# Pair of balcony tables (à la Cabinetman)



## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

About two weeks ago I saw this thread (_http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f13/quickie-patio-table-12935/#post249193) _of a patio table by Cabinetman. I loved the concentric squares top so much I decided to make a pair of tables for our new balcony using the idea. Thank you, C-Man.

This weekend I picked up three rough sawn cedar boards. I planed them to achieve nice smooth surfaces.

The new planer works beautifully.









Then I "jointed" the edges on the table saw and ripped the boards in half.









Next I cut two squares for the centers of the table tops and began making the first square rings by mitering 45 degree ends. While the first stage was gluing up I mitered the pieces to do the same for the second table.


















Once they dried I began on the second pair on concentric squares. Here's one ready to be glued up. Per C-Man's recommendation, I'm using TBIII glue.


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

And here's the other about to be glued up.

















I didn't get the top surfaces lined up perfectly upon glue-up so I'll have plenty of sanding to do to get level tops.

And tonight I'll continue on with the third rings. I'll probably wait until the tops are all glued up and ready for sanding to post more pictures. No sense showing every little step since this is not a tutorial. But I'm excited about the progress so far.

Thanks for looking.


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## Kenbo (Sep 16, 2008)

Looking great so far man. Keep up the great work.


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

Looks great so far. Nice selection of wood. What plans do you have for legs?












 







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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

I appreciate the nice comments guys.



cabinetman said:


> Looks great so far. Nice selection of wood. What plans do you have for legs?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Frankly? I don't know yet. I'm hoping to have a better idea by the time I have the tops done. So... in a few more days I should have an idea. I'm not even sure yet if I want four separate legs or a pedestal design. Though I'm leaning towards an apron/4 tapered legs setup.


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## johnnie52 (Feb 16, 2009)

Very nice. 

How large is the area where you plan to use them? (IMO) That would dictate the style of legs. 4 legs in a large area, a pedestal for a smaller area.


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

johnnie52 said:


> Very nice.
> 
> How large is the area where you plan to use them? (IMO) That would dictate the style of legs. 4 legs in a large area, a pedestal for a smaller area.


Thank you. Interesting point you make. The balcony is approx. 25'x10'. The tabletops will be about 23" square.


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

I couldn't resist... Here's the current state of the two tops.


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## johnnie52 (Feb 16, 2009)

Those are looking very nice. 

You have plenty of room, so four legs would work out provided you have a couple of chairs that will go under them.


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

johnnie52 said:


> Those are looking very nice.
> 
> You have plenty of room, so four legs would work out provided you have a couple of chairs that will go under them.


Maybe I should have mentioned that these are intended to be small side tables for drinks and what not. So chairs will rarely face them, but rather sit along side of them. I may eventually make a bigger table to flesh out the set. One that one could actually "sit at".


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

Moving along. The other one will be glued up tonight. Then there's one more dark ring to add to each. It's a really simple build so far and I'm having a great time doing it.


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

Almost done with the glue-ups on the tops. I start planing and sanding the one on the left tonight. And I'll have the final ring glued onto the right one this evening as well. I like the way they're turning out so far.









For a sense of scale, the orange and blue strips on the table are 1 foot each.


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

They are looking good. Got plans for the legs yet?












 







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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

cabinetman said:


> They are looking good. Got plans for the legs yet?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


*lowers head in shame* No... :icon_rolleyes:


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

Well actually that's not entirely true. I have decided on four legs and an apron. But I have not figured out how to go about it yet. So I don't yet have a solid plan of attack.


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

My wife just pointed out to me that we have a coffee table and two side table on out living room with the exact kind of legs I'm thinking of. So now I have a plan. And that plan is basically to study how those are made and make my own.

I'll need to make a simple tapered leg jig and pick up another cedar board but that's no big deal. In the mean time I'm working on getting these tops prepared. I hand planed and an sanding the one now and it's looking god. I'm surprised how well my seams came out, too. Seeing as how this is first attempt at one of these.

Alright, back to work.


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

Both tops are completed and as smooth as babies' bottoms. Now to make the 8 tapered legs...


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## Zircon (Aug 1, 2009)

Looks good. I am trying to picture whether seasonal wood movement will have an effect or whether all the pieces will move in and out together.


