Untitled - MetosExpo - Free

Pedestal TablesSculptural bases and veneered tops(by Jim WallaceWhen I design a table, I consider the pedestal as importantas the top. Modern manufacturers often relegate thetable base to the role of unobtrusive support, as if tosay: "Paint it black and perhaps it will disappear." However, mytables are meant to be sculptural as well as functional, so the pedestalis an integral part of the design, not merely a support for thetop, no matter how spectacular it may be.My table designs are inspired by many sources: nature, art, architeaure,fashion and graphics. The pedestal or "Post" in the bottomphoto on the facing page was influenced by d1e decorative elementsof Post-Modern architecture, hence the name "Post:Modern Table."My designs often are influenced by more practical considerations.For example, the top of the Post:Modern Table is veneered wid1 24wedge-shape segments, partly because the satinwood veneer wasavailable only in 5-in. widths and partly because I didn't have apress large enough to veneer the top as one piece.Constructing these pedestal tables, with their sculptural basesand unique veneering problems, is a challenge in any shop, butespecially so in my 300-sq.-ft. one-man shop. This small space a.lsohas forced me to limit my tool collecting. I have a 10-in. tablesaw,hand circular saw, 12-in. disc sander, belt sander, orbital sander,drill press, %-in. drill, router, clamps and a compressor for sprayinglacquer. In this article, I'll concentrate on describing someof my techniques rather than giving you plans for duplicating oneof my tables. I want to show that even though you may not have ashop stocked with expensive tools, you needn't limit the creativityof your designs. Being from the school of "whatever works," Ihave evolved some unorthodox methods for building tables andhave come up with devices to compensate for many of myshop's shortcomings.Whatever works -The multipurpose table shown in figure 1, below,simplifies many operations. It is constructed from 2x4s andplywood, with 32 casters mounted n 6-in. centers on the top. Mymother says it looks like a geriatric skateboard, but she'll have towait, because I'm still finding new u e for it around the shop. Infigure 1, the table's being used casters-down, as a stand to hold thetops while the veneer is clamped. Turned this way, I also use it asa mobile workbench for moving large in-progress pieces from mysmall garage shop to my driveway, where I work whenever possible.Cutting up d1e large 4-ft. by 8-ft. sheets of birch plywood and panicleboardneeded to construct all my tables is a real chore for oneperson. Turned casters-up, the multipurpose table becomes an outfeedtable the same height as my lO-in. Craftsman tablesaw, which isalso on wheels for moving outside. 111e sheets slide neady off thesaw and over the casters, making d1e process an easy one-man job.Because my pedestals are built with various sizes of polygons, 1devised the aajustable jig shown in the photo below. It's basically aboard wid1 a pivot pin and a wide lot for an adjustable miter gauge.The piece to be cut is drilled in d1e center so it fits snugly on thepivot pin. The miter gauge, fitted with d1e appropriately angle Ifence (for example, 45° for an octagon, 3(f for a hexagon), is set inconjunction with d1e saw's rip fence to cut d1e desired-size piece.The circumference of each tabletop is embellished with a seriesFig. 1: Veneering tabletopTabletop, particleboard substratePlywoodtriangle, 'I.-in.,with blocksfor distributingpressure onveneerMultifunctionaltable, casters down\This jig for cutting polygons has the versatility to cut variousshapes in a large range of sizes. Set up here to cut octagons, the jigcan be adapted to cut hexagons by replacing the 45° miter gaugewith one that has a 30° fence.64 Fine Woodworking