Farmhouse Dining Table with Gothic Revival Legs
I needed to add about 5 inches of height to the legs to get the top of the table to 29 inches. I had a bunch of scrap ash, so I glued some pieces together and then trimmed them to the the same dimensions as the tops of the legs – about 2 3/4 inches square. I then cut them to the appropriate height.
The next big question was how to attach them securely to the tops of the legs. Gluing end-grain to end-grain is the weakest joint in woodworking, so I needed to reinforce that joint, lest the table split apart at one of leg seams one day. Yeesh, that would be a drag. Knowing my luck, it would probably happen when we were entertaining the Emperor of Japan and his wife, and steaming bowls of miso soup would land in their laps. Oh, it would be so embarrassing. They’d never want to come back!
Fortunately, the tops of the legs already had holes drilled into them, more or less on center. Handan discovered some old galvanized bolts I had kicking around the basement, and she further determined that those bolts fit snugly into the holes. Despite her crude British hand gestures, she’s not half bad sometimes!
I cut the heads off with my dull hacksaw. I do so little metalwork, that I always forget to buy a new blade. Been sawing with this one for over four years. Takes a long time to saw the simplest thing. But it’s a good workout for a pudgy schlub like me! 🙂
In case you’re ever wondering why I have, say, a picture of a relatively unimportant thing like cutting the head off a bolt, but no pictures of me attaching the end boards or the splines to the table, it’s because I generally work alone, and during critical or high-stress work, I can’t stop to take pics. If I’m lucky, Handan may be around to be my paparazzo, but usually I’m all by my lonesome. 🙁 Poor me 🙁
The bolt had a real tight fit in the top of the leg. I needed to wack it with a framing hammer. That set my nerves on edge, as with every tremendous whallop, I expected the antique leg to shatter.
I got lucky, and the legs stayed intact. But I had another problem. The holes that were drilled in the legs were not perfectly straight, and one of them was not on center. That was going to make the job of mating them with the blocks I had cut that much harder.
To solve this, I made the holes in the extension blocks wide enough to accommodate the slanted bolts and allow for a little wiggle room. I would fill up the empty space with epoxy, and along with the wood glue mating the two ends, I’d have a joint that should survive the Apocalypse.
A little wood glue on the wood and epoxy on the bolt…
…then spread out the glue and cram some epoxy into the hole on the extension piece, and I was good to go.
I clamped them up as best I could (it was a bit awkward with the shape of the legs) and let the glue and epoxy cure.
The next day, I set about repairing the gouges left over from removing the stubborn corbels. I used simple wood filler for Round 1.
Once that had dried and I had sanded it smooth, I noticed that there were more gouges to fill. For Round 2, I wanted to experiment with something new. Since these legs would be painted, I wasn’t worried about experimenting. I had read a lot of good things about Bondo as a wood filler. I knew that it is used extensively in auto body repair, but I didn’t realize they made a product for wood. It is a two-part filler that must be mixed together and used within minutes before it hardens.
I love it. It’s now my number one filler for anything that will be painted. It says that it is stainable, but the test piece I tried it on didn’t accept stain like the unfilled areas. But for pieces that will be painted, it’s a wonder. It goes on smooth and easy and dries quickly. Once dried, I find it much easier to sand than wood filler. A big thumbs up to Bondo! I will warn you though – wear nitrile gloves when working with this stuff. It’s pretty toxic, and it stinks to high heaven. But those are small prices for a filler this good.
Once I had the tops of the legs sorted, I needed to turn my attention to one of the feet. When we bought the original table, one of the clawed feet was missing a toe. It was time to harness my inner sculptor and Michelangelo that thing back into shape. My tool of choice was Handan’s Apoxie Sculpt – part epoxy glue, part modeling clay, 100% badass.
I put the leg in a vise and drilled two pilot holes for the screws pictured above.
The screws would act as anchors for the Apoxie Sculpt, much like rebar does for concrete. It would give it something to hold onto.
I scooped out equal amounts from each jar and kneaded them together with my fingers.
After I had them mixed together, I called upon my muse and set about my masterpiece.
Michelangelo himself could not possibly have done better!
Part 4 – The Apron
Most of the construction and repair of the legs was now complete. The only thing that remained was to route a large chamfer on one of the top edges of each of the legs.
That bevel would be needed in a bit when I would be attaching the legs to the apron.
The corner brackets I bought to attach the legs to the apron were 3 inches tall, so I decided to make the apron 3 1/2 inches tall. I had enough scrap wood for the 4 pieces I would need. Handan and I placed the legs where we wanted them, and then I made my calculations. I was very careful with my math, writing out the simplest of steps that I could have done in my head. I didn’t want to screw anything up. We were so close to the end!
I made those calculations one day and made the cuts the next. When reading from my calculations above, I read that “49 11/16” as “49 1/16.” When I was assembling the pieces on the table, I couldn’t understand why everything wasn’t fitting together in the proper way. When I discovered my error, I was afraid the legs would interfere with the side chairs, but my 5/8 inch mistake wasn’t going to affect anything. Phew!
