Den Coffee Table

Introduction

We have a glass topped coffee table that weve had for years. One day, my wife came to me and says she wants me to design and build a coffee table for our den to replace the glass one. She seldom asks me to do any woodworking project for her let alone furniture. So I was happy to do it. I thought it best to collaborate with her and so sat down with her and asked what she wanted.

Once this was done I proceeded to draw it out in detail in SketchUp 2017. Here's the SketchUp drawing. Here's an animation of the Den Table

The Beginning with the Legs

This entire table was done with hand tools. There are no screws or nails or any metal at all for that matter. It's all mortise and tenon joinery. I began by making the legs first.

The legs when completed will be 2-1/4” x 2-3/4” x 18”. I made them out of 2” x 3” x 8'. I began by cutting the lengths I needed for each leg. I needed two per leg. I cut them a little longer at 19” and as I always do sneak up to the final finished length.

Here I am using my Suizan double sided dozuki saw. It has crosscut teeth on one side and rip teeth on the other. I highly recommend the saw.

After cutting the 8 lengths of 19” 2 x 3s, I handplaned them all square and flat and proceeded to laminate them. Afterwards, I handplaned them to the finished size of 2-1/4” x 2-3/4”. Then I cut them a little bigger than 18”. I will finish them to exactly 18” long a little later.

Here's what they look like now:

Mortising

Next, I start the mortising on each leg for the rails. There will be a total of 4 mortises for each leg to accept 4 aprons (top rails) and 4 bottom rails all around. Again, it is done with all hand tools.

I had drawn all this in SketchUp so I could peel off drawings when needed. Here I am prepping for mortising.

First, I layout each mortise positon by pencil and rule and then with my LV Veritas marking gauge I scribe the outline as shown. Then my mortising begins.

Next I prepare each Apron and each bottom rail to make the tenons. I start by marking in all the lines for tenons. See “A” below. I make a knife wall for each scribed line on both sides then start removing material See “B” through “E”. I continue this way until most of the meat is removed.

The last step “F” is then placed in my vise. As shown below and waste is removed on both sides.

Here are all the upper aprons and rails done. The same technique is used for all rails.

Mid Supports

Next, I make upper and lower mid support rails. These are essential because they add strength, rigidity, and squareness needed for both the framework and the drawer cavitites.

Making the Two Drawers

At this point I started to make the two pull out drawers. I began by making the drawer cutouts in the Top Front Rail as shown. At the top rear of it, I attached a structural horizontal rail.

I made the two drawers and assembled by doweling. The frame bottom is 1/4” x 1/4” slotted for a bottom panel. I make my own dowel. Here you see me chamfering the dowel ends for easing insertion. I used 1/4” baltic birch plywood for the bottom.

I still need to make the Front Panels. Here's what the drawers look like so far as a test fit into the Top Front Rail.

Here is some of the structural railing completed for the drawers.

Making the Top and the Lower Shelf.

I start by making the Lower Shelf First. I will also begin the lower frame glueup which is the 4 legs and lower rails. Then after making, I will trim and fit the shelf into the lower frame as a test fit and eventually anchor it in place.

The lower shelf is made up of 3 pieces. The Main panel and two Breadboard Ends.

The Main Panel (Center Panel) is the flat surface made of parallel wood boards joined together.

Breadboard Ends (Crosspieces) are the narrow end pieces attached perpendicular to the main panel to cover the exposed end grain and keep the table flat.

After laminating up the Main Panel boards, I scribe lines 1-1/2” in from the end that will be the tenons from each end.

Then I start chisel paring away the wood. Then I re-scribe, pare again, etc. I do this for both sides to a depth of 1/4”. I use a Lee Valley Veritas router plane to finish it perfectly.

Here it is with the tenons completed.

I cut out a notch at each end to step into the mortises on the breadboard ends. The tenon notches are made a little wider then the mortice widths. This allows room for any wood expansion and contraction over time. This is what it will look like when finished.

Making the Breadboard Ends

Next I make the breadboard ends. Normally I completely mortise by chisel. But I saw a method that Rob Cosman used on his table saw. You can see it here:

CAUTION! While this technique works very well it is scary and can be dangerous. It requires complete attention while doing it with no distractions.

Why do it? The breadboard length is 22” long. And the mortise is 1-1/2” deep. The stock thickness is 3/4”. I wanted a 5/16” wide mortise. To do this by hand poses a real concern with the walls splitting as I hammer. I've never had the problem in the past but thought this may be the way to go.

A) You start by penciling gauge lines on your fence.

B) The first line is drawn vertically in front of the blade at the point where the blade and bottom of stock edge just barely touch. You pencil your line at the point where the stock's back corner touches the fence.

C) Next you repeat this with the stock at the rear of the blade.

E) Continue these pencil lines on your blade cover plate. This way you can see it as you lower your piece over the blade and move it to make your mortise.

You repeat this procedure by rotating the stock around to get the particular mortise width that you want. Usually this only take one flip around.

This is what it looks like when done. I then use my drill press to remove the extra meat and finish up square up the bottom of mortise with my mortise chisels.

Here's the breadboard fit

Making the Pillowed Stiles.

On two sides of the table there will be small “pillowed” stiles connecting to top and bottom rails. Here I show these stiles cut, squared, and center lines marked for doweling. I then mark the center lines for the mounting holes using my Lee Valley Marking guage.

Using my centering doweling jig, I then place each stile in the jig and drill on center on the top and bottom of each one for 1/4” dowels.

Pillowing

Next, I begin “pillowing” each stile on both sides. I start by using an ellipse template and mark each end with the arcs I want for pillowing.

Then I pencil hatch the faces that will be hand planed to the arcs on both ends. As the hatch marks disappear I can tell what has been planed.

Below in the left photo you see the planing begin. In the mid photo you see the finished pillowing. The last photo shows before and after pillowing.

Now, the side rails are drilled for assembly of the stiles. The stiles are then glued into place. Here are the finished sides.

Conclusion

So now it all comes together. I shellacked everything with Blonde (light yellow) shellac. Here's the beauty!!

Thanks for Looking!!

Cheers!

MrRick