Arts & Crafts Flip Top Table

I have a standing offer that everyone in my family gets to choose (at least) one thing for me to make them. I explain this offer with enough seriousness that they don't choose without thinking. My intention is to make them something that will last for the rest of their lives. Maybe I succeed in that and maybe I don't, but however it turns out, I'm offering to put all of my effort, focus and skill into it, for them, and that's the real gift anyway.

My brother, Jason, had a need for a bigger table in his small apartment. But he doesn't want a table that takes up tons of space all the time, so it would be nice if it was collapsible for when it's just him and expandable when he has guests over. Most of his furniture is in the Arts & Crafts style, so I brought him to the Stickley showroom and we walked around until he saw something he liked.

This is my close approximation of a Stickley Flip Top Table. Their table is a little smaller than this, and I went a little overboard on the joinery for the sake of strength and longevity, and because I like to challenge myself.

Here's the rundown:

Started August 28, 2015

Completed March 31, 2016

Closed Dimensions: 30-3/4" H x 40" W x 40" L

Open Dimensions: 29-7/8" H x 40" W x 80" L

Finishing Recipe

1. sand to 120 grit
2. dampen all surfaces with hot water, let dry completely
3. sand to 180 grit
4. flood with aniline dye, wipe dry, let dry completely
5. flood with boiled linseed oil, wipe dry, let cure for a day or two, dispose of oily rags safely
6. shellac, let dry completely
7. lightly scuff sand with 320 grit
8. gel stain, let haze, scrub off, let dry completely
9. polyurethane coat #1, let dry completely
10. lightly scuff sand with 320 grit
11. poly coat #2, let dry completely
12. lightly scuff sand with 320 grit
13. poly coat #3, let dry completely
14. lightly scuff sand with 320 grit
15. poly coat #4 (really light coat), let dry completely
16. rub with grey nonwoven fiber pad to a dull, even sheen
17. paste wax, let haze, buff to a shine

Joinery Highlights

• tongue & groove table top panels (unnecessary, next time I'll just do biscuits, less chance of alignment errors)
• drawbored & spring jointed breadboard ends
• haunched & drawbored through mortise & tenon joints in the legs
• quadrilinear legs (cuz I'm a glutton for punishment)
• corbels with tongues set into grooves
• double-thick, double-tenoned guide rails, for stiffness
• sliding dovetail stiffener down the middle
• dovetailed separator to keep everything parallel and rigid
• dovetailed corner braces (a neat little challenge)
• hand-mortised hinges with clocked screwheads (cuz I drank the kool-aid)
• felt-lined the top of the base to make it easier to slide the table tops (and because it makes a really sweet shooshing noise)

I think that's it.

And here's a few extra photos of the build process for your viewing pleasure:

Quadrilinear Legs


Breadboard Ends


Hinge Mortises


Sketchup Detail of the Apron Joinery


Sketchup of the Base Assembly


The Base Completed


Had to darken the hinges as we didn't like the shiny yellow brass. Jax Brown Brass Darkener worked like a charm!


And the dedication… may he never need another table for as long as he lives.


If you'd like more information about each step of the process, feel free to check out my blog. I tried to keep a regular journal of the build.