"Melvin P. Schtepner" wrote in message
...
Does anyone have any suggestions on how to design or where to find
design ideas for a dining room table that will expand to accomodate 20
people? I am planning about 24 inches per person plus an additional
16 inches at each end. Unfortunately, this extends the table to
something like 250 inches, much too long for a traditional leaf
design.

Looking for ideas...
Thanks in advance.

Well I personally make my "setting" width the width of the chair plus an
inch or two, after all if you can't get a chair in there you can't seat
anyone there. make the table width wide enough to seat two ,say two chair
widths plus 2".

So if the average chair width is 2' and the table is 50" wide then each side
of the table will need to accomodate 8 people . To accomodate eight people
you will need 16' plus an additional 2' so as to leave enough space so there
is no interference with the end place settings, say 18'.

I would make separate leaves each one chair width plus an inch or so . As
far as the extension structure they can be made any length desired to
accomodate the necessary leaves, I usually make mine out of maple. mine are
usually about 3" deep and are inboard .As the general table height is 29"
then the bottom of the extenders is say 25" at most, usually comfortably
above knee height . A very good article on construction of table extenders
was in FWW....mjh