Table Expansion for Dinner Guests

Tonight we have dinner guests and will use a table on the patio. It normally seats six. We need to seat twelve at this table.

Materials required:

+one sheet 3/4 x 48 x 96 inch chipboard
+1/4 inch dowel rod
+two 1 x 2 x 51 inch pine connecting rails
+six 1/4 x 20 Tee nuts
+six 1/4 x 20 x 1 1/2 inch bevel head screws


Tools:

dowel jig and dowel centers
drill and bit
screwdriver
marker pen

Step 1: Our better table

What this Instructable demonstrates is usually used on this better table inside.

Comments

[sirmorrow]

I am getting a doweling jig. I've been wrestling around a 4x8 sheet of wood too long. Your solutions solve all my problems. Thanks!

[Phil B]

Thanks for your comment. I have been thinking about an Instructable on a homemade doweling jig, but have not gotten it done yet. Still, Harbor Freight has a decent looking jig for not too much money.

[kissiltur]

The way you have the pieces slotting together and then held in place with the connecting rails is very good. How do you ensure that the table top doesn't slide around, though? Probably not so much of an issue with the patio table, but that lovely shiny wood on the dining table would be quite slippery, I would have thought.

[Phil B]

Thank you for commenting. The 48 x 96 inch sheet of chipboard is quite heavy and not prone to move, which is why I cut it into three equal parts for ease of handling. Add to that the weight of the food and place settings, plus people often rest their elbows on the table. It really has never moved. What you so kindly referred to as a lovely shiny wood table is actually a plastic laminate surface (Formica).

[kissiltur]

Well, at least I was right about it being shiny! I'd forgotten how heavy chipboard actually was. Thanks for the reply. This might save us from having to buy a new dining table!

[Phil B]

I think the weight of the chipboard will keep it from moving on your table. If you are concerned about scratches on your table, lay fabric over your table before placing the chipboard sections in place. Some towels might work well. Or, get some of that rubberized fabric they use to keep things on your auto dashboard from slipping and sliding. The nicer table I showed was a relatively inexpensive dining room set when we bought it. After a few months the original painted wood grain finish became gooey in patches. I removed it all with a propane torch and a chisel. Then I matched a Formica sample to the leaf and ordered most of a full sheet of Formica. I laid it out and cut the Formica so the grain pattern runs continuously through the leaf and applied the pieces of Formica to the table. It would make a great Instructable, except that I cannot "rewind that tape" to demonstrate it very well. Anyway, I would be pleased if this saves you the cost of a new table. We do not use it often, but it sure is handy when we do. One of our guests from last evening wants her husband to make one of these for her. She has an older table not quite large enough for some meals she serves.