Woodworking Table Plans - Starting With The Basics
Bowe Packer
Whether its cabinets or cupboards you're building there's no getting by
from the fact that you're going to need to do a slew of measurements
first before you start constructing anything. And if you don't have any
plans for these cabinets or cupboards then you're going to need to do
that yourself as well. But what about if you're going to be building a
table? The table plans should be quite easy to do shouldn't they? You
know what they say -- depends.
No matter what you are building there has to be some type of plan to
finish the construction of the project. Can you imagine if we didn't
have any plans to go by. Well needless to say, if you are like me you
would probably end up paralyzed as to where to start. Then the project
never gets started or finished.
Yes, the table plans should be comparatively easy to draw, but the
difficulty lies in not the design process but in the construction
process. Even for the most basic of tables you need to get the angles
of the legs right otherwise you might end up with a very odd piece
of furniture! And again depending on what type of table the angles and
corners must be fairly accurate as well.
Having said that, table plans can also become extensive works of arts
and elaborate designs, and some of the best tables are the hardest to
make. Now don't let this discourage you. With the proper education (I
am not talking a 4 year degree here) you can get started quickly and
easily on all your projects. The beauty and the trouble lies not in the
table itself but in the effort it took to imagine such a piece of wood
working mastery, and the deed it took to turn it into one finished
product.
Of course that doesn't mean that the beginning wood worker can't make
table plans for themselves. In fact one of the very first things that
is suggested is that the beginning wood worker use a saw horse or a saw
bench. And in case you hadn't guessed by now, both of those things
requires legs to stand on. So you will be able to draw your own table
plans virtually from the beginning itself and you'll also be able to
make your own table as well.
Listen, essentially and I mean essentially when drawing up table plans,
they all start from the same base. Meaning you can look at other table
plans and draw your own from just seeing what it looks like off the
other plans. It comes down to visualizing it. You mind doesn't have to
start from scratch, which is sometimes the hardest part.
And if the table legs turn out somewhat lopsided well then you learn
from your mistakes and move on to the next set of table plans. If you
want to use your first attempt, you'll have to make it un-lopsided of
course, and to do this you might have to saw off a piece off one of the
legs Then again if you want character and you're not going to use it
for wood working purposes then you might want to keep it odd as a
memento of the very first table you did.
As you might have gathered though table plans, the simple ones, aren't
that difficult to draw. And remember if you get stuck, then look at
some other similar plans. Give your mind a visual, something it can
work with. As time goes on your plan drawing will grow and expand with
your experience. Don't be afraid to try and start with some basic table
plans.
Bowe is the webmaster, content provider and author of the e-book:
"Woodworking Essentials". Visit his site and:
http://www.woodworkingessentials.net - Quickly learn woodworking
essentials to get started on your home
projects today.
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