I need to build a 14 person dining table. The final dimensions will be 156"
by 44" when three additional 24" leaves are put in. When the table is
compacted it will be an 8 person table. It will hopefully expand as an 8,
10, 12 and 14 person table. (Two people can be seated across the ends). What
is the best way to configure the table slides? I need the table to open to
at least 61 inches so I can fit the last leaf in. Does someone make slides
this big, or do I gang smaller slides together to achieve this length. Thank
you.

On Tue, 25 Oct 2005 23:52:03 GMT, with neither quill nor qualm, "Alan
Smithee" quickly quoth:

I need to build a 14 person dining table.

MASOCHIST!

(Condolences, Alan.


The final dimensions will be 156"
by 44" when three additional 24" leaves are put in. When the table is
compacted it will be an 8 person table. It will hopefully expand as an 8,
10, 12 and 14 person table. (Two people can be seated across the ends). What
is the best way to configure the table slides? I need the table to open to
at least 61 inches so I can fit the last leaf in. Does someone make slides
this big, or do I gang smaller slides together to achieve this length. Thank
you.

My WAG would be to gang 2 large slides together. (That's gonna be one
heavyarse sumbish even without the leaves installed.) I'd recommend
at least one extra pair of legs, too, or start with 6 individuals or 3
U-shaped sets.

You have the house and need to do this, or what? We kids always had
fun at the card tables when the big crowds showed up for Thanksgiving
and Christmas. Why not build a couple nice game/card tables to handle
the runoff from the dining set instead?


-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-==-=--=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Life is full of little surprises. * Comprehensive Website Development
--Pandora * http://www.diversify.com

Alan Smithee wrote:
I need to build a 14 person dining table. The final dimensions will be 156"
by 44" when three additional 24" leaves are put in. When the table is
compacted it will be an 8 person table. It will hopefully expand as an 8,
10, 12 and 14 person table. (Two people can be seated across the ends). What
is the best way to configure the table slides? I need the table to open to
at least 61 inches so I can fit the last leaf in. Does someone make slides
this big, or do I gang smaller slides together to achieve this length. Thank
you.



Try Rockler. Their "Wood Equalizer Table Slides" #70334 are 38" closed
and accommodate up to 36" of leaf extension (2-18" or 3-12"). They
worked well for a similar sized table I made. See:

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=769


Tech Docs:

http://images.rockler.com/tech/70334.pdf

--
Jack Novak
Buffalo, NY - USA

(Remove -SPAM- to send email)

no(SPAM)vasys wrote:

Alan Smithee wrote:

I need to build a 14 person dining table. The final dimensions will be
156"
by 44" when three additional 24" leaves are put in. When the table is
compacted it will be an 8 person table. It will hopefully expand as an 8,
10, 12 and 14 person table. (Two people can be seated across the
ends). What
is the best way to configure the table slides? I need the table to
open to
at least 61 inches so I can fit the last leaf in. Does someone make
slides
this big, or do I gang smaller slides together to achieve this length.
Thank
you.



Try Rockler. Their "Wood Equalizer Table Slides" #70334 are 38" closed
and accommodate up to 36" of leaf extension (2-18" or 3-12"). They
worked well for a similar sized table I made. See:

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=769


Tech Docs:

http://images.rockler.com/tech/70334.pdf



I just reread your post and noted you what to have THREE 24" leaves. The
slides I mentioned above won't work for that.

--
Jack Novak
Buffalo, NY - USA

(Remove -SPAM- to send email)

Alan Smithee wrote:
I need to build a 14 person dining table. The final dimensions will be 156"
by 44" when three additional 24" leaves are put in. When the table is
compacted it will be an 8 person table. It will hopefully expand as an 8,
10, 12 and 14 person table. (Two people can be seated across the ends). What
is the best way to configure the table slides? I need the table to open to
at least 61 inches so I can fit the last leaf in. Does someone make slides
this big, or do I gang smaller slides together to achieve this length. Thank
you.


