The Table

From start to finish, here's a record of the making of the table.

First is a picture of the homemade saw horses my dad put together to use and also the posts for the table legs leaning on one of them.  We turned our lower deck into work space, which worked out very nicely and the weather cooperated almost entirely.

The base of the table is almost all assembled.

Everyone was getting excited as the pieces were coming together and looking like a table.

Next was the tabletop.  

Done!

Dad got a nifty gadget called a Kreg Jig that made these holes so that the screws could go in straight.

They worked on extensions that can be added onto each end of the table to make it longer.

Sam is holding an extension in place.

Sam is drilling holes with the Kreg Jig.

The jig is the blue thing and it is clamped onto the board to hold it in place.  My dad said it was worth it's weight in gold.  A very useful little tool.

All of this building productivity inspired just about everyone.  I found these two hammering away on some scraps of wood.

Calvin got motivated with the sander.

Safety goggles were flying around like crazy while everyone got in on the action.  Someone thought James should even try them out, although he stayed safely away from the work zone.

They also put together two benches to sit on one side of the table.

These are some awesome, sturdy benches.  I have been loving them.  Great design.

This was one of the first things to get stained.  We chose a walnut colored stain.

There it is!  This was after one coat of stain.  We put on another coat later and a coat of polyurethane before bringing it inside to try it out.

This is what it looks like with the extensions.

This was our first meal to eat at it.  Practical, beautiful and big enough for the Jones family, plus guests!
 
 Here's one more so that you can see the table a little better in the dining room.  We are slowly working on this room.  You can see that we just added the curtains.  We hope to buy unstained chairs and stain them to match for the ends and one side.

Last of all, the benches!  They definitely help save space in this narrow room.

A huge shout out to my Dad, my husband, and my sons for this wonderful accomplishment and addition to our home!