# 4 x 8 foot dining table with eight chairs



## cheese9988 (Jan 4, 2010)

4 x 8 foot. Red oak with a semi-gloss urethane finish. 4/4 inch top, 2 1/4 x 3 inch legs. I flattened the top with a different kind of sled jig that I created. The table was the easy part actually, the chairs were a bi***. Well over 200 holes to drill, templates, hole jigs, many parts to make and assemble. The seats are Baltic birch plwood, my wife and I did the upholstery.


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## cheese9988 (Jan 4, 2010)

This is my sled jig. Basically it is two L channels on each side. The channels keep the sled about an inch above the table. The risers are also spaced an inch from each edge, to allow the bit to hit the edge of the table, but not ruin the riser. The jig is made from pine, with the exception of the rails on the sled, I used some scrap red oak to give it strength. Even with the rails, you don't want to push very hard.

It took me approx five hours with a 3/4 inch strait bit to do the entire table. The bit was almost new, and was dull by the time I got to the other side. The hardest part with the jig is to not cock the router, or push down (at all!). Make sure you lightly clamp the sled on each side. You can clamp it, make a three or four passes, then move the jig and clamp it again. The rails were held on with pipe clamps.

I used a square and a caliper to make each L channel height as equal as possible across the table. From there, find the lowest spot on the table, set the bit to 1/16 inch or less below that, and then start on the table edge. If you don't find the lowest spot the first time, be prepared to start cutting all over.

I hope this helps some people that don't have a wickedly large planer or drum sander.


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## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

Wow, that's a big project, and it turned out wonderful! I really like the clean design of the table and chairs. Did you upholster them yourself? That routing and sanding must have been one big mess. Looks like it was worth it for sure. Nicely done!


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## SteveEl (Sep 7, 2010)

Thanks, I saved this for future reference.


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## cheese9988 (Jan 4, 2010)

My wife and I did the upholstery. We probably could have padded it a little better, but that was a first for us. I used square drive screws so I could pull the seats out easily if I had to. If we ever change the seat cover, we will use foam padding instead of polyfill.

The sanding was an absolutely HUGE mess. After I did the leveling, hit it with the belt sander, then with the orbital sander, I easily had an inch of dust on the floor. It looks like it snowed down there!

Thanks btw!


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## skymonkey (Apr 12, 2010)

Very beautiful. Kinda makes me want to do one myself!


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## Noggin (Oct 3, 2010)

Newbie question.... 

You routed off the entire top of the table? Why? To expose fresh wood? To make the table top thinner?


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## cheese9988 (Jan 4, 2010)

Noggin said:


> Newbie question....
> 
> You routed off the entire top of the table? Why? To expose fresh wood? To make the table top thinner?


I routed the entire top to flatten it. Its next to impossible to perfectly flatten a top that big with a regular sander or a hand planer. The rails are set equal height from each side, and the bit is set to the lowest spot on the table. So the router mills the top the same depth as the lowest spot all the way across the table.

There are other similar sled jigs, you can google them. This one was a little different, so I thought I would post it to help some others out.


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## Lola Ranch (Mar 22, 2010)

*Clever, but seems uneeded*

Cheese, 

I admire your ingenuity and hard work but I'm with Noggin in questioning why it was necessray to take a router to the entire top, unless you do not have access to a decent jointer and planer.

I've built large solid wood table tops like this before. After carefull face dressing and edge jointing, all that was required after removal from the clamps was some light scraping and sanding with a ROS. I also use full length edge splines to aid in the alignment. As you well know things can get a little dicey glueing up a large top like that. 

It's a beautiful dining set, Hope you don't think I'm nitpicking:smile:

Bret


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## cheese9988 (Jan 4, 2010)

Lola Ranch said:


> Cheese,
> 
> I admire your ingenuity and hard work but I'm with Noggin in questioning why it was necessray to take a router to the entire top, unless you do not have access to a decent jointer and planer.
> 
> ...


I'll always take constructive advise!

I don't have a large planer or drum sander, I dont have a truck to haul it in either, so I couldn't have a shop flatten it. I have an edge jointer and a 12 inch planer. Everything was flat and square before assembly. I have a 96 inch calibrated strait edge, every board was checked. I didn't go the spline route, it wasn't cutting the slot that I was worried about, it was cutting the actual spline perfectly. Plus, over an 8 foot length, even being off by a little bit means I am bending the wood. The boards were pretty even with each other, but I'm looking for completely smooth.

I did alot of homework, almost everyone I talked to had said I needed to flatten the table out somehow. That there would be no way to get it perfect otherwise. I can slide a glass across, and there are no risen boards that the glass catch on.


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## Noggin (Oct 3, 2010)

cheese9988 said:


> I routed the entire top to flatten it. Its next to impossible to perfectly flatten a top that big with a regular sander or a hand planer. The rails are set equal height from each side, and the bit is set to the lowest spot on the table. So the router mills the top the same depth as the lowest spot all the way across the table.
> 
> There are other similar sled jigs, you can google them. This one was a little different, so I thought I would post it to help some others out.


I understand now


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## MidGAOutdoor (Apr 7, 2011)

allow me to ask. how did u get it thru a door?


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## sawdustfactory (Jan 30, 2011)

Beautiful table (and chairs). You're a brave and patient man to flatten a table top like that. I'd have found a way to haul that to a wide belt sander, but then again I'm a little lazy sometimes :blink:


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## Stick (Aug 23, 2007)

sawdustfactory said:


> Beautiful table (and chairs). You're a brave and patient man to flatten a table top like that. I'd have found a way to haul that to a wide belt sander, but then again I'm a little lazy sometimes :blink:


 You are not lazy, no sir! True lazy is not to attempt such a project!!:no:


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## GWEE (Aug 30, 2009)

I love the way it came out great work.


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## cheese9988 (Jan 4, 2010)

MidGAOutdoor said:


> allow me to ask. how did u get it thru a door?


The legs come off....and even then it was tough getting it up the stairs. It probably weighs 200 lbs.


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## firemedic (Dec 26, 2010)

Looks great! I've never planed a table with a router before... Looks like it did the trick.

I usualy go for my #8 Bailey... 

I commend you on building the chairs... I despise building chairs! 

~tom


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## Gene Howe (Feb 28, 2009)

Great looking table and chairs. Very nice work.


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