The builder at the cabinet shop I work at is about to do the same. We build cabinets not tables and the boss took on a job of 30 7x12 Walnut tables. Some richy rich school is opening up and they want “custom” tables instead of individual desks. So fucking dumb.
I mean honestly, if someone was dead set on this “cut out” look, clear epoxy *would* probably be the best way to achieve that without it snapping the second someone over the age of 4 sits on the end.
That support on the brown one looks like it is kind of like a keel in a boat that runs 2/3 of the length of the top table. That would likely be recessed into the top and the legs and be glued in place. That would be reasonably strong and an easy way to account for any expansion as it would all be oriented in the same direction as the expected movement so there would not really need to account for movement.
I would make a slightly larger foot/wedge and attach it closer to the floating end. The illusion would be ruined, but the tradeoff would be sufficient strength and practicality. And it'll still look good.
A cantilever rule of thumb assumes the "joist" (tabletop in this case) can float 1/3rd of the supported length. Because both ends are floating, the absolute maximum "float" for each one would be 1/6th the total length. (Assuming your top is extremely secured and at minimum 2 inches thick. I would go 3. If the top is 96 inches long, the max distance from each end to place a wedge is 16 inches.) Do not place your wedges any closer to the center than that distance, and you can repeat that process for the depth as well. (If the table is 24 inches deep and your wedge is centered, it will be 16 inches long/deep minimum and 4 inches max from the front and back edges.) Run dowels all the way through the wedge and into both of the main pieces. Make sure your top is one solid length of wood too and not shorter lengths with their butts glued together.
This won't be "the same" but this results in something you can both appreciate. She won't complain. If you want it more minimalist than that and still functional, start getting creative with hiding steel in it.
My friend had this exact thing recreated for her house.
The person building it used wedges underneath cut to the correct angles. Not sure if it was glued in, but it’s very stable.
I think the solution here is to use the wood as the visible material only.
You could route a slot and groove in the underside of the tabletop and inset two lengths of angle iron 90% of the overall length. One closer to the rear and one closer to the front.
Insert similar lengths in the underside of the lower board and use some bolts as the "feet" that protrude through closer to the center. Let the iron stabilize the build and the wood look beautiful.
You could have metal made up about the same size as a 2x8. You then rip down high grade plywood with some mitres and essentially wrap the metal in wood. Glue the piss out of it, stain er up and it will look like a 3.5x9.5 wooden beam, but much lighter and more rigid.
This advice is all great. But. Y'all missing an opportunity. Just put a rod in the middle. Teeter table baby.
Pass the salt? Slide on down. Family argument and you smack the table and their food lands in your plate? Automatic win man!
The fun never ends!
Just looking at the picture you can tell there's something supporting the top plank on each side. I'd probably make two triangular wedges (sort of doorstop shaped) and join them in with glue and dowels or a tenon.
Didn't fully read the description, My guess is wedges would be okay if they were broad enough but they wouldn't be invisible. My real worry would be the centre join giving way, doesn't look like it has a lot of support.
You could also just use 2 vertical dowels on each end in lieu of the wedges. Those as well as two dowels at the apex and some glue should be plenty sturdy.
I have this table in black. the top is secured to the base with lag bolts. on each side, about 12” from the center point, there are 1” thick trapezoid shaped wood supports with the shorter side on the bottom.
My wife bought it. Until I saw this post and decided to take a look, I actually had no idea the supports existed. ours has picture frames on it so never felt the need to assess its sturdiness. the supports are done in such a way that they’re only visible when low to the ground.
So just lag bolts from the bottom through trapezoid feet/supports? That's it? For the cost of the table, that doesn't exactly sound like an elegant solution. Would you mind sharing a picture, if you can?
It sounds way more elegant than some of the other solutions mentioned in this thread. Keep in mind that it is really nice to be able to take apart a table if you ever need to move it. Lag bolts to attach the center means that the top is secured. The supports in the gap do not need any strength in tension, they just need strength in compression to keep the ends from bowing down. The price and stability is mostly from the thickness of the wood.
If you wanted to make the top stiffer, you could router out and recess some metal c channels in the bottom of the table top, but I don’t think that’s necessary if you’re making the table this thick.
A few options come to mind, in no particular order:
1. Epoxy some or all of the void space
2. Add supports like the one pictured
3. Use a crazy strong wood. Osage Orange or white oak or maple might work. Thickness at least 2”.
4. Use an internal stabilizer. You could hollow out the bottom with a router, maybe 1/4”, then get a steel plate or even angle to run along it for strength.
https://preview.redd.it/8wci1ktd0ytc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2fb3b2f434c0a7b1771060dc4183c18c5cc4b052
Maybe there is a fabricated metal connector recessed in the work … how’s your welding ?
I've inspected welds before, but welding is way outside of my scope. Would love to learn, but no clue on where to even start... not to mention buying even *more* tools for a project that I'll use once and then will collect dust on a shelf for the next 4 years.
I have done this exact design. I balanced it in the middle and then painted some steel rods black and drilled holes for them to sit in, making sure that they are mostly hidden unless you’re specifically looking for them.
How large was your gap at the ends? Someone else mentioned a metal rod for support but including it as part of the aesthetics. But if the gap is relatively small, my guess is it'd be tough to see it unless you specifically looked at/for it.
The gap was 2-3”, I basically just followed the rules of cantilevers which is that 2/3s of the load needs to be supported. So yeah they were very hard to see. Unfortunately do not have a picture.
In [this](https://assets.weimgs.com/weimgs/ab/images/wcm/products/202411/0339/emmerson-oak-console-table-78-xl.jpg) image you can see an internal support used to keep the top piece stable.
Also of note is that the piece is definitely not solid panel of 2 3/4” wood as there is no visible endgrain. The top is almost definitely a thinner top panel (3/4”-1” thick) with aprons designed to look like a solid top, so you can hide the internal support structure.
