# Oak TV table



## cusimar9 (18 May 2014)

So having finally got myself a workshop for the first time I decided to set about making a piece of furniture.

I'd never made anything with Oak so after some looking around I ordered a bunch from British Hardwoods. 2 months in and I'm quite proud of the result:







The front door is made from two joined boards then the central rectangle was routed out.

The top is made from 32mm Oak and the rest of it was 23mm 'calibrated' boards.






The legs are 3 strips of 23mm glued up to make a square:






It's mostly glued and pocket holed together, apart from the shelves and central divider. The legs have a 15mm deep dado into which the shelves slot:






The central divider is a halved joint with most of the material left in the shelf to give it strength. The divider is then supported from the back.






Finally it was finished with some Osmo Polyx Raw Oil to try and keep the original look of the oak. If I was building it again I would have cut some through tenons in the top for added strength, but it's quite strong enough already.


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## rspsteve (18 May 2014)

Nice one thanks for showing it.

Steve


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## Harbo (18 May 2014)

Nice work

Rod


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## Baldhead (18 May 2014)

That is very nice, couple of questions

1. What hinges did you use?, and
2. If it's not to cheeky how much has to cost to make?

The reason I have asked the cost is because with cheap imported oak tables etc you can probably buy something similar cheaper, however it would possibly not be as well made and of course you have had the pleasure in not only making it, but it's also your own design.

That's for showing us.

Baldhead


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## jordec66 (18 May 2014)

Really nice work, lovely looking piece of furniture, hand made in Britain.


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## cusimar9 (18 May 2014)

I used concealed hinges (B&Q ~ £9) as the missus prefers them to traditional hinges, I don't really mind either way






All in I paid about £200 although the thicker oak for the top was £60 alone and I ordered more (and better quality) wood than I really needed. If I made it again the materials would probably be £180 and if you changed the design you could probably get this down to about £120.

I don't have a thicknesser nor a jointer, but if you bought waney edged boards I would imagine you could buy the materials for £100 or under!

Similar design units range from £170 to £400+ depending on the design. This weighs about 50kg so shop bought I imagine it'll be £250+.

Which means technically I saved about £50!


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## cusimar9 (18 May 2014)

British Hardwoods sell 'calibrated' timber which ranges in price from £5.40 to £7.20 depending on the 'quality' grade i.e. the number of knots in it.

http://www.britishhardwoods.co.uk/timbe ... imber.html

I actually found the cheapest boards were actually perfectly nice because when you buy in bulk you can always pick and choose where to make your cuts and leave the best for the most noticeable pieces.

If I was doing it again I think I'd buy all QF4 timber and just buy maybe 1 or 2 metres more than I really needed.


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## Roughcut (18 May 2014)

Nice job that.
Looks great.


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## Steve-O (18 May 2014)

Very nice indeed and fantastic work, even better that's its your first oak project. :wink: 

A question though, What do you mean by 'halved joint'? I would have thought a dado as per the legs would be best, or is that what you mean? 

Steve


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## cusimar9 (18 May 2014)

The shelf carries on through into the cupboard bit, the shelf and the divider are solid pieces, with cuts out of each so they fit together like so:






Thanks for the kind comments


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## markblue777 (19 May 2014)

> Similar design units range from £170 to £400+ depending on the design. This weighs about 50kg so shop bought I imagine it'll be £250+.
> 
> Which means technically I saved about £50!



I like it, it looks very nice.

Just think of the things you have learned from making it as well (like maybe buying a thicknesser and jointer as you can justify it by stating the money saving aspects of raw boards :wink: )

Cheer
Mark


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## cusimar9 (19 May 2014)

I got lucky too - during assembly I set the table up on a pair of saw horses I made. After I finished the table and started tidying up I noticed one of the legs had ripped it's screws clean out!






If the whole thing had crashed to the floor I may well have had a workshop clear out! Must remember to always use wood glue even for shop pieces, that's a lesson learned!


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## sammy.se (11 Aug 2014)

This is really nice - well done!


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## sammy.se (11 Aug 2014)

The door looks intriguing to me - it looks like one solid piece?? but i can see a frame from the front... how is the door made?


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## cusimar9 (11 Aug 2014)

Hi Sammy,

It is a single solid piece. Actually it's two boards edge jointed together vertically. The frame was done by routing out the center material and lots of sanding!

It's quite an unusual approach granted but I had the materials and liked the frame 'look' without wanting to make the frame itself.

The handle was made separately and attached.

Rick


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## Steve-O (4 Nov 2014)

Is this 'American white oak'? as i'm after something similar for a small project i'm planning... 

Also, what does 'calibrated boards' mean? (Sorry, I'm a bit of a novice...)

Steve


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## cusimar9 (4 Nov 2014)

See here for a good explanation of calibrated boards.

This is French oak


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## Steve-O (4 Nov 2014)

Thank you :wink: 



cusimar9":29gs8vvm said:


> See here for a good explanation of calibrated boards.
> 
> This is French oak


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## Self Taught (5 Nov 2014)

Steve-O,

Terrific project, very nice job. Jamey


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