Woodworking: Restarted the Octagon Side Table project

Posted By on June 17, 2023

Octagon Side Table Dry Fit Since the Cornhole game project for Taylor’s birthday is finished … and because we had a little bit of rain … I decided to restart work on the Octagon side table. The challenging eight-sided top was finished a couple months ago, but not the legs. 

Table Legs on Workbench

The legs need to be sturdy enough to hold the sand dollars, shells or whatever is in the display area under the round beveled glass … but not be so bulky to look like it was built by a general carpenter rather than furniture maker (this is a building trade joke usually comparing rough carpentry to finished carpentry … but it applies to design too).

Mortise and Tenon Jointery Legs fasten to top

The new part for me are a couple of crossing fitted lap joints to keep the legs in position with tenons on the ends that fit into mortises — keeping with my mortise and tenon practicing (previous project). The top will be held on by fairly large notches and dowel pins rather than screws. The entire table will be fitted joinery without any metal fasteners … just tenons and dowels. So far so good. 

Table Leg Dowels
Adding a photo from Father’s Day gluing up and adding dowels.

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Desultory - des-uhl-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee

  1. lacking in consistency, constancy, or visible order, disconnected; fitful: desultory conversation.
  2. digressing from or unconnected with the main subject; random: a desultory remark.
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