This page has a set that will take 60" of leaves
http://www.furnitureknowledge.com/table_hardware.htm
but I think you'll need 72" for 3 24" leaves.
Joe

In article Dyz7f.307213$tl2.158103@pd7tw3no,
Alan Smithee wrote:
I need to build a 14 person dining table. The final dimensions will be 156"
by 44" when three additional 24" leaves are put in. When the table is
compacted it will be an 8 person table. It will hopefully expand as an 8,
10, 12 and 14 person table. (Two people can be seated across the ends). What
is the best way to configure the table slides? I need the table to open to
at least 61 inches so I can fit the last leaf in. Does someone make slides
this big, or do I gang smaller slides together to achieve this length. Thank
you.


First off, you need to re-figure your dimensions -- 3 24" leaves will not fit
in a circa 60" opening. grin

Second, you can seat 14 people at a 44"x 134" table, using 22" spacing per
place setting. (8 at a 44"x68" table.) Depending on the situation, you
_can_ get away with a narrower dimension for the place setting -- down at
about 18" is about the minimum workable seating; assuming that you have
chairs that don't require more space than that.

I once built a D.R. table that was 42"x60" in its minimal form -- seating
6 comfortably -- two down each side, and one at each end. It expanded with
up to 4 drop-in leaves that were each as I recall) 10" wide. Each leaf
effectively added 2 places to the seating capacity -- seating two people
across the end of the table when one had an odd number of leaves in, but
only one person, when there were an even number of leaves. The math looks
screwy (to put it charitably), however the intended use for the larger
capacity was informal family gatherings, _not_ fancy formal dinners. as
such a somewhat 'cosy' seating was tolerable. And it did work out, we've
had 12 at the table with only 3 leaves in.

Joe Gorman wrote:
Alan Smithee wrote:
I need to build a 14 person dining table. The final dimensions will
be 156" by 44" when three additional 24" leaves are put in. When the
table is compacted it will be an 8 person table. It will hopefully
expand as an 8, 10, 12 and 14 person table. (Two people can be
seated across the ends). What is the best way to configure the table
slides? I need the table to open to at least 61 inches so I can fit
the last leaf in. Does someone make slides this big, or do I gang
smaller slides together to achieve this length. Thank you.


This page has a set that will take 60" of leaves
http://www.furnitureknowledge.com/table_hardware.htm
but I think you'll need 72" for 3 24" leaves.
Joe

oh crap you're right thx.

Robert Bonomi wrote:
In article Dyz7f.307213$tl2.158103@pd7tw3no,
Alan Smithee wrote:
I need to build a 14 person dining table. The final dimensions will
be 156" by 44" when three additional 24" leaves are put in. When the
table is compacted it will be an 8 person table. It will hopefully
expand as an 8, 10, 12 and 14 person table. (Two people can be
seated across the ends). What is the best way to configure the table
slides? I need the table to open to at least 61 inches so I can fit
the last leaf in. Does someone make slides this big, or do I gang
smaller slides together to achieve this length. Thank you.


First off, you need to re-figure your dimensions -- 3 24" leaves will
not fit in a circa 60" opening. grin

Second, you can seat 14 people at a 44"x 134" table, using 22"
spacing per place setting. (8 at a 44"x68" table.) Depending on the
situation, you _can_ get away with a narrower dimension for the place
setting -- down at about 18" is about the minimum workable seating;
assuming that you have chairs that don't require more space than that.

I once built a D.R. table that was 42"x60" in its minimal form --
seating 6 comfortably -- two down each side, and one at each end. It
expanded with up to 4 drop-in leaves that were each as I recall) 10"
wide. Each leaf effectively added 2 places to the seating capacity
-- seating two people across the end of the table when one had an odd
number of leaves in, but only one person, when there were an even
number of leaves. The math looks screwy (to put it charitably),
however the intended use for the larger capacity was informal family
gatherings, _not_ fancy formal dinners. as such a somewhat 'cosy'
seating was tolerable. And it did work out, we've had 12 at the
table with only 3 leaves in.

Holy Cow! Yes I realize my error now. Thanks. Ouch 72 and change. For
seating I was using numbers suggested by Terrance Conran (The House Book) as
a mininum of 24" per person and a min of an additional 19" on each of the
ends (which I trimmed to 18"). So I get 156" long or exactly 13 feet. The
max width they recommend is 44" because after that you need to do a Hail
Mary to pass the gravy. I like your idea of calling it a six person when
closed rather than an eight person. I'm going to try ganging two 36 inch
slides together, this should work right? Ganging I mean. Thx.

