standard dining room table size

marc - on today's show, we're going to build this awesome kids' table and chair set, and it's all forwoodworkers fighting cancer. - [voiceover] hit it! (upbeat music) - [voiceover] we'd like to thankthis year's event sponsors, powermatic, bell forestproducts, fuji spray, eagle america, microjig, rockler, and procon supply.

their generous donationsmake this event possible. if you can believe it, thisadorable table and chair set is made with one single sheet of plywood, and you only need basic tools to do it. we have some dowel joinery included, as well as knock-down hardware to allow us to pack this thing flat if you want to ship it across the country. or maybe you want to put it in storage

until you have anotherkid that can use it. you also have some coolbuilt-in storage here. by pulling this little pin,you could release the top, and inside we've got space for puzzles, arts and crafts materials, boogers, you know, whatever kidsare going to put in there. but we can always use more storage space. now, this project is forwoodworkers fighting cancer. so if you want to help out,you want to build one of these,

just download the free plan, build the project orsomething close to it, and submit a picture. if you do that, i'm going to donate $5 directly to the cause on your behalf. if you're a youtuber andyou like making videos, make a video about your build and i'll donate $10 to the cause. you can get more details at

woodworkersfightingcancer.com on how to submit your videoor your pictures, either way. all right, so we'vegot some plywood to cut and a lot of work to do. but this is all feasible within a weekend. start by printing out the templates. no need for a special printer. just use standard paper. make sure you print without scaling.

use the corner index marks for aligning, and cut the papers tosize with a straight edge and a razor blade. use tape to connect the pieces as you assemble the two templates. (light music) cut off the excess andattach each paper template to some template stock. i'm using quarter-inch plywood.

spray and even coat of adhesiveonto the template stock, as well as the paper template, and drop the paper onto the plywood. this whole process is repeatedfor the table leg template. cut the shapes out using a jigsaw and a fine-tooth blade like this one. lots of teeth means a cleaner cut. for the inside space of the chair, drill starter holes at each corner

that allow the jigsawblade to enter and exit. get as close to the line as you can without going over. once the shapes are cut out, fare the curves with aflexible sanding strip or a sanding block. for any areas that need a lot of work, use a file, rasp, spokeshave or block plane to work your way down to the line.

before you know it, you have two templates ready to go. now we can cut out the project parts. i like to place my full sheet over two pieces of foam insulation, which allows me to cut right on the floor. in order to get all the project pieces from a single sheet of plywood, you'll want to follow thecut diagram carefully.

i find the easiest thing to do is break up the sheet upinto four main sections, and then cut it down further from there. i'm using a simple homemade track made from particle board and an mdf strip, and a typical circular saw. i just clamp the track inplace right on the cut line and i'm in business. while this system might not be as good

as a commercial track saw system, it gets the job done remarkably well, and costs a heck of a lot less. as you break the parts down, you'll want to use a largesquare to align your cuts. the table saw is used torip the parts to final width according to the cut list. the chop saw is greatfor cutting the parts to final length, and similarparts can be cut at once

or using a stop block. let's focus in on the table legs. each leg is made from two pieces. at each end will be a 5-degree cut, giving the legs a slight angle. the inside piece is cut shorter to accommodate the table box. cut one end of all yourleg pieces at 5 degrees. on the long leg pieces,

measure up from the 5-degree end 22 inches and extend that lineacross the work piece. if you want, you can use a bevel gauge to show exactly where you'll make the cut. now cut all of the long leg pieces to that 22 inch line at 5 degrees. using one of my short tableapron pieces as reference, i draw a line that represents the length of the inner short leg piece.

we can now use this line to set up the saw by lining it up with the blade and setting up a stop block. cut all of the short legpieces using this setup. when we place a short andlong leg piece together, it should look like this. so let's glue it up. spread a good amountof glue on both pieces, and use a few brad nailsto help prevent slipping.

the thing to remember here is that you'll have left andright versions of your legs, so always double check yourself to make sure that you'remaking mirrored pairs. after the legs are dry,we can cut the curves. there are two reference pointsyou need to worry about, the inside bottom corner, and the outside edgeabout halfway up the leg. these points need to makecontact on your blanks' edges,

and everything elsewill just fall in place. trace around the template and make the cuts using the jigsaw. get as close to the line as you can. you can either sand thelegs to their final shape, or you can use a routerwith a flush trim bit. you'll need a fairly long bit to get this all done in one shot. and there's our four legs.

now for the chair sides. in order to get four sidesfrom such a small piece, we'll have to carefullynest them together, then cut them out with the jigsaw. remember, the closer you get to your line, the less work you'll haveto do in the next step. either work back to your lineswith hand tools and sanding, or use your template and flush trim bit. now let's turn ourattention to the table box.

the table box consists of four sides with a quarter-inch wide groove and a bottom panel that receives a rabbit. cut the groove at the table saw, making a single pass in all four pieces. adjust the fence for a second cut that creates a total groovewidth of a quarter inch, and cut all four pieces a second time. with the bottom panel cut to size,

we can mill the perimeter rabbit. i'll use a standardbearing-guided rabbit bit to do the work. it's something of atrial and error process, as i make a few test cuts using the previouslycut groove for sizing. once dialed in, i can workmy way around the perimeter. if you notice some areasare tighter than others, use a block plane or shoulderplane to thin out the lip.

do a quick dry assembly tomake sure everything fits, and then take it apart soyou can add the round-overs. everything on this project will be rounded over for safety. a quarter-inch radiusround-over will do the trick. where the legs meet the table box, try to keep that area square. it'll look better. now carefully reassemble thebox with glue in the grooves.

