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So I’ve been wanting to build a custom built table for some time now and what I really would like to build is a large kitchen table but due to the small size of my shop that is not an easy task. So a live edge walnut coffee table it is!
Once I saw that Instructables had announced a woodworking contest, I immediately jumped on the computer with the Sketchup program and sketched out a quick design.
From that point I contacted my local sawmill and said I needed 3 walnut slabs right away. Luckily he had some that had just come out of the kiln so I was good to go.
Once I was home with the wood I set to work making sure I had everything needed besides the wood.
I would love to hear in the comments below your thoughts on the design of this coffee table. Is it “Artsy”, “Modern” or what?
Step 1: Flatten the Top.
My first coarse of action was to get the slab that would be become the top nice and flat on both sides. Well, at least I thought it would be this slab. Foreshadowing here.
For this process I used my router sled and a couple of two by fours that have been cut perfectly straight as runners.
I started out by securing the slab to my work bench with shims and hot glue to make sure the slab didn’t move in any way.
Then I inserted a large surfacing router bit into my plunge router and made repeated shallow passes until both sides were flat.
Take your time here and don’t try to go too deep with each pass. I would say for me and my router I didn’t take more than an 1/8″ (3mm) of a pass each time. Most of the time even less then that.
After both sides were nice and flat I set the slab aside for a day or so to see if the wood wanted to move anymore.
So the foreshadowing I mentioned earlier… ya, the slab cupped on me quite a bit. One choice I had was I could try flattening this slab some more and hope it didn’t move again. Or I could try a spare slab I had. I choose the latter and got lucky as it did not move on me at all after I flattened it the same way I did the first one. I still choose to put metal braces in the slab as a precaution in a later step.
Step 2: Prepare the Vertical Base Pieces- Part 1
With one of the other slabs I purchased, I first marked out two parallel lines. Then with my band saw I cut along those lines.
Now I needed to get this piece flat on both sides. For this I used a planer sled and my power planer. This method evolves temporally gluing the piece of wood down to another flat piece of wood (I use MDF)using shims in the high spots. This ensures that your project piece will not move and stay stable as it is run through the planer.
After sending this setup through the planer till the first face is flat you simply remove the project wood from the sled, flip it over and send it through the planer to your desired thickness.
Step 3: Prepare the Vertical Base Pieces- Part 2
Still on the same piece of wood from the previous step, I needed to get the edges flat and parallel to each other. For the first edge I used my planer sled as a jointer sled on my table saw. Using hot glue, I glued it down to the sled with just a bit of one edge hanging over the edge of the sled.
From here I could slide the edge of the jointer sled up against the table saw fence which then cuts just a bit off the work piece leaving a nice straight edge. I then removed the work piece from the sled, flipped it over and made another cut. I now had two edges parallel and flat.
I now spent some time marking out the design of the base on this first piece. For the parts that had curves to them, I used a thin scrap piece of wood that could easily bend. Since I don’t have three hands I had to temporarily glue one end down to the work piece. I could then bend the wood to the desired curve and mark out that line.
From here it was a simple process of using my table saw sled and band saw to cut out the shape.
Step 4: Prepare the Vertical Base Pieces- Part 3
This piece here is for the second piece of the base closest to the floor.
I first marked out two parallel lines and cut outside the lines using my band saw. Then using my planer sled as a jointer sled again, I cut one edge straight and flat. While still on the sled I ran it through the planner to make sure I had one surface flat as well.
I then took it off the sled and ran the one straight edge up against my table saw fence to my desired width.
From here this second piece was just a smidge too thick, so I ran it through the planer till it was the same thickness as the first piece.
Step 5: Prepare the Vertical Base Pieces- Part 4
To continue shaping out this bottom piece, I first marked out one end by hand drawing out a curve matching the curve of the first piece.
Then repeating the same method from earlier with the scrap piece of wood, I drew out a gentle curve at the front end.
Then some quick cuts on the band saw again to cut out its shape.
Step 6: Prepare the Feet and Table Top Support Pieces.
Now to make the pieces that will be the two feet and one table top support piece. With the left over piece of wood from the previous step, I first cut it on the table saw to the desired width.
Then a few passes through the planer to it’s final thickness and then a few cuts on the cross cut sled to their final length.
