caseys Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 Is anyone on here a good carpenter and could give me some advice? Or can point me to some good websites where I can learn about connections, joints etc? It's been a while since I did any woodwork, but have been offered 4x 8 foot 6 inch reclaimed railway sleepers. I'm wondering about turning them into a dining room/kitchen table. Nothing fancy, but nice sturdy wooden table with four legs would be a nice project. I just want to sand them down, cut, create the table and then I guess apply some sort of finish. Also I have to find out how the heck I'm gonna get them back to my house as somehow I don't think they'll fit in a supra. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DODGYDODDS Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 well if you were to make a bed (table top) out of sleepers, i would glue and bolt them, making the bolts a feature of the table, well i say bolts, you'd prob need metal dowels and tap and die them. As a tennon join or dovetail ect, would be a nightmare and alot of work to cut out, as the sleepers are so heavy duty. It would be one hell of a heavy table mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter richards Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 plus strengthen the floor boards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Garfy Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 I'm a fully qualified Joiner one of my many talents First of all, I think Sleepers are coated in a sort of Tar, which will penitrate rather deep into the wood, check that out first Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Garfy Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 with regards to joining them together there are a few options available to you, but I would go for a rustic look, and I would use a number of large Double dovetail shaped pegs, hammered in from the top, making a feature of them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ewen Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 Some ideas... http://www.railwaysleeper.com/Bruce%20Buxton's%20railway%20sleeper%20table.htm http://www.railwaysleeper.com/Customers%20ideas,%20photos%20and%20projects.htm http://www.resonanceonline.co.za/dining_tables.htm http://www.jarabosky.co.uk/index.php?option=com_portfolio&task=view&id=27 Loads more using 'railway sleeper furniture' as a search or similar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daz38 Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 im a carpenter and joinery over 25 years experience, it sounds like completely the wrong wood for the job and to big a job for someone inexperienced. use them in the garden as boarders Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 I've made a couple of coffee tables and benchs out of sleepers. As said above, if they've been tarred, you'd need to strip that wood way and unless you have access to a big table saw, thats gonna be a lot of planing. I sometimes buy a £12 electric plane from somewhere like Netto, as a disposable item, cos it'll burn out in a few hours. I've used broom handles before as dowels, cut and planed the ends so they appear as circles in the finished artcle. I did once plan to make a bed out of sleepers, I was going to have long through-tenons with fixing wedges through a hole in the tenon. Never got round to it though and the sleepers still sit outside. Lot of woodwork sites in Amerkah... http://www.woodworking.com/dcforum/dcboard.pl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrickTT Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 I agree with the others about the wrong type of wood. You'll need access to some fairly serious sanding/planing machines to get a decent finish from sleepers, and whatever you use, it will destroy blades in double quick time. Best wood to use, if you can get it, is reclaimed floor or roof joists for that chunky furniture look. As for joints, i would keep it simple, and tongue and groove the top, and use a big through mortice for the legs. Dovetails are too dainty for that type of furniture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Garfy Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 I agree with the others about the wrong type of wood. You'll need access to some fairly serious sanding/planing machines to get a decent finish from sleepers, and whatever you use, it will destroy blades in double quick time. Best wood to use, if you can get it, is reclaimed floor or roof joists for that chunky furniture look. As for joints, i would keep it simple, and tongue and groove the top, and use a big through mortice for the legs. Dovetails are too dainty for that type of furniture. I would agree with you when talking about traditional dovetails, but I was talking about a large dovetail shaped peg, thats a different thing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 I made my first two coffee tables with a handsaw, a hand plane, a chisel and hammer. Hard work, but worth it. Sleepers are excellent wood for this, as they are a dense hardwood and for any greenies reading, reclaimed. I have a couple that appear to be American Redwood, it's just the work to remove the tar, thats all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caseys Posted March 24, 2009 Author Share Posted March 24, 2009 Thanks for all the info chaps I'm not sure whether yet to go for dovetails or try and do the bolted idea. It's going to be a simple, elegant design and I don't mind if I take a long time over this (a year or so... I'm a slow methodical man when I don't know what I'm doing). I will have access to some power tools and benches as well as heavy lifting machinery, so hopefully will be able to cut these down to a reasonable size. May post some pics up when I finally get them back to my place and also occasionally ask for ongoing advice Didn't know about the tar coating, that'll make things... interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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