Woodworker's Journal 1994-18-6, страница 35

dovetails. The four joints stand independent of one another, and there are no carcases or drawers to square, no rails, dividers, or other constructions to distract you. You can concentrate on the basics of the technique—laying out, cutting, and fitting the dovetails.

While not likely to win prizes for innovation, this design has proved versatile. By varying the size and proportions of the legs and top, and adding a stretcher or two when necessary, you can make end tables, nesting tables, low coffee tables, tall hall tables, serving tables, even dining tables. The broad surfaces will show⁷ off handsomely grained wood or lend themselves equally well to paint. Also, you can easily modify the design by gently curving the edges or ends of the table, tapering the legs, or embellishing the surfaces with carving or stcncils.

The table shown in this article serves as a desk for my eight-year-old daughter. She's outgrown a smaller version (22x48X24" high, made from IV." stock), which was handed down from an older brother and now goes to our third child. Made of pine, with no stretchers to reinforce the joints, that tabic has withstood four years of daily use. While the dovetails prove surprisingly strong, I think it prudent to reinforce them with stretchers for taller tables (there's more leverage at work on the legs) and for larger tables, such as dining tables, that are likely to receive hard use. If you're just starting out and are looking for a project of manageable size, I've included a simple coffee-table design (figure 3) along with the draw ing of the larger child's desk.

Preparing the Wood

I used poplar for this table, a relatively inexpensive wood that 1 found durable and easy to work. While it isn't particularly handsome, it takes paint well. Children's furniture in our house, though it may not start out that way. often acquires a coat of paint after awhile. 1 suggest you start with a similar type of wood durable, dense without being too hard and inexpensive. Pine, poplar, and soft maple all fit the bill. You may be tempted to try your luck with some lovely walnut, cherry, or oak. But if you've never made dovetails, chances are you'll see room for

Woodworker's Journal

improvement in the finished project. There's something to be said for gaining skill and confidence with easily workable materials that don't cost an arm and a leg.

For strength and appearance 1 use thick stock, from 1 to l'/j", depending

on the size of the table (and what I can get out of the material I have). Thicker parts provide more gluing surface and therefore more strength in the dovetails. Thickcr stock also adds heft to the front view, where all you see are the edges of the top and legs. In large tables such as