This handsome piece is easy to make and can be easily modified to fit your stock.
I was asked by a friend to design and build a walnut table. I was given approximate measurements, but everything else was up to me.
These types of projects are so liberating. While the table would be quite utilitarian, I knew it was going to be displayed as a piece of art, which meant very little clutter on its horizontal surfaces.
I was looking for something light, airy, and encouraging, but not too heavy. The ends and front of the table were visible, so I chose to concentrate on the legs. They curve inwardly from the front and outwardly from the ends.
As you move around the table, the shape changes. This project is a great exercise in compound bandsaw work, with exposed joinery to add interest.
Like most projects, I begin with stock preparation. In this case, I focused on the legs and aprons first, setting aside material for the top and shelf. It’s worth it to search for 12/4 rift-sawn material, as this will give the best consistency grain on all sides.
Choose the legs and aprons for the best appearance, then mark their orientations in the build, as directed in the top-left picture on the next page.
Leg Template & Drilling Jig
Legs & aprons. The FL, FR, BL and BR designate the Front Left, Front Right, Back Left and Back Right leg and apron positions. Roman numerals I, II and III denote the leg-to apron junction as well as the orientation of the drilling-jig. The asterisk denotes the face of the leg that will eventually receive the shelf-support dowels.
Make a leg template from material. Trace the leg profile on the two inside faces of each of the four leg blanks. Keep in mind when selecting the best faces that the legs curve inward when viewed from the front and curve outward when viewed from the end.
Leg Pattern
Once you have figured out the relationship between legs and aprons, it is time to start making the drilling jig. The drilling jig determines the location for the dowel joinery to connect the legs and the aprons. If youve ever attempted doweling before, you know what an exacting process this needs to be. It is crucial to have a precise drilling jig and maintain the correct orientation while in use. This will ensure that dowels are aligned between legs and aprons.
As the drilling guide, I used a scrap piece of bubinga. However, any hardwood that can withstand repeated drilling operations should be sufficient. Cut your block 3 long, 1 wide and 5 cm high. At the drill press, clamp a straightedge to the table 3 cm back from the center of a drill bit. Start at one end of the block and drill four holes along the length of it. It is more important to drill the holes in a straight line rather than being precisely spaced. The jig can compensate for holes that are not precisely spaced when used, provided the position of the jig for the leg and the mating apron is the same.
Leg layout. Trace the leg pattern and drilling locations on the two inside faces of each leg blank to help set things up for successful joinery.
After drilling the block, attach an auxiliary fence (I used -thick MDF, 3 wide and roughly 10 cm long) to the side of the jig that was against the straightedge at the drill press. This will maintain the 3 cm offset. A little glue and some brads are all that are needed to secure the fence to the block.
The fence helps to locate the jig on legs and aprons accurately and also provides a clamping surface for use.
With the drilling jig fabricated, I mark one end of it with I and the opposite end II. These Roman numerals correspond to the marks on the legs and apron to ensure proper jig orientation during the drilling process.
Drill For Dowels
Jigged up. The drilling jig imparts accuracy and repeatability as you drill 1310 cm-deep 320 cm holes in the legs and aprons.
To receive the apron, drill the legs. The drilling jig should be placed in the correct orientation, with the auxiliary fencing on the inside of each leg and the top edge of the jig flush to the top of each leg. Clamp and drill all four holes to a depth of 1 using a drill bit with a stop collar in order to achieve a consistent depth.
The process is repeated on the aprons with a few adjustments.
To shift the hole’s location closer to the center of the apron, you will need a taped-on spacer.
Apron holes. A 110 cm-thick spacer should be placed between the fence & apron. Then align the jig to the workpiece’s bottom edge.
And this time, the bottom of the jig should be aligned flush with the bottom of the apron. The apron will stand proudly at the top of the jig. This establishes an offset between the top of the leg and the top of the apron. To maintain correct orientation, the jigs auxiliary fence should be clamped to the outside of the apron. Drill all four holes to a depth not less than 1.
The last bit of dowel joinery the support for the shelf can be accomplished at the drill press with a -diameter bit. Mark the location off the leg template on the inside face adjacent to the apron holes. Use a Forstner bit to drill holes of 1-inch depth.
Shape The Legs
Multiple curves can be cut. To cut curves on all four faces, the trick is to saw right at your layout lines.
