Barbara’s Table

Surprise! My wife loved this table because I designed it just for her. It’s beautiful, versatile and with time-saving biscuits and dowels, it only took me a few weekends to build. It’s a great project.

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Cut out the
legs first. The
best looking
legs come from
the side of a board
where the grain runs
straight. Your cut
doesn’t have to be
parallel to the edge of
the board, however.
Following the grain is
more important.

Click any image to view a larger version.

Cut two biscuit
slots side-by-side
into the rails
and legs. Biscuit joinery
is incredibly fast and
plenty strong for a table
this size.

Drill dowel
holes in the
ends of the
stretchers. Use two
clamps to firmly
hold the stretchers
in place—one
across the fence and
another down to
the jig’s base.

Glue the base
together upside
down on a
dead-flat surface (such
as your tablesaw), so
the base doesn’t end
up crooked. Biscuit
joints can shift side to
side. Level the rails
with 4-1/2-in.- wide
support blocks.

Cut rabbets on
the undersides
of the shelves
with the same jig as
shown in. It’s
much faster than setting
up a dado set. First make
relief cuts with the shelf
lying flat on the tablesaw.
Then stand the shelf on
end and rip off the waste.

This story originally appeared in American Woodworker June 2002, issue #94.

June 2002, issue #94

Purchase this back issue.