Can anyone tell me how this table has been made?

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One rule broken with the flush top, being no accounting for expansion.

Have you considered that this provision has been made and that it has just been photographed in its fully expanded state?
 
Can I start by saying welcome to the forum.
I'd like to apologize for the greeting some others have given you.

I like the table and bench combo in the photo and I can also understand why you would like to replicate it. It looks very old and could have been used in a dairy, at least that's the feeling I'm getting from it.

To know how it's constructed you really need to look underneath the table and take as many photos as you can so you'll have a better idea and then maybe the "experts" on here might be more helpful.

Good luck and share your progress as I for one am interested.

Regards
Dave.
 
A good place to start would be to identify each individual plank/piece of wood you see in the photos and put some nominal dimensions on them.

If you want to make it from scaffold boards, they only come in one thickness, so that will dictate the proportions of the other pieces and set an overall scale (i.e. you can work out unknown dimensions from known ones).

Once you have your individual piece count, arrange those pieces in 3D space and consider how they would be affected by the day-to-day forces acting upon the table. Gravity is one of the main considerations.

Clearly, with nothing joining any piece to any other piece, the thing will collapse like a pack of cards. Thus, you need to join certain pieces together to prevent this.

The photo is blurred, but one thing I think is not visible: any fixings. So however that table is made, the fixings are made in such a way they cannot be seen.

You have four legs, four apron pieces and a top composed of individual pieces.

A big decision will be what you want to do between the individual top pieces: a smooth, level joint or just butt together the raw edges of the scaffold board and it will be what it is.

The legs and apron pieces can be rigidly joined together. As stated above, the joint between legs/apron and top needs to accommmodate movement of the wood. Effectively, that means a mechanical joint (e.g. screws and brackets) with slotted or oversize holes in any connection between the two.
 
Have you considered that this provision has been made and that it has just been photographed in its fully expanded state?
I take it your talking about a Roubo design, rather than the thing in question,
as neither have that taken into account.
I just reckoned Chris Schwarz might spark an interest in the joinery with some simple hand tools, and the soap finish looks just the ticket.

Tom
 
Whilst the picture you posted may not be to many’s liking, as others say beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Personally it wouldn‘t be for me but I suggest from what you say you have done you easily have all the skills needed to make it….
I would suspect from the look of it that minimal classic joinery skills or joints have been used, that doesn’t make it wrong, just a different way of achieving a look that may or may not last the tests of time…
if you have the wood I suggest you give some thought to a design you like and then decide if you want classic joints or something merely bolted/nailed/screwed together…
Either way, welcome, let us know what you decide and post us pics!

Regards

Padster
 
......the joint between legs/apron and top needs to accommmodate movement of the wood. Effectively, that means a mechanical joint (e.g. screws and brackets) with slotted or oversize holes in any connection between the two.
Nails will do just fine for a simple piece of furniture knocked up from scraps - but avoid glue.
Have a look at Piet Hein Eek Furniture though in fact his recycling style is now often a bit of a fake - he ran out of material to recycle early on in his career.
Screenshot 2023-10-08 at 10.31.30.png
 
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It's a piece of furniture but would you put it in your living room. ? We all start out with fairly simple pieces made with softwood but they either fall apart or begin to look crude as the years go on.
Look on it as a learning experience and not a piece to be bodged into existence. With a few hand tools you can make proper M+T joints although you will need clamps to tighten them up. The above posts have suggested a few improvements like an overhanging top and I might suggest using a good orbital sander to refine the finish. Best of luck.
 
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It's a piece of furniture but would you put it in your living room. ? We all start out with fairly simple pieces made with softwood but they either fall apart or begin to look crude as the years go on.
Look on it as a learning experience and not a piece to be bodged into existence. With a few hand tools you can make proper M+T joints although you will need clamps to tighten them up. The above posts have suggested a few improvements like an overhanding top and I might suggest using a good orbital sander to refine the finish. Best of luck.

I would only add that if you pin the tenons into the mortices, in the correct manner,
there is no need for clamps, and the whole assembly will pull together as tight and
snug as you like.
Simple to do and, personally, a very satisfying part of the process.

Edit to add : I mistakenly used the term"pin". It should be "draw-bored".
I haven't changed the original post, as it would render subsequent posts
rather confusing.
 
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Please don’t copy that, it’s a monstrosity.
nah its great',as to method you could try using a strong wood glue a lots of wooden dowels you can buy a dowel positioning jig quite cheaply . afer the initial construction just clamp it all together maybe you can use some ratchet straps to hold it together to see what it looks like, the take it apart glue all if the joints the WIPE ALL GLUED JOINS AND SEA STRAIGHT AWAY. Good luck and post a finished photo. be warned wood work is addictive AND catching;)
 
Seeing Jacob mentiopning Piet Hein, I thought he was referring to the Danish man of the same name. He was the writer of many "Grooks", short pithy poems, that I have several volumes of.
An example might be one that chimes nicely with workshops.

THE ROAD TO WISDOM By Piet Hein

The road to wisdom?—Well, it’s
plain and simple to express:
Err
and err
and err again,
but less
and less
and less.
 
Hi,

I'm interested in making a table out of some scaffolding boards and reclaimed wood. I've done some diy projects at home before but nothing as big as a table before. Could someone help explaining how this table has been put together please?View attachment 167632
after further thought, l think this style of furniture ( rustic ) is for the shed or garden, if I was to take this into the house my wife would be kicking me out with it LOL, Best of luck
 
after further thought, l think this style of furniture ( rustic ) is for the shed or garden, if I was to take this into the house my wife would be kicking me out with it LOL, Best of luck
It's quite common in pubs and restaurants, even quite posh ones. Seems to be widely accepted. Even rougher stuff with waney edges, spalting, etc. There seem to be very polarised views on "rusticity"!
Recycling is also trendy, for very good reasons, not least the price of wood.
 
I would only add that if you pin the tenons into the mortices, in the correct manner,
there is no need for clamps, and the whole assembly will pull together as tight and
snug as you like.
Simple to do and, personally, a very satisfying part of the process.
There are no "correct manners"
 
Seeing Jacob mentiopning Piet Hein, I thought he was referring to the Danish man of the same name. He was the writer of many "Grooks", short pithy poems, that I have several volumes of.
An example might be one that chimes nicely with workshops.

THE ROAD TO WISDOM By Piet Hein

The road to wisdom?—Well, it’s
plain and simple to express:
Err
and err
and err again,
but less
and less
and less.
Thanks for that!
Never heard of him.
"The Road to Wisdom" perhaps his greatest hit?
I like
WIDE ROAD
To make a name for learning
when other roads are barred,
take something very easy
and make it very hard.

It's what woodwork gurus do, it's their favourite trick of the trade!


https://www.phys.ufl.edu/~thorn/grooks.html
 
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