# Made Live Edge Dining Room Table - First Real Woodworking Project



## merkaba (Jul 13, 2015)

This is my first real woodworking job. The only other thing I've made is a small coffee table for my wife. I'm very happy with the results. I don't have a lot of pictures of the process unfortunately. I do not own a jointer, so I paid a local shop $20 to plane and joint the top pieces. Everything else was done by hand, including gluing the top together. I used three pieces on the top because the edges of one piece were better than the edges on the other. So i used the middle piece of one, and the edges of the other. Each piece was about 29" wide, and I ended up making it 7' long by about 40" wide. The legs are 4x4's with a minwax provincial stain. I used minwax cherry 235 for the stain on the top. I didn't mix the stain up mix on purpose, because i wanted to keep it lighter. I ended up using Waterlox Original finish on the top. 

Materials:
-2x pine slabs about 29" wide and 9' long
-1x pine slab about 14-20" wide and 20' long
-5x four by four by either
-a lot of wood glue
-some lag screws
-minwax cherry 235 stain
-waterlox original sealer

The imgur album is here if anyone wants to use that instead.

Wood from the sawmill









Yes...i know i messed up on the bolt pattern. I think I'm going to just add 2 more bolts to make it a square pattern instead. 









Side view









Another









Legs and dowels. I didn't want to deal with trying to move the entire table as one unit. So instead of screwing the top to the legs, I just used dowels. I can just set the top down on it and easily remove the top if I need to move the table in the future.

















Bench, done!









Table, done!









Everything, done! Not too pleased with the room though. A long time ago we swapped our dining room with a play room for our kids so we could watch the kids play while in the living room or kitchen. We decided to swap back into our original dining room after the table took over this room.









Final destination....and we love it!


----------



## djg (Dec 24, 2009)

Looks like a real fine job. My only suggestion would be to slot the holes in the underside of the top to account for expansion. see what others think.


----------



## merkaba (Jul 13, 2015)

Thx very much! slot the holes? Sorry...I am very new to woodworking. Is that the same thing as a 'bowtie" type thing? Something like this?


----------



## sanchez (Feb 18, 2010)

Nice job on the table! Thanks for posting.

Slotting the holes means to elongate them across the grain. It's generally done when screwing a wide piece down, so it can expand and contract.


----------



## mikeswoods (May 18, 2009)

Your slab top will expand with the humidity (get wider) --the dowel will not allow the top to expand without pushing the legs apart---unless you make the hole for the dowel into a slot---

Wood expands and contracts across its width----


----------



## texastiger (Dec 27, 2014)

That's a really nice looking live edge table and bench seats.


----------



## merkaba (Jul 13, 2015)

mikeswoods said:


> Your slab top will expand with the humidity (get wider) --the dowel will not allow the top to expand without pushing the legs apart---unless you make the hole for the dowel into a slot---
> 
> Wood expands and contracts across its width----


Thanks! I'll slot out the holes in the table more so it has room to expand.


----------



## merkaba (Jul 13, 2015)

texastiger said:


> That's a really nice looking live edge table and bench seats.


Thanks, a lot!


----------



## mikeswoods (May 18, 2009)

I like the craftsmanship----That one will be one of the things your grand kids will be fighting over,many years from now----


----------



## merkaba (Jul 13, 2015)

mikeswoods said:


> I like the craftsmanship----That one will be one of the things your grand kids will be fighting over,many years from now----


Thanks!


----------



## IowaDave (May 21, 2015)

Nice work, congrats on making a very sturdy, yet showy piece!


----------



## merkaba (Jul 13, 2015)

IowaDave said:


> Nice work, congrats on making a very sturdy, yet showy piece!


Thanks...I am very happy with the results.


----------



## mikeswoods (May 18, 2009)

Where did you find the slabs?

Around here there are as rare as hens teeth.


----------



## merkaba (Jul 13, 2015)

mikeswoods said:


> Where did you find the slabs?
> 
> Around here there are as rare as hens teeth.


I just searched "saw mills nh" in google and found this place about 25 minutes from my house. They have a ton, and I believe they will ship it to you. They are a very small family who owns and runs it. I believe just a father and two of his sons. I will definitely be going back.


----------



## honesttjohn (Jan 27, 2015)

Mike,

Have you talked to Allen T. in Milwaukee?

HJ


----------



## EdwardNYC (Dec 12, 2014)

Great looking work. Well done!


----------



## mikeswoods (May 18, 2009)

I visit a mill in Michigan---I haven't been to AlanT.--Could you PM me the contact number?

The Drive to Michigan takes a lot of time--Milwaukee is faster.


----------



## honesttjohn (Jan 27, 2015)

Mike,

Go to the Forestry and Milling section - - about 5-6 threads down is one started by Allen called Box Elder and Elm - that's got is website info. He's got some nice stuff. I will pm his phone # to you.

I have talked to him a couple of times, but haven't bought anything yet. We're working on the logistics part of it now.

HJ


----------



## Sawman7 (Nov 7, 2013)

A very nice job indeed, Looks like the tables I build, my basic model is in the picnic table style
For those interested in obtaining the same types of materials 
I keep full bookmatched sets of tops and benches in stock, cut from the same log at 2 1/4 in.
visit my website whitehouselumber.com from there you can link to my facebook page
where you can view all my projects


----------



## Jesus Saves! (Oct 11, 2011)

Great job! I like the rustic look.


----------



## woodciro (Aug 23, 2009)

*4x4's for table*

I was more interested in where you got the 4x4's (?) for the legs, etc. I needed some recently for a project, and all the lumber yards had or could get were pressure treated, which I did not want for an indoor project.

Very nice job, by the way. Did you use a conditioner before you stained? Pine is notorious for blotching.

Thanks,

John


----------



## merkaba (Jul 13, 2015)

woodciro said:


> I was more interested in where you got the 4x4's (?) for the legs, etc. I needed some recently for a project, and all the lumber yards had or could get were pressure treated, which I did not want for an indoor project.
> 
> Very nice job, by the way. Did you use a conditioner before you stained? Pine is notorious for blotching.
> 
> ...


I looked at a few mills as well, and found only PT 4x4's. I ended up getting mine at Lowes. I did use conditioner before i stained.


----------



## merkaba (Jul 13, 2015)

EdwardNYC said:


> Great looking work. Well done!


Thank you!


----------



## Oneal-Woodworking (Apr 14, 2013)

That was outstanding... 

If that really was your 'first' woodworking project - I would saw that was amazing. Nice build, nice finish, legs were great as well... :yes:

Hope to see more of your work in the future because THAT was cool... :thumbsup:


----------



## merkaba (Jul 13, 2015)

OnealWoodworking said:


> That was outstanding...
> 
> If that really was your 'first' woodworking project - I would saw that was amazing. Nice build, nice finish, legs were great as well... :yes:
> 
> Hope to see more of your work in the future because THAT was cool... :thumbsup:


Thank you, I appreciate that. It was technically my second...I made my wife a coffee table about two weeks prior to starting our dining room table


----------