With the leg joinery cut, its safe to proceed to the band saw to cut the square legs to their final curved shape. Because all four sides of each leg are curved, this operation requires cutting the profile from two adjacent faces of the leg, just as with a traditional cabriole.
As you make your second cut, tape the offcuts in place. This keeps the workpiece square and makes things safer and easier.
Make the first set of cuts with the dowel holes for the apron facing upward, just leaving the pencil line as you cut. Then tape the waste material back in place on the concave side of the leg and redraw the leg profile on the opposite convex side of the leg. (This should be the side with the hole for the shelf support dowel.) Make the final cuts with the bandsaw.
Sander finesse. The machine can be used to make gentle inside curves by inserting a slightly bent shim between the platen & sanding belt of a small belt-sander.
Clean up the band-sawn faces and fair all the curves down to the pencil lines. To fair curves on the inside/concave surfaces, I like to use a small belt sander Ive modified by inserting a thin, slightly curved shim between the platen and sander body, creating a gentle outward curve on the sole of the sander.
I clean up the outside/convex leg surfaces on a stationary belt sander by continually rocking the legs over the belt.
For outside curves, I rock the legs on a stationary belt sander.
When you think you have all the faces complete, sight down the length of the leg at each corner. If you did a good job, you should see a crisp line down the length of each corner.
You can further shape the legs by reducing the length of the legs and rounding off the corners. As I do, you can choose to have a smaller radius at top and a greater radius at bottom. There is nothing scientific about this. You can sand, rasp or spokeshave your legs until you like the appearance and feel. (Care should be taken not to encroach too much on the dowel locations.)
I also use a block plane to chamfer the tops of each leg, then carve in a texture in the chamfered areas using a small carving gouge.
Make The Aprons
Face first. Dry-fit your legs to the apron, then transfer the legs curves to the apron.
You will need to join the materials while they are flat and square before you can shape the apron.
To accept the cross-members that anchor and support the tabletop, first cut two dados from the inside of each apron. These dados are located approximately 10 cm in from the ends and are wide x about deep. These were cut at the tablesaw with a dado stack.
After cutting, reassemble the dry-fit and transfer the leg shape to the ends.
Now dry-fit the aprons to the legs to scribe some lines to the fitted apron so you can shape it to match the leg profile when viewed from the front and the ends.
Four dowels are used to do this. They have been slightly undersized and sufficiently long to leave a gap between the leg and apron at the tightest point. Using a compass, transfer the shape of the leg to the face of the apron. Make certain that the dowels remain seated during this procedure, clamping if necessary. Separate the assembly and cut it to the scribe line on the band saw. Clean up the cut.
Now you need to angle the front of the apron. Dry-fit the apron and leg assembly as before. Next, scribe the ends to match the leg profile. You only need to scribe from the outside face of the leg to the ends of the apron.
To closely match the angle of scribe lines, tilt the band saw table. Due to the band saw work and hand work already performed on the legs, you can expect some variations when setting the angle to the scribe lines. Go with an average and you can make adjustments later, if necessary.
Cut to the scribe line on the outside face of the apron. You can now see the importance and significance of the dado depth. Too deep will cause the face to break; too low and you’ll have to start removing a portion from the inside of the apron in the next shaping step.
Clean up the sawn face at the jointer or by hand with a plane.
Place the piece on a flat surface, such as a table or in a bowl. Angling the apron during this process helps compensate for the dado voids so theres constant pressure on the workpiece as it passes through the cutter/sanding head. Continue to make passes until the inside and outside faces are parallel.
You can test-fit the garment again, and then make any necessary adjustments using a handplane. You want the apron to be parallel to the leg profile. The apron should be slightly recessed so that the leg is barely visible from the apron. You can achieve similar results with the inside face. But don’t worry too much about it; it is on the inside.
The arch at the top and bottom of the apron is the final touch to enhance the floating top.
With a drawing bow, draw the curves (the arch rises at the top and bottom at the top and bottom). Then tilt the table at the same angle as you cut the face on the apron. This ensures that the edges are in the same plane with the top.
List Of Floating Table Cuts
No.ItemDimensions (inches)MaterialComments
t w l
2 Aprons 1 2 x 4 x 30 Maple
2 Cross-membes 8×4 4×8 Maple
4 Legs 2 2×2 2×2 2×29 Sapele Riftsawn
1 Top 1 x 12 x 40 Walnut
1 Shelf 4 x 6 x 37 Walnut
2 Shelf supports dia 2 Walnut Slice to fit
16 dowel dia 4 Maple Cut to fit
8 Plugs dia *Ebony
*Lengths are approximate. Cut to desired length as necessary.