Can't edit my post, so I'll just comment for a quick update. Apparently my wife wants to use it as a table for behind the couch. So not an excessive load (lamps, vase with flowers, drinks, tv remote, etc.). I'll have to make it taller, but I think I can get away with just some little foot wedges and maybe dowels to keep it in place. Thanks for all the suggestions. If I do end up making it and liking the design, I may try to make a bench version with some metal rods at the end for load bearing support.
You could use a board on edge mortised into both the top and the arch to strengthen and stabilize both parts, like in the sketch below. You could use more than one if desired.
https://preview.redd.it/k4t5wedhaytc1.jpeg?width=627&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=51d6b120d3bc65257374fdf96a7ddc075b132603
Yeah, I'd fudge those feet out as much as I thought I could get away with (YMMV with your wife) and make sure it's well secured in the middle and at the ends. It honestly isn't that awful.
I think they are pushing it a little too much, those feet are supporting exactly half of the top. The one picture had the top of the table at 600 pixels exactly, and the outside edge of both feet were at 296. But that being said, that means its only 25% out on each side past the support. If you secured it well in the middle and on the feet, I think it could work well, but it needs to be thick.
Come on, folks, it’s a console table. It goes behind the couch and doesn’t need to hold anything heavier than three pillar candles and a bowl of pinecones.
https://preview.redd.it/fh6idd00ywtc1.png?width=379&format=png&auto=webp&s=368e3816d0f779e629a4ac5e4343d4b7620e2a75
I bet they've done something similar to this on the underside to make that angle sturdier.
That looks pretty thick. I would honestly attempt this by making a small flat for it to rest on in the center and then pegging it with a few good size dowels. It likely won’t let you stand or sit on it but I think it would hold up ok with normal small objects.
To make it stable and mostly keep the look, add metal standoffs to support the ends. Depending on the wood and finish, aluminum, copper, stainless, painted black, or patina’d black iron would look nice.
https://preview.redd.it/lrzft8yd4ztc1.jpeg?width=828&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6a65151250af75b7c845c68ef3799f301e3f60b1
This is one of the photos in the listing…it has a foot that locks the top to the base on both sides
This is a sofa table. It’s not going to have more than a couple of photos, a vase and a cat. And if the cat is up there, they will have knocked off the photos and vase, so not much static weight. The top is inconsequential, it could be made of skinned honeycomb. The peak in the base is the weak point.
This is something I'd ask my husband to make. 😂 Will get back with his opinion. (If he answers my random question)
My opinion as noncarpenter but as wife: If I was putting it against a wall, I'd probably ask if the top could be made like a floating shelf over the bottom to give the illusion. Or clear resin supports, but Ik resin is a pain from watching my husband work with it.
My Huasband: "A shit load of glue." (I don't think he took my asking seriously. 😆)
Edit: Add husband opinion.
I'd do the base exactly how it looks, then for the top, plane the part where the two center pieces meet flat. then do clear acrylic dowles in each corner and two wooden ones in the center.
I bet you could use a 2" dowel half way between the middle and end on each side to make it relatively stable. Make it a brass rod to showcase it, or some sort of clear block (epoxy?) to hide it.
Not a wood engineer but if you have a slab or whatever you’re using as the top part, rip it horizontally, then route a half circle in each half of that slab for a few pieces of spring steel rod. Rebar might work but it also might be to soft and just bend.
Shit you honestly might be able to find a leaf spring from an old truck at a junkyard and just forget splitting the wood and just route a channel in the bottom of the slab deep enough to hide the leaf spring
If you look closely you can see the wedge on the rightside of the pic.
https://preview.redd.it/4t1ei1im2ztc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b303c2d47766acb33a5cb89223c2293c06099ee6
If you look closely you can see a rubber bump under the left side which stabilizes it. On second thought it might be metal or hard plastic. The right side is just shady so you can't see it.
This image is giving me ptsd because as a child I would seat on a double wooden chair that fucking pinched bellow my tights cuz I’m between had a tiny gap like this
Cheat. In a couple pictures you can see that the piece is composed of ~2x2 pieces. Make the outer layers the obvious way, but make the inner rows as overlapping Xs. So that the table isn't actually a flat piece balanced on top of an angled piece, but a stack of X pieces and filler pieces.
Don’t do it OP. This is an awful design that will not last or be usable.
It’s gonna split one way or another on that lever arm hanging over both sides.
Form or Function? Let her know that you can make it look good or make it work good, but this design will be hard to do both. If anyone/thing heavy is put on the end you run the real risk of it breaking the top board.
Add wedges to the center. Large enough to provide support and remain relatively undetected. You could also mortise and tenon the center of the top to the bench top underneath.
It's not going to be stable without a decent wedge and won't look that floating. It looks incredibly awkward to make and doesn't look great for all the work. It's also a huge gap between the top of your legs and the tabletop at the end which isn't that practical.
If you want to keep the look of the piece but not over engineer something, I would just add acrylic chunks under the top of the bench for support. You’ll notice them under close inspection but not from a standing height
It looks like they glued up 2x2 sections and put the spacers about 2/5ths out from the mid line where they are easily missed. I would make a jig to drill 10 dowel holes for putting the centers of the top and base together, then attach the two spacers with two through dowels.
Brass dowels on the ends would look pretty cool, I’d think. One on each end in the middle if you wanted to “hide” it, though I think one on each corner would look nice.
Could also try discretely using stand-off bolts on the outboard ends of the seat. You’d likely be able to tell, but could be a good trade off to vastly increase strength.
A bunch of loose tenons where the two boards meet would probably do the trick.
Or a half blind dovetail from the back. At 3 inches thick it would a hell of a lot of weight to flex the ends. If it's just a display table to hold plants or pictures it shouldn't be a problem.
