Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
quandary_gw

Piecing together a pedestal table

quandary
13 years ago

I'm having trouble finding the right pedestal dining table for the small area off of my kitchen.

I'd like a 38" - 42" round with a leaf expanding to an oval about 60" long. I posted here about trimming a leaf and got some brilliant ideas, including how to trim the leaf or cutting the desired leaf size from plywood and using a table cloth. I may resort to one or both of those suggestions.

I really don't like the straight pedestals which come with the tables of the size I'm looking for. I have found a beautiful solid wood pedestal sold alone. Assuming this pedestal is big enough to support it, would it be possible to remove a top from another pedestal table and attach it to the pedestal I like?

I was looking at a friend's pedestal table and the construction doesn't seem that complicated. A 24" square of plywood is bolted to the top of the pedestal. A 28" square of plywood is attached the the underside of the table top. The two pieces of plywood are bolted together to form the complete table. It even has a functioning leaf.

Assuming this could be easily done, are there guidelines to determine what size table a pedestal would support?

Thanks for any advice you can offer.

Comments (5)

  • randy427
    13 years ago

    A lot depends on how it is attached. A little 'freeplay' at the attachment will result in a wobbly table.
    For my 36" x 72" double pedestal table, the steel plates at the top are 11" square, with hefty screws holding the plates tightly to the 5" dia maple pedestals and top.

  • quandary
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Thanks for responding, randy427.

    I purchased the pedestal, and it's dimensions are:
    top diameter 6 5/16"
    bottom diameter (footprint) 20 1/4"
    height 32"

    I will need to shorten it, as a standard dining table height is 30". I'm hoping a cabinet maker could cut it down for me.

    Any idea what size top a 20 1/4 footprint pedestal would support?

    I'm hoping to find a used pedestal table with a top I like and attach it to my pedestal. The construction of that table will likely dictate how I attach it. I was thinking about attaching a 24" square piece of plywood to my pedestal with 3 bolts, and then attaching that to the top.

    The pedestal is solid wood, and very heavy.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Wood pedestal

  • quandary
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Does anyone know the ratio of table top to pedestal for stability? If it's 2:1, I could probably use a 42" table top on my pedestal (20 1/4" footprint). I'm assuming that a heavy top would be less apt to tip than a lighter one.

    Randy427 has double pedestals to support a 36"x72" table. He didn't describe the pedestal, but most have feet at the bottom to expand the footprint. Mine is shaped like a vase. The bottom is round -- it has no legs.

  • randy427
    13 years ago

    A heavy top will actually be more likely to tip as it will result in a higher center of gravity.
    I would not want the table top to be much more than 20% wider than the base, giving you a 24-25" dia table for your pedestal. A larger diameter flat base could be attached to your pedestal in order to permit a larger top.

  • quandary
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Drats, randy -- that's not what I wanted to hear, but what you say makes good sense. In fact, that is very likely the reason I haven't been able to find a dining room table with a pedestal shaped like the one I bought.

    25" would be too small for a dining room table, and besides, you'd probably bump your knees on the pedestal as you sat there. I don't think I could add a flat base, because it already needs to be shortened, and I don't think it would look right.

    Even if I used a lighter weight table top (without an apron), I still probably couldn't go as large as 38" in diameter, could I?

    I really do appreciate your advice, and I'd much rather find out now than after I bought a top and put a ton of work into it.

    The pedestal would still make a pretty accent table, but I'm back to square one looking for a table for my kitchen.