How to Reclaim a Timber Table
Build designer furniture from old pallets and CD racks for under $70
By Flavia Teixerira
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Build designer furniture from old pallets and CD racks for under $70
Download the Reclaim timber table project PDF
Download the Reclaim timber table project PDF
Materials picked up for free on local council waste collection days combine with simple joinery to create this unusual table. For the base, the legs are cut from 65 x 65mm pine, with 90 x 20mm rails ripped down from an old 90 x 90mm hardwood post.
Hardwood from brick pallet slats and faceplates of 1500mm-long CD racks form the top, with the timber glued and dowelled, and the racks secured with screws (see Diagram 1). TIP: Remove nails and metal bracing from recycled timber before cutting.
Using a Dowelling Jig
A dowelling jig guide is used to drill 8mm holes in edge-to-edge joints, make them up to 2mm deeper than the dowel length. On the tabletop panels, mark up the holes then clamp on the jig to drill both edges. Apply adhesive, position the dowels and clamp to dry. TIP: Ozzie Multi Jig, from $300, (www.ozziejigs.com.au) is ultra fast and accurate, or try a basic model for about $50, from a hardware store.
Dimensions of a dining table
A table should be high enough to comfortably seat average-sized adults of about 1.73m tall, the standard used by designers. Check the height is relative to the chairs, with at least 650mm leg room below the rail, called the apron. For the length, allow 750mm for each person.( see diagram on page 3)
STEP 1
Prepare the rails
Use a circular saw or tablesaw to rip a 2100 x 90 x 90mm hardwood post into three 20mm-wide strips for the rails. Run the timber through a thicknesser or use a power plane to smooth any roughness, giving the top panels an even surface..
STEP 2
Cut and taper the legs
Use a mitre saw to cut the legs, checking the ends are square. Mark a taper 200mm from the top to 10mm wide at the base of the inside faces (see Diagram 2), clamp securely and use a power plane to remove the waste, finishing with a belt sander.
STEP 3
Cut the rail housing
On the outside faces of the legs, mark 90 x 20mm housings flush with the top. Set the depth stop on a sliding compound mitre saw to match the thickness of the rails to make a series of parallel cuts, chisel out the waste and smooth with a block plane.
STEP 4
Cut the rail mitres
Turn the baseplate of a sliding compound mitre saw to 45º and cut the side and end rails with mitres to form external corners when butted together on the legs.
TIP: Use rails to brace the legs and support the tabletop.
STEP 5
Assemble the frame
Secure the end rails to the legs with adhesive and pairs of offset 50mm x 10g timber screws. Apply adhesive to the side rails then clamp them to the end rails, checking joints are tight and legs are plumb before securing with screws.
STEP 6
Assemble the tabletop
Beginning at the centre, arrange panels around the glass centrepiece (see Diagram 3), positioning them tightly to ensure a neat, square fit.
TIP: Measure diagonally from corner to corner to ensure the top is square.
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