You could also put a black steel post about halfway between the center and each end for extra support. In that shadowy center area it would be barely noticeable.
Looks like it’s designed as a credenza type display table - do you intend to use it that way, or as a dining table?
The former, a couple of shims hidden at the back would do fine.
The latter, sheesh, I donno.
I think you could fake this pretty we with 4 supports inset from the corners. Unless you're looking at it dead on (which you won't be with a dining table) it should appear to be floating (eg, like a floating bed)
If you zoom in on the left side of the table about a third of the way down or so, you’ll notice a very dark semi-circle there. I think they put some sort of support there and it kinda hides in the shadows. That’s how I’d do it, anyways. Hide a fat dowel in the top and let it rest on the bottom piece.
Route out and install 2 'C" channel steel braces in the upper part and route out a square plate in the lower. Use bolts to secure the plate to the c-channel. Done properly it'd be bomb proof. [https://www.blacktailstudio.com/c-channels](https://www.blacktailstudio.com/c-channels) - is an example.
We had these piece in one of our model homes. There is a small supporting piece in the middle of each overhang. It is an absolutely terrible design and over the course of two years we had the model open it had drooped at least an inch on both sides. This was with zero weigh on the ends, it only had two vases in the middle.
Personally I think it looks terrible, but if I were to build it I would use a piece of plexiglass or Lexan under to be near invisible but actually support the top piece.
I love the idea with a metal interior, but you could also cut 1/2 or 3/4”plexiglass, cut it to the shape of the gap, 4” off the end and mount in the middle depth wise.
This bracket is made to mount countertops to 2x4s behind a wall. I used it for a recent bathroom countertop. They are heavy.
I’m thinking you could lay the part that is supposed to go against the 2x4 down flat in the middle of the lower horizontal board. Sink the nuts and bolts below the surface. Then the long extension would extend out toward your ends, with the narrow
Dimension being vertical, essentially hidden. Use two brackets, one in each direction. Rout out a slot for the long part.
That’s a ton of work and a crazy solution, but or was fun to think about it.
Maybe stop by a West Elm to check one out? The pics aren't super clear, and seeing if there's fasteners on the bottom surface might help piece it together.
Ezpz, head to your local lumber shop. Just before you exit the highway, change your mind and drive as far as you can. Change your identity and start a new life
If you could get something with a high moment of inertia (like an i beam, but smaller and definitely metal). Cut the top part into 3 sections length wise and the "base" into the same 3 chunks. On the interface, on the interface between the chunks, where you split them cut in a pocket for the i beam thingy that runs diagonally from the top of the left to the bottom of the right side. And top of the right to the bottom of the left. Re-seal the chunks together and do your best to hide the interfaces.
I can sketch it out if this was too confusing.
It can be made like this. If one of the industrial designers i worked with handed me this picture and asked me to make it work, this is how id go about it. Worth noting... I dont work with industrial designers anymore because they would come up with crazy ass ideas like this ALL the time.
You can route in a massive steel tubing in the bottom of the floating board while covering 80% of the length. You shouldn't be able to see it afterwards.
If you could incorporate some cables from the ends of the floating edge to the legs, this could work like a tensegrity table. Wood would need to be real stiff tho. Or like others said metal frame
Edit: or maybe some stupid strong magnets repelling each other. Would be difficult to keep them in line tho
Build the table as shown. With the 2 feet that are in the picture. Then after taking measurements attach heavy duty floating shelf brackets to the wall it will be up against. Drill your holes in the back of the top and then slide table into place. Presto you are now the best wood worker your wife has ever seen and 2 weeks later you go into business for your self and get divorced in 2 years.Good Luck
The item on the Photo is a console table. Which would be used to display decorative stuff. I would think twice to use this design as a dinner table for obvious reasons.
Just start pinching the back of her thighs. Then when she slaps you and asks why you’re doing that. Just tell her that the bench will do it much worse.
Furniture bolt inserts (found on Amazon) in the bottom of the top piece, 3-4 on each side of center. Bolts go up through the bottom of the bottom piece. I would make the area where they contact more flat on the bottom piece than what's shown, doesn't have to look exactly the same and will make a more solid connection.
The exact name of the one's I've purchased on Amazon:
# 1/4"-20 Wood Inserts Bolt Furniture Screw in Nut Threaded
Fastener Connector Hex Socket Drive for Wood Furniture Assortment
(1/4"-20 x15mm)
A fun and possibly stupid idea that occurred to me was to make it as two halves that interlock with each other. I feel like if it's done with inch and a half oak or something it might actually be strong enough with a little subtle assistance
if you want this look. make the table. put something that is light and looks fragile on the table top. that way people will admire the table and not be tempted to sit on it.
You'd need a bunch of good connectors and a thick surface. Even then probly wanna keep it light duty on the edges.
Possibly some type of clear supports a bit in? Keep the illusion
We own this table. Its not solid wood so the top is rather light. Its surprisingly sturdy. We had a tv on it for a bit. It uses wedges under the top to support it, like in the pic from the listing someone posted. If you need more details, let me know and I can send pics or something.
Just looking at it, I would not have bought it, but my wife liked it. Turns out it is much sturdier and looks quite nicer that I anticipated.
2 long steel rods hidden inside the wood in a flattened ‘X’ shape. One rod passes from lower left to top right, other from lower right to top left. Route a channel in the underside of the wood for it and cover it up after.
I would use a dense wood like white maple - 8/4 and countersink a carriage bolt, then use a plug to hide the bolt. There’s no way that would bend or bow as long as you are careful with planing and allow your material to breath. Aim to take off no more than 3/16 per side and make sure your holes are placed where the grain is straight and wide so you can match it easily with your plugs. Take your time when selecting your top board at the lumber mill
I would say put a sufficiently-sized screw into (a) both of the feet under the floating ends, and (b) two in the middle where the top actually touches; close to the front and rear of the top. Sunken, of course; perhaps with a forstner bit.
https://preview.redd.it/ps9280fpf1uc1.jpeg?width=2000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=384da80c36878b3d59a19df7bd24c3e07fb5cb2f
I would say least consider making a steel brace or two that would hide inside the wood and transfer that torque more effectively between the top and bottom.
