Expert: Jamie Yocono - 1/20/2004

Question
Good Morning,
My question is regarding building a table shaped like Texas. I would like to know if you would recommend birch cabinet grade plywood and what type of pre-fab legs to use. I will not be painting the table only using a clear protective coating and maybe a stain. This will be my first attempt at a wood working project so any advise you can offer would be greatly appreciated.

Thank You,
Jeremy Kader

Answer
Hi Jeremy,

It just so happens that tables are my specialty, so I can probably give you some good pointers.

Birch Grade plywood wouldn't be my first choice for tabletop material. The layers often contain voids, and those voids won't look good on the edge of your tabletop.  A better choice would be Baltic Birch plywood- which contains virtually no voids in the layers. Baltic Birch comes in a 5 foot by 5 foot panel, and should probably be cheaper than cabinet grade Birch. But one of the best reasons to choose it would be that the layers of wood are thinner, so there are more of them per 3/4" panel. This makes to plywood stronger and less prone to bowing.  The only downside might be the football shaped plugs on the surface - those are used to fix knots or defects, and are often randomly placed on the sheet. So you may have to sort through some sheets until you find a suitable one.

Just as a guide- a 4' x 8' sheet of Birch plywood (here in Ohio) is about $90.  A 5' x 5' sheet of Baltic Birch is about $50. Those are retail prices. This plywood would look great finished the way you mentioned- stained and varnished.

That said, you cannot just attach 4 legs to a tabletop and call it a table. Tables legs need bracing-  via aprons (at the top of the legs) or stretchers (about 3/4's down the legs) to add strength to the design. You cannot just attach a table top to 4 legs and have it work well. There is no strength in that system, and all it will take is an accidental kick with your shoe or a nudge with a chair to knock one of those legs right off.  So you need to think about side to side strength, as in adding some sort of bracing.

There is a company that specializes in Table Legs- and while their products might be too expensive for your table, their catalog shows fine examples of how tables should go together. Their website is www.tablelegs.com.  They sell legs, but better yet, they sell complete apron systems. Look at their photos of these table aprons systems and you'll get a good idea of how a table needs to be assembled.

There's also a good book that you might want to look at- Tables by Anthony Guidice. It's published by Taunton Press, home of Fine Woodworking magazine.  Here's a description:


Plans and complete instructions for building 10 classic tables

From a Shaker sewing table to a display table for art objects, Tables offers 10 excellent reasons to spend quality time in the shop. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced woodworker, the projects offered by Anthony Giudice in this book will provide plenty of challenges to increase your skills. The table projects include a candlestand, an end table, a Shaker sewing table, two coffee tables, a display table, a half-round console table, a hall table, a cherry kitchen table, and a trestle table. You'll get:

*   10 classic projects from historic pieces to contemporary styles
*   step-by-step instructions and clear illustrations
*   design guidelines for creating your own tables
*   numerous tips and jigs you can use for all your projects


The good news is that this book is a current one, and should be at your local Borders or Barnes and Noble. This book would be very helpful and you should definitely look at it before you start your project.

OK, hope this helps. Feel free to write back if you have more questions....great idea for your table!

Jamie Yocono
Wood It Is! Custom Furniture
Akron, OH