# farmhouse table



## marcros (5 Dec 2012)

I am planning to build a farmhouse table for a pal of mine. The budget is reasonably tight because his money is all going towards the deposit for the new house he is buying. The house warming present is the labour to make said table- he is covering material cost.

The design is reasonably straightforward- top size is 6 x 3 (as requested by him), 4 turned legs, drawer in each end. He would like an oak top, which I think would need to be ex 1 ½” to look right, finishing at approx 1 ¼”. I was planning on using 3 or 4 boards wide, and breadboard ends. The top is to be finished in a “French oak” colour, which is a golden brown - I will probably fume it to the right shade and oil it.

The underneath is causing me to think. The turned legs are beech, simply because I have bought some from Dodge which are cheaper than buying the timber. I don’t have a lathe, or the skill to turn any, so options are limited there. I was going to make the rails and ends also from beech to match the legs. 

I have never used beech- is using it with oak going to really clash colour-wise, or is there a finish that I can use to make the two look good together. Contrast is fine, similar colour is fine, but I don’t want to use non-complimentary timber colours together and it look dreadful! 

Any thoughts? Has anybody used the two timbers together and can share any pictures? I could make aprons from oak, but it is really the legs that would be on show!


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## Shrubby (17 Dec 2012)

I would paint the beech frame & legs 
Have a look at swank kitchens like Chalon. Tell him the colour's Farrow and ball squirrels's earlobe
Matt


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## templecarpentry (17 Dec 2012)

hi i have used oak and beech together at a customers request, i dont think they go. but as far as your design, i would go down the chabby chic route and paint the base and keep the top oiled as you are. 







there is the pic, the cabinetry is laquered oak and the worktop is laquered beech. They arent massively off paired, but i dont think it wqorks personally.

Regards,

Phil


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## marcros (17 Dec 2012)

i personally would paint the legs too, but they say not.

i have a small bit of beech, and some oak off cuts. i will have a play with them and show them the results. if not, it will have to have square oak legs rather than turned!


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## AndyT (17 Dec 2012)

I also think the frame should be painted - which is the trad way.

If it helps to have some pictures to show them, Jacob has some pictures of proper kitchen tables on his website here: http://owdman.co.uk/

From your description I imagine something like his blue table.

You could always finish the frame with something like Danish Oil or linseed oil, either of which is a good primer for paint if they do change their minds!


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## Dangermouse (22 Dec 2012)

You could always stain the legs with an Oak stain , the colour would then be the same, but the grain would still be different. But if they dont want it painted, cant see any other way of doing it.


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## No skills (23 Dec 2012)

Do the legs in oak and go octagonal using a TS or Bandsaw depending on what you have, not turned but not square either.


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## Togalosh (20 Jan 2013)

Most of the tables I have collected off freecycle had Oak tops with Beech legs all stained to match each other - I couldn't tell the difference when in their original states... but I personally dislike dark stain (a lot). I've seen a lot of painted bases too but it makes me susupicious of it being (horrible) pine. Obviously both of these options would require a lot more TLC to keep looking good.

Will your pal notice any difference or even care..or is it just your' sense of style messing with you? I struggle with such things too. 

I have just finished my first table..it is a farmhouse style (99.9%) oak dining table with breadboard ends (& sort of secret drawers) but all my timber was dead cheap as it was green(ish), scraphead stuff that took a lot of time to season & fettling to get square. The legs are square as that's my preference. 

I'm sure there's a turner on here that'd do you proud if you asked.. there seems to be a lot of very kind & very talented gents on here. Failing that perhaps try buying an old table with the right legs - old furniture is so cheap & plentiful, esp from Christian charity shops that are quite common ..round here at least.

HTH

Togs


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## gomeraman (3 Feb 2013)

You'll regret not making it all from the same wood. As for staining, I wouldn't bother as you might as well use deal rather than spoil an expensive piece of hardwood. Use oak for all if you possibly can and it will look much better - beech has little or no grain to speak of.


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## Spindle (3 Feb 2013)

Hi

If painting the base is not an option then I'd go for fabricating the legs from oak planks - oak and beech grains are too dissimilar to be used sucessfully together in my opinion.

