There's a lot of wood out in the world free for the taking -- in dumpsters, back alleys, vacant lots, abandoned buildings, recycling yards, and architectural salvage centers. Most wood, if free from rot, is just as strong, durable, and good to use as new wood, once you sand off the weathering. This table was made from all salvaged wood -- both dimensional lumber and plywood, mostly taken from decaying buildings in and around Hale County, Alabama. It was commissioned by the good folks at PieLab (www.pielab.org), an initiative of Project M (www.projectmlab.com). PieLab is a pie shop, design center, teaching resource, and business incubator in Greensboro, Alabama.
There are many methods for laminating wood -- this project focuses on a down-and-dirty method for those of us who do not own a lot of pipe clamps and other heavy duty hardware for wrestling with wild wood. It is about ten feet long by thirty inches wide, sitting about thirty inches off the ground. If you can salvage the wood, the other materials aren't too expensive: five threaded rods, about four bucks each; nuts, washers, and screws; a gallon or so of wood glue; sandpaper; and polyurethane. All told, it was less than one hundred dollars.
As far as tools, you'll need a table saw, a circular saw, a power drill/impact driver, hand plane, mallet, some drill bits, and a belt sander.
This isn't the quickest project in the world, but with a little help from my friends, it only took a few weekends.
While I did the design, I am indebted to the following individuals who did most of the labor:
Ryan LeCluyse (thanks also for many of the photos throughout, includ. the first three)
Dan Gavin
Breanne Kostyk
Megan Deal
Nick Wickersham
Rosie Dixon
Nick Kirkpatrick
There are many methods for laminating wood -- this project focuses on a down-and-dirty method for those of us who do not own a lot of pipe clamps and other heavy duty hardware for wrestling with wild wood. It is about ten feet long by thirty inches wide, sitting about thirty inches off the ground. If you can salvage the wood, the other materials aren't too expensive: five threaded rods, about four bucks each; nuts, washers, and screws; a gallon or so of wood glue; sandpaper; and polyurethane. All told, it was less than one hundred dollars.
As far as tools, you'll need a table saw, a circular saw, a power drill/impact driver, hand plane, mallet, some drill bits, and a belt sander.
This isn't the quickest project in the world, but with a little help from my friends, it only took a few weekends.
While I did the design, I am indebted to the following individuals who did most of the labor:
Ryan LeCluyse (thanks also for many of the photos throughout, includ. the first three)
Dan Gavin
Breanne Kostyk
Megan Deal
Nick Wickersham
Rosie Dixon
Nick Kirkpatrick
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Signing UpStep 1: Trestles
The basic design for this table is a trestle scheme: using two parallel load-bearing structures with slanted legs to support the top. To lay out the trestles, and to get the feet of the legs to hit the floor evenly so the whole thing sits level, lay out a baseline (a big piece of wood or a straight line in the pavement will do), and a second piece of wood at ninety degrees to the baseline.
Measure up from the baseline 30-32 inches. This will be the top of the table. Pull a straight line across at that measurement -- either in chalk or with a piece of wood -- that is parallel to the baseline. The dimensions of your table may vary, but I measured about two feet in from each end of the second line, representing the top of the table.
Now that you have this geometric layout, pick some wood for the legs. I went with 2" x 6" cedar scraps we dug out of the pile. I measured a rough length for them, four feet or so, then ran a line from opposite corner to opposite corner. Using a circular saw and a a steady hand, cut the legs, each essentially a long, sharp triangle. You'll need eight in all.
Lay the legs with the fat end on two-foot mark on the line representing the top of the table, and pull the other end so that it hits the baseline. What you want is the feet to be in line with the end of the table top, which will give a nice visual rake to the legs while providing maximum stability. Scribe lines on the legs and use the circular saw to cut them flush. You can scribe just one and use that as a master to trace onto all the others.
We used eight foot yellow pine 2" x 8"s for the trestles themselves. Cut a taper into each end as shown in the photos, running from about 2" down to where the legs hit. Screw and glue the legs onto the trestles in opposing pairs. Use at least four screws with enough length to go through the trestle and into the other leg for maximum strength.
Measure up from the baseline 30-32 inches. This will be the top of the table. Pull a straight line across at that measurement -- either in chalk or with a piece of wood -- that is parallel to the baseline. The dimensions of your table may vary, but I measured about two feet in from each end of the second line, representing the top of the table.