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

I got the materials to complete the tables. Got a birthday dinner for our son tonight and tomorrow is his actual B-Day. Hopefully I can dress and size the legs over the next two days. And possibly make the tapered legs jigs/patterns. But my shop time will be extra limited (as it has been the past few days).

The other day I noticed the [email protected] flooring in the second bathroom at our electronics shop and thought, "Hey, that would make a cool "sit-at" table to match the side tables I'm making." I'm having so much fun making these tables that I just may do it at some time in the near future, also out of cedar.

Check out the pattern:


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

Yesterday, I finally had a chance to make the tapered legs and apron pieces.

I made a template to cut my leg tapers on the table saw.









Here's after the first cut. Two adjacent sides are cut in this manner.









After cutting the first two sides it was necessary to add a shim to create the same angle for the last two sides.









The shim is taped in place with a loop of masking tape. There is no need to rigidly attach it to the tapering jig. It only acts as spacer. The only reason I taped it at all was to keep it from falling to the floor after I pass the blade.









And now I have all of the legs and apron pieces cut. There are 10 legs in the picture. One was a piece with some splits that I used it to test my jig. And I made one extra just because. I'll select the 8 nicest looking legs to use for the tables.


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## Taylormade (Feb 3, 2011)

Looking good! Can't wait to see them assembled.


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## sanchez (Feb 18, 2010)

Those are coming along really nicely. I love the pattern on the tops. :thumbsup:


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

I still need to cut the diagonal pieces to bolt the legs onto and install the threaded inserts into the legs then I can fully assemble the tables. But they're looking good so far.

This is just a mockup at this point so I could mark the exact position of the parts. But it demonstrates progress. If only I could get in more shop time. This weekend looks promising.


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

Now that I know everything is cut to size and fits well...

I clamped all of my aprons together to ensure they stand squarely and proceeded to use the drill press to create the holes for the deck screws that will attach the aprons to the underside of the tables.









Then I aligned the drilled aprons with the lines I drew earlier and marked, with screws inserted into the drilled holes, where to drill the pilot holes on the bottom of the table top. I used a hand drill to make the pilots. The aprons were then glued and screwed to the first table.









Setting that aside for now, it was time to clamp a pair of 45 degree angles to the drill press table...









... and verify that they form a 90 degree angle.









I had marked on the legs earlier where the aprons will be. Then I used a back saw to cut out a wedge of wood at the top of each leg then cleaned the cuts up a bit with my belt sander. These cuts aren't critical; they won't be seen. So they don't have to be beautiful. Their purpose is to allow me to drill squarely into the legs (and to ensure clearance where the diagonal leg mounts will be placed).

When I clamped the 45's to the drill's table, I situated them so that they 45's themselves provided positioning assistance so that my legs are all drilled with the same spacing and placement. The 45's provide a stable and square way to hold the legs during the drilling process.


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

With the holes drilled in the legs, I used these handy brass thread inserts.









And screwed them into the holes I drilled. These are going to provide a very secure way to bolt the legs on.









On now to the table saw to cut the corner braces. I cut a strip of plywood 1/16" narrower than the height of my aprons. Then I set my blade at 45 degrees and used a feather board on the "back" side of the blade as a depth stop. This way I can go ahead and cut all 8 corner braces without having to measure and carefully align each one. I simply slide the strip of plywood up against the stop block, grip firmly onto the miter fence and make the cut.









After each cut I simply flip the piece over and make the next cut until all 8 were done.









Remember the 45's I clamped to the drill press table? Well, without anything having been moved, the same setup is now used to drill the two bolt holes in each corner brace. Now I know that all of my holes are going to line up with all of the brass inserts in the legs.


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

All drilled:









Here's a close up of the first leg bolted in place.









Then the other three.









And that makes one table completely assembled.

















The other table is just a step behind! I still have to figure out what route to go with as far as clear coating/waterproofing goes.


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

Well, I 'thought' I was completely done assembling that first table but the more I thought about it the more I convinced myself that I really ought to strengthen the aprons more. So I added bracing on all four apron runs. Don't want the granddaughters leaning on it too hard and breaking my table. Or I'll be breaking some butts. :laughing: I feel it'll be a lot stronger now.









This weekend ended up being more activity-filled than I had anticipated. So I didn't quite complete assembly of the second table. But I did look - several times - at the pile of parts lying there: taunting me. I even engaged it in a staring contest (and lost). 

