Repairs of the Dining Room Table

It’s been a couple of years since I built a dining table out of maple, it was actually one of the first big furniture projects I took on. One winter, we heard a big cracking sound in the house and thought a tree had fallen over. Turns out it was the table, the fluctuations in heat and humidity caused 2 pieces glued lengthwise to separate. Ever since it’s looked good, but not perfect with the ¼” gap between 2 boards in the top.

Then one of the angled supports fell off and we thought it was time to finally fix it. To start we took off the legs and I used a circular saw to cut off the 2 end pieces and to slice down the crack lengthwise. Using dowel joints this time, I joined the boards tightly back together lengthwise. 

Once that was dry, I put the ends back on, also with dowel joints.

Due to the 1/8” of loss from the circular saw blade when I cut along the crack and general shrinkage of the wood, the end boards was now ¼” wider than the rest of the table. This also got trimmed with the circular saw.

While the top was clamped waiting for the glue to dry, I made some changes to the leg design. Previously they detached from the table with giant bolts, but they proved hard to get out. Instead I screwed a board both sides of each leg and these will get screwed into the table top from below. 

Between the legs, where previously there were 2 angled pieces, I used one horizontal beam. To attach it, I drilled 5 holes through the center of the X into the new beam.

Once the screws were in place, I used wood plugs to fill the holes. I’ve never used these before but I think they are a good alternative to hidden joints when you want the strength of screws.

Finally I gave everything a light sand and 3 coats of clear polycrylic.

After it dried, we reattached the legs. 

Of course like always this was more involved than I anticipated, but overall I’m glad I did it. The table looks perfect again, the base is stronger and I got it done while it was still nice enough weather to sand outside.

And now we know: I had some issued with standard wood screws breaking off when I was trying to attach the pieces to the legs. I did some research and finally bought more expensive screws. I didn’t have high hopes, but they were amazing, even 4” screws went into solid maple like it was butter. Best screws ever.

End Table & Chairs

Now that we have the fancy new sectional in the back room, we need another light, so there is one at each end. I decided to build an end table so there is something to put the light on and also a spot for drinks. Also for the fun of it. Here is the design:

I started by cutting the legs out of ¾” square oak leftover from the kitchen face frames. This was assembled with glue and nails. 

Then I cut and assembled the box using pocket holes for the base and dowel joints for the top. I used pine boards I had on hand, but unfortunately my drilling for the dowels was too enthusiastic and I went through the top piece…so I’m going to have to buy a new board for that.

Since I ran out of wood, I cut the remainder of the front legs for the new dining chairs.

Once those were complete, I cut the first of the back rails. I really wanted to do these chairs as efficiently as possible and I though that would be with a band saw. That hasn’t worked out yet, so I used a circular saw with a straight edge clamped in place, then finish the inner corners with a jigsaw. It is slooowww going, constantly adjusting and re-measuring to ensure everything is lined up properly. 

And know we know: use that guide for the drill but that prevents it going in too far. The tape on the bit wears off quickly.

Dining Room Chairs

Last Easter at family dinner, someone sat on a dining room chair and almost broke it when leaning back. They are so old the joints are all separating and when I try to repair them with additional screws, the wood just cracks. After a constructing a couple of test chairs and much thought into which style I prefer, I’ve finalized the design for new chairs

This weekend, I went to the Wood Source with my brother and bought the wood to start building them. I was able to buy most of the wood from off-cuts of oak to keep the cost down. There was not enough off-cuts to use for all the back rails, so I will have to go back for another couple of boards.

Once I had the wood, I started with construction of the front legs. They taper down on 2 sides, so I build a jig for my table saw to keep them consistent. It is set at an angle just under 3 degrees and has a stop to allow for the proper length of the straight part at the top of the leg.

I managed to cut one tapered side each, for all 16 front legs

And now we know: the jig is finicky to set up properly, but well worth the effort as it is much more efficient when doing the actual cuts

Painting the New Windows

Now that I can climb a ladder again, I painted the new windows trim in the den and front room. Some areas of the frames were still raw wood from when they were installed and the rest was only primed.

It took a light sand, a coat of primer and 2 coats of paint on window.

And now we know: I love the look of the new crisp white window and the beige sofa in the front room...now we just need some curtains.

A New Couch

We bought a new couch, a corner sectional, for the back room. So to make room, we are getting rid of the patterned couch in the front room and moving the back room couch to the front room. We are also changing around the room so the couch is under the window.

 Here is the front room before and after the couch switch

And here is the back room after switching things around

And now we know: the back room looks so much bigger arranged like this, this is the first time we’ve had the TV unit flat against a wall. The sectional even looks smaller than it did in the store.