Now that you have this geometric layout, pick some wood for the legs. I went with 2" x 6" cedar scraps we dug out of the pile. I measured a rough length for them, four feet or so, then ran a line from opposite corner to opposite corner. Using a circular saw and a a steady hand, cut the legs, each essentially a long, sharp triangle. You'll need eight in all.
Lay the legs with the fat end on two-foot mark on the line representing the top of the table, and pull the other end so that it hits the baseline. What you want is the feet to be in line with the end of the table top, which will give a nice visual rake to the legs while providing maximum stability. Scribe lines on the legs and use the circular saw to cut them flush. You can scribe just one and use that as a master to trace onto all the others.
We used eight foot yellow pine 2" x 8"s for the trestles themselves. Cut a taper into each end as shown in the photos, running from about 2" down to where the legs hit. Screw and glue the legs onto the trestles in opposing pairs. Use at least four screws with enough length to go through the trestle and into the other leg for maximum strength.
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Thanks Again!
It's just coffee table sized but followed the original as much as possible. I managed to salvage a lot of eucalypt hardwoods, and other bits and pieces of colourful timbres (you'd be suprised what's out there for free when you try). Tried to keep the top pieces in single pieces.
Hints/regrets/mistakes****
- Allow plenty of distance from the table top when drilling booker-rod holes.
- Bore out the holes to allow for a bit of give some when it comes to straightening you're not restricted by the booker-rod
- prepare the timber strips as well as possible before attemping to glue (man I wish I had a thickness before I started!!!)
- get a socket set!! I didn't until the very end!!!
Good luck!!
Still have a lot of sanding and sealing to do.
Alway seen other makers show there work
Thanks
here are some pics I did
https://picasaweb.google.com/107531409320764434488/LampesBanc?authkey=Gv1sRgCMDXxp-7kK2bwQE#
thanks again
Voilà ma table
In addition to the threaded rods, ratchet straps make good substitutes for bar or pipe clamps. Use an extra block of scrap wood under each end of the straps (or clamps) so they don't dig into your wood edges.
I found that drilling holes for the threaded rods is not so much of a nightmare if you dry-assemble your tabletop first, then draw lines across with a straightedge where you want to bury the rods. (This may not work so well if you're using boards of random width, though.) Then just use a speed square to drop down 1 /12" or so, mark and drill your holes there. Use a drill bit that's larger than your rod, so if you miss the exact alignment, the rods will still go though, maybe with some encouragement from a mallet.
Finally a word of caution. I don't know if you placed your "stack" of boards vertically to dry (as one of the photos shows), but I did so on my own table project, and the resulting surface was warped a bit. Just clamping isn't enough to ensure a flat final surface, I think. Probably I should have clamped the stack, then laid it flat (face down) on a flat surface, and weighted it.
I'm making a coffee table out of oak salvaged from a barn, redwood salvaged from a deck, and fir from some old studs in our house where we're doing a remodeling project.
I have heard (from a contractor friend) that fir was widely used for home construction several decades ago, so if you're doing any kind of demolition (i.e. for remodeling), you might look to that as a source of salvage wood for this type of project. I also heard that fir turns a beautiful red color when applied w/ polyurethane -- no stain needed.
Lumber all from a scrap pile at Longleaf Lumber, for those of you in Boston.
What does it mean? Looking at the top photos, the bottoms of the legs are nowhere near in line with the ends of the table.
How did you decide the angle of the legs?
I mean, in the scheme of things, as you design your own table, it doesn't matter that much what the angle is. The visual rake is nice, it gives the table a certain aerodynamic quality, and structurally, it forces the legs into a pre-stressed position. By that, I mean a vertical leg can buckle in multiple directions; by angling the leg, it will only fail in one direction, which we've prevented by locking the leg into the table top with the threaded rod and surrounding it with laminations.
So, I'm really sorry for the confusion, it's been a long time since I built the thing, and I can't quite sort out what I meant. I would just go with your gut instinct of what looks good! Good luck --
Regards - Larry
Thanks for the idea and the instructions. This looks great in our dining room.
Next, some benches!
I have been thinking of some lovely weathered waste wood nearby. Instead of laminating, using the planks as is and then covering the top with a clear, thick resin for a flat writing surface. But I don't think resin is exactly green.
N