A few years ago we ended up with the remains of some old church pews, oak I think. I took two boards, planed them to have smooth mating surfaces, and glued them together. I reinforced the joint with dowels. I am told the real pros can match the joint so well they do not need any mechanical reinforcements (dowels, biscuits, pocket screws—see below, ….) but I am not there yet, and probably never will be.

I cut three more of the pew boards to match the length, and joined them together and to the first two boards. This time I used pocket screws. Even using hand drills, this was faster than the dowel method. Here is the underside:

Afterwards the boards needed considerable planing and sanding to make the too surface presentable. When this was done I made some legs and a frame to support the table top. I used pocket screws again to put it together. Mortise and tenon would have been better, but with my equipment would have taken a lot longer.

I drilled some holes in the table top, and through them screwed the top to the leg assembly:

The piece is essentially done: I could use it now. However, I want to fill the screw holes in the top of the bench, and perhaps some of the other pocket screw holes. Right now the top is only secured to the frame at the center. This allows for seasonal movement as the top expands and contracts with temperature and humidity. There are tricks to secure boards at the edges while still allowing for wood movement. I may implement one of them.

So this, and the small workbench mark a second year of “Johndevous” in Roseville. Unlike last year, I did not make anything that I could actually take to a colgaffneyis event, but what I did may make it easier to make such things in the future. So it is a “meta-Johndevous” :-)>