Step 7: Mark and Cut Feet and Support Locations.
After measuring where I wanted the locations for these pieces, I first marked their locations using my marking knife. I really didn’t need to mark all the way around as I ended up using my dado maker which automatically lets you cut the correct width using the cross cut sled.
You can see this tool under my right hand in the second picture.
If you’re not familiar with a dado maker that helps you make perfect dados or slots in wood, be sure to check out my video which explains what this is more in detail.
Anyway, after I cut out all the locations I did a dry test fit. Starting to look like something now!
Step 8: Shape the Feet and Support Pieces.
To shape these pieces I first used the same scrap piece of wood from earlier to mark out a gentle curve at the ends. Then with my band saw I cut out their rough shape.
My plan was to tape them together with double sided tape. Which did work, however, as my third picture says, I used way too much tape. It made it very hard to separate the pieces after I spent time with 80 grit sandpaper evening out the shape of all three pieces. Oh well, live and learn.
Another dry fit shows the gentle curve of the feet and support piece.
Step 9: Cut Table Top to Final Length.
As the title header says, this step is to cut the table top ends nice and straight. Rough cut wood that you would get from a saw mill typically has very jagged ends. Usually from a chain saw.
So after marking out where I wanted to cut the ends flush and straight, I used a method of temporarily super gluing a straight edge down to the table top as a guide. For those of you not familiar with this little trick, you first apply one layer of painters tape to the table top and one layer to the bottom of your straight edge. Then a few dabs of super glue and some accelerator, secure the straight edge down where you want it.
After making the cut with a circular saw, the guide will pull up easily and the tape can be removed from both surfaces. You will see this method used several more times to come.
Step 10: Prepare Table Top Stiffener Locations.
So as I mentioned at the beginning of the post, the first slab I was going to use for the top had wood movement after I flattened it. Could I have flattened it again and still used it? Yes, but I would have lost thickness in that piece which I didn’t really want to do. I had this spare slab anyway so I repeated the flattening process and here we are.
Just to not take any chances I decided to add these C-channel “stiffeners”. I purchased C-channel at my local home supply store which comes in 3 foot long lengths. I didn’t film me preparing this C-channel mainly due to the amount of work involved in this project and the relative short amount of time I had to complete everything.
It’s a relative simple process of cutting it down to length of 12″ in my case. Then drilling three holes. The center hole can be sized to the bolt you will be using and the two outer holes are oversized to allow for wood movement. File down any sharp edges and finally add a coat of black spray paint.
To install these down into the wood you need to rout out it’s general profile shape down into the wood. First mark out the outer width dimensions of the C-channel by simply drawing along the edges of the C-channel with a pencil. For the length be sure to add roughly an 1/8″ to 1/4″ total to allow for wood movement.
I added blue tape to the outer lines just to make it easier to see when to stop the router. Then with the same method as before I added my straight edge down for my router to follow.
The two outer sections I use a 1/4″ straight cut bit and go down the depth of the C-channel when laying flat PLUS the thickness of the flat section of the C-channel. So in this case the C-channel is a 1/2″ tall and the flat section is an 1/8″ thick. So I went down 5/8″ into the wood.
Then I switched over to a 1/2″ straight cut router bit and routed out between the two 1/4″ slots down to a depth of 1/8″.
And finally with a chisel I squared off the ends.
This will now let the C-channel sit down in the area flush with the bottom table top surface.
Step 11: Prepare Table Top Stiffener Locations. Part 2.
To continue preparing these locations, I first used a very small screw driver to mark the center of the holes into the wood. An awl would work better but I don’t have one.
Once they are marked I set the C-channel off to the side and drilled the holes for the threaded inserts. The 1/4″-20 threaded inserts come with a chart to tell you what size hole to drill in hard or soft woods. In this case I drilled a 3/8″ hole to the depth of the insert.
Then I went ahead and screwed them in to make sure they would fit. I will be removing these to apply the finish later on. And then when I screw them back in for the final time I will be adding a drop of CA glue just to insure they don’t go anywhere.
Step 12: Mounting Locations for Table Top Support and Furniture Pad Locations for the Feet.
For what I’m calling the table top support piece that will be mounted on the upper portion of the coffee table base, I drilled some through holes to allow mounting hardware to be used.
