Now, take a look at the plans to see how the rear edges of the rear leg sides attached to the table are tapered toward the top and how the top of the leg is mitred at a 65º angle to position the backrest brace perpendicular to the chair slats. Lay out the tapered section, then make the cuts freehand at the bandsaw while remaining about 1⁄16"on the waste side of the pencil line. You could sand to remove the saw marks, but a quick trip to the jointer gets the job done with more speed and accuracy. After all this, use the tablesaw or a mitre saw to cut the 65º angle required at the top. As you do, make certain the original edge of the part (not the tapered edge) is referenced against your fence; otherwise, you’ll end up with the wrong angle.
The angle on the backs of the tall leg members creates an added challenge when it comes to assembling the rear legs. You can’t align the corners of the parts as you did at the front. The solution is to scribe a line that runs parallel to the front edge of the supports to reference the location of the inside corner. Offset this line by 21⁄16" from the front edge to get the adjacent parts situated correctly. Before you fasten the parts together with glue and screws, make sure the angle of the inside corner measures 75º. I mention this because it’s easy to get the piece with the bevel on the edge flipped the wrong way around.
The table leg assemblies are connected by an arrangement of horizontal rails. The ends of the rails are bevelled at a 75º angle to correspond with the inside of the leg corners. Study the plans carefully before proceeding with cross cuts to make sure the bevels are angled in the correct direction. The plans also show how the rails are notched on the ends to form lap joints that fit around the corners of the leg assemblies. These lap joints add a great deal of strength to the structure. You can use a tenoning jig to cut the cheeks for these joints, or nibble away at the waste material by making repeated passes with a dado blade set to cut through half the thickness of the boards. You will need to prepare both upper and lower rails for the front and rear leg frames, but only the uppers are required for the sides. The lower support will be provided by the seat frames when the chairs are added to the assembly. When all the rails are ready to go, assemble the table base using glue and clamps to secure the joints. Make sure the legs are square to the rails before setting the base assemblies to dry.
The top of the table is covered with a series of wide slats that are angled on their ends to conform to the wedge shape of the base. A decorative, curved profile is applied to the edges that overhang the front and rear of the base. A grid diagram is included in the plans to help you lay out the front curve. The arc at the back has a 55"-radius. When you install the rear slat, you will need to notch the ends to fit around the tall leg members. I cut the notches at the bandsaw and smoothed the edges using a sanding block. To accommodate the pole for the sun umbrella, drill a 11⁄2"-diameter hole in the centre of the third slat from the back. To minimize tearout, drill partway through with a Forstner bit, tap a finishing nail through the centre point to mark the location on the other side, then flip over the board to finish the job from the opposing face. It’s much easier to do all this work before the part is installed.
When you attach the slats, it’s best to start at the back and work your way forward. The notched corners on the rear slat leave very little wiggle room for adjustments. Cut some 1⁄4" spacers from scrap wood to set the gap between the boards and make sure the angled ends are aligned before driving home the screws. When positioned correctly, the edges of the slats sit flush with the sides of the legs and overhang the rails by 3⁄8".
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