Table Project number two!

After doing my other smaller and easier table, I decided to try my hand at something a little more complex. While at the home center, I got materials for another table but had to wait in order to build it. This table was going to be a bit larger but more sleek and actually based on a table I have seen so many times in anime it's not funny. It's the traditional low height Japanese table that you sit seiza ( kneeling ) at and it usually seats 6-8 people. And I always see them in jet black.

 

So follow along to see how I made this one and how it turned out!

 

First up, the materials:

 

 

I used a flat sheet that's 9.5 inches wide and 3/4 inch thick and 4 feet long along with 2 long 1x1 inch blocks. All of this is made of Poplar wood which is easy to cut, shape and sand and should hold stain well.

 

So now I need measurements. Since the girls will be kneeling at this table in traditional style, I need measurements of where their hands will rest at a sitting position. So I asked Manami and Rei for help since they have different bodies and may be different sizes:

 

 

 

As you can see, it looks like 5.5 inches will be a good height to go for. So in checking on that, I can make my measurements on the tabletop thickness and the leg length to make them add up to 5.5 inches:

 

 

 

So what comes after marking the wood? Cutting the wood! You can use most any saw for this but I wanted to use the chopsaw since it makes fast and precise cuts for the legs.

 

 

Remember kids, always use eye protection! So here is the first leg after it's been cut:

 

 

Make sure to sand down the edges after every cut or your legs/wood will look all fuzzy like this:

 

 

Now I have all four legs cut and ready to test for height:

 

 

So I go and get the girls for some height checks. Rei, Manami can yall sit down at the table for me so I can make sure it fits you alright?

 

R - I suppose so.

 

M - Sure Papa!

 

 

Ok, both of you fit underneath well. Rei, can you move over to Manami's left so I can see how much room I'll need for the table?

 

R - Sigh, alright....

 

 

Ok good job ladies! Now I just need to measure the length of the table so I know we have enuff room for all of you.

 

R - Are we done yet? Why aren't you doing anything cool yet?

 

Hang on a second Rei, I just have to mark this.

 

 

Ok, now I am done. You girls can head back inside to finish whatever you were doing before.

 

R - No way Papa. I am not leaving until I get to use THAT!

 

 

Oh no Rei. That is NOT going to happen. That is way too dangerous for you to get near.

 

R - Oh come on Papa, let me try..... please?

 

I'm sorry Rei but all the begging in the world isn't getting you near that saw. You are too important to me to let something bad happen. And that's final.

 

R - You are seriously no fun Papa.

 

If you want to stay out here and watch, stand over there with Manami so you dont get sawdust all over you.

 

 

M - Come on Rei, you know he is just trying to be safe. Plus, you don't want your nice outfit getting all messy do you? I sure don't want this dress to get all gross.

 

R - I suppose so.

 

Finally. Ok then, now I have to cut the tabletop to length. I need it 28 inches long so I'll be using the circular saw to make this cut. Again, you can use most any saw for this, I just prefer the circular saw for this because it makes nice straight cuts on wide boards.

 

 

And I have to clamp the board down so it won't move around while I cut. Jagged or crooked cuts suck to try and fix and it wastes wood too.

 

 

And after the cut is made:

 

 

So now we have all the parts ready to go! Now to find a way to attach the legs to the tabletop....

 

 

All you need to do is basically mark the underside of the table so you can remember where the legs go for gluing later. But something is needed to hold them there while you set them all up. So I decided to use a little trick to do this. I took 4 small nails used to hang pictures:

 

 

And hammered them into the leg tops. I marked an X on the tops of the legs so its easy to see where the center of the square is.

 

 

Next, you use some snips to cut off the nail head thats left on top. This lets you hammer the legs into the tabletop and hold them in place for a bit.

 

 

I put the legs on measuring 1 inch in from the sides and 4 inches in from the ends. This was so the girls could fit between the legs at the ends and not hit their legs on them. Also, it makes the legs sit in more under the table and stay out of the way. Plus it gives the effect of the table being shorter than it actually is. So here are all four legs attached underneath:

 

 

And now lets flip it over so I can see how it looks.

 

 

Not too bad! Now for a final check on the fit for the girls:

 

 

Alright, looking good! Ok yall, I'm done, you can go back inside now...

 

R - Finally! I am about bored out here. Let's go get something to drink.

 

M - Yeah! I could use a stiff one right about now!

 

O_o

 

 

Sheesh. Alright, now maybe I can get something done. After everything is ready to go, I sanded it all. All surfaces were sanded using 150 grit sandpaper to take out any burs or odd shapes I didn't want. I used a power sander but I did have to use sheets in hand for the small edges and such. Since this table is meant to be angular and boxy, I did not smooth the edges on it. After the sanding, I used Windex and a shop towel to wipe away any sawdust. Surfaces need to be clean for gluing and painting.