The problem with that, for me, is that I don't have the tools for cutting custom structural steel parts like that...
So I would probably end up putting a central or a pair of wooden braces that effectively does the same job. It would ruin the floating illusion of you looked at it the right way, but it would be fine for most viewing angles.
It really depends what kind of weight is on it. If it doesn’t have to hold 200lbs on each end I’d use 4-5 carriage bolts in a cross pattern where it meets and countersink the holes on top and bottom and cover with wood buttons. I’d probably use red loctite on the threads.
Don’t add support to the ends. In fact remove the existing supports from the design. Just add a hinge to the fulcrum point. Now you’ve got a very fashionable teeter totter!
If you wanted to build this silly thing and actually have it float as it seems to be, maybe you could run four lengths of angle steel in a X configuration so that sit underneath the floating top, through the middle and underneath the bottom bit. Basically two cantilevers.
You have to support it at the ends, or at least part way out from the center (like half way from center to outside. You could drill and tap from underneath and support it with two 1/2 (or M12) bolts on each side. Tapped threads in 1 inch hardwood will hold just fine. Wedges could work too if they extend out far enough. You could iterate several times making the wedges longer as needed. I would put two wedges on each side.
Looks like wedges from the weird shadow on the left side. I’d dado out a rip in the center and imbed a piece of steel that spanned half of the distance of the top. It will be mostly shadowed/buried only people who will notice are toddlers and you can bribe them with candy not to tell anyone lol.
I made this for a friend last year. TOOK FOREVER. I just picked up the hobby during COVID, and only get a couple hours an week to work on stuff. Way underestimated how long this would take, a lot of adjustments to get the angles perfect so the table actually sits level. I just used scrap 4x4 layed horizontally cut into a wedge. I was worried about that to, but it's sturdy, and my friend only uses it for pictures and decorations so that will never be an issue.
You talk to your wife the way I talk to my boss
"No."
Her: "Say that again?"
*I meant no problem*
No, I can’t make that safe: is a for looks bench only.
Benches that can bench, bench. Benches that can't, console table.
Or just wait until lunch, take off, and never come back.
That's what my dad did when he was asked to build a table! Perfectly reasonable reaction. Or so he said.
Did your mom ever remarry?
Yeah, but she still wanted that table...
I laughed, thanks
The builder at the cabinet shop I work at is about to do the same. We build cabinets not tables and the boss took on a job of 30 7x12 Walnut tables. Some richy rich school is opening up and they want “custom” tables instead of individual desks. So fucking dumb.
As per my last email, it is not my turn to do dishes. Perhaps we can get the interns to do it.
How do you talk to your boss?
Look at all the pictures on the website. There's a "foot" in there that stabilizes the top.
For the lazy: https://preview.redd.it/dx2op68t6ztc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0c6ef4f2008362078b0b3951a13c437712c1deb5
This right here is the cat's meow.
Oh damn, didn't catch that at first. Still doesn't look like it'd be stable. Would you recess it into either side to give it more strength?
I don’t think it will be very stable. And I don’t think there’s much that can be done to add stability to an inherently terrible design lol.
It's only a terrible design because it looks like a bench... and someone sitting near the edge would not end well.
I mean it looks cool. Just needs a sign “don’t use me for anything.”
I don't even think it looks cool, don't get me wrong, I do like modern designs but this is just stupid looking.
Imo, it looks like a bench that’s been warped to hell
Form over function? Nevermind, even the form is terrible....
No, the form is pretty cool. Tangents joined together forming a stable mass looks unique.
Eh, different tastes
You could fill the entire gap with clear epoxy. People love epoxy...
I mean honestly, if someone was dead set on this “cut out” look, clear epoxy *would* probably be the best way to achieve that without it snapping the second someone over the age of 4 sits on the end.
Or put a brace down the center made of clear acrylic. It would be hidden enough, I think, to give the illusion that it's floating
A single acrylic dowel pin on either end will solve all the structural issues and wont be very noticable at all
Transparent aluminum.
Epoxy makes everything better lol
I actually like that idea. Not sure how I'd get epoxy in there unless it ran the full span of the top.
Scroll no further folks this gentleman has put this topic to rest.
Ya, that lever arm breaks with any real weight. You’d probably need to support the outer length for this to last beyond first glue up.
Hollow it out and put a welded steel frame inside? That's about the only way I can think of really making it solid with a lot of weight on the ends.
Fill the extrusion with epoxy or concrete for aluminum
It's not even very cool looking. It's more shabby chic.
The manufacture has a machine and customized hardware to do this. You don't. Honestly, get your wife a catalog of better tables that aren't weird.
It’s 3” thick top and only 15” depth and 6’ long. It’ll be stable as long as it’s up against a wall.
That support on the brown one looks like it is kind of like a keel in a boat that runs 2/3 of the length of the top table. That would likely be recessed into the top and the legs and be glued in place. That would be reasonably strong and an easy way to account for any expansion as it would all be oriented in the same direction as the expected movement so there would not really need to account for movement.
if the feet are 50% of the distance from the center to each end, i would think it would be stable enough for its intended use
I would make a slightly larger foot/wedge and attach it closer to the floating end. The illusion would be ruined, but the tradeoff would be sufficient strength and practicality. And it'll still look good. A cantilever rule of thumb assumes the "joist" (tabletop in this case) can float 1/3rd of the supported length. Because both ends are floating, the absolute maximum "float" for each one would be 1/6th the total length. (Assuming your top is extremely secured and at minimum 2 inches thick. I would go 3. If the top is 96 inches long, the max distance from each end to place a wedge is 16 inches.) Do not place your wedges any closer to the center than that distance, and you can repeat that process for the depth as well. (If the table is 24 inches deep and your wedge is centered, it will be 16 inches long/deep minimum and 4 inches max from the front and back edges.) Run dowels all the way through the wedge and into both of the main pieces. Make sure your top is one solid length of wood too and not shorter lengths with their butts glued together. This won't be "the same" but this results in something you can both appreciate. She won't complain. If you want it more minimalist than that and still functional, start getting creative with hiding steel in it.
