Decided to make a little table sitting on an octagonal pedestel
instead of the normal 4 legs. After cutting 8 slats and
beveling them at 22.5 degrees, the challenge was glueing them
up. Advice on the web says tape them, then roll them up, just
like doing a small mitered box.

No way in hell that's going to work! No tape I have has enough
stick to hold a 30" long 2.5" wide slat while I'm rolling it up.

Then I remembered watching a cooper build a barrel - he set the
staves in a groove in a fixture, which controlled one end while
he worked the hoops into place. So I tacked 8 pieces of scrap
onto a bit of plywood to form an octagon of the right size,
set my slats in it, and viola, I could hold the column together
with one hand, while getting a strap-clamp over it with the other.

Think I'll save that little fixture in case I ever want to make
another column...

John

John McCoy wrote:
Decided to make a little table sitting on an octagonal pedestel
instead of the normal 4 legs. After cutting 8 slats and
beveling them at 22.5 degrees, the challenge was glueing them
up. Advice on the web says tape them, then roll them up, just
like doing a small mitered box.

No way in hell that's going to work! No tape I have has enough
stick to hold a 30" long 2.5" wide slat while I'm rolling it up.

Then I remembered watching a cooper build a barrel - he set the
staves in a groove in a fixture, which controlled one end while
he worked the hoops into place. So I tacked 8 pieces of scrap
onto a bit of plywood to form an octagon of the right size,
set my slats in it, and viola, I could hold the column together
with one hand, while getting a strap-clamp over it with the other.

Think I'll save that little fixture in case I ever want to make
another column...

John

And I'll save your idea in case I do

On Wed, 17 Jun 2015 01:16:16 +0000 (UTC)
John McCoy wrote:

Decided to make a little table sitting on an octagonal pedestel
instead of the normal 4 legs. After cutting 8 slats and
beveling them at 22.5 degrees, the challenge was glueing them

the table has a hollow octagon instead of legs

or are you making 4 of these to each act as a leg

if it is a single pedestal does it have a base

how does the top attach to the pedestal

just trying to create a picture in my mind

Electric Comet wrote in news:mls2e9$bp6$1
@dont-email.me:

On Wed, 17 Jun 2015 01:16:16 +0000 (UTC)
John McCoy wrote:

Decided to make a little table sitting on an octagonal pedestel
instead of the normal 4 legs. After cutting 8 slats and
beveling them at 22.5 degrees, the challenge was glueing them

the table has a hollow octagon instead of legs

or are you making 4 of these to each act as a leg

if it is a single pedestal does it have a base

how does the top attach to the pedestal

just trying to create a picture in my mind

One pedestal. At the top there's two cross pieces which support
the table top. At the bottom there's two cross pieces which have
feet on their ends (so the pedestal and cross pieces are an inch
or so off the floor).

John

On Wed, 17 Jun 2015 17:48:04 +0000 (UTC)
John McCoy wrote:

One pedestal. At the top there's two cross pieces which support
the table top. At the bottom there's two cross pieces which have
feet on their ends (so the pedestal and cross pieces are an inch
or so off the floor).

i can see it now

are the two cross pieces attached at the centers

Electric Comet wrote in news:mlthef$ua6$1
@dont-email.me:

On Wed, 17 Jun 2015 17:48:04 +0000 (UTC)
John McCoy wrote:

One pedestal. At the top there's two cross pieces which support
the table top. At the bottom there's two cross pieces which have
feet on their ends (so the pedestal and cross pieces are an inch
or so off the floor).

i can see it now

are the two cross pieces attached at the centers

The cross pieces attach to each other in the center. The
pedestal is notched where they pass thru, and they'll be
attached there - probably I'll just glue them, altho I have
thought of using screws.

John

On Thu, 18 Jun 2015 16:43:05 +0000 (UTC)
John McCoy wrote:

The cross pieces attach to each other in the center. The
pedestal is notched where they pass thru, and they'll be
attached there - probably I'll just glue them, altho I have
thought of using screws.

it is all clear to me now

tempered glass top or wood top

if you used glass you could flowers or something in the pedestal

someone sent me a photo of a table that also stored wine bottles
you could make a few holes around your octagon to hold wine
bottles

On 6/16/2015 9:16 PM, John McCoy wrote:
Decided to make a little table sitting on an octagonal pedestel
instead of the normal 4 legs. After cutting 8 slats and
beveling them at 22.5 degrees, the challenge was glueing them
up. Advice on the web says tape them, then roll them up, just
like doing a small mitered box.

