An Extremely Large Dining Table.

John Biermacher
by John Biermacher
4 Materials
$1000
5 Months
Advanced
It has been awhile since I have posted a project on Hometalk. That is because I have been working on a dining table for most of the summer and into the fall.

It is a hickory top trestle table and the largest table I have ever made. It is 43 inches wide and 10 ft. long and accepts a 16” leaf at each end. It seats 12-14 without the leaves and can accommodate 16-18 with the leaves. I usually counsel people to not build a table for Christmas and/or Thanksgiving. The friends I built this table for, have several children and grand children locally, so it is common to have between 14 and 18 people at a family dinner.

This is the table top being glued up.
 The rustic top is hickory with bread board ends and the trestle has two pedestal bases made of pine and poplar.


The pedestals are commonly called “vase pedestals”. There is a center column that  runs from the foot to the table top. The columns were then wrapped with addition wood and wood trim. Poplar bar rail  was used to create the curves of the foot and “ the vases”.  The vases require compound cuts- mitered and bevel cuts and quite a bit of epoxy filler and sanding. Luckily the base was meant to be painted.  


The top is actually two pieces- 1) a plywood sub-layer that includes the apron and leaf extensions; and 2) a hickory layer. . Making the top in two pieces make the top manageable from a weight perspective, but both are still heavy, 


Profile of the bar rail.
Under side of table during construction.
Hickory top (foreground) and plywood sub-base
The hickory (4/4 by  8” by 10 ft) came rough sawn from a local sawmill (Handley Tree Service) and  I had it processed by a local Millwork shop (Woodsmiths Custom Millwork). Woodsmith planed one side smooth and straight cut both edges. I did the edge glueing and used pocket screws to joint the edges. 


I found the design for the leaf extensions on the Internet- four lengths of hickory (3/4” by 1.5”) run in channels in the sub-layer. They are attached to the bread board and pull out to support the 16” wide leaves. 


Table with leaf inserted.
The most laborious aspect of the table was planing and sanding the top. The hickory defeated  two power planers that I had purchased at Harbor Freight. Luckily I bought a extended protection plan, so the replacement didn’t cost me anything.  


The top was stained with a mixture of golden oak and dark walnut stain. The base and apron  was painted white, slightly distress, and accented with a liquid wax. The entire table was coated with coats of satin polyurethane.
Pedestal and a view of the leaf & breadboard.
In conclusion, it is unlikely I will ever do such a large and heavy table. It was almost unmanageable for a small shop. I had to ask for help multiple time, just to reposition the pieces. 


I wouldn’t encourage the 16” leaf extensions. They are heavy and cumbersome to put in and out. 


I was pleased with the unique use of the bar rail. It offered design detaill/appearance not normally achievable in a small shop. 
Resources for this project:
See all materials
Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
Hometalk may collect a small share of sales from the links on this page.More info
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
3 of 4 questions
  • Linda Sikut Linda Sikut on Nov 25, 2017

    This is an absolutely beautiful table! I do have a question though. My son-in-law wants to build one for their home. My question is what kind of sealer is food safe? If it were me, I'd use a table cloth to cover it when it's used for food, but obviously this table is too long for that plus my daughter isn't the table cloth type for everyday use. Were you able to find a food safe polyurethane? I know their small children often put half eaten food on the table to finish later. Is it an issue or am I concerned for no reason?

  • Eytan Eytan on Jan 03, 2018

    How did you make or shape the virtical section of the pedestal?

  • Deb Deb on Nov 16, 2019

    Hello,


    Gorgeous table! I am a bit confused regarding how the leaves are removed and placed. When they are removed are they totally separate from the table, ie, they don’t slide under or flip under the table?


    Thanks and again you should be very proud of yourself!


    deb

Comments
Join the conversation
3 of 86 comments
  • Maureen Maureen on Nov 18, 2019

    What a gorgeous table. You should be so proud of your work. I'm sure that your clients are enjoying their beautiful table.

  • Nancy M Nancy M on Nov 20, 2019

    Amazing look and great job!! You should be very proud of yoursellf!!

Next