A small rustic table which may, if desired, be used as a flower-pot stand, is illustrated by Fig. 42. The top may be made of ¾-in. stuff, and should have two ledges nailed underneath to prevent twisting. The table may be 1 ft. 10 in. high, with the top 15 in. square, or, if a larger size is required, 2 ft. 1 in. high, with the top 18 in. square. The design is not suitable for tables of a larger size.

The legs may be secured to the top by boring holes in the ledges and driving them in. The cross bars must be firmly secured to the legs, and, for the joints, the mortise and tenon shown at Fig. 6 (see p. 14) would be suitable. If the sticks used to form the legs are rather small, it will be better if the cross bars are kept a little higher on two of the sides, so that the mortises do not meet each other.

The top is covered with a Swiss overlay pattern, made of split sticks. The design may be set out by drawing lines from corner to corner on the top, and across the top in the centre of each side. A smaller square is then drawn in the centre of the top, with diagonals at right angles to the sides of the top. Lines drawn from the corners of the small square to the corners of the top will form a four-pointed star. The pattern should be clearly outlined with a pencil. In nailing on the sticks, those round the outer edge of the top should be put on first and mitred at the corners. Next the outside sticks of the small square should be nailed on, then the eight pieces from the corners of the small square to the corners of the top.

In working up patterns of the above description, always nail on the sticks that follow the outline of the design first. The filling-in pieces may be put on afterwards. Variety may be given to the patterns by using sticks of different colours; for instance, the design may be outlined in hazel or blackthorn, and filled in with hawthorn or peeled willow. The edges of the table top are concealed by nailing on an edging of short sticks or cones.

Fig. 43 shows a small hexagon-top table for use in a summer-house or on the lawn. The following dimensions are suitable: Height 2 ft. 6 in., and diameter of circle for the hexagon top 2 ft. 9 in. The top is made from two or three ⁷/8-in. boards cramped together to the required width and fixed underneath with two battens 3½ in. wide by 1 in. thick. The four legs are dowelled and nailed to these battens and further stiffened by the rungs and the diagonal braces which are nailed to the legs. A corona is fixed around the edges of the table top, and the method of securing the board is shown in Fig. 44. In Fig. 45 the half plans show two ways of ornamenting the top. The twigs should be sawn so that in section they are less than a semicircle, and it will be an advantage to shoot their edges slightly, as then they will fit closer and cover the rough boards that form the table top.