Profil
Elevation
Fabricate Cross-members
On edge. Turn your band saw to match the scribe line at the ends of the apron. Then, cut.
The distance between the front and back apron to this point is variable and ultimately determined by the cross-members that fit into the dados. The defining component here is the width of the top. In my case, the cross-members ended up 8 long, which yielded a overhang of roughly 3 cm front and rear with a 15 cm-wide top. Your sizes may vary.
The cross-members are slightly higher than the highest part of the apron (about), which causes the top to float over the apron. They also serve as a means to attach the top to the base.
On a curve. A thin offcut makes an excellent bow for laying out curves.
After cutting the pieces to the required size, drill a series holes at the bottom of each cross-member. The cross-members will be secured in the dados with screws, but because end grain doesnt offer adequate screw-holding power I also insert a cross-dowel to improve the screw joints.
These holes should be approximately 8 cm deep and are located at the ends of cross-members. Glue and insert hardwood dowels.
Stepped holes. At the drill press, drill stepped holes to accept the screws that will attach the tabletop to the cross-members.
Adjacent to these cross-dowels, youll bore an oversized stepped hole, about 8 cm deep, to accept the #10 x 5 cm screws that will attach the top. This large hole allows for movement during seasonal expansion and contraction cycles. These pan-head screws, also known as washer-head screws, are useful in bridging the gap created by the stepped hole.
You also need to drill two pilot holes along the centerline of each apron dado to secure the cross-members.
Transfer of profiles. Dry-fit the pieces then transfer the shape of the aprons to the end grain of the cross-members.
Once you have drilled the pilot holes, use a Forstner bit on them to create flat-bottomed holes that will accept pan-head screw heads during assembly. I prefer pan-head screws as they don’t sink into the material. You should drill just deep enough for the heads of the screws to be accepted, and the plugs that will cover them.
Youre ready shape the cross-members to match the profile of the aprons.
Dry-fit the whole apron assembly. Trace the profile of the apron top, and bottom, onto the end grain of the cross-members. Also transfer the apron screw locations to the cross-members so you can drill pilot holes.
The slight bevel on the bottom edge of the cross-members is easily cut at the table saw. It takes a bit more work to finish the top side. You can highlight the floating top by making the corners of cross-members less visible. The band saw is a good choice for this operation. Be sure to tilt the table to match the scribe line from the apron. Leave your pencil line, then sand to it during clean-up.
A thin shim is taped to my oscillating spindle table. I then clean up the cut and test the fit. The shim adjusts the angle to match the scribe lines.
Assembly Time
Angle-ease. A thin shim on the oscillating spindle sanders table lifts the cross-member to the desired angle.
You are now ready to assemble the pieces.
I start by applying a light coat of yellow glue to the end grain of the cross-members, waiting a minute then reapplying. This sizing allows for the end grain to absorb more glue, which improves adhesion and prevents the joint from becoming starved.
Screw & plug. After sizing the end grain and gluing the cross-member in its apron dado, add screws immediately; they act as clamps.
Now apply a thin coat of glue to the dado and position the cross-member, running screws in place to act as permanent clamps. I do one apron (two cross-members) at a time.
The screws are covered with ebony plugs.
Once the screws are in place, use a plug cutter to cut the ebony plugs for the countersunk holes. Apply a little glue in the hole, tap in the plugs, saw off the excess and plane flush.
Once the glue has dried, you can sand and shape the cross-members if necessary to ensure a smooth transition to the apron.
Sand and flute If your dowels are too snug for a press fit, chuck them in the drill press to sand.
Now direct your attention to the legs. First, you need to cut and fit dowels to connect the legs to the apron. The fit of these should be snug, but not so tight that you cant insert and remove them by hand. The length of the dowel should leave enough space between the leg (and apron) and the foot.
For a perfect fit, cut the dowels to the desired length. Then, sand them with a drill press. I fluted the ends of the dowels with a fluting dowelplate. Fluting adds some bite and allows for more glue to be able to flow. Finally, I chamfer each dowel’s ends to make assembly easier and allow for excess glue.
