I have decided to build a table to fit in my bay window area (it’s a large area). My wife doesn’t want a window seat area like I’ve seen many times. She wants the area to be open under the seat as it wraps around the bay window. So the first question is: I’m planning to build the seat out of 8/4 Hickory and fasten it to the wall studs as well as placing corbels on every wall stud to support it. The corbels will be fairly large in size and also made out of Hickory. The seat will be 26”-42”-26” as it wraps around the window and 18” deep. Do you think this will be enough support for the seat?
The second question is the table will be 80” long on the outside and of course be shaped like the bay window area dimensions above. I figure is will be 40” wide at the widest spot. I would like it to be made out of 8/4 Hickory like the seat. I’ve been told by a woodworker friend that I should make it out of 4/4 so it doesn’t crack down the road. Is 4/4 going to give me more stability than 8/4 for the table top?
Replies
Does this window get direct sun shining on the table or just light ?
roc
Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe. Abraham Lincoln ( 54° shaves )
Sir, I have NO idea. However, I use Hickory often BUT not in the sizes you posted.
I will just say what comes to mind and some experience. NOT THAT I AM EXPERIENCED! Just OLD! I love Hickory and ONE reason I love it is because I can 'split' it REALLY easy. Tough as Iron otherwise...
If you build it, I 'THINK' it will be OK. I would suggest that you make it removable and NOT affixed to the house where it cannot be removed #as in slid out or other#.
Strange you should ask.. I have a Jatoba table I made.. Only about 1.5 inches thick and has been OK for a few years,, Guess what? It split in the center of the table this Spring! Damn!... The grain split about 1/64 inch wide and about 4 inches long.. Maybe I'll just rub dirt into the crack and hope nobody notices it!
1/64 inch does not seem like alot but it sure shows IF you see it!
Thank you for your input.
Did you reverse the boards so the grain was up on one board and down on the next before guling up? I'm planing on doing that as a mentioned in many of the articles I've read on gluing up large tops.I hope your top doesn't continue to split, that's exactly what I'm trying to prevent from happing.
Mark
I have to say I forgot what I did!
I do think your proposed thicknesses are overkill in terms of structural strength, and this applies to both the seat and the table top. There is also cost to consider, your ability to manages the technical requirements of construction, and the potential difficulties you may encounter in holding a 1-1/2" to 2"thick panel flat if it does decide to cup or otherwise warp. 25 mm (1" or 4/4) thick rough sawn material should be more than adequate for strength and support. Starting with this thickness you should be able to get 18- 20 mm (3/4") thick finished planks.
If you want a thicker edge appearance this could be achieved relatively easily by doubling up the thickness at the edges. For instance, if you glue up a rectangluar panel 86" long you could cut just less than 3" off either end, slip these short pieces under the remaining 80" length of the panel and glue them in place: as their grain patterns are an extension of the main panel you should be able to get a very close grain match. Essentially the same technique is used on the edges, and in your case you would need to modify the panel glue up to accomodate the off-square angles you are dealing with.
You might also find this article on panel glue-ups at my website a helpful or useful read. Slainte.
richardjonesfurniture.com
Richard,
Thank you so much for your input, articles and web site. I looked over everything you made available and was very impressed with all of it. You didn't comment on the benches I'm planning to build other than the wood thickness. Do you think the setting them on the corbels is a good idea or could you recomend something else?
I'm a retired business man but have been doing woodworking for about 10 years now. I really like doing things right but also with interest. My web site is http://www.johnstondesignstudio.com if your interested.
Thanks for the valuable help.
Mark
You have a nice house and interior there Mark. That part of the world is far too darned hot for my comfort, and I thought when I lived in Houston it was Hell on Earth personified.
Anyway, to answer your question, I think corbels would probably work as long as you incorporate a bit of addtional structure: to whit, add a horizontal bearer the full length of the seat at the back and on the underside. Make it about 1-1/4" to 1-1/2" square section. Fix this firmly to the wall and screw up through the bearer into the underside of the seat. I guess your house, being US made is timber framed so finding studs to fix the bearer to should be no problem.
This means your corbels really only have to act as a means to support the front edge of the seat, ie, a brace. As long as you can get a truly firm fix to the wall at the bottom end of the corbel and find a way of attaching it firmly to the underside of the seat your construction should be sound.
Thanks for the kind words on my website. Since I learnt how to build and maintain my own website about six months ago I've really enjoyed the ability to go in and change stuff around on a regular basis. I think I've made changes three times so far this month, ie, changed the home page, added a new image to a gallery page, created a new what I call a 'detail' page with additional images of the same item; and lastly added information to a couple of pages about a current furniture exhibition in London. I wasn't able to do that before and my website was basically moribund for nearly three years which really frustrated me, but all that has now changed. Slainte.richardjonesfurniture.com
Thanks again for the advice. I will give it a try.
Just so you know Prescott AZ is in the mountains, we are at 5200 feet. The weather is very good here not usually over 80 in summer and about 30-40 degrees in the winter but in warms usually to around 50 in the day. The humidity is very low.
I hadn't spooted you are in the cooler parts Arizona. That climate sounds like it's pleasant. I passed through Phoenix once in August-- or perhaps I passed out, I don't recall now, ha, ha. I was thinking of that I guess. Slainte.richardjonesfurniture.com
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled