Thick Slab Table Top Construction
Thoughts and stories about large slab table tops, and some interesting examples. December 14, 2009

Designing a Unique Rocker
Inspired by Nakashima's "Conoid" chair, a Woodweb member gets advice and criticism from the Furniture forum before creating, and executing, his unique vision for a custom rocking chair. March 16, 2015

Wood Moisture Movement Issues with a Conference Table Top
Here's an extended discussion with photos, about why an architect's wish for a wood table top with mitered corners is impossible to grant. February 10, 2009

Joint Design for a Solid Oak Desk
A conversation about how to create the joint between a solid Oak desktop and its support so as to accommodate wood expansion and contraction. June 17, 2013

Wide Miters in Wood Countertops
This long discussion about a proposed custom project includes good explanations for why miters in wide solid wood don't work, and some suggested methods to use instead. November 14, 2014

Joinery for a Solid Teak Table
Furnituremakers advise on a tricky table construction project. January 18, 2011

Joinery Puzzle: Letting a Table-Top Into Round Legs
Advice on making a tricky table-top-to-table-leg joint. June 30, 2009

Stability in a Large Solid Wood Table Top
Pros discuss moisture-related movement and the associated design issues in a big table top. July 24, 2006


Flattening Oversize Table Tops
If a table top is too big to fit through the wide-belt or drum sander, how do you get it flat? Here's an extended discussion with several valuable suggestions. June 29, 2008

Large Double Pedestal Dining Table Construction
In this interesting thread, a furniture maker first asks advice on an extending dining table concept, then reports back after the project is built. October 19, 2013

Round Dining Table Dimensions
A conversation about choosing the size for a dining table meant to seat 8 people. September 3, 2011

Construction Details for a Super-Sized Rustic Table
The "rustic" label may add a "character" forgiveness factor, but there's still some head-scratching involved in building a table eight feet wide. October 28, 2014

Wide Board Table Tops
Wide boards are a historically proven and viable table-top material. But think the issues through before you start. May 10, 2007

Jointing Heavy Slabs
Furnituremakers discuss how to get a glue-ready edge on heavy Walnut slabs for a bookmatch table top. December 31, 2013

Signing Your Furniture Pieces
Custom furniture makers share thoughts and suggest techniques for signing pieces. December 15, 2005

Sleigh Bed Construction Issues
Sleigh beds are traditionally made with veneers, but in this case a customer is asking for "solid wood." This brings up a discussion about wood movement and construction methods. November 26, 2006

Maintaining a Point of Reference
Picking the brain of custom furnituremaker David Fay. July 17, 2002

Why Glass Tops Can Warp Tabletops
A cautionary tale of a table that cracked because of glass resting on it. October 19, 2005

Wide-Board Table Top with no Warping
Can it be done? Maybe. February 26, 2005

MDF and fine furniture -- a contradiction in terms?
Do the two go together, or is MDF inherently lower in quality? March 4, 2002

Making an Antiqued Round Solid Wood Slab Table Top
How to make a heavy solid wood table top and give it that "old and busted" look. July 24, 2006

Glue Joint Failure
Dr. Gene Wengert delves into one of the primary problem areas affecting furniture manufacturers: glue joints. 1998.

King Size Platform Bed with Storage
Suggestions based on experience for building a bed with storage drawers underneath. November 16, 2010

Conference Table Stability Concerns
A custom conference table design draws criticism for being top-heavy (and easy to scratch). February 17, 2011

Solid Wood Edges on an Oval Table
This discussion of wood movement and the practicalities of constructing and oval table includes some nice photos of contributors' work. January 14, 2013

Veneering Table Legs
A furnituremaker gets advice on applying veneer to glued-up table legs. March 26, 2013

Making a Large Conference Table in Pieces
Ideas and discussion for making a large White Oak table in pieces for disassembly and moving. July 11, 2009

Notching Out Dovetail Drawers
Notching out for drawer hardware is tricky, slow, and sometimes blows out a dovetail. Here, custom furniture makers suggest ways to handle that delicate operation. October 19, 2005

Wide Board Mahogany for a Table Top
Forget the "ripping and flipping" myth — just use good joinery and the right supports. March 26, 2009

Combining Teak and Holly in a Table Top
Considering the wood movement issues when building a table-top of Teak with Holly accents. June 30, 2007

Locking Miter Joints for Drawer Construction
A discussion of complicated and labor-intensive, but interesting, interlocking joinery for drawers. January 9, 2007

Slab Table Leg Joinery
Advice on table leg joinery that will tolerate movement in the slab table top. January 24, 2010

