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Leon[_7_]

On 6/25/2014 2:18 AM, wrote:
Just some random thoughts here.

First, the table looks odd because almost all dining room tables land in the vicinity of 36" in width. Sure, a bit one way or another, but certainly not on something that long. I would think that something that long and that rustic would even be better if it were around the 40" mark in width.

Unless you want a tripping hazard, get the legs in under the table somewhat. You might get used to the legs sticking out from the perimeter of the top, but your guests won't. It will fool your eye to see the edge of the table, then not notice the legs sticking further out onto the floor. I think you should take a minute put into Sketchup and see how it looks in perspective, or even just draw it out. I don't recall seeing tables that have legs that extend beyond the top, but surely someone here can Google one up for the sake of argument.

As far as the cracks go, cracks that large can cause a nuisance. Large rustic type tables, benches and chairs made from mesquite are popular here in South Texas and have been for a while. It is nearly impossible to find mesquite that isn't cracked, or more commonly had "wind shake" which looks like a check or a crack but is actually fiber separation. These separations can be several feet long and up to 3/4" of an inch wide, although most are smaller.

You could kill two birds with one stone if you fill the cracks you have with epoxy. I colored the stuff I used (West Systems) with laser printer toner to get it black after I mixed the two parts of epoxy, then poured the mix into the cracks. I did a lot of that when wood turning, and it looked pretty neat. Sold all that stuff as mesquite was red hot for a while, or I would get you a pic. I helped a friend of mine for a while that made mesquite table tops and then fastened them onto wrought iron bases. We took the mesquite, put some backing rod in the crack (so the epoxy wouldn't run out and eventually it would stop sinking down without pouring a gallon a crack in) and filled away. The black epoxy maintained the rustic look of the crack, but also prevented the crack from spreading.

If you go the epoxy route, the manufacturers of two different epoxy products told us that when used as filler, we shouldn't skimp as opposed to using it as an adhesive where less is more. We used it on small cracks though, and didn't have problems. Also, we filled a couple of large cracks a week that screwed us up and the epoxy would have fallen below the surface of the wood instead of keeping a slight over fill. The good thing about that is you can simply pour more epoxy on top and if it is a fresh pour from the day before and perfectly clean the epoxy will adhere very well.

I think for epoxy work of this type, I would look to Lew H here on the wreck to get his opinion. He knows more about that than anyone I know from years of practical experience.

Robert

Robert

Absolutely get rid of any part of the legs that protrude past the edges
of the table. This is part of the reason things don't look right.