Hi all, I could use some guidance. I want to make a small child’s table for a friend of mine. She would use this table in her work with developmentally disabled children. I know she likes walnut and happens that I have a bunch of 4/4 stock lying around. So my questions are:
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- Sizing: What guidelines can I use to I properly size the table to seat 2 six year old children. The chairs are an unknown factor at this point and I feel that building those would be beyond my comfort zone.
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- Joinery – This table needs to be strong. I was thinking of a simple frame consisting of an apron attached to 4 tapered legs via mortise and tenon. Is there maximum apron width before one would need to to divide (or double up a tenon? Would adding a dowel to pin the tenon help? What about glue blocks on the inside?
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- Finishing – I really want a kid friendly finish that would show the walnut at its best.. I was thinking of de-waxed shellac for coloring and a durable topcoat but was concerned about how it would handle dents… on the other hand if I did some kind of basic oil I am not sure how I would color the wood. I don’t have any experience with dyes or glazing and this stuff still intimates me a bit.
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I know this may not qualify as “fine” woodworking but I will building this entirely by hand as a personal gesture since she has done so much for my child. I want it to be the best it can be… I read knots quite a bit and I know there is a lot good knowledge out there. Any insight would be welcome.
Replies
For that age, about 21 inches high. If the table were going to be round, about 26-28 inches in diameter.
Do some Google searches to find things like this for ideas (and often basic size measurements) (maybe even some chair or stool ideas):
http://www.sensoryedge.com/chtaandchse.html
The children will love it! Mine have been through 3. The first 2 were for toddler and 3-5 yr old. The third was build more like a desk. I made chairs to match. Fairly crude construction but having a table of their own was something they loved.I made a couple for my nephews and niece. Same story.
While I appreciate your intent with the walnut, that strikes me as overkill for the table's intended use. A laminate top might be of greater utility with the kids. (Think in terms of what's going to be spilled on it.) Just be sure the edge is rounded/eased to avoid cuts to fast-moving little hands.
Instead of high-end materials, you might do a more creative top design, instead. Something like an oval painter's palette, for example, with the curves and the thumb cutout. Or, a Cheshire cat (with child-safe rounded ears).
There are several sites that have common dimensions, or simply check online child furniture ads for dimensions.
Another thought would be to use an over-sized pedestal instead of legs, so little feet are less likely to trip on them when scooting around. Instead of the typical solid wood pedestal, I'm thinking in terms of a central frame with vertical lattice pieces.
Edited 7/17/2008 6:46 pm ET by RalphBarker
I would suggest the legs and aprons be "splayed" about 20 degrees each direction, much like quality sawhorses. I recently refinished just such a large kitchen table that had lived through 3 generations of very active kids and the joinery was still very solid! This would involve some angles, and may not be worth the trouble, so straight legs and aprons should be o.k.
I wouuld use mortise and tenons, glue blocks, and corner braces screwed into the legs (lag screw or hanger bolt) and aprons. You will be creating a lot of solid joints.
As far as dimensions, looking at furniture store web sites would be a great source.
Good luck, and enjoy the project!
Pete
I'm not sure I'd use the walnut for this. The open pores make finishing a little more complicated, and it's not all that hard, so will get dented more than a harder wood. My preference would be hard maple, or for the top, as was mentioned in another post, laminate covered (top and bottom) baltic birch plywood. If you use solid wood for the top, I'd ramp up to 5/4 for jump on stability and heft, making sure that the attachment to the apron and legs allows for wood movement along the width.
Besides I'd want to use 8/4 material for legs, preferably rift sawn for appearance.
One thing to take care about is that all corners and edges should be well rounded--more than just easing the edges.
You could certainly get plenty of strength with a 3 1/2" apron and not have to worry about dividing the tenons. Good well fitted mortise and tenon joints between apron and legs are sufficient. Having shoulders on the tenons adds significantly to the strength.
My preference is to not add metal hardware or the like. I just don't like big screws making holes in the legs. Screws will loosen as wood moves with moisture and metal doesn't. Glue bolcks don't hurt, but are usually done incorrectly. They would best be made of stacked blocks with alternating grain to reduce the problem of cross grain gluing. Probably overkill.
If you want bullet proof, and you may well, a pair of cross braces made from something like 4/4 maple about 1 1/2" wide, dovetailed to the top and bottom and bottom of the aprons will provide serious stability. This puts the reinforcement further from the corners where it has the leverage to really work well.
For the finish, I'd put about 4 coats of a good phenolic resin varnish--Waterlox Gloss or Behlen Rockhard. You can get fancy with bright colored dye or patterns but that's for the grown ups not the kids.
If you go with the walnut any way you would want to fill the pores. One coat of shellac and then Behlen Pore O Pak tinted to be just a bit darker than your walnut. I usually thin to the consistency of very heavy cream and apply with a chip brush. After the filler starts to set up (turns hazy) the excess is removed cross grain with a plastic scraper, and cleaned up some more with a coarse cloth like burlap. I'd wait a week before applying the varnish top coat over the pore filler.
Your friend is doing incredibly challenging, stressful work. Use some of the walnut for some small, attractive object for her.
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