 

 

I used Elmers Wood Glue for attaching the legs. It makes a great bond and will keep the legs on tight.

 

 

Now, you put glue on the top of the legs where the nails are. Make sure to cover the tops as much as possible but don't glob the glue on there, it doesn't need to be thick, just even.

 

 

Now just line up the holes with the nails and push the legs into the surface and line up the flat edges of the legs with the edge of the tabletop. Here's two of them attached:

 

 

Here comes the fun part. You need to make sure the legs have a good bond to the table so they need to be clamped into place for an hour so the glue sets. I have lots of wood clamps so I used those. But you can just flip the table rightside up and put books on there or something else heavy if you don't have clamps.

 

 

Now we wait....

 

Ok, waiting is done! Time to paint this sucker! I just used a can of gloss black paint that was 99 cents. You don't need anything fancy for this.

 

 

I took the table out to the screened in porch so the paint fumes wouldn't stay in the garage. Make sure you paint out in the open so you don't breathe all that stuff in. And I also cleaned off the table again so no sawdust was on it. If you leave it dirty, anything on the surface will show thru the paint. Here is the table after one coat of paint:

 

 

And after 2 coats of paint:

 

 

I used 5 coats to make sure it would be plenty black and have no missed spots. When using a spray can, make sure not to lay it on thick. Just do a thin coat and let it dry about 10 minutes, then do the next coat. Multiple thin coats look way better and won't give you paint runs or drips.

 

After the table dried under the ceiling fans for 2 hours, I decided to let the girls sit at it inside on the living room floor. They invited their cousin Tsubaki along too.

 

 

Another angle:

 

 

And yet another shot with me laying on the floor...

 

 

The table was not 100% dry at this time so I took it back outside to the garage to let it dry overnight. So now my girls have an authentic Japanese table to sit at for supper and such! It took a long time to do but I think it worked out well.

 

Thanks for looking!

 

 

Billy

Wow! That is so detailed. You have lots of cool tools and stuff. The table really turned out amazing. You are a very skilled craftsman. It looks so professional. I really like your fancy wood clamps too.

 

When Manami said she needed a "stiff one," I remembered the Teeny Weeny Martini set you got her a while back. Aren't there two glasses? Now Manami has two potential partners to join her for a martini. Is Rei the drinking type or do you think Yoko is a more likely taker?

Thank you very much! I don't think I am so skilled but I'll have to agree that the table turned out better than I thought it would. And I'm glad you appreciate the tools! I am a big stickler for having the right tool for the job, especially with woodworking. I just wish I had more tools and more room so I could do some bigger jobs. And I love the clamps too. If I didn't have those, there are lots of jobs I could not have done. I have them in all sorts of sizes from 8 inch on up to some huge ones I had to use on the endtables. You'll see those in that post later on.

 

Heh, as for the stiff drink, I do think Rei is more likely to be the other drinker of spirits than Yoko is. Yoko likes the occasional drink but she can't hold her alcohol at all. 2 drinks and she is all sorts of tipsy. I wish I'd met her in college...

 

 

Billy

cool pictures and l like the table.

Very nice!

 

I was always wondering how real table legs stuck to the top when there wasn't corner brackets holding them in place. Gonna try to do this soon

We can't see the last 3 pics! But it's so cool, anyway!!!!!! Just love it!!!!

Hahaha wow these pictures are OLD...

Wow, talk about a blast from the past! It feels like forever ago that I made that table. I've made a lot of them for people since then too. And I still have this table, I use it all the time with the girls.

 

I have no clue why those last pics don't work tho and since these pics are so old, I have no idea where they are in my Flickr pics. Sorry I can't put those in there for yall to see. It was just finished pics of the table and yall have seen it in many posts.

 

I'm glad yall liked it tho!

 

 

Billy

Wow, this is really old but I love it!! Everyone in these forums are so crafty. xD

Nicely done! I'm inspired...

Wow, this is really old but I love it!! Everyone in these forums are so crafty. xD

 

 

Nicely done! I'm inspired...

 

 

Thanks guys! I appreciate it. So Denaliwind, are you going to try making one of these?

 

 

Billy

Great job! Woodworking is a skill I am just not cut out for, so I always love seeing what others have done and made!

Great job! Woodworking is a skill I am just not cut out for, so I always love seeing what others have done and made!

 

 

Thank you very much! I've always enjoyed woodworking so even tho I'm not really great at it, I do still have fun doing it.

 

 

Billy

Nice work. Now all it needs are the girls in lovely kimonos, lots of food and some sake.

Nice work. Now all it needs are the girls in lovely kimonos, lots of food and some sake.

 

Thanks! I'll try and get some pics of the girls with it loaded with food sometime soon since I have more girls with birthdays coming up.

 

 

Billy