Also, I ordered a gallon of Ready Seal on Saturday. It should arrive at my house in a few days. Hopefully it will give the finish results I'm looking for. I wasn't really liking the Thompson's Water Sealer as much as I'd hoped when I applied it to test scraps of the same wood. The Thompson's did a great job at waterproofing my test pieces, no complaints there, but the finish was way too dull and uninspiring.

EDIT: I notice that earlier I said this ws not intended to be a build thread. Then I pretty much promptly turned it into one. I guess I couldn't resist. If one person gets one thing out of my showing some of the steps involved then it is all worth it. If not, well, I enjoyed it anyway so it was still worth it.


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## mikeintexas (Oct 25, 2011)

*Thank you!*



> If one person gets one thing out of my showing some of the steps involved then it is all worth it


Aside from some speaker boxes and bookshelves I've never built anything out of wood, but am getting into it now. I read all your posts and stared at the excellent pictures. Now I have a pretty good idea of how to build a table like this. The jig pics were really helpful. Thank you! :notworthy:

This pic is awesome. Shows everything I need to know on "how did he get the legs on there/how is it braced?


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## WillemJM (Aug 18, 2011)

Nice work, accurate joints.

One caution is that natural wood grain expansion, across the grain, with no growth longitudinally will open those joints over time, IMHO. If you use an external finish with good moisture barrier properties and the piece is used where humidity is not too variable, you will be OK.


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

mikeintexas said:


> Aside from some speaker boxes and bookshelves I've never built anything out of wood, but am getting into it now. I read all your posts and stared at the excellent pictures. Now I have a pretty good idea of how to build a table like this. The jig pics were really helpful. Thank you! :notworthy:
> 
> This pic is awesome. Shows everything I need to know on "how did he get the legs on there/how is it braced?



I'm glad you appreciate the pictures. Sometimes pictures really do convey a thousand words in a way that a thousands words themselves cannot. I too find that I learn more when I'm being shown the critical steps of a build. There are several members here who do great tutorials that really inspire, teach and motivate. And they've inspired and motivated me to share some things that the pros here may find second nature but some of us (myself included) could use a little guidance with.


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## mikeintexas (Oct 25, 2011)

WillemJM said:


> Nice work, accurate joints.
> 
> One caution is that natural wood grain expansion, across the grain, with no growth longitudinally will open those joints over time, IMHO. If you use an external finish with good moisture barrier properties and the piece is used where humidity is not too variable, you will be OK.


What type of finish would be considered to have "good moisture barrier properties?" The only thing I know is polyurethane. Then the table would look like it's covered in vacuum formed clear plastic, though. I'm learing; thanks in advance for educating me. :yes:


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## WillemJM (Aug 18, 2011)

mikeintexas said:


> What type of finish would be considered to have "good moisture barrier properties?" The only thing I know is polyurethane. Then the table would look like it's covered in vacuum formed clear plastic, though. I'm learing; thanks in advance for educating me. :yes:


Any good finish designed for exterior use will have better barrier properties. The problem as you say is the look.

I just purchased a gallon of the stuff linked below, as my experience with their products has always been excellent. What I was really looking for, being a sprayable exterior product with NO YELLOWING effect, seems to be non-existant. After talking to all the manufacturers, this seems the closest I can get, but I have not opened the can yet, so no firm recommendations.

http://www.deftfinishes.com/trade/sites/default/files/tds/water_based_polyurethane_catalog_page.pdf


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## tcleve4911 (Dec 16, 2006)

Beautiful work, Steve.
I love the idea of the tops and your tutorial was awesome. Thanks.

Since you are using cedar and these will be outdoors, take a look at this system we used for our siding on our lake home in Maine.










This is a 4 step water based process that left a furniture grade finish on T&G cedar siding!!

The company is great to work with. Perma-***** Systems, Inc.
www.permachink.com They sent us free stain and finish samples so we could experiment with the finishes on actual pieces of our siding before we committed to purchasing anything.


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

tcleve4911 said:


> Beautiful work, Steve.
> I love the idea of the tops and your tutorial was awesome. Thanks.
> 
> Since you are using cedar and these will be outdoors, take a look at this system we used for our siding on our lake home in Maine.
> ...


Cool looking place there.

Thank you for the kind words and advice. I actually ordered a gallon of a product by Ready Seal on Saturday. I expect it at my front door within a few days. So, hopefully, I won't have to look any further. We'll see.


