my first comission for my almost set up workshop

[Anonymous]

I have been commissioned to do a dining room table that seats 30 people, its going to be 24ft long and 2 and a half ft wide, the customer wants it as rustic as possible to suit her new dining room, i am going to do it out of pine, that has a table top that is 6 inches thick, my initial thoughts will be to use 6 x 6 timber planked together, using m12 steel rod thrugh the width at 600 centres and bolted.

The top will then get beaten with a chain, and then belt sanded down with 80 grit, working through the grades to finish with 240 on the orbital

the customer is pretty clear on the design for the leg supports, i have never made a table this big even when i was at Edmonds, this is collosal.

My only concern is the strength that is required to hold the table top up. any ideas?

P's i am currently looking for someone to make 30 chairs to fit this table, please pm me if you are interested and i will have a chat with you.

atb

mark

 

[trousers]

By my calculations the top will weigh 420kg before you put any steel rod in it :shock:
Also suppliers with 24ft lengths of timber are not common.
And if there is any sort of rail running along the length of the table supporting the top, you'll struggle to get your knees under under it and still be able to reach your chips.

Best of luck with this one.
Keep us up to date with pictures when you get round to making it.

 

[CNC Paul]

Mark,

Best of luck with that. Three things that need a mention, Transport and access and man power.

 

[SNight]

Make it up in three sections? Or two?

 

[Shultzy]

I would be tempted to make the top as a torsion box to cut down on the weight.

 

[head clansman]

hi

imho 20 ft long and only 2ft 6 ins wide with a (six) inch thick top it's will look totally out of proportion

Is that six inch thick plus a top rail, minimum depth fore that 4 inch whilst sitting any larger person will maybe just about get there legs under the rails , and all you'll get is a bad back from the weight , other things are how will you get that into a house unless it's in sections, even in section there going to betweem 6 ft to 8 ft long depending on how many section you make , christ they will be very heavy . please post pics of this one i follow with interest . hc

 

[Anonymous]

hi guys

i am basing my idea of this one, on a coffee table i made a few years ago, but like most designs i have in my head, invariably get changed.

just judging by what you guys are saying i know 6 inches is thick, but i was toying with scalloping the underside of the table out for where the people are seated. its very much in its infancy phase at the moment

i know the weight will be an issue, and its something that will be need to looked at in due course.

my intial thoughts were to make up 3 sections of 8 ft making each joint being a rather large finger joint.

i will be finishing the construction of it on site, i have another joiner who will be helping me out.

Has anyone made anything this big?

I will get some pics of the room it will be going into over the weekend, its currently a building site

 

[dedee]

Mark,
I do not know much about 24' long tables but I did make one that is 2" wider than you are proposing and I would suggest that it is not wide enough.

At 30" wide by the time you have plates, glasses, cruet etc on the table there will not be enough room for serving dishes, centre pieces etc.

I have regretted not making my table 2" wider from the moment we first sat down and used it.

Andy

 

[woodbloke]

Has anyone made anything this big?

Yup...I made a banana shaped breakfast bar that was 8m long and 65mm thick, mdf core veneered in maple. Something of this size presents real problems with simply moving it around.
I'd have a serious chat with the client and try and get him/her to see a bit of sense.
Best of luck :wink: - Rob

 

[Argee]

Pictures of the room won't alter the size you're proposing, which is not in proportion at all. It's simply not wide enough to seat people opposite each other, which is what must be required, judging by the number of chairs mentioned.

I'd want it to be at least 3'6" wide and even then the 6" depth will look odd. Torsion boxes will not only save wood, but be easier to handle and much less likely to move.

Ray

 

[Beardo16]

Have you made a sketchup of the proposed table?

Im not sure this is going to look great, its going to look very blocky. I also like the torsion box someone has already mentioned.

 

[Chris Knight]

Sounds quite barmy!

As others have said the proportions will look very odd, you won't be able to make it without a crane, the wood will cost a fortune and I am having trouble envisaging the kind of machine needed to flatten it.

It needs to be made from at least 3 sections - torsion box style if it really has to be that deep and only invite tall people with skinny thighs to dinner..

 

[Anonymous]

hey

in my idiotic way ii worked my ft and inches out wrong its actually 4ft wide, 15" for each place, and 18" down the middle for serving trays etc etc

i think this will be more in proportion.

i very much appreciate all your comments.