Alan,
I recently completed a modified trestle based dining table that measured 44"
x 80" and expanded to 110" with 2 15" leaves. I read somewhere about
Watertown steel equalizer table slides, which were supposed to be the best
in terms of not sagging when opened fully. I had a hard time finding where
to buy them, but finally found a hardware supplier in Long Island, NY and
ordered them. The pair I bought open to 56", (more than I needed, but I
wanted the length to make the table sturdy when open). I think larger sizes
are also available. They worked out great, and are truly sag-free and rigid
even when opened fully. Do a Google search for "Watertown Table Slides" to
find the dealer. If you can't find them, e-mail me and I'll look for my
receipt and send you their phone# and address.
Paul


"Alan Smithee" wrote in message
news:a7Y7f.305784$oW2.117378@pd7tw1no...

Robert Bonomi wrote:
In article Dyz7f.307213$tl2.158103@pd7tw3no,
Alan Smithee wrote:
I need to build a 14 person dining table. The final dimensions will
be 156" by 44" when three additional 24" leaves are put in. When the
table is compacted it will be an 8 person table. It will hopefully
expand as an 8, 10, 12 and 14 person table. (Two people can be
seated across the ends). What is the best way to configure the table
slides? I need the table to open to at least 61 inches so I can fit
the last leaf in. Does someone make slides this big, or do I gang
smaller slides together to achieve this length. Thank you.


First off, you need to re-figure your dimensions -- 3 24" leaves will
not fit in a circa 60" opening. grin

Second, you can seat 14 people at a 44"x 134" table, using 22"
spacing per place setting. (8 at a 44"x68" table.) Depending on the
situation, you _can_ get away with a narrower dimension for the place
setting -- down at about 18" is about the minimum workable seating;
assuming that you have chairs that don't require more space than that.

I once built a D.R. table that was 42"x60" in its minimal form --
seating 6 comfortably -- two down each side, and one at each end. It
expanded with up to 4 drop-in leaves that were each as I recall) 10"
wide. Each leaf effectively added 2 places to the seating capacity
-- seating two people across the end of the table when one had an odd
number of leaves in, but only one person, when there were an even
number of leaves. The math looks screwy (to put it charitably),
however the intended use for the larger capacity was informal family
gatherings, _not_ fancy formal dinners. as such a somewhat 'cosy'
seating was tolerable. And it did work out, we've had 12 at the
table with only 3 leaves in.

Holy Cow! Yes I realize my error now. Thanks. Ouch 72 and change. For
seating I was using numbers suggested by Terrance Conran (The House Book)
as
a mininum of 24" per person and a min of an additional 19" on each of the
ends (which I trimmed to 18"). So I get 156" long or exactly 13 feet. The
max width they recommend is 44" because after that you need to do a Hail
Mary to pass the gravy. I like your idea of calling it a six person when
closed rather than an eight person. I'm going to try ganging two 36 inch
slides together, this should work right? Ganging I mean. Thx.

Alan Smithee wrote:
Holy Cow! Yes I realize my error now. Thanks. Ouch 72 and change. For
seating I was using numbers suggested by Terrance Conran (The House Book) as
a mininum of 24" per person and a min of an additional 19" on each of the
ends (which I trimmed to 18"). So I get 156" long or exactly 13 feet. The
max width they recommend is 44" because after that you need to do a Hail
Mary to pass the gravy. I like your idea of calling it a six person when
closed rather than an eight person. I'm going to try ganging two 36 inch
slides together, this should work right? Ganging I mean. Thx.

OK, bear with me if this is beyond stupid, but I just had a little light
bulb go off. Perhaps you could have the table top proper be 3 sections
rather than 2, and have 2 leaf sections. I'm gonna try an ASCII art view
from the top with the slides extended but no leaves installed to show you
what I mean:

************ ************ ************
* * * * * *
* ***** * ***** * *
* * ***** * ***** *
* * * * * *
* * * * * *
* * * * * *
* * * * * *
* * * * * *
* ***** * ***** * *
* * ***** * ***** *
* * * * * *
************ ************ ************

Basically, I guess it would be using a middle section of table top to 'gang'
together 2 sets of slides.

