|
|
 |
|
|
| |
 |
|
|
by
Gary Walchuk
photo: Tracy Cox
illustration: Len Churchill |
KITCHEN NOOK |
Build
a spot to dine in the most popular
room in the house |
Finding space in the kitchen isn’t easy, whether you’re
talking pots and pans, flour and sugar, or tables and chairs.
I designed this compact table-and-stool set to make it possible
to sit and eat in the kitchen without robbing the room of its
much-needed space. I had a compact design in mind when I built
the stools so that they can nest under the table and thus out
of the way. The entire set can be stored against a wall.
 |
| Add
compact seating to your kitchen, a nice place for
your family to hang out while you’re working
in the area |
DUST OFF
YOUR SKILLS |
| No
matter how careful you are about vacuuming your
workshop before finishing, airborne dust particles
will inevitably settle on wet paint or urethane
before it dries. These unwelcome specs will cause
small, disappointing bumps in the finish when it
dries, although there is a way to get rid of them.
The trick: make polishing the final step of your
finishing process. Wrap a piece of 600-grit sandpaper
around a block of scrap foam and remove any bumps
by gently rubbing all flat surfaces with a few strokes.
Use the paper freehand for curves and tight spots,
but don’t overdo it. All it takes is two or
three strokes in a given location. Next, place a
6" x 6" square of fine rubbing pad against
the Velcro surface of your random-orbit sander pad,
then push the pad against the work and switch it
“on.” The more you power-polish, the
greater the sheen you’ll get. In just a few
minutes, your tabletop will shine like the hood
of a new car. —Steve Maxwell |
|
Kitchen tables
and stools have a reputation for being difficult to build, but
I’ve discovered that it doesn’t have to be that
way if you take time to refine the design. That’s what
I’ve tried to do here. The joinery is simple but strong.
The lines are clean and contemporary. All of the materials—even
the upholstery—are inexpensive and easy to find.
To make this project come together well, diligent planning and
stock preparation are key. I usually sand all of my stock to
paint-ready smoothness before I cut it to size, and this set
is a perfect case in point. After final assembly, there are
plenty of nooks and crannies that you’ll never get a chance
to smooth properly otherwise. You’ll save time sanding
and get better finished results if you sand first. I recommend
running a belt sander, equipped with 120-grit paper, over all
the stock you have before cutting your stock to the dimensions
listed.
Start With the Table
The table calls for larger pieces of wood than the stools, so
it makes sense to begin here. This way you’re better able
to make good use of your table “scraps” when you’re
ready to build the stools.
Cut the legs, base, end skirts and side skirts to exact size.
Leave the base ends and filler strips for now. The parts you’ve
just cut require a decorative 1/8"-deep cut (called a “saw
kerf”) along one surface, 1/2" in from the edges.
This is an aesthetic addition, designed to add a bit of detail
and shadow to the final painted project. Cut kerfs into the
outside surfaces of each of the parts, one cut in each piece.
Start with the outside edges of each leg, then cut another set
of kerfs along the bottom outside surfaces of the skirt parts.
Finish up with more kerfs along the top edge of the base members.
When you’re done, sand the inside edges of the kerfs to
remove the sharp edges.
Now cut the two horizontal trestle boards to size. When they’re
finally joined together later, they’ll look like a single
piece of 1 1/2"-thick wood. But right now, prepare 1/4"-deep,
3/4"-wide dado grooves across the outer surfaces, 1 1/4"
from each end, to fit the leg edges. Measure 24" up from
each leg bottom end and, using a pencil, mark a line on the
inside edge. Use glue and two #8 x 1 1/2" screws per joint
to fasten the top edge of one trestle board on the 24"
mark on each leg edge. Make sure the decorative saw kerfs on
the legs face outward. Join the two trestle boards to each other
using glue and clamps, resulting in a complete trestle/leg assembly.
The legs should be one inch apart at each table end, and 23"
apart from one pair to the other.
|
| PART
1 | PART 2 | PART
3 | PART 4 |
|
|
|
|
| FREE
NEWSLETTER |
Subscribe to our newsletter. Every few weeks, you'll get a behind-the-scenes
peek at the magazine, the web site and the folks who put it all together.
CLICK HERE |
|
|
PROJECTS
