Extension slides are readily available from many sources in kit form -- a shortcut even professional furniture makers take, since these slides are difficult to build accurately (and you would still need to find the hardware). For smooth tabletop expansion the extension slides must be installed exactly parallel. Attach the extension slides with only two screws for now, so you can adjust them later if needed.
Continue by clamping mating edges of the tabletop together (set the leaf aside for now), then place the assembly on the extension slides and centre them before fastening with screws.
The table leaf can now be added, along with the alignment pins, before the table is flipped upside down. Use a blanket or piece of foam as padding to prevent scratches to the tabletop.
Corners And Aprons
The round corner blocks and beaded aprons come next. The plans show how the corner blocks are cut from a longer, laminated block on an angle. This makes the visible grain around the curved front of the blocks more consistent. Dry-fit these parts, secure the corner blocks to the underside of the tabletop with #8 x 2 1/2" screws.
Rout the beaded profile on the aprons, then trim to final length so they fit between the corner blocks, as shown in the plan. Trim the end aprons, which aren't attached to the tabletop because they form drawer fronts, with 1/16" clearance between the corner blocks. With the extension leaf installed, cut and fit their small aprons then fasten them with counterbored screws driven from below.
Even though the drawer box specs are given in the materials list, it's best to build yours to fit between the drawer mount member on your table, less the allowance required for the mechanical drawer slides you're using. If you make a mistake and your drawers are too big or small, just move the drawer mount members until the clearance is right. Once the drawers are built and installed, fasten the end aprons that act as drawer faces. Double-sided tape makes it easy to position the aprons just right, before fastening with screws driven from inside.
Finishing Tips
I build furniture for a living so my finishing methods are more involved than a home workshopper might choose. I sprayed non-grain-raising professional stain, toner and 35' sheen lacquer to get the dark colour and look I wanted. Toner is colouring liquid added to lacquer for custom tinting. Any oil-based stain and urethane would be a good home workshop option. It's important to use a dark stain, to reinforce that feeling of mass and weight and formality. A light-coloured stain would look odd, even silly, like seeing the Queen in a t-shirt and sweatpants. It just wouldn't be right.
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