Disclaimer: I don't know what the heck I'm talking about.

-John

The dealer I bought my Watertown table slides from is Moin Hardware Company,
tel: (516)593-7067. Their e-mail is: . You can see
an example of a table with these slides at:
www.woodcentral.com/shot580.shtml.

To seat 14 people, you could make your table 44" x 80" closed (easily seats
8 with one person on each end), and 120" long when two 20" leaves are
installed (5 people per side and two on each end). The table I made (110"
long open) was designed to seat 12, (4 per side and 2 per end), and has
already been used to seat 9 with room to spare.


"PAUL KETTERER" wrote in message
news:Ri68f.7221$c%.2105@trndny02...
Alan,
I recently completed a modified trestle based dining table that measured
44" x 80" and expanded to 110" with 2 15" leaves. I read somewhere about
Watertown steel equalizer table slides, which were supposed to be the best
in terms of not sagging when opened fully. I had a hard time finding
where to buy them, but finally found a hardware supplier in Long Island,
NY and ordered them. The pair I bought open to 56", (more than I needed,
but I wanted the length to make the table sturdy when open). I think
larger sizes are also available. They worked out great, and are truly
sag-free and rigid even when opened fully. Do a Google search for
"Watertown Table Slides" to find the dealer. If you can't find them,
e-mail me and I'll look for my receipt and send you their phone# and
address.
Paul


"Alan Smithee" wrote in message
news:a7Y7f.305784$oW2.117378@pd7tw1no...

Robert Bonomi wrote:
In article Dyz7f.307213$tl2.158103@pd7tw3no,
Alan Smithee wrote:
I need to build a 14 person dining table. The final dimensions will
be 156" by 44" when three additional 24" leaves are put in. When the
table is compacted it will be an 8 person table. It will hopefully
expand as an 8, 10, 12 and 14 person table. (Two people can be
seated across the ends). What is the best way to configure the table
slides? I need the table to open to at least 61 inches so I can fit
the last leaf in. Does someone make slides this big, or do I gang
smaller slides together to achieve this length. Thank you.


First off, you need to re-figure your dimensions -- 3 24" leaves will
not fit in a circa 60" opening. grin

Second, you can seat 14 people at a 44"x 134" table, using 22"
spacing per place setting. (8 at a 44"x68" table.) Depending on the
situation, you _can_ get away with a narrower dimension for the place
setting -- down at about 18" is about the minimum workable seating;
assuming that you have chairs that don't require more space than that.

I once built a D.R. table that was 42"x60" in its minimal form --
seating 6 comfortably -- two down each side, and one at each end. It
expanded with up to 4 drop-in leaves that were each as I recall) 10"
wide. Each leaf effectively added 2 places to the seating capacity
-- seating two people across the end of the table when one had an odd
number of leaves in, but only one person, when there were an even
number of leaves. The math looks screwy (to put it charitably),
however the intended use for the larger capacity was informal family
gatherings, _not_ fancy formal dinners. as such a somewhat 'cosy'
seating was tolerable. And it did work out, we've had 12 at the
table with only 3 leaves in.

Holy Cow! Yes I realize my error now. Thanks. Ouch 72 and change. For
seating I was using numbers suggested by Terrance Conran (The House Book)
as
a mininum of 24" per person and a min of an additional 19" on each of the
ends (which I trimmed to 18"). So I get 156" long or exactly 13 feet. The
max width they recommend is 44" because after that you need to do a Hail
Mary to pass the gravy. I like your idea of calling it a six person when
closed rather than an eight person. I'm going to try ganging two 36 inch
slides together, this should work right? Ganging I mean. Thx.

Thank you for going to the trouble and finding that information I'll give
them a look. It's occurring to me that it might be easier to make this a 10
per table that expands to a 14.

PAUL KETTERER wrote:
The dealer I bought my Watertown table slides from is Moin Hardware
Company, tel: (516)593-7067. Their e-mail is:
. You can see an example of a table with
these slides at: www.woodcentral.com/shot580.shtml.

To seat 14 people, you could make your table 44" x 80" closed (easily
seats 8 with one person on each end), and 120" long when two 20"
leaves are installed (5 people per side and two on each end). The
table I made (110" long open) was designed to seat 12, (4 per side
and 2 per end), and has already been used to seat 9 with room to
spare.


