Sneak Peek: The Insane Expanding Table
Added 2021-10-30 11:01:01 +0000 UTCFriends:
It's my week off (well, week of paperwork, but you get the idea).
I know everyone likes their little hit of woodwork goodness for the weekend, so here's an exclusive look ahead at next week's video. I'll be doing a Furniture Forensics on this expanding dining table from about 1890. Apparently, these were once commonplace, but it's crazy to the modern eye. The table expands to about 5 times it's starting length. You would have added drop-in leaves (now sadly missing) to fill in.
The most amazing thing is that the whole thing is hand-made; even the impressive expanding rail system.
I'll have the full break-down next week.
Happy Saturday!
--Rex
Comments
That's an interesting suggestion, but I think if you put that joint at at the end of a leg, the internal pressure might blow out the top.
Rex Krueger
2021-11-15 12:42:29 +0000 UTCSo, thinking through your draw bore discussion. What about doing a joint like your mallet, where it's wedged on the inside of the mortise, invisibly? Was that probably just too much work? I see a lot of videos where people do the wedge on square mortise and tenon for a Japanese look, but expose the tenon and the wedges for color difference. But, like your mallet, you don't need to clear the whole leg.
David Hamilton
2021-11-06 16:36:52 +0000 UTCTwo sneak peeks for the price of one.
James Crandall
2021-11-05 22:44:37 +0000 UTCI should take some pics of this cabinet my wife has from her grandma. Turns into a 10ft table using these.
Jeremy Carlsten
2021-11-05 15:22:16 +0000 UTCMan that sounds like a great table.
Nic Beurskens
2021-11-05 00:36:02 +0000 UTCI have one of these! I got it from a friend, and it was his ex-wife's grandmother's table, I think. 🤣 Mine has three drop-in leaves, which have small wooden pegs to meet with drilled holes on the adjoining leaf. It can go from a round table that's approximately 4 feet in diameter, to a table probably about 10 feet long by 4 feet wide, with rounded ends. It can easily seat 10 or 12 people, and came with six chairs. Reading the other comments, the addition of occasional-use benches would make a smart addition. (But I live alone, in a pandemic, so I usually just leave one seat open for my use, and pile stuff elsewhere. 🙄🤣) Now that I'm gaining a better appreciation for the Craft, I am starting to take more notice of how things are constructed, so I will give this table a more thorough looking over... 🤔 I can post pictures in the forum, if it would be helpful. Certainly might be useful for reference as to how the leaves are constructed. I normally keep one leaf in the table, and I have two more in an upstairs closet, and it came with several thick pieces of carpet, in order to keep the pieces from rubbing against each other and destroying the finish. It also came with a nice set of foldable covers to protect the surface of the table, which could be used under some sort of tablecloth. We never really used those, so I get to see the wooden surface, but it does suffer a bit more wear and tear.
Patrick Salsbury
2021-11-03 09:35:52 +0000 UTCI have seen those corner wing nuts, and they were likely to hold table legs in place and attach them to the table top, yet lie flat for shipping.
Patrick Salsbury
2021-11-03 09:21:00 +0000 UTCOooo. SOMEONES hosting thanksgiving this year!!!
Jeff Gedney
2021-11-02 04:18:10 +0000 UTCHmm. Never seen one of those critters here in Oz. Mind you, there were plenty of extendable tables I recall from the 70s, but nothing like that multi framed creation. I would be interested in hearing how a human could craft it to hang together securely, given all the bits and pieces involved. I would have thought that the tolerances required wouldn't be possible by a mere mortal. But, Rex has surprised me before.
Col Rodrick
2021-11-02 03:44:57 +0000 UTCThis should be very interesting - seems like a lot of us have various versions spanning many generations.
Robert Rutledge
2021-11-01 13:40:08 +0000 UTCit looks like it wouldn't be strong enough in the middle! I'm super excited to find out how it holds up a thanksgiving dinner!
Michael Nawrot
2021-11-01 13:34:04 +0000 UTCMy brother-in-law actually has a modern one built in the old tradition here in Western PA, I believe by the Amish. It expands to around 12 feet long and is 4 feet wide. They also built some benches to 'fill in the space when it's fully extended so there aren't a lot of chairs to store. The stretchers are wood and no center support is needed .
Greg Preston
2021-11-01 11:58:08 +0000 UTCback in the 70's my former, late, mother-in-law had a side table that sat against the wall that she called "a Walking Table" .... it sat, as I said, against the wall as a side or occasional table ... the 2 PC top would open to become a 4 side card/tea table ... but then it would "walk" open (expand) to receive up to 5 13" leafs and seat 10 people comfortably. a support leg was folded up between the expanding leaf rails that would keep the piece from sagging when opened beyond four - six seats. The legs were queen ann cabriole and the face was molded curve that showed when used as a side table. It was a pre-depression era piece that was a mix of stained red-gum and white oak veneer. Former M.I.L had me strip and refinish it from a dark stain to a light stain and with a gloss poly top coat. I don't know who has it now, but I'm sure its still in use, as it was used every Holiday. interesting piece.
Alton Plummer
2021-10-31 15:45:32 +0000 UTCLet me report that such expanding tables can be foundon the other side of the Pond too.
stlmch
2021-10-31 13:57:32 +0000 UTCWhen I was a kid we had a table like this. We normally kept one leaf in it, which gave generous room for the 4 of us. When we put the other two leaves in it, it would seat another 4-6 people. We had 6 chairs and supplemented them with folding chairs as needed. Us kids always got the folding chairs (of course). And yes, the leaves that we kept in the hall closet looked brand new compared to the rest of the table.
