too helped - and it wasn't bad looking - but I still prefer the way it is now. I may change my mind - or try something else - as I have a long time and many things to do before I can even start on them. __________________

I'll try it. ____________________

Thanks for the tip.

Reply to
dadiOH

Thanks.

It is open. The drawing with all three tables together doesn't show that as it was sort of a "down & dirty" one just so I could get an idea of what it would look like finished. The deyails are in the other drawings.

I know that and I agree whole heartedly. Knowing and agreeing is one thing, remembering to do it is another :(

Reply to
dadiOH

--------------------------------------------------- Just to keep the design juices flowing, try thinking French cleat.

The small table could hook into each of the larger tables thus totally eliminating the legs presently req'd to support the small table.

Probably not an end solution, but it could lead to other things.

Lew

Reply to
Lew Hodgett

It is sort of like that now...the long tables hook to it via draw bolts. I chose those instead of French cleats because they can be removed so a long table can be used separately, should the need/desire arise. That's true of French cleats true so I may well do it that way.

The square table has one leg at the outside corner so that if someone such as my blubber braned brother in law sits on it stuff doesn't pull out. Fortunately, he doesn't come here often but seems to damage things when he does. One time he popped through the cane seat of an antique rocker; he did so because he falls rather than sits.

Reply to
dadiOH

On 11/20/2013 11:05 AM, dadiOH wrote: Snip

LOL, I remember forgetting. HUH? It took me a few months to remember to make a set of lines into a component as I would finish a rail and immediately draw a stile using the rail as a reference and every thing got sticky.

You have to remember that you are not drawing, so to speak, you are creating parts.

Reply to
Leon

dadiOH,

Coming in late... Why three tables? Why not two, one longer than the other?

djb

Reply to
Dave Balderstone

"Dave Balderstone" wrote in message news:211120131030344361%dave@N_O_T_T_H_I_Sbalderstone.ca

Symmetry

Reply to
dadiOH

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