Solid Edge for a Round Table
A solid wood circumference for a round veneered table poses some tricky woodworking puzzles. In this thread, craftsman offer detailed advice for a unique project. June 28, 2005

Nakashima Table Details
Furnituremakers strive to emulate the master. January 29, 2009

De-Nailing Antique Lumber
Furnituremakers consider ways to get old cut nails out of old chestnut. October 8, 2005

Will Formal Education Help a Furniture-Maker?
Schools offer Master of Fine Arts degrees in furniture-making. Are they worth it? That all depends, say the pros. August 30, 2005

Veneering a Large Pie-Cut Table Top
Veneering this tabletop brings up a lot of tricky issues. September 6, 2010

Specifying Glass for a Table Top
tempered or untempered glass? Furniture makers exchange views. June 20, 2005

Constructing a Round Table Apron
Advice on bending wood in a circle for a round table apron. September 27, 2008

Cutting Veneer Wedges for a Round Table Top
Here's detailed advice on how to template, cut, join and trim the pie slices for a round veneered table top. June 28, 2010

Dishing Out Chair Seats
Here's a whole slew of ideas for crafting solid wood chair seats. October 17, 2012

Table Leg Extensions
Customer has an odd request: a table with legs that adjust from coffee-table to dining-table height. Pros suggest solutions. August 30, 2005

Windsor Chair Leg-to-Seat Joints
Furniture makers discuss the logic behind using tapered through tenons with wedges for joining chair legs to seats. July 24, 2006

Routing an Elliptical Table
CNC techniques are quick and accurate, but can also produce a template for edge work or future jobs. April 10, 2007

Glass Table Top Connection Methods
Thoughts on how it might be possible to structurally fasten glass to wood for a custom table design. July 29, 2014

Table-Leaf Warping Problem
Why are extra leaves from a tabletop warping? Experts explain causes and cures. June 28, 2005

MC for international shipping
Concerns of moisture content in jobs destined for overseas. November 18, 2002

Joints for a HEAVY Tabletop
A tough project has a tricky angle: how to fasten the legs to a heavy table when there's no shelf or apron to control racking. A furniture-maker gets advice from colleagues. July 5, 2005

Shaping Tapered Table Legs
Tips on profiling and tapering custom table legs when there's no easy outsourcing option. February 20, 2008

Distressing Walnut
Tips for light distressing. January 9, 2007

Wood Movement in Solid Wood Drawers
will movement cause trouble? A furniture maker receives opinions and advice. June 20, 2005

Frame and Panel Table Top Construction
Tips and techniques for making picture-frame table tops that accomodate movement. August 21, 2006

Drying Walnut Stumps
Slow air-drying of Walnut stumps and roots can yield some remarkable pieces. April 18, 2015

Frame and Panel Bookcase Back
A furniture maker gets advice on building solid cherry bookcase backs. August 21, 2006

Trestle Table Connection Details
A discussion of joinery for attaching a trestle table top to the leg assemblies. February 8, 2008

Making Butterfly Key Joints
A quick primer on butterfly joints. October 2, 2005

Leather Inset for a Desk Top
Ace advice for applying leather to a desktop. April 20, 2011

Making a Curved Table Skirt
Methods and materials for making up skirt pieces for a round Mahogany table. October 26, 2005

Laminating Curved Drawer Fronts
Furniture makers discuss techniques. October 28, 2005

Ergonomics of Custom Computer Desks
Detailed advice on customizing the dimensions of a computer work-station desk. October 1, 2010

Gluing Up a Round Table Apron
Furniture-makers supply tips and techniques for a large circular lamination. October 2, 2005

Mortise and Tenon Fit Tolerances
Not too loose, not too tight — just right. April 19, 2006

Gluing Up a Cherry and Maple Tabletop cherry & maple
A woodworker gets advice on allowing for movement when gluing different wood species together. December 20, 2005

Tapering table legs
Small-shop methods for tapering square table legs. June 13, 2001

Distressing Techniques to Mimic Driftwood
A woodworker seeks advice for creating the shipwreck look. March 17, 2005

Y-Crotch Lumber Examples
Sawmillers show off a couple of nice slabs, and an example of a coffee table made from crotch wood. December 28, 2006

Calculating Springback
Simple formula for determining amount of springback in bent solid wood. April 18, 2004

Secretary Desk Hinge Reveal
Advice on trying to narrow the gap at the hinge for a secretary desk. June 8, 2011

End Leaves on a Dining Table
Dining tables with extending leaves on the end are called "refectory tables," and information on how to make them is not hard to find. March 4, 2009

