How To Build Farmhouse Table

[tiger carpenter]

I built this Farmhouse Table from one of the hardest tropical woods, which is called Meranti (Shorea faguetiana). It is often used for building ships / boats or hard outdoor decks and timber framing of heavy structures.
The design of this outdoor dining table is quite unique, as it has no apron or stretchers underneath. The side breadboards will keep the table top flat and prevent it from warping.
The base is intentionally made of 4x4 ich heavy posts, connected with 2x2 inches mortise and tenon joinery. The UHMW (Ultra High Molecular Weight) plastic feet are embedded at the legs bottoms recesses, and separate the table from the often wet floor, especially that this table will be always exposed to the elements, as an outdoor piece of furniture.
Despite it is called a farmhouse table, it actually features very detailed finish, and all the pieces are precisely matching each other, and are perfectly flush.
I put a lot of time and effort into this build, and it was very satisfactory to see the final result, which looks exactly as I designed it in the 3D modelling software.
The extreme hardness of this wood species was very hard on the machines, and it was also a challenge to work on it using hand tools. The chisels were going blunt after just few strikes. But on the other hand, it will ensure the durability of this beautiful piece of furniture, and will serve for generations to wine and dine or even throw dance parties on the table top.
I'm humbly proud to have completed this challenging project, and I think it will become one of my signature creations.
As for the wood expansion, the table will be always outdoors, in the tropical climate, where the temperature is almost constant, and humidity doesn;t change throughout the year. I have made many similar projects, and I measured the changes of the table tops dimensions, and they were always the same. Based on my experience, none of my table tops warped or cracked, despite not having any wood movement system, like you would have to apply in the northern hemisphere or other parts of the world. The epoxy sealed breadboards will keep everything flat and aligned for hundreds of years.
Please stay tuned for the 2nd part of this build, when the side benches will be made, and accompany this heavy duty farmhouse table. The 1 3/4 inch = 45mm thick benches will feature big size dovetails, to allow safe sitting for 4-5 heavy people.

[Karl_H]

I bet it is rough to spend that much time and effort on such a beautiful piece, then have to deliver it to some stranger.

[tiger carpenter]

You got it right! I nearly told her that something went wrong, and wanted to refund her the deposit, and keep it for myself.
But then again, I can make another one :P