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Racetrack Table

15K views 26 replies 9 participants last post by  morningwood 
#1 ·
I miss seeing new table build threads, so I figured I'd start a new one of my own. :)

This table will be a 10 man oval with a racetrack, raised rail with decorative inlay, cup holders in the rail, dual claw-foot pedestals and a dining topper.

Cutting down a 4x8 to ~91"x43" (to get to 92x44 with the padding). That's the largest I go for tables that will get a topper, leaves ~4" for a slightly inset skirted dining top:


Outside end arc cuts:


Inside cut for the 6" rail, starting with the end arc:


Then the straight-a-ways:


Got a chance to break in and get used to my new Bosch router - the timing on the purchase was perfect as the switch on my trusty porter cable router went south after a couple of hours of cutting, so thankfully I was able to utilize the full beautiful weekend last week for cutting. Fixed the PC yesterday so I'm back in business with the dual router setup :)

One key point in getting a good transition from the arc to the straight-a-way is marking the center pivot along both sides, so you know exactly where to stop your arc cuts at each end. Then it's just connecting the dots:



Before cutting the rail lip & racetrack, stack up all the sheets in their final configuration, mark out and drill the center pivots for the cup holder locations.



Cutting the cup holder holes in the racetrack / rail lip piece:


Now onto cutting the inside rail lip & racetrack cuts:


Racetrack piece after cutting:


Next up is cutting out rings for the cupholders, assembling and then upholstering the rail.
 
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#3 ·
I have 3 routers, I started with the PC 690 (fixed & plunge bases). It's taken a beating for 8+ years, cut 2 dozen+ tables and countless other side projects and hasn't so much as hiccuped until the switch died (a $4 and 10 minute fix). Dead on precise, good depth gauge and plunge motion. What I also like about it are the screws that secure the bottom plate to the bases, they have beveled heads so it's impossible not to align the base plate dead-on accurate, every time. Between the Lewin compass and the jasper circle jig, I'm always switching out these plates, so to me this is a really useful feature. The only drawback is that it's a 1 3/4 hp router, so it's a little slow doing the table plow cuts compared to a production level router.

I picked up a Milwaukee 5616 a couple of years ago to upgrade the PC (and having 2 routers is really handy). Very comfortable to use, variable speed which is nice for larger bits, 2 1/4 hp and good accurate cuts. The problem I had with the Milwaukee is that it must have a very slight vibration to it, I was breaking the 1/4" straight and spiral upcut bits very frequently (1 to 2 bits per table :eek:). So I've kept that router for other tasks or use it in the router table and went back to the PC for the tables. I bought the Bosch a few weeks ago to again try to upgrade the PC. So far it's lived up to several recommendations and good woodworking reviews, having the extra power is really nice, and the plunge system is very similar to the PC turret-style system (but improved with the ability to make better micro adjustments). I've got a few more tables to do in the next couple of months, so after I work with it some more I'll update my feedback.
 
#6 ·
Are these getting posted as you complete the steps? Because your quality is high as always but these steps would have taken me a long time to get through and this speed is awesome. Sheesh I'm trying to just make a beer caddy and it's taking me forever. Building the porch swing I made took forever and I haven't finished it either.

What rail fabric did you use and where'd you get it? Same as last table you posted but different color? How does it stretch?
 
#8 ·
Been working on the table a little over a week, the first pics were from last weekend, last 2 posts was this past weekend & monday.

Rail material is the same as the last table, texuede from YAT. Stretches nice, fairly easy to work with. Its thinner than whisper vinyl or the padded suede and a little more unforgiving with regards to lumps, you need to make sure your foam is cut straight and pull with the same tension each time.

Duct tape over the threaded inserts, keeps the spray adhesive from gumming up the threads when upholstering.
 
#12 ·
Switched gears a bit, got working on the dining topper. This will be an oval topper with a skirt to hide the rail, so it needs a curved kerf cut skirt. Here's my setup for the kerf cutting:



Simple jig:




curved sections in place, drying:


Also stained the racetrack:


And got started on the inlayed raised rail:


Sample section stained, needs inlay glued in & poly:
 
#15 ·
Last time I did one of these I used a cherry hardwood piece with the channel routed in via my router table, kerf cut them to bend around the radius and then glued the inlay into the channel. Turned out nice but took forever and a good chunk of change. I took a much smarter and more efficient approach on this one - edge banding. You split a roll of ~3/4" edge banding lengthwise so you have two ~3/8" pieces and trace two straight lines where they have to be placed in order for the inlay to fit in the middle. I set and ironed on the bottom edge band piece, taped the inlay in place and then ironed the top piece in place. Remove the inlay to stain the banding, glue it back in permanently and then poly. Haven't 100% finished but the sample I did looks the same as the other method, but this take much less time.
 
#21 ·
Two things amaze me about some builders - one is how anyone could use a hand (or even electric) stapler and get a decent rail. My hands, forearms and back are on fire by the time I'm finished upholstering and I use the air stapler - I couldn't imagine trying one with a hand stapler. The other is how anyone could use a jigsaw and get a straight, plumb cut that looks decent. I can only use a jigsaw for *very* rough cuts, they're never straight and always have a bit of blade wander.
 
#20 ·
Here's my setup for tacking in the decorative nail heads. This table will get antique nickel star nails, which have 5/8" nail heads and be spaced at 2". I use the ~40" long paper tape measures they have at the front of Ikea stores and blue tape that to the edge of the table to get my nail spacing:



Then use a combination square to measure to the middle of the edge:



And using a 1/16" bit, drill a shallow pilot hole to get the nail head started in the correct spot and going in straight. You don't want to drill the pilot hole too deep, otherwise the nail will be lose.



Using the spacing on the ruler, drill all the pilot holes for the length of the paper tape:



Remove the tape measure and put the nail heads in place:


And tap them in with a nylon hammer:



And done:





Table in it's new home:



And with the topper:

 
#27 ·
Sweet looking table!

Hand stapling bites the bag fer sure. I use a jig saw when cutting my mini track/cup holders, use a small toothed blade and go low and slow, especially on the straights, the curves are a little (very little) forgiving. routeing the edges help in the forgiveness factor too :D . Usually follow up with two days of back pain...FTW
 
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