Fire Department Crew Table Build Log

This page details the procedure of making the table. From this, to this.

The new Chief (my successor after the wee heart attack thing) asked me to use my limited skills to make a table for the apparatus floor. Commonly known as the 'liar's table'. Many of us eat lunch and generally hang out there, and the present one is often quite crowded. I'm building a 4' by 10' heavy oak table which will have our department crest epoxied into the top. These are popular in fire halls across North America. It's being built in secret, and will just appear late one night.

Ran the top planks through the planer today to get uniform thickness and smooth finish.

Cut the leg pieces at 30", finished length will be 29 1/8 which will result in table top being 30" when added.

Blade change and set up on the band saw.

Made test cuts to waste pieces to figure out how I'm going to do the compound cuts to the legs to tenon in the apron rails. Combination of band saw, carefully adjusted and stopped table saw cuts, Japanese draw saw and and chisel work. I had to go in to work to follow up on a problem from last night, so I used my Autocad to make a drawing for the leg cuts.

The leg design has a mirror image effect, so there's two of each cut, A,B,C,D.

these are two strengthening webs for strength, the three pieces drilled both horizontally and vertically will allow dowels to attach the top to the base as shown in the next two pictures. This allows movement for seasonal expansion and contraction of the planks.