I had previously made a coffee table in 2014. I then updated the thing in 2017. However, as my tool loadout and thereby my expectations expanded I came to really resent all of the mistakes on the coffee table redesign from 2017. Mostly, I couldn’t stand the small spaces between the 2 x 6’s on the table top itself. These cracks were large enough for food crumbs to get in but too small to clean out with a paper towel or to vacuum out. It drove me nuts and was getting gross. Add to this the fact that the boards for the lower shelf were always a little askew in how I cut them and also the 4 x 4 legs (which were slightly wet during construction) had since started to split from the wood fully drying out. One weekend on a whim I had had enough and went out and bought a dry 4 x 4 from Lowe’s and some new 2 x 6’s. This time I was going to do it right!
I had no issues with the design or dimensions – so those all stayed the same – I still had the same couch after all. For the base I cut everything the same and assembled, using glue almost entirely. I reinforced the cross beams with Kreg pocket boles, but the diagonal braces I simply glued this time to avoid having to fill in the screw holes on those guys. I painted it white after that and started on the shelves.
With the main table top I got all of my pine 2 x 6’s ready: I picked the most appealing, complex knotty side (while still being fairly smooth) for the top. I used the thickness planer to make sure everything was the same size (probably ended up taking off ~1/8″ – 1/4″). I used a jointer on all of the edges and lined up the boards to see which ones had the best fit – even though I jointed them all some will still have a somewhat better fit than others. Probably if I jointed them a whole lot more they would all eventually be even, but I don’t typically do this. After this I used a biscuit joiner (which I had picked up for this project) and added 2 biscuits per face. I added glue to all of the edges and biscuit and clamped the thing closed.
For the lower shelf I again used 1 x 12’s and ripped and cut them down to size. I used my thickness planer to clean them up a little (probably only took ~1/16″ off) and then used the jointer on the edges and glued the three pieces together.
I then sanded both surfaces with a coarse grit (~100) and then a fairly fine grit (~220) to prep for burning. Before burning though – I used a rounder bit to give the table top a nice rounded upper edge and cut out the corners from the lower shelf so that it could sit inside of the table legs (see pictures).
I used the propane torch (like before) to make the grain pop on the pine. When using a propane torch for a big project like this mine eventually starts to crap out – I think it builds up condensation or something and the flame goes out. Just gotta give it a rest for a few hours and then come back to it. Torched both shelves and then applied a honey stain to warm up the color.
I went about putting the lower shelf in place. I unfortunately, didn’t really think this one through enough. I had fully assembled the lower shelf and then hoped to just be able to drop into the lower part of the base. There were, however, cross beams above and below where this thing needed to be. I had to tilt it to get it in there and it only just barely fit. I used a rubber mallet to try to force it down to meet the lower cross beams but it wouldn’t budge, so I painstakingly got a piece of sand paper and sanded the inside of the cutouts to get the shelf to be able to fall enough to reach the cross beams. Once it got there I clamped it all the way around to make it got he rest of the way and then screwed into place using some wood screws.
For the table top I simply placed it upside down on a cloth tarp in the garage. Centered the base over top of it and then screwed the base into the top through the white cross beams using wood screws. I pretty much always use pilot holes and this time I also used a counter-sink bit to help make sure you couldn’t really feel the screws on the underside of the cross beams – because this is where you often grip the table to pull it towards you or move it around. I made sure not to glue the table top and I only used ~12 screws to hold it in place (which should be more than enough to keep it secure), but this way I could (if I wanted to) replace the table top in the future without much effort. I finished everything in a poly lacquer from Varathane and then used to steel wool to buff it.
I finished everything up and then stood back and…noticed the grain on the lower shelf and upper shelf were not aligned =( – they’re perpendicular. I can pretend it was on purpose but it wasn’t – but I guess it looks okay.
The smooth table top surface is sooo nice. Of all the pieces I’ve made this is definitely the piece we use the most often.
