In this tutorial we will show you how to make a simple, yet beautiful table.
1. The Wood and the size
The first thing you need to determine is the size. The one-person desk built here is 1 meter wide and 75 cm deep.
When that is decided you have to get a plate.
We got a solid beech wood plate from IKEA. And this had to be cut down.
We cut the plate in two pieces: 100 cm * 75 cm and 55 cm * 75 cm. The smallest were to become a small side table.
2. The table edge
As you can see in the video, we made two tables out of one plate. This plate had already somewhat cornered edges. But after the new straight cut, something had to be done.
But before you deal with the edges, it can be a good idea to remove saw marks;)
After that is done, get out your portable router and start getting those edges carved up!
3. Sanding
After the edges are trimmed you need to sand down and prepare the beauty for oil.
We used first 120 grit sandpaper. Thereafter 240, 400 and 600 before a final session with 800.
Note that after every grit you should first wipe or vacuum up all sawdust from the plate. And thereafter wipe the table with a damp cloth. This moisture will raise the fibres and give you a better foundation for the next sanding session!
4. Oiling and Finishing
After the plate is sanded and cleaned, it’s ready to be oiled!
Prepare a workplace where the plate can stand untouched for a couple of days while drying. We used a couple of table trestle, and by deciding to not oil the plate on the bottom side, we didn’t need to turn it around.
We used Liberon Finishing Oil on this table. It is a neural looking oil which really brings forth the characteristics in the wood.
Apply a generous amount of oil and spread it evenly using a cloth. And by wearing rubber gloves you save yourself from a somewhat problematic hand wash. And remember that the end grain contracts more oil, so apply extra here!
15 minutes after the oil has been applied, remove all excess with a clean cloth. Do this thoroughly, because this determines a lot of the required polishing time.
After this you have to wait at least 5 hours. Then it’s time to polish the table with fine steel wool. We used Liberon oil-free steel wool grade 0000. Try to follow the grains when rubbing.
After this is done, wipe the table and prepare it for another round of oiling. Repeat until desired result is achieved. We did this 5 times.
5. Legs
Hairpin legs is rather simplistic looking legs perfect for this application.
And they are really simple to attach.
So if you make a table, please share a picture with us, and we will post it here =D
