# Small Furniture Project



## CalgaryPT (Jul 20, 2020)

I'm reading a lot more these days. My wife is left handed, and the best reading chairs/sofas in the house have tables better suited to her reach. So I thought I'd take the time to build a slide table that works for me, and is portable enough I can carry to any room I want to read in. These are great for a cup of coffee, glasses, your book, phone, etc.

I've always loved the combination of metal and wood, but I don't have many woodworking tools anymore. A recent (socially distanced) trip to Windsor Plywood found me browsing through their exotics. I can do the crosscut, but just don't have the setup for ripping or routing the edge. Fortunately, I came across a piece of Zebrawood exactly the width I needed. I've always wanted to incorporate some Zebrawood into a project. The cool thing about it is that it is harder than oak, and has a great end grain that doesn't need hiding. So while it takes a long time to sand, you get a really durable top with a great looking edge that won't damage easily. You guys who work with wood know what I mean better than me.

For my design I wanted a squared-off look for the tabletop, and an industrial/modern look for the structure. I used 1" 16 gauge tubing for the base, and 1/2" tubing for the accents. I left the welds unsanded (but no sharp edges), all the heat affected zones intact, and the ring roller knurling marks on the curved piece. To highlight the look on the metal I used a black oxide patina topped with a satin clear coat. This leaves a mottled industrial look with some shiny silver parts, some really black parts, and some gun blue parts when the light hits it just right. Lots of cool smearing where I wiped the patina formula. The top is just a lightly pigmented oil rubbed on. It's non-toxic and is water, alcohol and coffee resistant; in fact it can be even used on chopping blocks. But it is kind of pricey.

The tubing I had on hand, so the biggest expense was the Zebrawood ($35.00/brd foot) and the topcoat oil ($40.00). The only other expense was the vinyl tube plugs ($0.52 each).

If I had been more ambitious I would have made the height adjustable with seamless tubing, but as I plan to use it more with a sofa than with armchairs, this isn't a big deal. I'll be using it on carpet, but had I intended to use it on flooring, I would have installed rivnuts on the base to accommodate soft foot felt levellers.


----------



## Chicken lights (Jul 20, 2020)

Very nice!


----------



## DPittman (Jul 20, 2020)

Very nice and beautiful wood grain.


----------



## David_R8 (Jul 20, 2020)

Beautiful!
(what kind of clamp is that??)


----------



## CalgaryPT (Jul 20, 2020)

David_R8 said:


> Beautiful!
> (what kind of clamp is that??)


It's called a 3 Axis welding clamp (from StrongHand Tools). It's used for making tubing structures like tables and benches.


----------



## David_R8 (Jul 20, 2020)

Thanks Pete!


----------



## francist (Jul 20, 2020)

Nicely done there Pete, you’ve got a good eye. (well, I’m sure you have two good eyes but you know what I mean...)

I’ve never used Zebrano and if there’s too much of it it can can get busy real fast. The simple clean lines of your table are perfect for it though. I like the cantilever too, very elegant.

-frank


----------



## Hruul (Jul 22, 2020)

Very nice work Pete.


----------



## PeterT (Jul 22, 2020)

Very snappy Pete. 
Is all the welding MIG? 
Those plastic parts that plug the square tubing hole - are they meant to just finish it off tastefully so you don't have to weld caps on? Do they pop in standard tubing or do you have to trim & work them a bit? Do they over extend the tubing OD slightly and act like little feet or are they more flush with the wall thickness & the horizontal steel sections basically contact the floor?


----------



## CalgaryPT (Jul 22, 2020)

Yes, the welding is all MIG. Normally I would have TIG'd something like this, but I wanted the weld bead to add to the "industrial look." 

The plastic caps replace steel ends you would normally cut, weld and sand. They have a few advantages. They soften the edges so when you bang your socked toes against it in the middle of the night it doesn't hurt as much, they are super easy to use (just tap them in), and they won't mark hardwood floors. They are also cheap.

They pop in standard tubing and are generally sized for about 16 gauge, at least the ones you find in the big box stores. But you can order them from Amazon in different widths, for other wall sizes, and as large as 2" square. You can even get rectangular ones, circular ones, etc. You can get both internal and external caps. The ones I used (far left in the pic showing a few types I keep on hand) are internal. They have a rounded internal component that compresses when tapped in with a hammer. Occasionally they are a tad loose—but you just put the tubing in a vise beforehand if this happens, and then the fit is tighter. You can sometimes find "sealable" caps that you heat and bind to the metal as well, but I've never used these. I think they are for the marine and food services industries.

The ones I used don't overlap the edges of the tubing; they are flush and are even with the floor (see pic). But you can get ones that overlap to act as feet, as you mention. I don't have to "work" them in—they are a pretty snug fit for standard tubing (again, ~ 16 gauge) you find at HD or Metal Supermarkets. But you do have to check measurements if you order from Amazon. Most have an envelope of wall thickness they are rated for: the lower end thicknesses they will just push into; the higher end thickness you have to hammer them in.

I once made a fish tank bench for a neighbour who wasn't sure if it would end up on an uneven cement floor in his basement or the hardwood floor in his living area (I suspect his wife was the deciding voice). So I gave him two sets of these caps. One could be used on the hardwood, and the other had rivnuts in them with levellers. He could swap out whichever ones he needed.