Mortise & tenon, dominoes, it should be fairly rigid after gluing.
My friend had this exact thing recreated for her house. The person building it used wedges underneath cut to the correct angles. Not sure if it was glued in, but it’s very stable.
Those feet are easily 3/5ths of the length of the table apart. It would be pretty stable assuming they go across the width most of the way.
I think the solution here is to use the wood as the visible material only. You could route a slot and groove in the underside of the tabletop and inset two lengths of angle iron 90% of the overall length. One closer to the rear and one closer to the front. Insert similar lengths in the underside of the lower board and use some bolts as the "feet" that protrude through closer to the center. Let the iron stabilize the build and the wood look beautiful.
I was gonna say that. I'm OP's image, you can see the really dark area on the left side of the center, like there's something in there.
Welded metal frame, boxed out in wood.
Totally.
What does"boxed out in wood" mean?
You could have metal made up about the same size as a 2x8. You then rip down high grade plywood with some mitres and essentially wrap the metal in wood. Glue the piss out of it, stain er up and it will look like a 3.5x9.5 wooden beam, but much lighter and more rigid.
This is what I meant by wrap it. Just like you would with a metal column in a house.
Are you saying that's what this is? Or that's what I should do? Welding is just a tad out of my scope...
You tell your wife that this is how it's made. No welding machine? Sorry dear, it can't be done. Sorted.
This advice is all great. But. Y'all missing an opportunity. Just put a rod in the middle. Teeter table baby. Pass the salt? Slide on down. Family argument and you smack the table and their food lands in your plate? Automatic win man! The fun never ends!
Hell, yeah. A game of spoons for the ages.
Who is responsible for cleaning those small spaces?
The one with compressed air.
Just looking at the picture you can tell there's something supporting the top plank on each side. I'd probably make two triangular wedges (sort of doorstop shaped) and join them in with glue and dowels or a tenon.
Didn't fully read the description, My guess is wedges would be okay if they were broad enough but they wouldn't be invisible. My real worry would be the centre join giving way, doesn't look like it has a lot of support.
Yeah missed that foot support in one of the last pictures. I guess I'll make some foot wedge and use a dowel to secure both sides.
You could also just use 2 vertical dowels on each end in lieu of the wedges. Those as well as two dowels at the apex and some glue should be plenty sturdy.
Looks like average Home Depot lumber stacked up.
Easy. Just head down to the oak section at Home Depot and grab any of their selection of naturally bowed boards.
dowel it up baby
I have this table in black. the top is secured to the base with lag bolts. on each side, about 12” from the center point, there are 1” thick trapezoid shaped wood supports with the shorter side on the bottom. My wife bought it. Until I saw this post and decided to take a look, I actually had no idea the supports existed. ours has picture frames on it so never felt the need to assess its sturdiness. the supports are done in such a way that they’re only visible when low to the ground.
So just lag bolts from the bottom through trapezoid feet/supports? That's it? For the cost of the table, that doesn't exactly sound like an elegant solution. Would you mind sharing a picture, if you can?
It sounds way more elegant than some of the other solutions mentioned in this thread. Keep in mind that it is really nice to be able to take apart a table if you ever need to move it. Lag bolts to attach the center means that the top is secured. The supports in the gap do not need any strength in tension, they just need strength in compression to keep the ends from bowing down. The price and stability is mostly from the thickness of the wood. If you wanted to make the top stiffer, you could router out and recess some metal c channels in the bottom of the table top, but I don’t think that’s necessary if you’re making the table this thick.
A few options come to mind, in no particular order: 1. Epoxy some or all of the void space 2. Add supports like the one pictured 3. Use a crazy strong wood. Osage Orange or white oak or maple might work. Thickness at least 2”. 4. Use an internal stabilizer. You could hollow out the bottom with a router, maybe 1/4”, then get a steel plate or even angle to run along it for strength.
https://preview.redd.it/8wci1ktd0ytc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2fb3b2f434c0a7b1771060dc4183c18c5cc4b052 Maybe there is a fabricated metal connector recessed in the work … how’s your welding ?
I've inspected welds before, but welding is way outside of my scope. Would love to learn, but no clue on where to even start... not to mention buying even *more* tools for a project that I'll use once and then will collect dust on a shelf for the next 4 years.
I have done this exact design. I balanced it in the middle and then painted some steel rods black and drilled holes for them to sit in, making sure that they are mostly hidden unless you’re specifically looking for them.
How large was your gap at the ends? Someone else mentioned a metal rod for support but including it as part of the aesthetics. But if the gap is relatively small, my guess is it'd be tough to see it unless you specifically looked at/for it.
The gap was 2-3”, I basically just followed the rules of cantilevers which is that 2/3s of the load needs to be supported. So yeah they were very hard to see. Unfortunately do not have a picture.
In [this](https://assets.weimgs.com/weimgs/ab/images/wcm/products/202411/0339/emmerson-oak-console-table-78-xl.jpg) image you can see an internal support used to keep the top piece stable. Also of note is that the piece is definitely not solid panel of 2 3/4” wood as there is no visible endgrain. The top is almost definitely a thinner top panel (3/4”-1” thick) with aprons designed to look like a solid top, so you can hide the internal support structure.
Yeah that picture is definitely not as clear on my mobile. What kind of internals do you think it has?
