Round dining table

[tibi]

Hello,

My next project will be a round dining table. I have decided to take a break from woodworking until September to recover a bit from the load I had earlier this year in the workshop (I am tempted to overwork myself as I am eager to work on the project). In the meantime I would like to design the table and prepare drawings.

Here is a picture of a similar table that I have found online.

I would like to ask for a design help with two questions:

1. The table diameter will be 125 cm to seat 4 people. What is the correct size of the square base in proportion to the round top? In the picture above, there is a small overhang of the top over the square base. I think that the if the round arc protruding over the apron was bigger, it would look better, but would make a smaller size of the square base.

2. I would like to make a single drawer in the front apron. The drawer will not be the full width of the apron, so I need to make some auxiliary bearers and rails, and guides for the drawer. Can you advice me some sound design for the frame holding the drawer, where the drawer will not be full width, so I cannot utilise the side aprons for attaching the guides. I would like to use guides attached (mortised) into the aprons and not buy steel hardware guides or make grooves into the drawer.
The drawer might look like this, but the table top will be round, not square

Thank you.

 

[rogxwhit]

An aspect of table design is considering the sitters' legs and how they may interact with the structure. Keeping the table legs well-spaced in this fairly compact example will make it more comfortable for people to swing their legs in or out when they're sitting or rising - so near the edge is good! It's less comfortable physically & psychologically if it becomes awkward to sit down.

Another aspect is that across one plan dimension the overhang of the top will be long-grained but across the other dimension it'll be across the grain and will need more support, ie shouldn't project too far. And since the table is symmetrical, this becomes a determinant.

 

[rogxwhit]

You would make drawer rails spanning between an opposite pair of top rails ...

 

[tibi]

An aspect of table design is considering the sitters' legs and how they may interact with the structure. Keeping the table legs well-spaced in this fairly compact example will make it more comfortable for people to swing their legs in or out when they're sitting or rising - so near the edge is good! It's less comfortable physically & psychologically if it becomes awkward to sit down.

Another aspect is that across one plan dimension the overhang of the top will be long-grained but across the other dimension it'll be across the grain and will need more support, ie shouldn't project too far. And since the table is symmetrical, this becomes a determinant.

Thank you for the tip. I just wanted to make the space wide enough to sit comfortable (I can measure the distance from my current rectangular table on the narrower side - anything bigger than that would be comfortable to me). I did not think about the cross grain side of the round table, that is a good point. So I will design it with a little overhang, as in the picture that I have provided.

 

[tibi]

You would make drawer rails spanning between an opposite pair of top rails ...

Yes I know, but do I need another pair of boards that will be as wide as the top rails to support the drawer rails or I can just create rabbetted boards with a fillister plane that I will mortise in the top rails? The rabbets will face each other and the drawer will glide on the rabbet. It will be supported from the bottom, as well as from the sides.

 

[rogxwhit]

Entirely up to you how it's done, but you do need a rail below that takes the drawer weight and which it slides on, and a kicker rail above that stops the extended drawer drooping ... these are crucial. Then something has to contain the travel of the drawer in the horizontal dimension, but doesn't have to be full height & can be vestigial. In other words you could have flat top and bottom rails either side of the drawer ... so 4 rails rather than 2 ... and add sideways guide strips ...

Maybe also consider the appearance to anyone who peers below the top, or glimpses it from a lower chair nearby ...

Design is about distilling an elegant solution that takes account of everything.

You know that you have to secure the top in a way that allows for cross-grain movement?

 

[tibi]

Entirely up to you how it's done, but you do need a rail below that takes the drawer weight and which it slides on, and a kicker rail above that stops the extended drawer drooping ... these are crucial. Then something has to contain the travel of the drawer in the horizontal dimension, but doesn't have to be full height & can be vestigial. In other words you could have flat top and bottom rails either side of the drawer ... so 4 rails rather than 2 ... and add sideways guide strips ...

Maybe also consider the appearance to anyone who peers below the top, or glimpses it from a lower chair nearby ...

Design is about distilling an elegant solution that takes account of everything.

You know that you have to secure the top in a way that allows for cross-grain movement?

Thank you very much. I will suggest a solution and post some 3d model here to verify, if it is sound or rubbish. Yes, I will use buttons screwed to the top with mortice holes on the 4 sides of the aprons. On two sides mortices will be longer than the buttons and on other two other sides, mortices will be deeper and button shoulder will be offset from the edge to compensate for the movement.

 

[rogxwhit]

Good thinking!

 

[tibi]

Good thinking!

and cheaper than assuming that I know what I am doing and then being left with a drawer that cannot be pulled out due to ignorance of the artisan.

 

[rogxwhit]

Such things have happened!