Expert: Jamie Yocono - 6/30/2007

Question
Hi Jamie
Thank you for taking the time to help others.
I am making a table similar to this one..
http://www.sover.net/~buckholl/6TRST.jpg
Flying blind with no plans but its basically pretty straight forward except for one small thing.
The width of my table will be 34 inches.
What would be a good length to make the two supports that touch the floor?
Hope this will be clear when you see the picture.
My table will be made of maple. Almost finished except for these pieces.
Many Thanks
Eileen

Answer
Hi Eileen,

Great table!

Many years ago, I joined the carpenter's union, this was after I'd graduated with my degree in Furniture Design. Obviously, there was a HUGE difference in the two programs, but the carpentry program taught me one really critical lesson. Physics.

In our final year, we were given various projects to complete during a 3 or 4 hour class. One night, we built a saw horse from scratch, using a 2 x 6 for the horizontal beam, and 1 x 6 for the legs and braces. The legs had compound angles on them- they not only splayed out if you looked down the long end of the sawhorse, but they also angled outward, if you looked at it from the side. It's quite a complicated little project, especially if built by hand.

A properly built sawhorse should be made so that you can step on the very far end of it, and it won't tip. Think about it- carpenters have used sawhorses for "scaffolding" for many years. Laws of physics tell us that if the end tip of the legs are in line with the end of the "beam," it won't tip. But if the legs are short of the end, it WILL tip.

The principle behind this holds true for your table, as well. For stability, the end of the legs need to more or less line up with the edge line of the table top. Now, on a wide table like that, there is another physics formula to apply - weight and mass. And certainly the center of gravity on that table is lower, due to that massive base. So the width (span) of the table top, and the mass of the base, give you some fudge factor in the length of those bottom "feet."

If I were making this table, I would probably line the ends of the bottom "foot piece" up with the apron overhead. Visually, it will tie the piece together. Bringing it out that far will also provide some much needed stability as your diners slide their chairs back from the dinner table (after a big meal) and push off on the table top to stand up. That's usually the biggest stress a table undergoes.

I'm not sure how much the top overhangs the apron, but if your top is 34" wide, I think a good dimension would be roughly 30" for the foot piece.

OK, good luck, I hope this helps. Please feel free to write back if you have any further questions after reading this. And if this answer was helpful... please take a minute and rate my service. Thanks!

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