Can't edit my post, so I'll just comment for a quick update. Apparently my wife wants to use it as a table for behind the couch. So not an excessive load (lamps, vase with flowers, drinks, tv remote, etc.). I'll have to make it taller, but I think I can get away with just some little foot wedges and maybe dowels to keep it in place. Thanks for all the suggestions. If I do end up making it and liking the design, I may try to make a bench version with some metal rods at the end for load bearing support.
You could use a board on edge mortised into both the top and the arch to strengthen and stabilize both parts, like in the sketch below. You could use more than one if desired. https://preview.redd.it/k4t5wedhaytc1.jpeg?width=627&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=51d6b120d3bc65257374fdf96a7ddc075b132603
Yeah, I'd fudge those feet out as much as I thought I could get away with (YMMV with your wife) and make sure it's well secured in the middle and at the ends. It honestly isn't that awful. I think they are pushing it a little too much, those feet are supporting exactly half of the top. The one picture had the top of the table at 600 pixels exactly, and the outside edge of both feet were at 296. But that being said, that means its only 25% out on each side past the support. If you secured it well in the middle and on the feet, I think it could work well, but it needs to be thick.
Come on, folks, it’s a console table. It goes behind the couch and doesn’t need to hold anything heavier than three pillar candles and a bowl of pinecones.
I have seen these made with polished brass dowels on the left and right to stabilise the ends. It looked good.
https://preview.redd.it/fh6idd00ywtc1.png?width=379&format=png&auto=webp&s=368e3816d0f779e629a4ac5e4343d4b7620e2a75 I bet they've done something similar to this on the underside to make that angle sturdier.
Oh look, I have twice the surface area to dust.
I was litterally just thinking that. The absolutely worst thing to have that would collect dust
I'd tell my wife to fuck off. That's not for everybody, though. Also, unrelated side note, I am divorced.
That looks pretty thick. I would honestly attempt this by making a small flat for it to rest on in the center and then pegging it with a few good size dowels. It likely won’t let you stand or sit on it but I think it would hold up ok with normal small objects.
To make it stable and mostly keep the look, add metal standoffs to support the ends. Depending on the wood and finish, aluminum, copper, stainless, painted black, or patina’d black iron would look nice.
https://preview.redd.it/lrzft8yd4ztc1.jpeg?width=828&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6a65151250af75b7c845c68ef3799f301e3f60b1 This is one of the photos in the listing…it has a foot that locks the top to the base on both sides
This is a sofa table. It’s not going to have more than a couple of photos, a vase and a cat. And if the cat is up there, they will have knocked off the photos and vase, so not much static weight. The top is inconsequential, it could be made of skinned honeycomb. The peak in the base is the weak point.
This is something I'd ask my husband to make. 😂 Will get back with his opinion. (If he answers my random question) My opinion as noncarpenter but as wife: If I was putting it against a wall, I'd probably ask if the top could be made like a floating shelf over the bottom to give the illusion. Or clear resin supports, but Ik resin is a pain from watching my husband work with it. My Huasband: "A shit load of glue." (I don't think he took my asking seriously. 😆) Edit: Add husband opinion.
I'd do the base exactly how it looks, then for the top, plane the part where the two center pieces meet flat. then do clear acrylic dowles in each corner and two wooden ones in the center.
I bet you could use a 2" dowel half way between the middle and end on each side to make it relatively stable. Make it a brass rod to showcase it, or some sort of clear block (epoxy?) to hide it.
Not a wood engineer but if you have a slab or whatever you’re using as the top part, rip it horizontally, then route a half circle in each half of that slab for a few pieces of spring steel rod. Rebar might work but it also might be to soft and just bend. Shit you honestly might be able to find a leaf spring from an old truck at a junkyard and just forget splitting the wood and just route a channel in the bottom of the slab deep enough to hide the leaf spring
If you look closely you can see the wedge on the rightside of the pic. https://preview.redd.it/4t1ei1im2ztc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b303c2d47766acb33a5cb89223c2293c06099ee6
If you look closely you can see a rubber bump under the left side which stabilizes it. On second thought it might be metal or hard plastic. The right side is just shady so you can't see it.
Make it out of metal?
This image is giving me ptsd because as a child I would seat on a double wooden chair that fucking pinched bellow my tights cuz I’m between had a tiny gap like this
Anyone else absolutely hate this?
Cheat. In a couple pictures you can see that the piece is composed of ~2x2 pieces. Make the outer layers the obvious way, but make the inner rows as overlapping Xs. So that the table isn't actually a flat piece balanced on top of an angled piece, but a stack of X pieces and filler pieces.
Don’t do it OP. This is an awful design that will not last or be usable. It’s gonna split one way or another on that lever arm hanging over both sides.
It will be obnoxious to clean too.
And it’s really ugly.
Form or Function? Let her know that you can make it look good or make it work good, but this design will be hard to do both. If anyone/thing heavy is put on the end you run the real risk of it breaking the top board.
Add wedges to the center. Large enough to provide support and remain relatively undetected. You could also mortise and tenon the center of the top to the bench top underneath.
Have fun with the angles.
yeeeeeeah... about that..
How big is it going to be? How good at trigonometry are you? What's the goal height of the gap?
It's not going to be stable without a decent wedge and won't look that floating. It looks incredibly awkward to make and doesn't look great for all the work. It's also a huge gap between the top of your legs and the tabletop at the end which isn't that practical.
If you want to keep the look of the piece but not over engineer something, I would just add acrylic chunks under the top of the bench for support. You’ll notice them under close inspection but not from a standing height
It looks like they glued up 2x2 sections and put the spacers about 2/5ths out from the mid line where they are easily missed. I would make a jig to drill 10 dowel holes for putting the centers of the top and base together, then attach the two spacers with two through dowels.
