Butterfly
Table

Photos Above Show Views of the Table and
How the Top Boards are Held Together for
Sawing and Shaping. Blueprint at Left
Shows the Construction. If This Reproduc-
tion of the Original Blueprint is Used as a
Working Plan, Use the Scales to Determine
Dimensions not Marked.

Simple Design of a Popular Classic

EVERY craftsman eventually builds a butterly table The popularity of the piece has given rise to innumerable variations in design and construction, some difficult to construct and with considerable ginger-bread detail; others simpli?ed while yet retaining the essential characteristics of grace and utility The design shown here falls in the latter class - indeed, it presents the butterly table in as simplified form as could be desired. Start the construction by glueing-up the stock for the top if this cannot be obtained the specified width. While the glue is drying, square the stock for the legs and turn these to the plan shown in the blueprint.

The mortises for the aprons and the holes for the stretchers can then be made, centering the cuts in each case in the center of the turning
You will notice from the blueprint that the legs are perpendicular as viewed from the side, and at an angle as viewed from the end It is advisable to roughly lay out the centerlines of the end plan full-size so that the necessary angular cuts at the bottoms and tops of the legs can be accurately marked. The stretchers can be made next.
Care should be exercised in turning the ends so that a clean, snug fit can be made with the drilled holes in the legs. Notice that the side stretchers are a little higher from the base line than the end stretchers. Make and fit the aprons. There is a shoulder on the underside only, none on the sides, as can be seen from the plan. The two ends can now be loosely assembled over the full-size markings, checking for equalness of size and angle.

Do not make a permanent assembly until all parts of the table have been made and checked each against the other.
The ?rst operation in making the top calls for the making of the drop leaf hinge joint by which the end pieces are joined to the center board.
The joint is shown full- size on the plan, and is easily made on the shaper or on the circular saw with mould- ing cutters. Carefully lay out the position of the hinges, and rout the grooves to take the hinge barrels. Before cutting the ellip- tical shape of the top, it is best to ?t the three boards of the top together. This can be done by nailing wood strips in place, as can be seen in the photograph, or by asseniblying by means of the hinges.
The idea, of course, is to treat the top as one large surface so that there will be a perfect uniformity of shape all around. A 1/32 in. clearance should be left at the joints as an allowance for the ?nish.

The lines for the top form a simple ellipse, which can be easily laid out with a beam compass or with string and pencil to the radii shown. Sand the edges carefully after band sawing, and then shape to the plan shown, using shaper cutter D-120. The moulding can be varied to suit your own equipment for doing this kind of work.
The top can now be placed top down on a bench or on the floor, and the bottom assembly set in place to check the location of“ the legs.
The wings are made at this time, and all parts are checked for ?t and size in a temporary assembly. Notice that the wings, when folded back, must permit the leaves to hang in a vertical position.
The ?nal assembly is made with glue. It is a good plan to ?t a dowel or a double-pointed nail in the top end of each leg to ?t corresponding holes on the underside of the table.
The corner blocks can be doweled, screwed or nailed to the legs and the top. Stock metal ?ttings for fastening legs and aprons to table tops can be used at the discretion of the builder.
The ?nish is largely -a matter of preference. The table is quite attractive with the top ?nished bright and the lower assembly in bone white or in colors, as can be seen in the photographs.
The entire table in natural wood with a varnish ?nish is, of course, the conventional manner oi ?nishing a project of this nature. The most important consideration is the top which, whether in paint, lacquer or varnish, must present a smooth, clean surface.

Right-click here to download the drawing as an Adobe Acrobat (pdf) file.

* * * * Click on the drawings above to download a higher resolution picture. * * * *

*********** WARNING***********
Read my page on safety before building this item.

Butterfly Table

Butterfly
Table