Expert: Jamie Yocono - 12/7/2008

Question
Sir;
I built a maple dining table with 4" square legs and a top 116"X42" and I designed the support so that I got a 4" overhang of the top relative to the legs. I am building a cherry table now with tapered legs that start out at 3 1/2" square where the aprons join and with an 84"X42" top. I designed the support so that the top would have a 1" overhang relative to the legs. I thought the maple table had too much overhang when I finished, so I decreased the overhang on the cherry table. My wife remarked that the overhang on the cherry table wasn't enough. What is the rule you use to decide the overhang?

Answer
Rich,

Overhangs are usually gauged by two things - aesthetics and structural stability. When you're talking about tables the sizes that you mentioned, the overhang becomes less important structurally, because there is less of a chance of tipping anything over. So I am sort of assuming that when your wife said that the overhang on the cherry table wasn't enough, she meant visually.

Another thing to think about is the height of the aprons. If you have tall aprons, say 4" or so, then it's important to have a larger overhang, so that your thighs don't hit the table aprons from underneath. It's a juggling act between the aprons and the overhang.

There is an excellent article about table design and all that goes into it that was in Fine Woodworking magazine many years ago. I scanned it and used to pass out copies of it to the students I used to teach, it's very helpful. I think it will answer all your questions about overhangs, and I'd like to e-mail it to you.

Please send me your personal e-mail address back through this All-Experts site, and I will send it to you. There isn't a way for me to send you something like that through All-Experts.

Finally, when I am making a table - I usually take the base of the table (without the top attached to it) and place a piece of plywood on it, to simulate the overhang. I move it around, playing with all sorts of dimensions for overhangs, until I come up with one I like. I generally like small overhangs on the long sides of a dining table, like one or two inches, and longer overhangs on the end, maybe a foot or more. I like the look of the ends being cantilevered out way past the legs, but that's just my taste.

Send me your e-mail address and I'll send you that Table PDF. It should answer all your questions.

Jamie Yocono
Wood It Is! Custom Cabinetry
Las Vegas, NV
www.wooditis.com