No way in hell that's going to work! No tape I have has enough
stick to hold a 30" long 2.5" wide slat while I'm rolling it up.

Then I remembered watching a cooper build a barrel - he set the
staves in a groove in a fixture, which controlled one end while
he worked the hoops into place. So I tacked 8 pieces of scrap
onto a bit of plywood to form an octagon of the right size,
set my slats in it, and viola, I could hold the column together
with one hand, while getting a strap-clamp over it with the other.

Think I'll save that little fixture in case I ever want to make
another column...

John


I always just use my Lee Valley Bird's-mouth router bits. They eliminate
the problems of getting a perfect angle _and_ glue-up clamping at the same
time. BTW, surgical rubber tubing is great for clamping up this sort of
glue-up since it can be wrapped in a spiral from one to the other and
exerts even pressure all along the structure.

Electric Comet wrote in news:mlutv2$vdr$1
@dont-email.me:

On Thu, 18 Jun 2015 16:43:05 +0000 (UTC)
John McCoy wrote:

The cross pieces attach to each other in the center. The
pedestal is notched where they pass thru, and they'll be
attached there - probably I'll just glue them, altho I have
thought of using screws.

it is all clear to me now

tempered glass top or wood top

if you used glass you could flowers or something in the pedestal

someone sent me a photo of a table that also stored wine bottles
you could make a few holes around your octagon to hold wine
bottles

I did one a long time ago with an octagonal glass top. It
came out very nice. This one will have a square top with
tiles - I'll use a piece of plywood for a substrate and
glue the tiles on, then edge the whole thing with 1x mitered
at the corners. The actual impetus to build the table was
having the tiles laying around.

John

On Thu, 18 Jun 2015 21:21:28 +0000 (UTC)
John McCoy wrote:

I did one a long time ago with an octagonal glass top. It
came out very nice. This one will have a square top with
tiles - I'll use a piece of plywood for a substrate and
glue the tiles on, then edge the whole thing with 1x mitered
at the corners. The actual impetus to build the table was
having the tiles laying around.

i do this kind of thing as well
recently made a set of one-handed salad tongs because i wanted to try
to use some thin stainless scrap i had
the tongs are wood but i made a springy clip from the stainless
actually two clips and then overlapped them
i guess i take inspiration wherever it comes from

i have seen tables like this
they can get top heavy

i have a few small 4-leg tables with tile tops
they are like portable side table or end table
taller than they are wide

they are quite old and they are really top heavy
they don't take much to fall over

On 6/16/2015 9:16 PM, John McCoy wrote:
Think I'll save that little fixture in case I ever want to make
another column...

I've recently discovered how handy jigs can be, and I've been making a
number of them for different tasks. A while back someone on the wrec
said "watch how quickly your space fills up with them". I'll pass along
that tidbit to you.

Greg Guarino wrote in news:mm17gs$jmb$1@dont-
email.me:

On 6/16/2015 9:16 PM, John McCoy wrote:
Think I'll save that little fixture in case I ever want to make
another column...

I've recently discovered how handy jigs can be, and I've been making a
number of them for different tasks. A while back someone on the wrec
said "watch how quickly your space fills up with them". I'll pass along
that tidbit to you.

You didn't have to tell me that :-) The only thing that
accumulates faster is scrap pieces of wood that "look like
they'll be useful for something someday".

John

Electric Comet wrote in news:mlvoq4$48u$5
@dont-email.me:

i have seen tables like this
they can get top heavy

i have a few small 4-leg tables with tile tops
they are like portable side table or end table
taller than they are wide

Yeah, I did worry about that, which is the main reason
I went with the cross-member and feet at the bottom,
rather than just a base. The top is a couple of inches
wider than the spread of the feet, and height & width
are almost the same, so I think it should be pretty
stable.

If it looks like an issue when it's done (if, for
instance, loading just one corner is a problem) I can
re-size the top (or make it an octagon) to correct.

John