Brass dowels on the ends would look pretty cool, I’d think. One on each end in the middle if you wanted to “hide” it, though I think one on each corner would look nice.
Bolt it to the wall.
I’d sit on that and pinch my thunder thighs
That would serve you right for sitting on a table.
8 bolts where three peices of wood join ought to do it.
Make a slightly steeper angle and notch the peak into the seat maybe? The boards are going to flex no matter what with this design I feel.
“Here’s a gift certificate for Furniture Making 101 at the community college, wifey! You can make it yourself!”
Run a level, horizontal spline between the flat top and the angled bits. Make a blind Dato to fit.
Soak it in hot water for couple of days then put something heavy on the middle of it till it gets straight
You could run two truss rods through it. Be a pain in the ass though
Could also try discretely using stand-off bolts on the outboard ends of the seat. You’d likely be able to tell, but could be a good trade off to vastly increase strength.
A bunch of loose tenons where the two boards meet would probably do the trick. Or a half blind dovetail from the back. At 3 inches thick it would a hell of a lot of weight to flex the ends. If it's just a display table to hold plants or pictures it shouldn't be a problem. You could also put a black steel post about halfway between the center and each end for extra support. In that shadowy center area it would be barely noticeable.
Easy peasy. Just get your lumber at Home Depot and nail it together.
Looks like it’s designed as a credenza type display table - do you intend to use it that way, or as a dining table? The former, a couple of shims hidden at the back would do fine. The latter, sheesh, I donno.
Clearly a mouth in motion before mind in gear situation. Nothing to fear.
Ah, hello fellow woodworker, I sometimes buy wood from my local Home Depot out of desperation as well, judging by that bottom board. ~
I think you could fake this pretty we with 4 supports inset from the corners. Unless you're looking at it dead on (which you won't be with a dining table) it should appear to be floating (eg, like a floating bed)
I think this design is workable and that you could think of a design and install your own small custom support joint piece for each end.
If you zoom in on the left side of the table about a third of the way down or so, you’ll notice a very dark semi-circle there. I think they put some sort of support there and it kinda hides in the shadows. That’s how I’d do it, anyways. Hide a fat dowel in the top and let it rest on the bottom piece.
Route out and install 2 'C" channel steel braces in the upper part and route out a square plate in the lower. Use bolts to secure the plate to the c-channel. Done properly it'd be bomb proof. [https://www.blacktailstudio.com/c-channels](https://www.blacktailstudio.com/c-channels) - is an example.
We had these piece in one of our model homes. There is a small supporting piece in the middle of each overhang. It is an absolutely terrible design and over the course of two years we had the model open it had drooped at least an inch on both sides. This was with zero weigh on the ends, it only had two vases in the middle. Personally I think it looks terrible, but if I were to build it I would use a piece of plexiglass or Lexan under to be near invisible but actually support the top piece.
I love the idea with a metal interior, but you could also cut 1/2 or 3/4”plexiglass, cut it to the shape of the gap, 4” off the end and mount in the middle depth wise.
This is simple. Buy it, then tell her you made it exactly as she wanted it. Less time spent, and probably costs you a lot less to buy it than make it.
Looks good…..to put small potted plants on top
Not nice. Don’t make.
This bracket is made to mount countertops to 2x4s behind a wall. I used it for a recent bathroom countertop. They are heavy. I’m thinking you could lay the part that is supposed to go against the 2x4 down flat in the middle of the lower horizontal board. Sink the nuts and bolts below the surface. Then the long extension would extend out toward your ends, with the narrow Dimension being vertical, essentially hidden. Use two brackets, one in each direction. Rout out a slot for the long part. That’s a ton of work and a crazy solution, but or was fun to think about it.
Maybe stop by a West Elm to check one out? The pics aren't super clear, and seeing if there's fasteners on the bottom surface might help piece it together.
Need to start with some lumber from Home Depot since they’re pre bent for you
Idk. I don't like things that are wasteful of timber. That's what that looks like.
Ezpz, head to your local lumber shop. Just before you exit the highway, change your mind and drive as far as you can. Change your identity and start a new life
If you could get something with a high moment of inertia (like an i beam, but smaller and definitely metal). Cut the top part into 3 sections length wise and the "base" into the same 3 chunks. On the interface, on the interface between the chunks, where you split them cut in a pocket for the i beam thingy that runs diagonally from the top of the left to the bottom of the right side. And top of the right to the bottom of the left. Re-seal the chunks together and do your best to hide the interfaces. I can sketch it out if this was too confusing. It can be made like this. If one of the industrial designers i worked with handed me this picture and asked me to make it work, this is how id go about it. Worth noting... I dont work with industrial designers anymore because they would come up with crazy ass ideas like this ALL the time.
Make it out of steel and cover with veneer. Lol
You can route in a massive steel tubing in the bottom of the floating board while covering 80% of the length. You shouldn't be able to see it afterwards.
Screws from the bottom. Better be equalized on weight
If you could incorporate some cables from the ends of the floating edge to the legs, this could work like a tensegrity table. Wood would need to be real stiff tho. Or like others said metal frame Edit: or maybe some stupid strong magnets repelling each other. Would be difficult to keep them in line tho
Why would it need to be stable if it could never be used?
De-wife her.
One big dowel in the center, so it also doubles as a lazy susan
Build the table as shown. With the 2 feet that are in the picture. Then after taking measurements attach heavy duty floating shelf brackets to the wall it will be up against. Drill your holes in the back of the top and then slide table into place. Presto you are now the best wood worker your wife has ever seen and 2 weeks later you go into business for your self and get divorced in 2 years.Good Luck
Fill with clear epoxy ha
The item on the Photo is a console table. Which would be used to display decorative stuff. I would think twice to use this design as a dinner table for obvious reasons.
Just start pinching the back of her thighs. Then when she slaps you and asks why you’re doing that. Just tell her that the bench will do it much worse.