Stone in a Solid Wood Table Top
Thoughts on setting stone into a wood top so it won't cause problems and will look good. March 30, 2008

Octagonal tapers
Instructions for making octagonal table legs, tapered on all eight sides. June 13, 2001

Making Warped Doors (on Purpose)
Epoxy and a vacuum bag does the trick. May 10, 2005

Ebony Substitutes for Inlay
Suggestions for softer woods to substitute for Ebony as an inlay in a table top, along with a tip on bringing Ebony flush to softer woods during sanding and finishing operations. November 15, 2011

Routing an Elliptical Solid Wood Table Edge
Joining and profiling a curved table edge out of solid wood. April 18, 2011

Conference Table Leveling
How do you incorporate practical, accessible leg levelers into the pedestal bases for a big, heavy conference table? August 31, 2010

Soaking Cane
Furniture makers debate the fine points of soaking cane. April 10, 2008

Torsion Box Altar
Quick advice on materials, design and construction for a large torsion box church altar top. July 20, 2011

Wood Box for a 19th-Century English Bible
Craftsmen discuss period details, and materials appropriate for archival use. October 28, 2005

Defining "Bench Quality"
From the hands of one craftsman... May 10, 2005

Veneering Drawer Faces for an Oval Chest
Advice on vacuum and form setup and adhesive choices for making an oval chest with curved drawer faces.November 16, 2011

Chess Board in a Table Top
Addressing wood movement details for a chess board set into a table top. December 30, 2007

Leather Desk Tops
Quick tips on attaching hides to desktops. December 30, 2005

Huge Round Conference Table Construction
An extended discussion of the issues involved in extreme furniture building. June 18, 2009

Building a Table In Boat-Builder Style
Here's an discussion of costs, pricing, and technique concerning a unique table made using methods inspired by the boat-building trade. August 26, 2008

Polyethylene Versus Wood for Drawer Runners
A discussion of practical issues with ultra high molecular weight (UHMW) polyethylene drawer slides, and the all wood alternatives. April 10, 2008

Pushing the Envelope with a Herringbone Table Top
Small pieces of wood sliced 1/8 inch thick, laid into a herringbone pattern, and applied to an MDF substrate on both sides, have been known to work as a custom table top. March 26, 2007

Pedestal Table Dimension Limits
A furnituremaker gets advice for making a scaled-up version of a pedestal table at a customer's request. March 13, 2014

Building a steamer
Homemade steamers for bending wood in your shop. January 21, 2002

Pool Table Construction
Is it practical to build a custom pool table if you've never built one before? April 20, 2011

Bending Boards for a Barrel-Top Trunk
A furniture-maker gets advice on bending barrel-stave-like pieces to form a domed trunk lid. June 10, 2006

Pocket Doors for Furniture
An explanation of custom-built pin-and-groove "flipper" pocket doors. May 7, 2007

Burlwood Rocking Chair Examples
Check out two beautiful rockers — and the "before" picture of the sawn burls they were made from. May 31, 2010

Bed Post and Rail Connections
Considerations on the structure of a wooden bed frame. July 3, 2008

Bending and Laminating Cherry
Quartersawn wood will behave a little better than flatsawn for making a laminated bent piece, but it's not a critical issue. April 21, 2008

Building a Tile-Topped Table
Basic tips for a tile table-top. January 27, 2008

Prototypes for Custom Furniture Jobs
Custom furniture makers discuss whether, when, and how to make a prototype mock-up before beginning a furniture project for real. May 23, 2007

Preventing Sag in a Desktop
Advice on constructing a custom desk to stay stiff in service. October 20, 2013

Breadboards and Leaf Tables
Thoughts on how to handle a request for a table with breadboard ends and a center leaf. June 30, 2007

Built-Up Shop-Made "Crown Moulding"
Two examples of crown-moulding-like details on furniture pieces, created by stacking and routing curved sections of flat stock. July 16, 2012

Breadboard Table Top Ends
Tips on the mortise and tenon joinery for a breadboard table end. October 2, 2005

Building A 32-Foot-Long Conference Table
... and then christen it, "The Titanic." March 9, 2008

Drilling a Hole the Length of a Log
People have actually succeeded at drilling holes in logs the long way. Here, they explain how to do it. December 27, 2006

Best Router for Dovetails?
A discussion focused on woodworkers' favorite routers for cutting half-blind dovetails.

