Dining table and bench

The kids wanted a table to seat a large crowd and fit in their new space.Having a nice big open wall made the decision for a bench pretty easy and let us maximize the table size.Went with a 60x68 inch table and a 3 person bench with an extra seat on the 8 foot bench.Size and weight of it all was probably biggest challenge once I had to move indoors once winter came. The Chevron pattern inside the frame was probably the biggest skill building challenge. I started with making the outer frame and tried to cut the inside pieces to fit, but almost immediately abondoned that approach instead going with 2 panels that I joinedafter trimming up with a home made track saw style guide.I then added the frame. Finished with 8 coats of a 50/50 mix wiping varnish. I learned much, some highlights. A blade on a mitre saw can go bad without being obviously dull, but may take a little too much material out in the same spot on all cuts which becomes noticeable when you put 2 cut pieces together. A real track saw would have been useful for straight cuts in long pieces and I now see there router bits ideal for joining panels. -- Orginally posted by John U