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

One thing about me: I'm prompt; no matter how long it takes.

I received my shipment of Ready Seal on Monday and tested it on some scraps of the same cedar. I finally got a chance to apply a first coat to the first table last night. It made a big difference (and I sure like it more than the Thompsons water sealer, appearance-wise).

And what a difference it makes. The left half is un-coated (that's not light glaring).









I like the way it turned out.

























I'll be in St. Augustine (Florida) from this evening until Sat. morn. Shooting range with dad and one of my brothers from out of town on Sat. Then a birthday party for the granddaughters on Sun. Hopefully I can squeeze in some shop time this weekend to finish up the second table. But I can't make any promises.


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

Oh, by the way, I should own up to an error I made. When I chose the 8 legs I wanted to use and assembled this first table I discovered that one of them was about an 1/8" shorter than the rest. How? I have no idea. But the table rocked a bit. I had used my crosscut sled and a stop block to "ensure" that all of the legs were cut to the same length but, apparently they weren't. So I had to unbolt the legs (this was a week or more ago, before applying any finish) and cut 7 legs a bit shorter to make them all the same length as the slightly shorter one.

It was a stupid mistake but one that was easily enough corrected.


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

That stained up real well. Really brought out the character of the wood.












 







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## johnnie52 (Feb 16, 2009)

That turned out really nice. Of course now that the legs are shorter, only midgets can sit at them....

Seriously, very nicely done.:thumbsup:


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## Texas Sawduster (Apr 27, 2009)

*Nice Work !!!*

Nice work on the tables.


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

I appreciate the positive feedback guys. I means a lot to me to be in the presence of such talented woodworkers as we have here. And to have you guys see the beauty I see in these tables warms the cockles of my heart (and, frighteningly enough, it brings out the cheesy side of myself that would actually use the expression "to warm the cockles of one's heart").

One thing I should mention is that after I assembled the tables I leveled a flat piece of wood on my assembly table and then used that as a reference surface to level the tables. It's not unusual to have to fine tune the length of a leg of a table after construction. I had only slight rocking on the first table and only _very_ slight rocking on the second one. A quick touch-up on the bottom end of the offending leg with my handheld belt sander brought each table to perfect level with zero rocking.

I have completed construction of the second table. The wood for both tables came from the same four cedar boards. it's interesting to see how different, color-wise, they turned out. I knew they would look different, as I ran out of darker sections in my initial cuttings, but I had to work with the wood I had. You never know what you'll discover once you divide and surface rough-sawn cedar. The variety of grains and colors yielded from those 4 boards obtained from the same batch surprised me (but in a good way). And really, I am quite pleased with each table. I think they make a nice pair. Each has its own character.









The second table was just coated before snapping these pictures. Most of the gloss will dull to a matte sheen once the waterproofing soaks in more and the excess is wiped off.

















I like the cool green streaks throughout parts of both tables. I don't see much cedar with green streaks but I really like it. A lot.









Look at the contrast between the two tables.


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

I've also coated the undersides of both tables with waterproofing as well. But I don't think it warrants another picture.

And I think I can officially make the claim that the balcony tables build is completed. The next step is to start using them! When we get chairs for the balcony I'll post a picture of the tables in their new habitat.

Thanks to every one who followed along, offered advice and encouraged me throughout this thread.


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## robhodge1 (Feb 14, 2011)

Great looking tables and build thread. I am interested in seeing how they hold up due to wood movement.


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## firemedic (Dec 26, 2010)

Very nice work steve, they look great! Very tastefully designed.

~tom ...it's better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt...


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

They look pretty cool right next to each other.


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## rrbrown (Feb 15, 2009)

Beautiful work and a ver cool build thread. :thumbsup:


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## aaronhl (Jun 2, 2011)

Thanks for sharing all the pictures...GREAT WORK!


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## Icutone2 (Nov 4, 2011)

Great tables and thanks for the read.
Lee


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## tcleve4911 (Dec 16, 2006)

Chaincarver Steve said:


> They look pretty cool right next to each other.
> 
> View attachment 31930


That's very cool.....
Gotta go....You're giving me great inspiration 
Thanks.....


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## Texas Sawduster (Apr 27, 2009)

*Nice Work !!!*

Very nice tables.
Thanks for sharing the pics.


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