adjust for square, and then pre-drill for two screws at each corner. now let's attach the legs. first, drill a couple of small holes through the template where indicated. i'm working with a preliminaryversion of the template, so just ignore my marks. place the template over each leg and transfer the holelocations using the same bit.

on the table box, mark2 inches in at the top and use that line to locate the legs. the drilling is much easier to do with the whole thing upside down, so flip it and drill thequarter-inch holes through the leg, but not completely through the box. using a larger 3/8-inch bit, drill through thestarter marks on the box. the reason for this larger hole

is because we'll be using cap nuts that have a larger diameterthan our connector bolts. when drilling this hole, clamp a piece of scrapto the inside of the case to help prevent tearout. give the legs a nice round-over, and see how it looks. not too shabby. now back to our chair sides.

use the hole patterns totransfer the hole locations through the template and into the insideface of the chair side. don't drill deep. just try to puncture the surface. using a 3/8-inch bit, drill two outer dowel holes 1/2-inch deep. for the middle hole, use a 1/4-inch bit to drill all the way throughfor the connector bolt.

each set of chair sides should be a mirror image of one another. for the backs, seats, and stretchers, i'll use the template totransfer the hole locations to both ends of each piece. at the work bench, prepare for drilling by extending the lines across the edge and then marking thecenter point of each line. all holes are drilled 1 inchdeep with a 3/8 drill bit.

by the way, a brad point bit is essential, as it allows us to drillright on the crosshairs. if you're having troubledrilling straight, drop a square on the edge, and you'll be surprisedat how effective that is at helping you drillperpendicular to a narrow edge. in the center hole, we'lldrive a threaded insert with the help of some wax. these can be tricky to get started,

but once the threads start to cut in, you simply drive it homewith an allen wrench. with a little bit of glue in each hole, drive a 1-1/2-inch long 3/8dowel into the outer holes. with the dowels and inserts installed, we can do a little dry assembly just to make sure it all goes together. each piece gets thesame 1/4-inch round-over as everything else,

including the stretchers, back, and seat. because this is plywood, you'll likely have sometearout here and there. nothing a little filler can't handle. while we have the filler out, let's fill the screwholes and groove holes in the table box. now let's install the pin cleats. these will help lock the top in place,

and they're very easy to make. the cleat has a 5/16 holedrilled in the center and it's glued to theunderside of the top. brad nails are helpful forlocking it down into position. when attaching thecleat to the other side, use a piece of paperto help give the cleat a little bit of breathingroom for paint and finish. now use the cleat hole as a guide to create a hole in the table box,

but don't go all the way through the side. to make the pin handles, drill a couple of 1/4-inchholes on a small strip of scrap, and then cut them into little squares. cut a 1/4-inch dowel to 1-3/4 long, and glue that into the handle. just like that, the top ofthe table is locked in place. now the finish i'm going to use here today is probably more complicatedthan you would want to do,

but i'm itching to do it,and i want to show it to you, because it's pretty cool. but ultimately, all you needfor the table and chairs is a nice coat of paint. just get a brush, your favorite paint, and slather it on there. it doesn't have to be complicated. and you know what? get the kids involved.

let them have some fun with it too. the finish i'm going todo is a lacquer finish that has pigment added to it. we're going to add that ourselves. so let me show you the details. what i've got here is utctitanium white pigment, fairly expensive, but thestuff lasts a long time, and one of my favorite lacquers, sherwood cab-acrylic lacquer,medium rubbed effect.

that means that it's got alittle bit of stuff in there to deaden the shine. why do i like this so much? primarily because i've got alot of experience with lacquer. i don't really paint that often, so going into the world of paints is a little bit of an unknown for me. so by adding pigment to my lacquer, the stuff behaves kind of like lacquer

and it looks like paint, so i get the best of both worlds. then i could build up a clear coat on top of my "painted surface"using that very same lacquer and getting a nice clearcoat to protect the color, and it looks gorgeous. all right? let me show you how i do it. the pigment looks a lot like paint,

and mixes well with lacquer. i usually add 3 to 4tablespoons to my cup. the pigment doesn't dissolve, so it'll need to be mixed periodically. i do all of my spraying outside so i like to have aself-contained turbine sprayer on a mobile cart. i set the pieces out on sawhorses and apply the first coat.

it usually takes two to three coats to get a full, consistentwhite appearance. sand between coats with a 320 grit for a smoother finish. once the finish is completely cured, we can do some assembly. well, there you go. just like that we've gota white lacquer finish and it looks beautiful.

this is pretty much it, right? no way. this is actually just the beginning. (ominous music) (humorous music) after all that fun, the marker artwork is locked in with a few coats of lacquer. well, this is undeniably akids' table and chair set. i love how i was ableto capture the artwork,

sort of freeze it intime with that lacquer, and this is somethingwe'll be able to enjoy in our family for years to come, partially because no other family would want something like this. but i don't see how we'llever be able to get rid of it. so, great little project. if you want to build along, remember this is for woodworkers fighting cancer.

so go to woodworkersfightingcancer.com. you can download the plans in both pdf and sketchup format, as well as imperial and metric. if you send me a picture, just go tothewoodwhisperer.com/wfc-submit. send me a photograph and i'll donate $5 on your behalf to the charity. if you're a youtuberand you make that video,

i'll donate $10 on your behalf. go to the same place to submit your link for your video as well. we're really excited about this year. we're almost halfwayto our goal of $15,000, and with your help we'llbe able to get there. all right, sowoodworkersfighting cancer.com is where you find all the information, and also find our latest total

to see how close we are to our goal. thanks for watching. thanks for building along. and thanks for helping us fight cancer. take care.

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