"PAUL KETTERER" wrote in message
news:Ri68f.7221$c%.2105@trndny02...
Alan,
I recently completed a modified trestle based dining table that
measured 44" x 80" and expanded to 110" with 2 15" leaves. I read
somewhere about Watertown steel equalizer table slides, which were
supposed to be the best in terms of not sagging when opened fully.
I had a hard time finding where to buy them, but finally found a
hardware supplier in Long Island, NY and ordered them. The pair I
bought open to 56", (more than I needed, but I wanted the length to
make the table sturdy when open). I think larger sizes are also
available. They worked out great, and are truly sag-free and rigid
even when opened fully. Do a Google search for "Watertown Table
Slides" to find the dealer. If you can't find them, e-mail me and
I'll look for my receipt and send you their phone# and address.
Paul


"Alan Smithee" wrote in message
news:a7Y7f.305784$oW2.117378@pd7tw1no...

Robert Bonomi wrote:
In article Dyz7f.307213$tl2.158103@pd7tw3no,
Alan Smithee wrote:
I need to build a 14 person dining table. The final dimensions
will be 156" by 44" when three additional 24" leaves are put in.
When the table is compacted it will be an 8 person table. It will
hopefully expand as an 8, 10, 12 and 14 person table. (Two people
can be seated across the ends). What is the best way to configure
the table slides? I need the table to open to at least 61 inches
so I can fit the last leaf in. Does someone make slides this big,
or do I gang smaller slides together to achieve this length.
Thank you.


First off, you need to re-figure your dimensions -- 3 24" leaves
will not fit in a circa 60" opening. grin

Second, you can seat 14 people at a 44"x 134" table, using 22"
spacing per place setting. (8 at a 44"x68" table.) Depending on
the situation, you _can_ get away with a narrower dimension for
the place setting -- down at about 18" is about the minimum
workable seating; assuming that you have chairs that don't require
more space than that.

I once built a D.R. table that was 42"x60" in its minimal form --
seating 6 comfortably -- two down each side, and one at each end.
It expanded with up to 4 drop-in leaves that were each as I
recall) 10" wide. Each leaf effectively added 2 places to the
seating capacity -- seating two people across the end of the table
when one had an odd number of leaves in, but only one person, when
there were an even number of leaves. The math looks screwy (to
put it charitably), however the intended use for the larger
capacity was informal family gatherings, _not_ fancy formal
dinners. as such a somewhat 'cosy' seating was tolerable. And it
did work out, we've had 12 at the table with only 3 leaves in.

Holy Cow! Yes I realize my error now. Thanks. Ouch 72 and change.
For seating I was using numbers suggested by Terrance Conran (The
House Book) as
a mininum of 24" per person and a min of an additional 19" on each
of the ends (which I trimmed to 18"). So I get 156" long or exactly
13 feet. The max width they recommend is 44" because after that you
need to do a Hail Mary to pass the gravy. I like your idea of
calling it a six person when closed rather than an eight person.
I'm going to try ganging two 36 inch slides together, this should
work right? Ganging I mean. Thx.

Ah Brilliant idea. I follow you. Indeed why not three sections. I'll mull
this one over. I could have 4 12 or 18 inch sections perhaps -- or whatever
combination works. Basically it saves having to spread the whole distance at
one go.

John Girouard wrote:
Alan Smithee wrote:
Holy Cow! Yes I realize my error now. Thanks. Ouch 72 and change. For
seating I was using numbers suggested by Terrance Conran (The House
Book) as a mininum of 24" per person and a min of an additional 19"
on each of the ends (which I trimmed to 18"). So I get 156" long or
exactly 13 feet. The max width they recommend is 44" because after
that you need to do a Hail Mary to pass the gravy. I like your idea
of calling it a six person when closed rather than an eight person.
I'm going to try ganging two 36 inch slides together, this should
work right? Ganging I mean. Thx.