The picture above was still just a mockup. Nothing was glued or screwed in place. Handan was dying to know how the table was going to look. I had snapped some pics and turned them upside down, but that wasn’t enough for her. She wanted to do it the old fashioned way.
I needed to cut channels in the apron for the corner brackets that would secure the legs to the apron and the fasteners that would secure the apron to the table. I marked the apron where i needed to cut the groove for the corner bracket, and I marked where I would need to drill holes for the hanger bolts on the beveled corner of the leg.
I set my table saw to cut a 3/8 inch groove and ran the boards through.
Before going any further with the legs and apron, I put two coats of shellac on everything. Handan would be painting it soon, and the shellac would not only protect the wood from moisture, but it would prevent the original legs from bleeding through since they were mahogany. I used brush-on shellac for the apron and parts of the legs and spray shellac for the intricate parts and corbels.
I had the holes marked for the hanger bolts, but I wasn’t sure how I’d be able to drill the holes nice and straight when I’d be balancing the leg on the opposite corner while I drilled.
I solved this issue by making a quick jig from some scrap wood. I drilled holes in the jig with my drill press.
I then fit the jig over the leg.
And then I drilled the holes.
Click on “Next” to continue.
OMG! I was laughing so hard throughout this post. You are FUNNY!
Great job on the table. As always, very entertaining. .
😀 Thank you, Revital!
That is a beautiful table. Very well done. Love the chairs too.
You are such a talented writer! Great post. Very entertaining and informative. What a combo.
Thank you so much, Amy! 🙂
Your table turned out beautifully and I love, love, love the chairs you put with it. It’s more country chic! I have to ask where you learned your woodworking skills. I have none and would have nailed the boards together thinking glue wouldn’t be enough! I envy your and Handan’s skills! You should put out a how-to blog for dummies like me!
Thank you so much, Giselle! I learned all my skills through trial and error, YouTube and reading random stuff on the web. Trust me, I had no skills at all when we moved into this house 4 years ago!
Wowza, great storytelling and a gorgeous ending to the Table saga. Well done ?
Thank you so much, Jacqui! 😀
That project turned out gorgeous! What a great way to save beautiful legs from an old table. The entire project is to die for. Love the chairs too!
Thank you, Dawn! I appreciate that very much! 🙂
Gorgeous! What a beautiful table, the finish turned out beautifully. And those chairs….great choice! Handan is right, those little rings on the back really make them special! Perfect match.
Thank you, Claudine! Yep, Handan has a great eye for those kinds of things! 🙂
Great job. I felt your pain with those dark spots.
Love the chairs, too.
As a Brit I find how you measure in inches in the US so, so difficult. aarghh 55 1/16″ – 5 3/8″ Ever thought of going ‘metric’?? So much easier, believe me.
Thank you, Di! Lol, Handan wishes we’d go metric, too. I wouldn’t mind a bit, but until then, the Imperial system doesn’t bother me, either 🙂
BEE-YOU-TEE-FULL work! You have much talent for woodwork as well as writing! Thanks for sharing your efforts! The Dining Room is a stunner.
Thank you, Linda! We are thrilled with the table and with the dining room makeover! 🙂
GORgeous! You tackled a big job and it turned out great. I would have given up a long time ago.
Thank you, Jeanine! I would have given up, too…but Handan would never let me, lol! 😀
WOW!!! WOW WOW WOW!!! It’s fabulous!!!!
Thank you, Derry!
Absolutely beautiful. I did notice the feet are straight on instead of facing the corner of your beautiful tabletop, as they originally did. It looked odd to me so l compared them to your original photos. Any reason why? Great job!
Good eye, Hilary! Yes, there is a reason. If we had the legs facing out from the corners, it would have been impossible to attach them securely to the apron. We decided that facing out towards the ends of the table looked good enough, so we ran with it! 🙂
BEAUTIFUL!!!!! You and Handan made a gorgeous table. That table was special in its time, but you two created something you can be proud of every time you walk by it. I Love it.
Thank you so much, Cheryl! I am so proud of it every time I see it!
The table is gorgeous! Absolutely worth all the blood, sweat and tears! Simply stunning! I am going to have to try both wipe on poly and bondo!
Thank you, Barb! You will love both of those products!
Oh my freaking gawd! I can’t believe it! You have the exact same chair as I do! The green one with the arched back, in the basement. Mind you mine is in the storage shed waiting for a makeover.
Anyways, what a fantastic mammoth effort you did! I can feel the torment of perfectionism!
I love the way you are real and miss bits of the job. All comes good in the end though, hey!
One point; I notice you didn’t use biscuits joiners to join the table, just curious as to why?
Fantastic post and fantastic photos.
Well done!