Percer un trou de la longueur d'une bûche
Certains ont réussi à percer des trous dans des rondins en utilisant la méthode la plus longue. Voici comment procéder. 27 décembre 2006

Pressage sous vide d'une table à défilement
Un fabricant de meubles s'attaque au problème du placage d'une table aux formes courbes. 18 avril 2009

Design for a Modern Secretary Desk
The clean modern look creates a tricky problem: support for the desk when it's open. April 14, 2005

Troubleshooting Cupping in a Bar Top
A solid Ipe bar top starts to show cupping. Furniture-makers chime in on wood movement and the nature of the problem. January 13, 2006

Table Leg Attachment and Veneer Details
This thread offers good analysis of table structure, veneering techniques for complex shapes, and the business problem of trying to compete with cheap manufactured goods as a custom furnituremaker. October 1, 2010

Best material for bent lamination
Searching for the most suitable wood product to use with bent lamination. July 22, 2003

Troubleshooting Shrinkage Cracks in a Veneer Tabletop
Water-based glue may have caused expansion, then shrinkage, leading to gaps between the veneer pieces. June 10, 2006

Wood Table End Options
Woodworkers discuss breadboard table end details, and a slick mitered-end alternative. January 10, 2006

Fabricating Curved Side Panels for a Custom Desk
Furnituremakers brainstorm about how to make custom curved veneered side panels for a desk. February 15, 2009

Balancing Issues when Veneering a Hollow-Core MDF Table
A table project involving MDF surfaces applied to a hollow torsion box and veneered raises complex questions about how to balance the assembly. October 19, 2013

Glue Choices for Chairs and Stools
Furnituremakers discuss which glues they like, and why. April 30, 2006

Attaching Leather Seat Bottoms
A discussion of practical methods for attaching leather to wood for chair seats. February 14, 2010

Drying a Walnut Slab
This thread about how to slowly air-dry a Walnut slab has some beautiful photos of a Walnut slab table. August 16, 2012

Adjustable Height Table Hardware
Ideas for ways to let a kitchen table be raised and lowered. January 18, 2011

Bending wood -- options
Products and methods for bending wood. March 23, 2002

Glueing Up a Mitered Bar Top
Adhesive choice and clamping and fastening methods for a tricky glue-up problem. June 30, 2007

Vacuum Pressing a Scroll Table
A furniture maker grapples with the problem of veneering a curved table shape. April 18, 2009

Width Limit of a Glued Tenon
but what are the limits? March 12, 2006

Making Six-Sided Tapered Legs
Step-by-step directions for cutting a 6-sided tapered shaft on a table saw. August 30, 2005

Dresser Top and Apron Movement Issues
A solid wood dresser top needs room to move, or the piece will tear itself apart. June 17, 2009

Avoiding Warping in an Unfinished Wood Tabletop
A customer has asked for a natural-wood kitchen island table top. Here, pros discuss the risk of warping and how to minimize it. December 15, 2005

Making painted desk tops durable
Creating tough surfaces for office furniture. October 31, 2000

Duplicating A Gadroon Molding
More complex than egg and dart (because of the asymettrical tadpole detail), a gadroon pattern is probably best carved by hand. March 12, 2006

King-Size Bed Construction Details
Tips on building a king-size bed. April 27, 2007

Tips on Large Tambour Construction
Old-fashioned yellow glue and canvas have a proven track record. January 9, 2007

Adjustable Table-Height Hardware
Where to get parts for tables that can be raised and lowered. March 1, 2006

Custom Built-In Seating for a Boat
The furniture forum discusses plumb, level, port, starboard, pitch, yaw, and relating nautical seating terminology. June 10, 2006

AWI certification
Is membership or certfication with AWI worth your while?July 29, 2003

Starting Out as a Furnituremaker
Making custom furniture is a very tough business, and most craftsmen who try it fail. August 29, 2006

Toning a Table Top
This finishing problem is really more of a customer relations issue. But it's worth reading just for a look at the table top (a lovely piece of work). August 22, 2013

Getting Mahogany Flat
Very hard woods with alternating grain patterns sometimes develop waviness when sanded with wide-belt equipment. Here's an extensive discussion of the characteristics of Mahogany, and of ways to approach it using both hand tools and power equipment. November 12, 2005

Choosing CAD/CAM for Complex Carved Custom Furniture
What programs could handle the drawing and machine control requirements for reproducing an intricate, highly decorated, hand-carved piece of custom furniture? April 19, 2011

Japanese-Style Black Finish with Red Undertones
Finishers pitch in with different takes on how to imitate an ancient Oriental lacquer finish for a custom job. March 9, 2008

Switching Specialties: From Cabinets to Furniture
Can a one-man business successfully make the change? Owners weigh in on both sides. July 24, 2005