Michael Bennett
2021-10-31 06:28:55 +0000 UTCLike so many others, we had one of these too. Our youngest child asked for it when they got married. They were in a small apartment and this allowed them to have their friends over. It served us well for 2 generations.
Michael Coolidge
2021-10-30 19:17:56 +0000 UTCI wish I could remember more about the construction of our table, but I was simply too young to appreciate or understand such things. Strangely, I do remember that there were long, crude screws with what looked like wing nuts underneath each corner of the table. But I couldn’t tell you their purpose, sadly.
Russell Gough
2021-10-30 17:41:57 +0000 UTCThank you for sharing, The oldest table I remember seeing with leaves was my great grandmas. It had massive turned solid legs, mortised in place but a crude metal track that allowed you to pull it apart.
Solia
2021-10-30 17:33:12 +0000 UTCYeah, my family had one of these expanding tables when I was a kid in Michigan. As I remember, our table had 4 additional “leaves” with which to expand the table. I remember having to lug those leaves out of the hall closet just about every Sunday afternoon after church, as we would invariably have guests over for “supper.” I also remember my father constantly admonishing me that both ends of the table had to be pulled out ever so carefully and straight, lest we somehow damage the table. But the table wasn’t rickety, mind you; when those leaves were in place, it was solid as a rock. That table brings back a lot of memories, even of playing under it. Don’t get me started on those stories… lol
Russell Gough
2021-10-30 17:23:34 +0000 UTCOur dinner table is very similar to that one, but it's from the 1960s and belonged to my maternal grandmother. It didn't have drop-in leaves nor gatelegs. You would just add tabletop sections as needed in the middle and a rounded section at each end. We generally use it with two added sections (all we have) and the rounded ends folded down. It's insane that it doesn't have gatelegs! It's a pain to shorten because it locks up!
Thomas Hverring
2021-10-30 17:22:55 +0000 UTCUsually the center leaf would have an extra leg in the center or two legs on the outside edges. I'm only familiar with this type of table with metal hardware, but I'd bet dollars to donuts that the extra leg leaf was part of this design as well. These were pretty common growing up on the near west side of Cleveland, where houses aren't huge but families were!
Pedro Sarsama
2021-10-30 17:15:54 +0000 UTCSorry. Should have said showed the pictures to my wife.
Dean McCoin
2021-10-30 16:27:18 +0000 UTCI showed the pictures and she said her mother had one that expanded the same and the drop leaves had legs that screwed in for support. And she distinctly remembers how the legs got in the way when the family members gathered round for Thanksgiving or whatever event. A good table to have for a large farming family.
Dean McCoin
2021-10-30 16:26:05 +0000 UTCWe have one of these. They are pretty common in Maine, anyway. Usually there is a fifth leg supporting the center of the expansion timbers.
Fred Gosbee
2021-10-30 16:21:13 +0000 UTCAs a kid I remember the expanding dining were the rage. Often the extra leaves, as we called them, slid beneath the table on dowels. Truly large ones like that, the leaves were hidden in a closet until needed… which was always a holiday or event! The leaves usually either looked brand new compared to the rest of the table, or really messed up from poor storage!
Gerald Eddy
2021-10-30 15:59:34 +0000 UTCI had no idea that they made these back in the 1800s. I was looking at modern tables like this with metal expanding things. These are gaining popularity with the small living space movement. The table ends can be any size so you can have a desk or wall table that expands to a full dinner table or entertaining. Everything new is old. Love the furniture forensics stuff
Jonathan Smith
2021-10-30 13:53:12 +0000 UTCSomeone got a Reed plane upgrade kit from @woodbywright!
Brian Suker
2021-10-30 13:35:43 +0000 UTCGoodness how many leaves does it have? What stops it from coming apart.?
Winston Stone
2021-10-30 13:01:22 +0000 UTCI've got a table like that, except it's designed to rest against the wall. Mine is also missing the leaves, and I've always planned to replace them and fix it up, but haven't gotten around to it yet.
William Crawford
2021-10-30 12:35:02 +0000 UTCThat table is an enigma to me, but super cool as I have never seen one before. I can totally see it in a house that was on the smaller side, as most houses in the past make the tiny house movement of today look like a mansion size estates My question is how does it stay upright when extended? My brain tells me it should look like an accordion if it was expanded out and limp with weight on it unless it had something to add strength to it.
Solia
2021-10-30 12:14:06 +0000 UTCGo go Gadget Table!
Chris Franklyn
2021-10-30 12:11:15 +0000 UTCI have a table like that but smaller. I´m happy to see another furniture forensics!
Nikoloz Petelava
2021-10-30 11:51:29 +0000 UTCRan in to a similar table recently, and was amazed how far it expanded when we started pulling it open. It was also missing all leaves.
Jeremy Des Roches
2021-10-30 11:41:07 +0000 UTCLooks to me like it would be easy enough to make a couple of extra leaves for this. Thanksgiving is coming!
Brian Taylor
2021-10-30 11:15:33 +0000 UTCLooks remarkably stable, I'd have thought it would sag a lot. And indeed looking forward to your take on this.
Wouter Engels
2021-10-30 11:13:46 +0000 UTCI look forward to seeing the follow up video where you make the leaf replacements! Fairly simple thing to do, sure - but it could focus on the connections, alignments, and matching existing shapes. Could even find someone who could help to stain and patina the new pieces to aesthetically match! Unless... you're already doing that? :O
Jeremy Denslinger
2021-10-30 11:13:33 +0000 UTCThis thing looks awesome! I look forward to see what you uncover and learn from it ;)
Maximilian Harth
2021-10-30 11:09:34 +0000 UTC
