My wife likes to keep me busy in the garage so she suggested that I build a coffee/game table for the rec room. I really like to try new ideas and I had heard about the hayrake frame for tables that is really kind of interesting which you will see in the photos that follow. Many are works of art but I needed the basic square / rectangular variety. I found a table on the 3D Warehouse at this location: http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=697e5edceaffe68e738e4… The source is a big table but with a few guesses and a little math I down-sized it to coffee table size.
Here are the dimensions of my final table. All measurements are extreme…
Top : 59 1/2″ x 22 1/2″
Frame with legs attached : 56 1/2″ x 19 1/2″
Height (floor to top of top) 18″
The following photos show the order of my building (guessing) process but here it is in words:
1. Decide how big (L x W) you want the top and then size the hayrake frame to fit with your desired overhang. I like to draw it out on quadril paper (little squares) and then build the hayrake. All of the angles are 45 degrees so fairly simple with your chop saw.
2. Then add the legs but make sure they are accurately placed otherwise the table will wobble. To get all of the legs the exact same length I cut them all at the same time on the chop saw and make minute adjustments with the chop saw as necessary. By minute I really mean minute.
3. Measure, cut and attach the end stretchers. Precise cuts are important to keep everything square. I installed the stretchers with PH screws but it is really hard to hold them in place when putting the screws in.
4. Measure, cut and attach the front and back aprons. Precise cuts are important to keep everything square. I just glued them in the exact location where I wanted them.
5. Cut and add the corner braces. There is a bolt that goes through the leg and through the brace that can be tightened as needed. I also screwed the braces to the stretchers and the aprons. Now everything is in place.
6. Build your top if necessary. I just put two 1 x12 s together with glue and PH screws.
7. Then sand the frame and top. Paint or stain the frame and top.
8. Apply polyurethane or antique oil to the top.
9. Position the frame on the top and attach using PH screws. I don't use glue. The Kreg mini jig is really handy for drilling the PHs for this operation. Now you are DONE!
Top $30
Legs $8
Frame $6
Stretchers, aprons, braces about $14
So a total of about $60. I could have gone cheaper but on this one I chose not to.
If you add up all of the hours it took about 30 hours. A lot of that time was just making sure the dimensions would work out and the eons and eons it takes to stain and paint.
All pine
Entire frame was sanded to 320 grit. Then painted with Behr Pompeian Red. Two coats with another sanding after the first coat. I was tired of white, brown, gray or black so that is why I went with this red.
The top was sanded to 1000 grit and then black Rust-oleum Kona wood stain. After several coats of stain then two coats of Minwax Antique Oil finish was applied.
The connection between the legs and the frame included countersunk screws covered with buttons, carriage bolts with the exposed heads painted black.
Attaching the frame stretchers and aprons was very interesting. I tried PHs on the stretchers but it was very very difficult to keep them from moving around when the PH screws were applied. So for the aprons I just glued them to the legs and then with the corner braces and attachment to the top I think they are there to stay.