Drawer Construction
Choosing an efficient method over farming out the work. June 4, 2004

Math Question: Dimensioning Angles
Cabinetmakers chime in on methods for determining the size of an angled plane. February 8, 2005

Ellipse jig
Making your own jig for ellipse-based arcs. (From WOODWEB's Cabinetmaking Forum) March 5, 2003

Radius countertop edge
Making a radiused wood edge without resorting to segments. January 3, 2003

Structural Concerns for Boat Cabinetry
A proposal for a free-standing entertainment center on a boat sets off a discussion about appropriate technology in nautical cabinetry. July 30, 2007

Router Bits for Raised Panels
Horizontal versus vertical bits for cutting raised panels. January 28, 2004

Dadoing techniques
Using a router to make dados. June 24, 2002

Finishing a Hand-Scraped Wood Surface
Finishers and furnituremakers discuss the fine points of scraping and hand-planing, and of applying finish to a hand-worked wood surface. February 15, 2015

Architectural Woodworking Forum -- Span Limits and Materials for Library Shelving
Furniture and cabinet makers discuss the theory and practice of bookshelf sag control. February 16, 2006

Alternating growth rings in panels
The debate between alternating growth rings and matching grain. September 25, 2002

Constructing a Curved Pedestal Base
Advice on how to construct a complex curved pedestal. February 17, 2011

Finishing Dovetail Drawer Fronts
A furniture builder gets help figuring out how to finish the fronts of some dovetail drawers in a custom piece. August 14, 2007

Decal Delaminating from Epoxy Finish
Troubleshooting a situation where a decal on a wood table is lifting under the epoxy finish. March 13, 2014

Applying Nosing to Prefinished Plywood
The search for a satisfactory way to treat the seam where nosing meets plywood. May 10, 2005

Filler and Finish for Antique Wood Surfaces
July 7, 2011

Shellac Before Poly Finish on a Custom Table
Shellac is a good sealer coat to apply to a furniture piece while still under construction, during a delay before final finishing with poly.October 19, 2014

Speaker Materials that Sound Good
Some quick insights into building speaker cabinets with pleasing acoustic performance. April 17, 2009

Radius of an arc
Formulas for determining the radius of an arc, or "eyebrow"

Jig for beaded faceframes
Photographs of a shop-built jig. June 4, 2003

Pricing a Custom Piece of Furniture
A custom cabinet-maker asks for input on pricing a specially-ordered free-standing chest of drawers. The discussion covers a lot of ground on estimating, pricing, and the difference between cabinets and furniture. October 19, 2005

Building Wide Glass Cabinet Doors
Advice on construction details and hinge choices for wide glass doors. July 10, 2007

Pricing Out a Bookcase Design
A customer's design based on an existing manufactured product probably can't be made for a cost that's competitive with the original. June 4, 2012

Hand-Made Appearance of a Scrub Plane
To get the scalloped look of this made-in-Mexico cabinet, you need a scrub plane — a traditional tool that some woodworkers really like. March 4, 2009

Pricing a Stump
Woodworkers get a good laugh out of chunks of hardwood log, sold in catalogs as two-hundred-dollar furniture. February 11, 2009

Bonding Stainless Steel to Plywood
Advice on fabricating a stainless-steel-on-plywood tabletop. June 28, 2007

Are bone-dry biscuits necessary?
Questions about the dryness and size of biscuits. April 24, 2002

Distressing Wood
Learning how to give new furniture that well-worn look. January 6, 2005

- Spreadsheet Calculation Program -- for Curves, Angles, Compound Miters and Springback
Free downloadable program(s) in both Excel and MS Works, including illustrations that support the formulas.. August 6, 2002

Steam bending and lamination
Switching from glulam to steam bending of curved furniture parts. July 22, 2003

Springback formula for bent laminations
Calculating springback of laminated parts. October 2, 2001

Gluing Ipe for Indoor Furniture
Tips about making furniture with Ipe. September 7, 2011

Walnut Slab Table Top Finishing Tips
Woodworking and finishing tips for a craftsman working on a Walnut slab table. January 8, 2010

Finishing Inside the Drawers of a Fine Walnut Vanity
Advice on whether to finish the drawer interiors of a period furniture piece, and with what. February 26, 2007

Making Custom Molds for Storing Objects
Thoughts on two ways to make form-fitting pockets: moldable materials, or CAD/CNC imaging. March 28, 2015

Slide-Out Table Details
Cabinetmakers try to figure out how a large slide-out table works. August 31, 2010

Adjustable-Height Work Tables
Advice on work tables that allow the user to choose between standing and sitting. November 14, 2014

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