Richland Library Main
Basic Side Table Construction Using Hand Tools
Thursday, November 14, 2019 6 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
“I’M GOING TO BUILT A TABLE -- I GUESS I’LL NEED TOOLS.”
Think about it this way. Just like Robinson Crusoe, you are stranded on a tropical island in the middle of the ocean. Sounds great, but you are getting tired of the crabs stealing your seaweed and coconut pieces. You decide to build a table to keep your food off the ground. Plenty of driftwood litters the beach and a fair amount of dry timber remains on the wrecked ship. Like any well-provisioned ship in the 17th century, its crew included a carpenter, along with the tools necessary to repair and maintain the ship. The weather is getting stormy, and you have only one chance to board the ship and retrieve a basket load of tools. What tools do you put in your basket?
Unlike Mr. Crusoe, today’s woodworker has a wide array of tools from which to choose, and this can pose a challenge for one new to woodworking. Tool selection is important to ensure that the work can be carried out successfully; moreover, careful tool selection will save the woodworker the expense of acquiring unnecessary, and often quite expensive, tools.
The goal of this presentation is twofold.
- First, a project table of simple design to be constructed from commercially available stock will be described, followed by a presentation of the minimally necessary tools required to build the table.
- Second, consideration will be given to additional tools that might be used. These tools will include those that are more specialized and/or more expensive than the list of minimal tools.
The subject table will be presented in the form of its component parts. The crafting of the individual parts will be discussed in connection with the tools used. An array of tools will be displayed for discussion. While this program is directed toward woodworkers new to the craft, the general discussion of table construction and tools will be of interest to any woodworker. Questions and comments from attendees are invited and encouraged.
This program will be presented by Columbia resident, Paul League. Mr. League holds degrees in history and law from the University of South Carolina; however, he has long been interested in woodworking tools. He is a member of the Columbia Woodworkers Club, the Palmetto Woodturners, the Early American Industries Association, and the Mid-West Tool Collectors Association.