----------



## Janger (Jul 22, 2020)

Casterland has a wide selection of those tube plugs. Nice project Pete. I want a big gate arbor thing at the front walk ...  you've got me thinking about that again.


----------



## PeterT (Sep 6, 2020)

Pete, what is your preferred method to attach table tops or shelves to your steel furniture frames? I'm guessing you screw from underneath through holes drilled in the tubing? But do you use any kind of insert into the wood for standard thread fastener or screw as in 'screw'? What size of screw?

Any experience with these insert adapters + adjustable leveling pad combination? I'm just mulling ideas for workbench & they would save on welding. I'll have to call them, maybe they are furniture orientated vs machinery mounts like KBC link, which are of COURSE, metric thread, but I could work around that. The pucks are easy, fabricating plates or insert equivalent is the fiddle fart aspect
https://www.casterland.com/collections/threaded-square-inserts/products/oc440-2-t516-16-18ga
https://www.casterland.com/collections/levelers/products/oc400-516x34

https://www.kbctools.ca/itemdetail/1-915-00B


----------



## CalgaryPT (Sep 6, 2020)

PeterT said:


> Pete, what is your preferred method to attach table tops or shelves to your steel furniture frames? I'm guessing you screw from underneath through holes drilled in the tubing? But do you use any kind of insert into the wood for standard thread fastener or screw as in 'screw'? What size of screw?
> 
> Any experience with these insert adapters + adjustable leveling pad combination? I'm just mulling ideas for workbench & they would save on welding. I'll have to call them, maybe they are furniture orientated vs machinery mounts like KBC link, which are of COURSE, metric thread, but I could work around that. The pucks are easy, fabricating plates or insert equivalent is the fiddle fart aspect
> https://www.casterland.com/collections/threaded-square-inserts/products/oc440-2-t516-16-18ga
> ...



I've used a myriad of methods depending on the project. For furniture-quality stuff mostly I screw from underneath as you say, with wood screws that are #10-#12. The exception is particle board for workshop projects. I find even the devoted particle board screws (not to mention pressboard) always come loose, likely because of the banging and abuse a bench gets. The last bench I did like this for a shop I built an angle iron frame for the top to sit in. Then I used a Forstner bit to sink the holes from the top about 1/2 way, next I bolted it to the angle iron underneath and using Nylok nuts. The particle board was 3/4", so there was room to sink the heads. Had it been thinner I would have dropped the top into the frame and secured with PL400.

One kinda cool project I did had replacement tops of different materials: one was laminated whiteboard on 2X plywood, another was arcylic, the last was rubber laminated to 2X plywood. They were used in an art class where they changed the tabletops for different exercises. For those I used wood hanger bolts similar to these: https://www.homedepot.ca/search?q=wood hanger bolts#!q=wood hanger bolts. They allowed the instructors to unbolt wing nuts underneath and swap out the tops. I've never used any type of screw in fastener, but I know they are available (probably Lee Valley or a place like that). I think that would make sense if you anticipated removing the top routinely so you didn't mess up the holes with repeated wood screws going in and out.

When the structure is round tubing I've used strapping with a hole on each side of it that forms around the tube. Ideally, you'd drill through the round tube and into the wood, but it's difficult to recess the screw into the tubing without the right tool to punch dimple it first. Otherwise the screw protrudes from the tubing slightly, looks ugly and constitutes a hazard if someone reaches under the table top. The screws on the strapping still do this a bit, but you can at least use flatheads instead of a tapered head screw (which is a necessity for dimpled round tubing). Another advantage of strapping is that it allows for some adjustment of the top if needed. I've seen strapping used for aesthetic reasons on square tubing (such as rectangular brass strapping) on chests or nautical-themed furniture, but it is usually to match other features of the furniture and not because it is the best method of securing wood to the frame.

I'm a big fan of levellers as well as the DIY or store bought machinery pucks. I know it is extra work, but I think you might regret not having something adjustable.. They even make casters with levellers, which are on the CNC Plasma table I used to have (I think John has it now). But they are expensive. If it is the drilling for the base plates turning you off (I hate drilling too) I could cut and punch them for you in seconds if you want.


----------



## Janger (Sep 6, 2020)

CalgaryPT said:


> . They even make casters with levellers, which are on the CNC Plasma table I used to have (I think John has it now).




It's currently in storage BUT... I'm working on a plan to break it out at another members place...


----------



## David_R8 (Sep 28, 2020)

Taylnia said:


> That looks and sounds really great! I mean, i really like that kind of small coffee table. I would buy one for sure! The project ain't bad at all, i guess you just should have gone all in for it. I think it could become easily a successful project actually. I mean, those small coffee tables look really great, and in my opinion they are really practical. In case you got some for sale, i would buy them. I would like to get one into my future house, as i am moving in a couple of months. I even asked the guys from Kairos, who designed my house, i asked them if they don't have this kind of coffee tables. They didn't have anything similar.


Might be kinda expensive given that you are in Australia.


----------



## Janger (Sep 28, 2020)

Taylnia is a spammer. banned.


----------