I first drilled a large hole with a fostner bit about a quarter of an inch deep followed with an oversized hole all the way through. And by oversized I mean that the bolt that I will be using is a 1/4″ bolt so I used a 7/16″ drill bit to drill the thru hole. This will allow for any wood movement.
For the feet it was a similar process. The only two differences were the size of the forstner bit diameter to allow the furniture pads to recess up into the feet and a 3/8″ drill bit was used to drill to the depth of the threaded inserts.
Step 13: Glue the Base Pieces Together.
Gluing some parts together makes it seem like you’re finally getting somewhere so I was pretty excited to be at this step.
It was a fairly simple process of applying glue to the edges and setting them together. Followed by clamping everything together nice and tight.
I had previously applied blue painters tape where the two pieces lined up at the arcs to act as a guide. The tape will also help to keep glue squeeze out off the wood in this tight area where the two pieces meet each other. Without the tape it would be very difficult to remove the glue squeeze out. Especially if the glue dried. I waited till the glue set up just a bit till I removed the tape along with any glue with it. Followed by just a bit of clean up with a chisel and that joint looked great.
Step 14: Some Pre Sanding.
It’s truly amazing how much sanding can go into a project like this and this is only the beginning.
On the edge where the two pieces came together there was a “gap” that had to be blended together. I used 80 grit sandpaper on my orbital sander and about ten minutes to blend this arc together.
Still with the same paper and sander I also spent some time on the flat surfaces removing any glue squeeze out and blending the pieces together.
Followed by some hand sanding on the curved edges. It’s hard to see but I used a thin piece of scrap wood as a backer to the sandpaper. This helped the paper conform to the wood but also helped to remove any high or low areas in the arc.
Step 15: Should Have Done This Before Gluing the Pieces Together.
This is one of those times where you’re like “dang it, I should have done that earlier!”
I meant to drill this hole on my drill press before gluing the two sections together. Luckily my hand held drill along with the forstner bit just fit between the two sections. The process is similar to before in that I used a forstner bit to drill down part of the way followed by a regular drill bit all the way through.
Note I clamped on a scrap piece of wood to to prevent any blowout of the work piece as the drill bit drilled through.
Step 16: Second and Last Glue Up.
To start this glue up I first applied more blue painters tape around all the edges where the feet and support will be inserted. As before, this will help keep any glue squeeze out off the wood for an easier clean up.
From here I applied the glue and pushed the pieces into place followed by clamping everything nice and tight.
Step 17: Fill a Crack With Epoxy.
The slab for the table top had a decent sized crack on one side. From the top it was about 5″ long and about a 1/8″ thick at it’s widest near the edge of the slab. As it went through the wood towards the bottom of the slab it narrowed to almost nothing. Basically just a line was visible from the bottom.
I’ve always wanted to give epoxy a try in a work piece so I figured this would be a good time to try. I choose to go with Super Clear Epoxy which I purchased though Amazon. Based on the fact this is my very first time using epoxy in this way I made my choice based on research of what type to get and reviews of this product.
The process to fill a crack I found to be pretty simple. Sure, this may be different for larger cracks or other types of deep pours like river tables, etc, but here it was pretty easy.
For mine, I started by cleaning off the area and then using Tyvek tape (it’s a tape used to tape together house wrap systems), I applied 3 strips down the side and finishing past the crack on the bottom. On the top side I left a bit sticking up to act as a dam.
I also added some silicone to also act as a dam while I poured the epoxy. I would say doing this is an option.
After mixing the epoxy per the instructions (FOLLOW them correctly, especially the mixing time and temperature of the room!) and adding black pigment, I proceeded to pour the epoxy into the crack. Being this was my first time ever doing this, yes, I mixed more than needed. Oh well.
I also found it pretty deceiving how much was needed to go into the crack so I was glad I did use the silicone to act as a dam.
And since I had plenty of epoxy left I figured I might as well use it to fill some bug holes in the slab.
After 3 days of drying, I used 80 grit sandpaper in my orbital sander and sanded the epoxy smooth down to the surface of the wood.
Lastly, any other very small cracks around the slab I just used black CA glue from Starbond. After a quick dry with their accelerator they were also sanded smooth.