Regards Mick


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## Cian (4 Feb 2013)

I too am in the process of designing a farmhouse table for a customer as well. Although the timber he wants is 200 year old pitch pine that formed the structural members of an old woollen mill. Unfortunately the timber was left outside for a few years and has a quite a few nails and random pieces of metal in it.
I am toiled with the idea of going and buying some good quality pine and making it up as it would prove much easier and less time consuming!

See if you can pick up some old oak posts online or locally and use that for your legs and frame, sand it down and give a good few coats of polyurethane. 
As for the legs am going for 4x4 posts, slightly tapered towards the bottom on the two outsides edges of each post. Starting approx 1" below the frame and tapering into approx. 3.5" at the bottom. Simple and looks the part aswell. Its also easy to achieve on either your table saw with a tapering jig or on the bandsaw pending on what you got!


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## marcros (4 Feb 2013)

general consensus seems to be not to mix the two timbers. possibly incidental because the legs have cracked, so unless painted probably arent much use on this project. oak throughout it is.


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## marcros (10 Apr 2013)

back onto this one now!

There seem to be some standard sizes for tables, but I am struggling to find a definitive printed resource. Joyce is bizarrely lacking in dining tables.

What is the acceoted norm for apron sizes? I want to put a drawer in each end, so need a bit of space to do so. If i can get some 1 1/4" oak from Lavers I will use that for the aprons, otherwise it will have to be 1 1/2"- i think 1" sawn may look a bit thin when planed up? Thoughts?


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## Jacob (10 Apr 2013)

marcros":87pu3kc9 said:


> back onto this one now!
> 
> There seem to be some standard sizes for tables,


There isn't. But people come up with similar solutions to similar problems and round off to simple sizes.


> but I am struggling to find a definitive printed resource. Joyce is bizarrely lacking in dining tables.
> 
> What is the accepted norm for apron sizes?


There isn't a norm but knee height when sitting gives a limit. Say 24" to clear the thighs of a sitting person on an 18" chair. So for a typical table height 30" this gives a 6" apron less top thickness. Could be tight if you have fat thighs.


> .... If i can get some 1 1/4" oak from Lavers I will use that for the aprons, otherwise it will have to be 1 1/2"- i think 1" sawn may look a bit thin when planed up? Thoughts?


Yes to all that.
The way to find out these things is to go and measure a table or two. There will be one not far away from you!


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## Jacob (10 Apr 2013)

Cian":2mj1q5fy said:


> ....
> As for the legs am going for 4x4 posts, slightly tapered towards the bottom on the two outsides edges of each post. Starting approx 1" below the frame and tapering into approx. 3.5" at the bottom. Simple and looks the part aswell. Its also easy to achieve on either your table saw with a tapering jig or on the bandsaw pending on what you got!


I'd taper the inside faces. Looks neater and is more traditional, though you can find many variations.


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## Jacob (10 Apr 2013)

marcros":uj0bq15f said:


> general consensus seems to be not to mix the two timbers. possibly incidental because the legs have cracked, so unless painted probably arent much use on this project. oak throughout it is.


Tables sometimes have better stuff on top e.g. sycamore top on pine base. But one timber throughout is more common.


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## marcros (10 Apr 2013)

i was planning to do 3 x 3 legs and taper the inside. something not disimmilar to http://www.alexanderpaulantiques.com/st ... 669-13.htm


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## Jacob (10 Apr 2013)

marcros":2dzt6kcd said:


> i was planning to do 3 x 3 legs and taper the inside. something not disimmilar to http://www.alexanderpaulantiques.com/st ... 669-13.htm


Nice one. I wouldn't bother with the breadboard ends unless this is going into a very old fashioned kitcheny environment - frequently hot/cold/dry/wet etc.
Thos Moser has nice tables in his books.


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## marcros (10 Apr 2013)

cheers i will have a look for that Jacob.

I know that you will tell me to go and look at a table, but I cant at this minute in time, and we do not possess any furniture that didnt start life as a flat pack. How is the drawer supported. There is the cross rail beneath it- are there some wooden runners on the inside of the side rails, and it simply goes along those side rails?


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## Jacob (10 Apr 2013)

marcros":24pu86j2 said:


> cheers i will have a look for that Jacob.
> 
> I know that you will tell me to go and look at a table, but I cant at this minute in time, and we do not possess any furniture that didnt start life as a flat pack. How is the drawer supported. There is the cross rail beneath it- are there some wooden runners on the inside of the side rails, and it simply goes along those side rails?