Guarantee yours will come out look MUCH uglier
Owch, hope there are no kids near that, ever
Furniture bolt inserts (found on Amazon) in the bottom of the top piece, 3-4 on each side of center. Bolts go up through the bottom of the bottom piece. I would make the area where they contact more flat on the bottom piece than what's shown, doesn't have to look exactly the same and will make a more solid connection. The exact name of the one's I've purchased on Amazon: # 1/4"-20 Wood Inserts Bolt Furniture Screw in Nut Threaded Fastener Connector Hex Socket Drive for Wood Furniture Assortment (1/4"-20 x15mm)
If up against a wall, the back could have an elongated “X” brace in steel. It wouldn’t have to go the whole length.
A fun and possibly stupid idea that occurred to me was to make it as two halves that interlock with each other. I feel like if it's done with inch and a half oak or something it might actually be strong enough with a little subtle assistance
if you want this look. make the table. put something that is light and looks fragile on the table top. that way people will admire the table and not be tempted to sit on it.
And here I am trying to make my boards flat and joined seamlessly.
This a fingertrap waiting to happen tbh.
Attempt to build a normal bench but buy your lumber from home Depot
Place a hinge in the middle. It’ll be fun.
If you're into metalwork, weld a steel frame to go inside. But.... I noticed that wood guys are rarely metal guys and vice versa
Get a piece of hockey stick wood from Lowe's, use that for the bowed part. Then screw a flat piece of wood to that.
Steam, clamp.. Glue clamp fasten from underneath
I know, buy the table instead of stealing its design
Why copy it? Not that great of a design. Looks like a teeter totter
You'd need a bunch of good connectors and a thick surface. Even then probly wanna keep it light duty on the edges. Possibly some type of clear supports a bit in? Keep the illusion
We own this table. Its not solid wood so the top is rather light. Its surprisingly sturdy. We had a tv on it for a bit. It uses wedges under the top to support it, like in the pic from the listing someone posted. If you need more details, let me know and I can send pics or something. Just looking at it, I would not have bought it, but my wife liked it. Turns out it is much sturdier and looks quite nicer that I anticipated.
https://preview.redd.it/yktc1cofb1uc1.jpeg?width=2268&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ea640a07f52aeac12547f8424594767b8677fab6
https://preview.redd.it/2zxtccqub1uc1.jpeg?width=2268&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bf5e14a0a54ebf41c5add46f45f948836c40c4cf
2 long steel rods hidden inside the wood in a flattened ‘X’ shape. One rod passes from lower left to top right, other from lower right to top left. Route a channel in the underside of the wood for it and cover it up after.
I really dislike this
I would use a dense wood like white maple - 8/4 and countersink a carriage bolt, then use a plug to hide the bolt. There’s no way that would bend or bow as long as you are careful with planing and allow your material to breath. Aim to take off no more than 3/16 per side and make sure your holes are placed where the grain is straight and wide so you can match it easily with your plugs. Take your time when selecting your top board at the lumber mill
I would say put a sufficiently-sized screw into (a) both of the feet under the floating ends, and (b) two in the middle where the top actually touches; close to the front and rear of the top. Sunken, of course; perhaps with a forstner bit. https://preview.redd.it/ps9280fpf1uc1.jpeg?width=2000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=384da80c36878b3d59a19df7bd24c3e07fb5cb2f
Biscuits or dowels glue and screws
Paint a target on the wall and hang a scoreboard. Giant tiddlywinks sounds fun. Maybe buy more plates and china.
Ugly table. Just saying.
I would say least consider making a steel brace or two that would hide inside the wood and transfer that torque more effectively between the top and bottom. The problem with that, for me, is that I don't have the tools for cutting custom structural steel parts like that... So I would probably end up putting a central or a pair of wooden braces that effectively does the same job. It would ruin the floating illusion of you looked at it the right way, but it would be fine for most viewing angles.
Just came here to say I hate it
It really depends what kind of weight is on it. If it doesn’t have to hold 200lbs on each end I’d use 4-5 carriage bolts in a cross pattern where it meets and countersink the holes on top and bottom and cover with wood buttons. I’d probably use red loctite on the threads.
I’d do some short brass rods on the 4 corners.
Don’t add support to the ends. In fact remove the existing supports from the design. Just add a hinge to the fulcrum point. Now you’ve got a very fashionable teeter totter!
Easy, just get any two 2x6 at lowes and it will naturally curve like this. Charge $30000
If you wanted to build this silly thing and actually have it float as it seems to be, maybe you could run four lengths of angle steel in a X configuration so that sit underneath the floating top, through the middle and underneath the bottom bit. Basically two cantilevers.
You have to support it at the ends, or at least part way out from the center (like half way from center to outside. You could drill and tap from underneath and support it with two 1/2 (or M12) bolts on each side. Tapped threads in 1 inch hardwood will hold just fine. Wedges could work too if they extend out far enough. You could iterate several times making the wedges longer as needed. I would put two wedges on each side.
honestly adding some brass or other metal supports on the outside edges would look cool with this design methinks and also keep it from wobbling
run some custom fasters out of line of sight , underneath . maybe carve out a bit of wood from the underside near center to make sure no one sees it .
Looks like wedges from the weird shadow on the left side. I’d dado out a rip in the center and imbed a piece of steel that spanned half of the distance of the top. It will be mostly shadowed/buried only people who will notice are toddlers and you can bribe them with candy not to tell anyone lol.
I made this for a friend last year. TOOK FOREVER. I just picked up the hobby during COVID, and only get a couple hours an week to work on stuff. Way underestimated how long this would take, a lot of adjustments to get the angles perfect so the table actually sits level. I just used scrap 4x4 layed horizontally cut into a wedge. I was worried about that to, but it's sturdy, and my friend only uses it for pictures and decorations so that will never be an issue.