Farmhouse Table

Published Aug. 9, 2010 at 11:07 p.m.

I found it very difficult to fit eight people at a table made for 4...My wife found this project and asked me to do it.

Made from 2×10s and 2×8 SPF lumber from a BORG...I had a hell of a time sorting the piles for clean, straight, undamaged boards. But I wanted a ‘distressed’ look so a few dings in the boards was ok.

The top I had to glue up in four stages...Since my largest clamp in only 48”, I “HAD” to buy new 48” pipe clamps...There are eight horizontal pieces, i used biscuits to align the boards...I used dowels to connect the horizontal pieces to the long sides...Here I ran into a problem that was completely my fault...I didn’t dry-fit one side before gluing it on—and of course there is a tiny gap...I did it right the second time when adding the other side.

I stained it a medium brown, and finished with 3 coats of poly...I did the finishing outside since my shop is too small to comfortably fit the table...After the second coat of poly, I had left it outside overnight, intending to apply the third coat in the morning...I woke up to it raining on the table...At least the poly had fully dried before the rain came...A few days later, i put the third coat on, and what happens—rains again on the table...But again luckily, after the poly had fully dried.

The last two pictures are my helpers...The little one helping ‘distress’ the wood, and the older one drawing the plans.

In the end I’m very happy with how it turned out.

Back | Read more at Lumberjocks projects