Drawer details are in Joyce I think. Fairly standard - wide top and bottom rails, runners, kickers, guides, stops on the bottom rail to catch the back edge of the drawer front.


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## carlb40 (10 Apr 2013)

Can't help on the design front, but just wondering how these compare price wise to lavers?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1775-Waney-Oa ... 3f23d7661f

He is always listing similar boards to this.


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## marcros (10 Apr 2013)

It isnt really like for like- it is planed wayney edge stuff, whereas lavers is sawn square edged stock. Your link looks nice stock for the right project though. I have another place that is cheaper but is a good drive away, but on this project, I could do without having to rip down wayney edged stock. Lavers is also next to work which means that I dont need to take a day off to go mid-week!

For special timber I would go further afield, but for "normal" euro oak, they should have what I want. 

Dibs and I did buy some ready planed up oak from British Hardwoods late last year. Nice stuff, and meant that we could do some quick projects with it, without having to do a lot of prep work. Works out quite expensive if not on special offer though


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## Togalosh (15 Apr 2013)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Practical-Desig ... ure+making

This book gave me the confidence to make my dining table with drawers & should have all the info you need to make your mind up about sizing, spacing & shows you about human proportions as well as drawer supports etc. I like this book.

I measured all the dining tables & dining table drawers I came across (making repeated trips to certain tea shops) & worked out why some tables felt better to sit at than others & made my descisions accordingly.


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## marcros (17 May 2013)

i am slowly making some progress on this project, and learning some things along the way. I have the legs laminated, dimensioned and one of the two mortices cut on each. I did make a small mistake on one, cutting a mortice too long, whilst trying to rush. I have glued a block in, but will inlay a veneer to get a perfect sized piece. I doubt it will actually be seen in the finished piece. I need to cut the tapers- I haven't decided whether to do it on the bandsaw (probably), or build a sled for the thicknesser. The latter is probably overkill for a one off job. I have no tablesaw to build a jig for.

The long side rails are dimensioned, need cutting to length and will have their haunched tenons cut shortly. The ends are to have drawers in, and I have dimensioned the piece running under the front to size (tenons to be done with above), and have thicknessed down the drawer fronts, so that they are equal to each other, and flat. I will take some pics, but at the moment it is just a stack of planed up timber!

I think that I am short on timber to use for drawer sides and backs. I need to have a measure up, but I was thinking of the drawers being 12" front to back, and about 24" wide. I wonder whether they should be longer front to back. I cant remember what i asked the yard to cross cut it to...

Now for some questions:

1. What are the classic combinations, if I use a contrasting timber with the oak for the drawer sides and back? I was thinking of American White Ash, Maple. I could buy another board of oak if need be, but it would be nice to make a feature of the dovetails. The finishes will be oil for the fronts, and sanding sealer for the sides and back.

2. The drawer fronts are currently dimensioned to 1". They will be wide- 24" and about 3 1/8" deep. Is 1" a bit too thick? I dont have anything to reference it on.

3. The end pieces, below the drawer are 7/8" (finished) x inch and a bit (i forget exactly what). They are fitted so that the 7/8" shows from the end of the table. If i do a 3/8" mortice, there isnt any room to drawbore it from the only face I can access it. Will a nice tight blind mortice be sufficient? I do not want to fox wedge it, because I dont trust myself to do it correctly. I could do a sliding dovetail if I have to, which would be a better job, but is high risk! I fear that I have just answered my own question there... 

Cheers
Mark


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## Phil Pascoe (17 May 2013)

A well fitted mortice and decent glue will do. I think from some of your other posts that you have a bit of a fetish about drawboring mortices - very good they are in the right circumstances, but more often than not unneccessary. How often do you join things you can't cramp up?


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## Jacob (17 May 2013)

I think you really need to go and* look* at a few tables. Pointless working in the dark.
Amongst other things - forget draw boring and sliding DTs.
LOOK AT TABLES. All the answers are there.


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## MickCheese (18 May 2013)

For your drawer sides and back I would go with something cheaper like tulipwood. It's white so will show off your dovetails and very easy to work with. 

Mick


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