Step 18: Add Your Logo.
You’re building a beautiful piece of custom built furniture so of course you have to “sign” your work. Since my hand writing is worse then my 5 year old boys writing, I choose to burn my logo in using a branding iron I purchased from Budget Branding Irons. Be sure to look them up. They are great quality. I actually plan on getting another smaller one some day.
Step 19: Mounting Locations for the Base to the Top.
Now it’s time to attach the base to the top. At least temporarily. To do this I laid the table top upside down on my work bench. Then I flipped the base upside down onto the table top.
After spending time making sure the base was as centered and straight as I could get it, I used a drill bit pressed through the already drilled holes to leave a mark on the underside of the top.
Setting the base aside, I could then drill the holes for the threaded inserts. I went ahead and screwed these inserts in just to make sure they fit correctly. As before, I will remove these later to apply the finish and then screw them back in permanently with a bit of CA glue at the end.
And of course I had to take a minute to bolt the sections together to get a look at it all together.
Step 20: Clean All Surfaces.
A step not shown is the sanding process. Just know that there is a ton of it! I mainly used my orbital sander finishing off with 150 grit paper. There was also a lot of hand sanding in all the hard to reach places.
So of course all of this sanding leaves a lot of sanding dust everywhere. I spent lots of time vacuuming all the surfaces of the table pieces as well as the surrounding areas of the work bench and floors. Just wanted to try and keep as much dust from being blown up and back onto the work piece.
From that point I wiped down all the surfaces of the table with mineral spirits and let that dry while I moved onto the next step.
Step 21: Apply the Finish.
I figured this project was a good time to try out Rubio Monocoat Pure finish. I have heard plenty of good things about this finish so it sounded just what I was looking for. And what people have said about it’s quality is true. I love this stuff now!
It’s a fairly easy process to apply the finish. First start by mixing the two products per the instructions. Basically it’s a 3 to 1 ratio mix. Stir them together and apply it to the wood.
I first started out with the spreader method. Basically it’s how it sounds. You use these little yellow (in this case) soft plastic spreaders to spread the finish around. It doesn’t take much product to cover a lot of area so be aware of that. As you’re spreading it around the Rubio will not bond to what has already bonded to the wood so this helps it to go a long way.
For me though, I choose to switch to using a white scotch bright pad to spread the finish around. It worked better to get into the hard places on the under side of the table as well as all the edges.
After applying enough for one area, like one side of the table top, I let it sit for about five minutes and then wiped off and buffed the excess off. Then repeated this process for the rest of the table.
All in all I really have with how easy this was and how good it looks!
Step 22: Add the Furniture Pads.
Just in case any floor that this table will be sitting on is uneven, I designed it to have these adjustable furniture pads.
Using the holes that I pre-drilled earlier, I first added a small drop of CA glue and screwed in the threaded inserts. This was followed by screwing in the furniture pads.
Small disclaimer here, I did have to use my bench grinder to grind down the length of the bolt on the furniture pads. I didn’t show this step, again, because of the huge amount of work and short time to complete this project. If you do need to do as I did though, be sure to have a cup of cool water beside your grinder. This way as you grind and it heats up the bolt, you can dip it in the water to cool it off and repeat till short enough. I also protected the pad with painters tape while grinding.
Step 23: Install the Table Stiffeners.
I continued installing the rest of the threaded inserts in the same way as the previous step.
Once those were in, I installed the C-channels. I used small black button head 1/4-20 bolts and black washers to do this.
Just as with the furniture pads, I had to grind down the bolts to a custom length. In the future maybe I could spend more time and find ones short enough but in a “hurry” these are what I found at my local hardware store.
And the 1/4″ fender washers I used had to be painted black as I didn’t find already black washers ready to go.
As a note when tightening the bolts, the outer two bolts I tightened down pretty tight and then loosed them about a 1/4 turn. This should allow for wood movement but still keep the C-channel tight to the table top.
Step 24: Almost Done!
All that’s left to do is to attach the base to the table top. Simple process of using these furniture bolts and tightening them into place.
Done! Well, except for putting it in your favorite location or selling it like I will be doing.
Thank you so much for checking out this post.
Please leave a comment below with any questions you have or anything else.
Thanks again!
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