Surface Plate Coffee Table, Project #1, d.fisher

[d.fisher]

This is one of my current projects. It has been in the works (off and on) for the last two months. I wasn't exactly sure what category this fits into because it is made equally of metal, wood, and granite. It has a good amount of welding and machining. The parts are either identical or mirrors to one another, so I made several jigs to reproduce each piece. I plan to make more of these tables if this one succeeds, so if I get lucky, I won't have to reinvent any parts in the future.

The idea of the piece revolves around the size and weight of a 3'x4'x6" granite surface plate. It weighs approximately 1140 lbs. The base for the table will act using tension, to clamp each corner of the plate. No mechanical attachments will be used.

So up till this point, I have fabricated four legs and a center post. They are made from mild steel, brass, some aluminum, and quartersawn white oak (about 1 1/4" thick).

This photo shows the surface plate on my workbench. The plate was shipped right side up, but I needed to build from the bottom. I made crate that allows me to lift the plate, set it on the side pins, and rotate (or flip upside down).