Weekend

PhotograPhs by A A r o n w o jA c k98 n o v e m b e r 2 0 1 2 • P o P u l a r m e c h a n i c s . c o m

lywood has been used to build furniture for decades. i think this project is right for the busy digital age because the design is reduced to its most elemental parts. i used one sheet of baltic birch; i cut it into pieces and screwed them together. The biggest challenge was connecting the legs to the apron in a way that was elegant, strong, and easy to fabricate. The result? a compelling project that an experienced woodworker could complete in an afternoon and begin-ners could build in a weekend.

How to turn a sHeet of plywood into a table. by TED K ILCOMMONS

CUT TO FIT

PA sheet of

plywood, a few basic power tools, and a

free afternoon (or two) are all you’ll need to complete this

simple and stylish table.

Home• earlyadopter:

self-fetcHing jug• updating

b i fo l d d o o r s• mowerleafmulching

by roy berendsoHn

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n o v e m b e r 2 0 1 2 • P o P u l a r m e c h a n i c s . c o m 99

Make the Partscrosscut the tabletop to the dimensions shown in the drawing (page 100). First, wrap a strip of crepe masking tape around the panel and place the tabletop good side down on a work surface. mark the 72-inch cut line on the tape, clamp a straight-edge across the panel, and cut using a circular saw with a 140-tooth blade. use the same pro-cedure to rip the panel to 36 inches wide, or use a table saw [1].

next, take the long offcut, place it good side up, and make three rip cuts on the table saw to produce the apron stock [2]. To prevent chipping the veneer, i use a spe-cial 80-tooth blade; its teeth have an aTb (alternate top bevel) pro-fi le that makes a smooth cut.

stack two pieces of apron stock and cross-cut them on a miter saw [3]. This creates the two long apron pieces. make the two shorter pieces by taking the third piece of apron stock and cutting it twice on the miter saw. using a stopblock clamped to the miter-saw table ensures con-sistent lengths.

Take the 24-inch-wide offcut piece and rip it into four 5-inch-wide pieces on the table saw. each piece (or blank) will be cut into a leg. stack the four blanks on the miter saw and crosscut them to length.

mark out the cut line on the back of the leg blanks as shown in the drawing. For each blank, drive two screws through the waste area to hold it to a sacrificial surface, such as a scrap piece of plywood, and clamp a straightedge parallel to the cut line. now simply run the saw along the straightedge [4]. sand the cut edge of the leg with a sanding block and 120-grit sandpaper. using an orbital sander, carefully sand the face of

each piece with 120- and 220-grit paper. apply three coats of wipe-on polyurethane to the faces and edges of the top, aprons, and legs [5]. allow each coat to dry, sand it lightly with 220-grit paper, and wipe off the dust before applying the next coat. after the piece is assembled, you can also add a fourth coat or buff on some paste wax.

asseMblyin almost all cases, furniture is built in stages where subassemblies are cre-ated, adjusted, and fitted together; you almost never cut parts and then

Tape the crosscut line to reduce tearout [1]. Rip the apron pieces from the long offcut [2]. Stack the long apron pieces before crosscutting [3]. Run the saw along a straightedge

to make the leg [4]. Wipe on finish before assembling [5]. Bore pocket-screw holes with a Kreg Jig and assemble [6, 7 ]. Clamp the legs to the apron, then fasten [8].

fasten all of them at the same time. This table is so simple, it’s an excep-tion to that process.

bore pocket-screw holes in the apron lengths and then fasten them to the apron widths with screws [6, 7]. next, center the apron assem-bly on the tabletop and attach it with screws and l-brackets. complete the assembly by clamping each leg into the apron corner, and drive two screws through the back of each leg and into the apron [8].

Your table is ready and in good time for the busy holidays: This design can comfortably seat six people.

Weekend

Shopping ListQty. Description

1 Full (4' x 8') sheet of baltic birch plywood (tabletop, apron, and legs) 16 Kreg 11/4" coarse washer-head pocket screws (apron and leg assembly) 6 2" x 5/8" zinc l-brackets (apron-to-tabletop assembly) 24 no. 8 3/4" zinc flathead screws (apron-to-tabletop assembly) 1 Quart wipe-on satin polyurethane finish (clear)

TABLEToP36" x 72"

APron3" x 52"

LEG

CutIt Out

i llustrat ion by G Eo r G E r E T s Ec k

d i y home / p lywood tab l e

100 n o v e m b e r 2 0 1 2 • P o P u l a r m e c h a n i c s . c o m

LEG

LEG

LEG

LEG

TABLEToP

APronAPron

cU

T 1

cUT 6* cUT 8 cUT 7

cUT 2

= scrAP

cUT 5

cUT 4

cUT 3

cU

T 12

cU

T 11

cU

T 10

cU

T 9

cU

T 13*

APron

APron

*stacked cuts made on a miter saw

1"

29

1/4"

5"

3"