Modern Mesquite Table

I inherited this glued-up mesquite tabletop from Frank Grant, a guy who used my old shop with some regularity. I’ve stored this piece for 10 years, and Frank finally said I could use it and so I have.

Two glued up pieces of mesquite lumber. It had traveled with me for years.

There are a few challenges with the top. The wood is already surfaced but its thickness is a bit less than ¾”. With a top that thin and over 40” long it will not be stiff enough to hold up. Another problem with the top is that with the long gap at the center of the tabletop the area of the glue joint holding the two pieces together is pretty small. It might be to small to secure the two pieces when in use.

To address these challenges, I reinforced the underside of the tabletop. But first I needed to bring the top to its final dimension. I decided to simply round the ends of the tabletop, cutting the curve on my band saw. At first, I thought I would leave the small V-gap at one end of the tabletop. It did not take long for me to decide to get rid of it. (Reminded me of Pac-Man.)

First attempt at shaping the tabletop. The V-gap at the right end looked funky.

A tip to keep in mind. This tabletop had been kicking around for a long time. That means that there was a layer of stuff – I have no idea what – that had built up on the surfaces over the years. I took extra care to sand the whole tabletop, top and bottom, smooth but also to remove anything that might inhibit glue or finish from bonding with the wood.

To strengthen the glue joints at either end of the tabletop I routed a groove and then filled it with a stiffener machined to perfectly fit the groove and overlap the edges of the groove for even more glue area and strength. It was careful work, but I got the fit after a few tries. I added long stiffeners on either side of the center gap in the top as well. Once the table is completed, I will test to see if more bracing is required.

The shape of the stiffener perfectly matched the groove and the overlapping edges added glue area and strength

I had some hairpin legs that I had purchased at an auction and decided to use them which would give the table a very modern look and feel. Once again the fact that the tabletop was so thin made me glue solid wood pads to give the mounting screws a some extra beef to grab onto. Because I had some left over from a previous project, I used white oak for all the stiffeners and pads.

Leg mounting pads and various stiffeners in place the table was some sanding and a finish away from being done.

Once all the reinforcement work was done I sanded the top smooth up to 500-grit and applied linseed oil for the finish. For a very simple looking table, this piece required more work than easily meets the eye, but at the end of the day, I am very happy with it.