For a better glue grip, flute the first 520cm with a fluting plate.
Dry-fit the legs and attach them to the apron.
Measure for the -diameter dowels to be used to support the lower shelf. You can do this by inserting two small sticks or dowels in the holes and marking a line between them. Take them out, align your mark and measure the length. Repeat at the other end. If you discover discrepancies from end to end, take an average and cut to that measurement. The dowels should be cut to length. Next, sand, flute, and chamfer the dowels as before. A dowel exceeds the capacity of my fluting plate, so I use a V-gouge to score/flute the ends.
Dry-fit the leg assemblies one more time to ensure that the joinery fits properly and that you are familiar about the assembly process.
Pin it. With round joints, consider adding a small pin to keep things from rotating. A bamboo skewer works well as a pin.
I start the gluing process with the lower shelf support dowels in the legs. Apply a thin coat of glue to fill the hole. Assemble the legs and clamp.
Dry-fit the legs to the apron assembly to help keep things in their proper places. (Its easy for clamping pressure to toe the legs; the dry-fit overcomes this.)
You can also drill holes and insert bamboo pins into the joints to secure them in place. The pins can be on the inside or outside of the leg, or can pass completely through the joint if desired.
Aligned. After driving the dowels, make sure theyre all the same height before proceeding.
Begin by attaching four dowels to each leg. It is not easy to remove the glue from these areas. All that is required is a good coat of glue applied with a bamboo stick to all the holes.
Drive each dowel with a steel hammer until you hear and feel them bottom out.
Using a straightedge, make sure all four dowels in each leg are aligned perfectly even in height. If one or more is tall, you need to hammer it in farther or cut it to align it with the others. If they dont match, your aprons wont seat properly.
Now attach the legs to your apron. To protect your legs while clamping, tape a few Baltic Birch strips to each leg.
And have a dead-blow mallet and clamps at the ready.
Dry-fit the leg to your apron. Working quickly, glue all eight holes on the opposite end of the apron assembly in the same fashion as before. With the glue applied, tap the assembly together with the mallet. Pull the clamps to secure the ends if the dowels are not fully seated.
Once the glue has set, you can continue the process at the opposite end.
Get Horizontal
Safe cuts. As you cut the end grain, a carriage will support the workpiece at the required angle (in this instance 7).
The substructure is now complete, so its time to turn your attention to the tabletop and shelf.
This table was a dimensioned by claro walnut from friends. It was thick enough for me to re-saw the top and match the shelf.
After cutting your top to size, use a table saw to undercut the long edges. The blade should be set at 40 degrees. To support the top, the ends are also cut at a table saw. A shop-made carriage is used to hold it. The carriage is angled at 7, and the blade at 90.
After some sanding and easing of the corners, youre ready to attach the top. With it upside down, center the base front to back and side to side. With a brad-point tool, mark the locations of the screws. Remove the base, drill the pilots and screw on the top.
The top and shelf will be treated with the same undercut, but the shelf’s width must still be determined. Some measurement variations can be expected due to hand shaping and band-saw variation. So, use an average.
Furrow. A core-cox bit at the router table cuts a curved recess in the bottom of the shelf for the shelf-support dowels.
Measure the distance between legs, just above the lower shelf support dowel at both ends. From this measurement, subtract to allow for a small gap between the shelf and leg. This is the final length of the shelf.
After cutting the shelf to size, center it on top of the supports and mark the location of the dowels on the underside of the lower shelf. With a -radius core-box bit at the router table, rout a cove on the underside of the lower shelf to receive the support dowels.
Finally, drill two slightly countersunk holes from the underside of each shelf-support dowel, drill pilot holes in the shelf, then screw it in place.
Now inspect the project and do any final sanding by hand, making sure to clean up any glue squeeze-out so it doesnt interfere with your finish.
This piece was finished with a mixture of urethane and tung oil.
Flood the surface and wipe off all excess after allowing the varnish to soak in for a few minutes. After the first coat has been allowed to dry for a couple of days, sand lightly with #400-grit stearated sandpaper and repeat the process.
I typically apply two to three coats of the varnish followed by a light coat of full-strength urethane.
Once dry, attach the shelf and top.
Plan: Download the free SketchUp model for the floating table.
Brian is a Colorado-based professional furniture maker who specializes in custom work with an Asian flair. You can see more of his work at brianhubel.com.
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