Coffee Table Set

Here is a coffee table set to make.

NOTE: The sketches are not to scale and are for guidance only.

These tables are not difficult to make but require a fair amount of accuracy.

This coffee table set is pretty simple to make as the legs are similar to picture frames and the top is made up from pieces of clear pine glued together to make a board.

We used clear pine as this type of furniture and the way it is made becomes very difficult if you are having to make allowances for knots in the wood. The clear pine also just looks so much better for furniture of any kind.

You will need for the set:

Clear timber, no knots, unless you want the knots in the wood for the aesthetic appeal.

For the legs – 20mm x 70mm approximately 9 meters long this will be for both tables

For the divider piece – 20mm x 70mm x 550mm plus 20mm x 70mm x 405mm

20mm x 70mm x 405mm For the top – 550mm x 410mm board (you can make this up from 7 pieces of 60mm x 20mm pieces) For the smaller top – 405mm x 360mm board (you can make this up from 6 pieces of 60mm x 20mm pieces)

Consumables:

8mm or 10mm dowel x 1.5 meters

20 furniture screws with caps – We used ‘Confirmat Screws’ with brown plastic caps

Sand paper 80 grit and 160 grit

White cold wood glue

Tools:

Rip saw

Cross cut saw

Coping saw

F-clamps or T-bar clamps

Brace or Drill

Drill bits

Rasp or rough file

A carpenter’s pencil

A divider or compass

Plane – a block plane or jointer plane (a moulding plane is ideal, but they are not common any longer)

A sanding block

Some off-cut timber to make a jig

Method:

Unless you are buying your material pre-cut to size you will have to size your timber to the above dimensions or as per the attached sketches.

To cut the timber down use your rip saw for the initial cuts, cutting with the grain of the timber, the rip saw cuts smoothly with the grain and works fairly quickly.

Use the cross-cut saw to cut the timber to the correct lengths.

Set up a jig on your workbench for the drilling of the holes for the dowels, if they are not accurate when you joint them together they will be askew and will not line up.

Mark off the first one as per the sketches and then drill all the holes at the same time while the jig is in place.

Fit the dowels (40mm long) into the drilled holes, apply white cold wood glue to the surfaces and clamp firmly together. Wipe off any excess glue with a damp cloth.

Once the frames are built and the glue has dried or cured, you can start the procedure to round off all the sharp corners.

Rounding off:

First round off the corners, mark off your radius with a divider or something round that will give a nice corner to your work. (I have used many things for this in the past from a tin to a mug to a roll of tape).

If you are using electric tools you can do this with a router.

Using hand tools, you can use your moulding plane to round off the edges (if you have one).

Or

Make use of your jointer plane to chamfer the edges first and then use a rasp or file or sand paper in a sanding block to finish it off.

There are many good sites that can give you varied advice on rounding off the edges without a router.

Here are a few references:

https://literaryworkshop.wordpress.com/2012/02/11/how-to-round-over-edges-by-hand/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4pl9Qn5okk

The same procedure used above should be used for the holes for the screws that hold the top in place, set up the jig and drill all the holes at the same time to ensure accuracy.

Once the holes are drilled into both the leg frames and the top do a trial fit to make sure it fits and is level.

You can now treat your coffee table set, whether you want to paint it, stain it or just varnish it. Speak to your local hardware for what will work best and what is available in your area.

Have fun making up this coffee table set.

Feel free to leave a comment below.

For more easy to do tutorials click here