Great minds think alike, Aletheia! I have four of those chairs that I bought along with a kitchen table back in 1995. It was my first adult furniture purchase! Regarding biscuits – they are not necessary when gluing pieces along the edge grain. A good quality wood glue (like the Titebond III that I use) will give a joint that is actually stronger than the surrounding wood. Things get wonky with end-grain, though. The side grain of the end boards attaches to the end grain of the main table. That is not an ideal joint. Furthermore, there is more stress on that joint than any other on the table. Because of this, I used a spline joint. You can think of a spine as a biscuit that runs the length of the joint. One last note: though biscuits are not needed with edge glue-ups, they can help keep the boards in alignment during clamping. The ash that I used was very dense and rather thick, so I’m wondering if a biscuit would have helped or hurt with my warping problem. If I could have applied enough pressure to straighten the boards and get those biscuits locked, it may have helped a lot. But if I couldn’t get the board straightened enough, then I’d lose my chance at gluing them together. I think for thinner, softer boards like pine, using biscuits might help if some of the boards aren’t perfectly straight. They may also help for those who don’t have clamps.
Amazing work! You guys make a great team.
Thank you, Barbara! We think so too 🙂
I’ m exhausted…I read it TWICE!! First for me and then my hubbie heard me chortling away…and I read it…again to him. He, too, is a “woodworker” and I’m a little bit “Handan.” The table is so “farmish”…it is gorgeous! KUDOS!! (one of those exclamations was from my hubbie.) franki
LOL, thank you, Franki! I’m so happy you guys liked the post 🙂
That table is simply gorgeous! GORGEOUS! I just hope your amazing restoration/makeover will be a sort of inspiration for my hubby, we have 2 more or less “antique” tables waiting for some mercy in our garage…
Thank you so much, Maigwen! If your husband gets inspired, please send us some before & after pictures to greg@thenavagepatch.com.
Oh my goodness! I absolutely love how the table turned out! Is just breathtaking! Plus I read the whole thing and I just love everything in there I definitely laughed out loud a few times!! Hehehe GREAT JOB!!
Thank you very much, Kristy!
Beautiful! What type of brush did you use for the legs? I’m refinishing an ornate piece and am daunted by the details.
Hi Heidi, I usually keep a set of cheap artist brushes handy, and I use them with the ornate pieces, such as these table legs. They sell similar ones also at Michaels, and they end up being cheaper than the ones on Amazon if you use a coupon.
Here is the one I get from Amazon: https://amzn.to/2P040P6.
And here is the one I get from Michaels: https://fave.co/2o4TieB
The table turned out amazing! I was laughing so hard at your commentary throughout the post! I started reading from the failed table attempt post (I feel your pain there). That was SO MUCH hard work! You did a wonderful job. Now I understand why custom tables cost so much HA! I’ll definitely be back to read more about your projects!
Thank you so much, Katt! Oh, what a pain in the ass this project was, but it was worth it in the end! 🙂
Beautiful work on this table! I fretted a bit when you took the corbels off the legs and was so happy to see that you were able to incorporate them into the new design! All my projects have issues, too and there have been many times where cursing has ensued. I am enjoying your blog – loved the adventure stories – you could make those into a book!
Hi Jeanne, thank you so much! I don’t think I’ve completed a single project without some sort of issue or problem. DIY is life, and we figure it out as we go. That means a lot of mistakes and a lot of learning!
I found your blog a few months ago and just have to say, your writing is amazing and the projects incredible!! I literally spit coffee out from bursting into laughter on the horse hair brush comparison.
The table is gorgeous!! Kudos in buckets!!!
I come up with all sorts of projects and let my “babes” in on the plans with “…so, hon, I was thinking…”, at which point hubbie says, “…and I’ll be doing”. We’ve read lots of your posts to prepare with “our” projects…thank you!
Welcome, Andrea! I’m happy to hear that I’ve not only entertained you but have also given some good advice. Good luck with your projects! 🙂
Wow!! I am so impressed with your perfectionist woodworking skills. And your hilarious storytelling abilities got me hooked. What a terrific
team you and Handan are. I do a little furniture refurbishing and I learned a ton from watching this tutorial. I am definitely a fan.
Thank you so much, Barbara! Handan and I are happy to have you along on our adventure! 🙂
Well, I’m a little late to the party but had to comment anyway. I read through the previous nightmare that you had with the original table and honestly, I would have loved it the way it was, horse hair and all. And I nearly cried when I read you were going to use just the legs for another project. But, that said, the final result was just BRILLIANT and I love it so so very much. Far more than the original table. This was truly what I would consider my magnum opus but I know you have many of these types of projects under your belt so you may not agree. I think the spots on it WERE your tears, lol. But you worked it out and I believe it was serendipity. It truly was better BECAUSE of the mistakes and disappointments. This is a lesson in the greatness of perseverance and determination. GREAT job. Just amazing.
That was one heck of a project, Tracy, and I don’t know if I’ll ever make another furniture piece as complicated. Time seems more scarce these days. But I still have the memory of that build, and more importantly, we’re still using the table in our Florida dining room!
That is a table meant to be used for a lifetime and passed on to future generations. I would leave a detailed description of the hell you went through to get it done, and tape it to the bottom of the table, lest someone not appreciate what went into it. I wanted to post some of the things that made me laugh out loud but there were so many, why bore you with your own material? lol It truly was a great read, an amazing job and I felt like I was on this adventure with you. I can appreciate a job well done and this really qualified. Thanks again.
Hi Tracy, thank you for this lovely comment! I love your idea about passing it down with a note. I just may do that! I’ll print out the blog post, seal it in a ziplock and tape it to the bottom! 😂😂😂