How to Make a Sixteen Foot Trestle Table

Listing #5097 Listed on: 08/29/2019 Company Name: Hudson Cabinetmaking, Inc.
Name: Russell Huds Member
Website:   www.hudsoncabinetmaking.com

Our client had a very large family, entertained guests often and had just built a substantial sized home for himself… so he wanted a custom made dining table that was 16 feet long by 48” wide. He wanted it made from oak and be well aged in appearance.
I had built a number of large trestle tables before but nothing of this size. I had to calculate the table top’s weight to see how difficult it would be to manipulate in our shop. At 2” thick it was already approaching 900 lbs which would stop my son & I from even turning the table top over (safely). So… I designed it such that the outside edge boards and the bread board ends would be over 2” thick and the great majority of it’s center area would be only 1.25” thick. This would make the top alone weigh aprox. 600 lbs, which made it do-able, if not easy to handle.

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Posted By:David Sochar
Nice work! One learns to eat their Wheaties on Delivery Day for these large items. 600 lbs should have 4 guys at least. We try to have things knocked apart for delivery and set-up. Takes more time on the job. but makes it all so much more maneuverable.
Posted By:Russell Hudson
we had 7 Russian laborers waiting for us / I did a time lapse of our setting it up / of course, we made it of parts / topp, both pedestals (each weighed about 150lbs) and the stretcher / just aligning the bolts beneath took about 8 of us / it doesn't move if you bump into it LOL
Posted By:TennesseeTim
Looks Great!!!!! Extra glad to see a breadboard done CORRECTLY!!! Email me back if you can.
Posted By:David Young
It is fun to set these up and demonstrate how solid they are. I used to say something like "No particle board in there!". But now say "it is solid enough to tap dance upon, should you ever feel the need."

Next time, you will have to try the pedestals. When we make them (rarely), we break the width of the faces into less than 6" pieces so we can bandsaw them.

We use a pin on the bandsaw and pattern saw the profile on the blanks so they are within 1/16" or so. Glued up for width, we then sand with a dough roller inflatable sander. Then miter the long edges on the table saw and assemble into a pedestal.

Pattern sawing on the bandsaw is where it is at.

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