OK, bear with me if this is beyond stupid, but I just had a little
light bulb go off. Perhaps you could have the table top proper be 3
sections rather than 2, and have 2 leaf sections. I'm gonna try an
ASCII art view from the top with the slides extended but no leaves
installed to show you what I mean:

************ ************ ************
* * * * * *
* ***** * ***** * *
* * ***** * ***** *
* * * * * *
* * * * * *
* * * * * *
* * * * * *
* * * * * *
* ***** * ***** * *
* * ***** * ***** *
* * * * * *
************ ************ ************

Basically, I guess it would be using a middle section of table top to
'gang' together 2 sets of slides.

Disclaimer: I don't know what the heck I'm talking about.

-John

In article a7Y7f.305784$oW2.117378@pd7tw1no,
Alan Smithee wrote:

Robert Bonomi wrote:
In article Dyz7f.307213$tl2.158103@pd7tw3no,
Alan Smithee wrote:
I need to build a 14 person dining table. The final dimensions will
be 156" by 44" when three additional 24" leaves are put in. When the
table is compacted it will be an 8 person table. It will hopefully
expand as an 8, 10, 12 and 14 person table. (Two people can be
seated across the ends). What is the best way to configure the table
slides? I need the table to open to at least 61 inches so I can fit
the last leaf in. Does someone make slides this big, or do I gang
smaller slides together to achieve this length. Thank you.


First off, you need to re-figure your dimensions -- 3 24" leaves will
not fit in a circa 60" opening. grin

Second, you can seat 14 people at a 44"x 134" table, using 22"
spacing per place setting. (8 at a 44"x68" table.) Depending on the
situation, you _can_ get away with a narrower dimension for the place
setting -- down at about 18" is about the minimum workable seating;
assuming that you have chairs that don't require more space than that.

I once built a D.R. table that was 42"x60" in its minimal form --
seating 6 comfortably -- two down each side, and one at each end. It
expanded with up to 4 drop-in leaves that were each as I recall) 10"
wide. Each leaf effectively added 2 places to the seating capacity
-- seating two people across the end of the table when one had an odd
number of leaves in, but only one person, when there were an even
number of leaves. The math looks screwy (to put it charitably),
however the intended use for the larger capacity was informal family
gatherings, _not_ fancy formal dinners. as such a somewhat 'cosy'
seating was tolerable. And it did work out, we've had 12 at the
table with only 3 leaves in.

Holy Cow! Yes I realize my error now. Thanks. Ouch 72 and change. For
seating I was using numbers suggested by Terrance Conran (The House Book) as
a mininum of 24" per person and a min of an additional 19" on each of the
ends (which I trimmed to 18").

There are assumptions 'buried' in those numbers that may not be applicable
to your situation. Starting with the fact that if you're not seating anybody
on either of the table, an additional 3-4" on each end is generally more than'
sufficient.

You start off considering the width of the chairs you'll be using at the
table. You *cannot* seat people any closer than that. (obvious, but it
does have to be considered, if you're using big, fancy, _wide_ chairs.

Then you consider what kind of use you'll be making of the table.
"Fancy" formal dinners -- the 'seven course' variety, where the

expected attire is evening gowns and "white tie" -- are one thing; and
do call for minimum 24" width/place setting, and probably a minimum
16"-18" 'depth'.

For 'casual' dining -- e.g., equivalent to going out to International House
of Pancakes, Outback Steakhouse, etc. -- you can get away with a setting
'footprint' as small as 18" wide, by 12" deep. This does get you 8 people
around a 42x60 table. two people on each side gives 12+18+18+12 down the
60" dimension.

At that spacing, for 14 people, you need a length of 12 + 5*18 + 12, or 114"
(assuming you're seating 2 people on each end).

We've had 12 people at my table in it's 96" configuration -- definitely "cozy",
but it was workable.

22" seatings will be "comfortable" for all but the most elaborate dinner
settings. This gets you a table size of over 11', (134" minimum, more like
138" -- 11'6" -- if you postulate a 14" depth to the place setting)

So I get 156" long or exactly 13 feet. The
max width they recommend is 44" because after that you need to do a Hail
Mary to pass the gravy. I like your idea of calling it a six person when
closed rather than an eight person. I'm going to try ganging two 36 inch
slides together, this should work right? Ganging I mean. Thx.

"That depends". grin

There are all sorts of issues that arise when the 'expanded' size is more
than about 75-80% larger than the 'closed' size'. The design of the
expansion mechanism gets a *lot* more complicated. more moving parts,
more flexing issues, etc.