The lady who has asked me to to make this table for her, is in her late 50's, very wealthy and slightly eccentric in her thinking, she has spent 1.2 million on some very derelict barns and has spent the same amount again getting them re built, you will have never seen anything like it.

anyway my point to the above is, she wants things done differently and never to standard. she wants a table that very much resembles a banquetinng table from the medieval times, where you can bang your tankards down etc etc

I think the torsion box is the best idea and have toyed with that from the first instance, however she wants what she wants and i have to achieve that for her and now i am trying to work out the best way to do that?

 

[big soft moose]

if shes absolutely sold on the solid wood idea then you have three choices -

one is to hire a large bunch of swarthy men to help out on fitting day (clearly it will have to be transported in bits and built in situ) - at about £80 per man day (labourer rates , you dont need skilled woodworkers) that wont be cheap, but if shes that loaded she wont care.

secondly you could use hydraulic lifting forks like those used to transport and lift pallets - you would likely need two and these hire at about £100 per day.

and thirdly you could conclude that the client is bonkers and the job is more trouble than its worth and say **** it and walk away.

 

[Anonymous]

if shes absolutely sold on the solid wood idea then you have three choices -

one is to hire a large bunch of swarthy men to help out on fitting day (clearly it will have to be transported in bits and built in situ) - at about £80 per man day (labourer rates , you dont need skilled woodworkers) that wont be cheap, but if shes that loaded she wont care.

secondly you could use hydraulic lifting forks like those used to transport and lift pallets - you would likely need two and these hire at about £100 per day.

and thirdly you could conclude that the client is bonkers and the job is more trouble than its worth and say **** it and walk away.

getting in won't be a problem as its a local job so i'll be able to get my rugby mates to help me out.

haha the client as much as she has bonkers ideas she is superb as she has given me the space for a permanant workshop. she has also given me the rest of the work for the barns, fitted wardrobes, all the woodwork in her new library etc etc, so if i walked away i'd be the bonkers one, i just need to make her ideas work, rather than say no it can't be done as i will lose out on alot of business.

 

[big soft moose]

if shes absolutely sold on the solid wood idea then you have three choices -

one is to hire a large bunch of swarthy men to help out on fitting day (clearly it will have to be transported in bits and built in situ) - at about £80 per man day (labourer rates , you dont need skilled woodworkers) that wont be cheap, but if shes that loaded she wont care.

secondly you could use hydraulic lifting forks like those used to transport and lift pallets - you would likely need two and these hire at about £100 per day.

and thirdly you could conclude that the client is bonkers and the job is more trouble than its worth and say **** it and walk away.

getting in won't be a problem as its a local job so i'll be able to get my rugby mates to help me out.

haha the client as much as she has bonkers ideas she is superb as she has given me the space for a permanant workshop. she has also given me the rest of the work for the barns, fitted wardrobes, all the woodwork in her new library etc etc, so if i walked away i'd be the bonkers one, i just need to make her ideas work, rather than say no it can't be done as i will lose out on alot of business.

fair do's - i'd still suggest that you might need a hydraulic lifter for moving the bits arround the shop, as 6ins thick by 4ft by 8ft isnt going to be liftable by one person or probably even by two

summat like this

also those dimensions equate to 48 cu ft which at circa 50 notes per cu ft is going to be nearly £2.5k for the top alone - but if your client is loaded that shouldnt be a problem so long as you get a decent deposit so you dont bankrupt yourself on material purchase

 

[devonwoody]

Have you considered the location regards sighting of this very large piece, I would have thought that the floor base must be taken into consideration.

 

[Anonymous]

Solid concrete base, the client has had it done especially

 

[CNC Paul]

Mark,

Considering your clients requirements I think you need to do some research on houses built in the Tudor and Jacobean period (1485-1625)
such as Hatfield house or Hampton Court. I know that Hatfield house has a very large table over 20ft long that does not have a top more than 2-3".

As far as a torsion box construction goes unless she wants a contemporary slant it would be completely wrong.

 

[jasonB]

If she wants a 6" thick looking table why not do it in 2" boards with a downstand all round to give it a 6" look, use endgrain blocks at the ends to keep the look of solid.

I've used this method with oak and granite tops to make them look thicker than they really are, it saves on wood and therefore weight and the void under it can be used for jointing plates if you are not going to make it in one

Rather than bash it about with a chain you could just take a belt sander to the sawn surface, that way the boards would only need the edges planed.

Jason

PS does she hold a lot of beer festivals :wink: