Piecrust Table
Here’s a woodworking tour de force in a compact package. This beautiful table incorporates turning, carving, dovetails, and more. The result is an eye-catching showpiece.
Although the term “form follows function” wasn’t around at the time, this piecrust table is a perfect example of that sentiment. Born in the eighteenth century as a vehicle to show off the fact that you could afford tea (very expensive at the time) was its main role.
Then again, being able to afford tea doesn’t mean you lived in a palace with marble floors. This table is happy to accommodate a small environment with a top that tilts vertically for easy storage. And having three legs prevents the table from rocking on an uneven surface like those fussy four-legged tables do.
The woodworking challenges of this project cover a pretty wide gamut. Out of the gate you’re going to spend some time at the lathe making the post that’s the backbone of this piece. Then you have a quiet task with rasps and files to form the legs, followed by the matrimonial act of dovetailing the two together.
But you’re not done yet. There’s more time at the lathe making spindles for the birdcage. Which isn’t your typical aviary — this one will constrain the wonderful top you see in all these photos that pivots up and down as needed.
The top, if you so choose, has a lot of luscious carving that can be done with a modest trio of chisels. That’s a full plate by any standards. So if you’re up for a fun journey.
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What You Get:
- 8 pages of step-by-step instructions
- 41 full-color photos, illustrations, and exploded views
- Materials List & Project Supplies Sources
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Similar Woodsmith Plans
Imperial Plans
The United States Customary System of Units (USCS or USC), more commonly referred to as the English or Imperial system, is the standard set of units for our plans. It uses inches and feet for measurement. This is the one you probably want if you are in the United States, and it is the one we have traditionally offered on this website.
Metric Plans
The International System of Units (SI), more commonly referred to as the metric system, is the alternative set of units that we have available for some of our plans. It uses millimeters, centimeters, and meters for measurement. This is the one you probably want if you are outside the United States. These plans are provided by our business partner, Australian Woodsmith, and are based on the original Woodsmith plan. However, dimensions and other elements of the plan may vary between the metric and standard versions. Be sure to double-check the plan before building.
Premium Plans
All of the information that you need to build our plans can be found in the standard plan. However, if you want even more granular detail to make your job easier, you should consider our premium plans. These come with additional shop diagrams that we drew when creating the prototypes. Shop drawings are not available for every plan.