Tools
Parts
- Legs × 4
- Front/Back skirts × 2
- End skirts × 2
- Stretchers × 2
- Shelf, birch plywood
- Top
- Metal Corner Brackets × 4
- No. 8 x 3/4-in. Round Head Wood Screws × 24
- 2-in. Flathead Wood Screws × 8
- 1-1/4-in. Coarse-Thread Pocket-Hole Screws × 12
- 1/4-in. Dia. x 4-in. Hanger Bolts × 4
- 1/4-in. Nuts and Washers × 4
- Tabletop Fasteners × 8
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Trace the leg and skirt-board joint on a piece of paper.
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Position the bracket with the flat portions of the bracket flush with the skirt boards.
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Mark the chamfer depth and the location where each bracket lip enters the skirt boards.
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Use a table saw to cut slots in the skirt boards for the top fasteners and corner bracket lips.
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Tilt the band saw table to 45 degrees to cut the stopped chamfer on the top inside corner of each leg.
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Use a wide blade (at least 3/8 in.) for a straighter cut.
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The trick to driving a hanger bolt is to use two nuts on the bolt threads (inset).
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Tighten the second nut down on the first nut to lock them together so that the bolt turns instead of the nuts.
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Fasten the brackets to the skirt boards with No. 8 x 3/4-in. wood screws.
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Then fasten the legs to the brackets with washers and bolts.
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Bore pocket-screw holes in the stretchers and then attach the stretchers to the shelf with 2-in. wood screws.
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Attach the stretchers to the skirt boards with 1-1/4-in. pocket-hole screws.
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Cutting a shallow chamfer along a long edge requires a few special precautions.
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To help support the workpiece, attach a tall fence extension to the existing fence (inset).
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Clamp a long scrap to the workpiece to ride like a rail along the top of the fence.
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Use two featherboards to help keep the workpiece from tilting.
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Fasten the top to the base with tabletop fastener clips.
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Drill 1/8-in.-dia. x 1/2-in.-deep pilot holes for each screw.
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You can choose any furniture-grade finish for the top and base.
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Because the legs, skirts and top of my table are built from three different species of solid wood and the shelf is a piece of plywood, there is no intention of trying to match the wood tones.
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To play up the beauty of the reclaimed lumber, we applied clear satin polyurethane to the top and sprayed three coats of antique-white paint on the base.
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After the finish cures, the last step is to fasten the top to the base with tabletop fastener clips.
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