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Step 2Lamination
Normally, laminating a lot of timber together is done with powerful bar or pipe clamps and a lot of glue. However, those clamps are expensive, and you need a big, perfectly level workbench to get things to align right. In the absence of these tools, we used a slightly less rigorous but no less strong method using screws and threaded rods.
The first step is to prepare your lumber. We cut it to random widths, meaning the bottom was going to be irregular, as seen in the introduction photos. You can use the table saw to cut to consistent widths, if so desired. You can use any kind of wood, plywood, dimensional, hardwood, softwood, whatever you think might be aesthetically interesting.
Once you've ripped up a big pile of wood, run some 60-80 grit sandpaper over both sides to remove loose dirt, paint, and grit, which will inhibit the glue bond. Then, starting with one trestle or the other, paint the wood with regular yellow wood glue (thinned with a little water), then put it on the trestle and screw it to the 2" x 8" with drywall or wood screws. Space them close enough so a little glue squeezes out from the seams, and there are no pockets or gaps along the length. Build the wood up and around the ends of the legs, locking them into place and preventing them from kicking out when loaded.
Continue on in this way, staggering seams and varying the wood so no pieces that are alike end up directly next to one another.
This method has its weaknesses; namely, the thing will tend to sag, bow, and cup over time since there are no connectors that go all the way through the table top. To solve this problem, mark out five holes; one in the center, one through each of the sets of legs, and one at each end. Depending on the length of your drill bit, drill down every few layers with a 5/8" drill bit. It's hard to get them perfectly straight; however, I don't know that a drill press and drilling holes in each piece first would be easier, because all the lining up would be a nightmare. You can see the pencil lines used to lay out those holes in some of these pictures.
The first step is to prepare your lumber. We cut it to random widths, meaning the bottom was going to be irregular, as seen in the introduction photos. You can use the table saw to cut to consistent widths, if so desired. You can use any kind of wood, plywood, dimensional, hardwood, softwood, whatever you think might be aesthetically interesting.
Once you've ripped up a big pile of wood, run some 60-80 grit sandpaper over both sides to remove loose dirt, paint, and grit, which will inhibit the glue bond. Then, starting with one trestle or the other, paint the wood with regular yellow wood glue (thinned with a little water), then put it on the trestle and screw it to the 2" x 8" with drywall or wood screws. Space them close enough so a little glue squeezes out from the seams, and there are no pockets or gaps along the length. Build the wood up and around the ends of the legs, locking them into place and preventing them from kicking out when loaded.
Continue on in this way, staggering seams and varying the wood so no pieces that are alike end up directly next to one another.
This method has its weaknesses; namely, the thing will tend to sag, bow, and cup over time since there are no connectors that go all the way through the table top. To solve this problem, mark out five holes; one in the center, one through each of the sets of legs, and one at each end. Depending on the length of your drill bit, drill down every few layers with a 5/8" drill bit. It's hard to get them perfectly straight; however, I don't know that a drill press and drilling holes in each piece first would be easier, because all the lining up would be a nightmare. You can see the pencil lines used to lay out those holes in some of these pictures.
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