Thoughts on this design

I don’t like it.
Because it looks like a cheap watered down version of a Barnsley hayrake table.
Good Luck

-- Aj

I would be concerned about support for the center of the table, unless there is more than we can see from the photo/design.

Also, I’m wary of putting elements where people can kick/step on them.

-- Bob www.singularengineering.com - A sideline, not how I earn a living

For lumber, materials & Time, I’d advise her to buy the $1,300 table in the picture

-- I've decided 1 mistake is really 2 opportunities to learn.. learn how to fix it... and learn how to not repeat it

96” minus the overhang (16”?) is the unsupported span = 64”. @ 1 1/4” thick, I think you’ll be alright.

I view anything over 1” as a slab. As such the big, big issue is cupping. I notice you have battens but if that type decides to cup wood battens are not reliable, so steel is often used. Many advocate C channel. T bar type steel (used in bowling alley lanes) is very strong & can be boxed to hide it, or a groove can be routed.

Re: design, I kind of agree with @bobkerg, anyone sitting toward the end of the side might have some obstruction, or maybe not. Raising the trestle up with help with that. 6” is a start, you have to have room for people’s feet and a vacuum to get under without damaging the wood.

What kind of wood?

-- Everything is a prototype thats why its one of a kind!!

I don’t like it.
Because it looks like a cheap watered down version of a Barnsley hayrake table.
Good Luck

- Aj2

I agree. Plus the stretcher at the ground looks like it would just wobble on anything but a perfectly flat ice skating rink.

What kind of wood?

Oak

Raising the trestle up with help with that. 6” is a start, you have to have room for people’s feet and a vacuum to get under without damaging the wood.

Thanks Robert – this makes a lot of sense.

Would the c-channel take the place of a long stretcher spanning the length or does it run across the grain like the battens?

Would the c-channel take the place of a long stretcher spanning the length or does it run across the grain like the battens?

- inexile

IMO the top is plenty thick enough and doesn’t need support lengthwise. A stretcher is not going to prevent a sag unless it is pretty beefy.

I built a trestle table that is 84” long with an unsupported top span of 56”. It is 1” thick white oak. I worried about sagging and was prepared to install a support later if needed. 2 years down the road its not sagging at all. White oak is stronger than red oak, so take that into account I guess.

-- Everything is a prototype thats why its one of a kind!!

Here's the link to the Sagulator. It will help you determine if you need any support along the length of the table top. Do the calculations yourself, otherwise we’ll be here forever asking for the same info that is in the Sagulator.

I’d agree that you need to raise the leg supports. Getting a table to not rock back and forth with 4 points of contact is hard enough. I couldn’t imagine having to worry about a span that long. And, as Robert mentioned, you’ll need to get a vacuum or swifter mop under there to clean.

-- Tony, SW Chicago Suburbs