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Cherry Coffee Table

2497 Views 22 Replies 14 Participants Last post by  denniswoody
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Number two son needed a coffee table so we did some Google searching and he came up with a preferred design that I modified a bit. The photo appealed to him because it was a simple, clean design. I had my eye on one that was going to be a real challenge to make but oh well. I had to lay it out on a large sheet of cardboard to get the leg slope and overall design perfected. One issue was ensuring the legs had enough clearance under the top to not be a tripping hazard. The wood is cherry I air dried myself. The finish is two coats of amber shellac and four coats of wipe on poly (MinWax Satin). It will be delivered in October. Thanks for looking.

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This was worth loggin in for just to say "Most excellent"....Judging by the pics, alot of work went into the top. This is one of those kind of jobs I couldn't just walk by without pausing to check it out..

Well done Dennis!!!
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Great looking table!!
This was worth loggin in for just to say "Most excellent"....Judging by the pics, alot of work went into the top. This is one of those kind of jobs I couldn't just walk by without pausing to check it out..

Well done Dennis!!!
you said well Bill...
I agree 100% with TwoSkies Bill. Great job, never get tired of seeing that table.
Herb
Dennis the table is awesome. I like the nice clean lines and your choice of wood.
Beautiful outcome Dennis . Someday I intend on building a coffee table , but there's no way it's turning out this nice
What a beauty. How did you go about prepping the top, sanding or scraper?
Dennis , I was curious as to how you cut the ends to get that slight radius . Did you make a template ?

Do you have any pics of the underside , as I'd like to see how it went together:)
Very nice, Dennis! Clean lines and well built.

David
Dennis , I was curious as to how you cut the ends to get that slight radius . Did you make a template ?

Do you have any pics of the underside , as I'd like to see how it went together:)
Beautiful work! I'd also like to see the underside and would like to know the original dimensions of the cherry wood board before you milled it. Thanks.
Please show us the underside and describe the joinery you used. Table is so elegant and simple. Thanks for posting it!

Lillian
My kind of table. Contemporary with a modern slant. Great finish.
What a beauty. How did you go about prepping the top, sanding or scraper?
The top is four boards just over 5 inches each. I dowelled them with my Jessem jig so I would have perfect registration on glue-up and it worked out perfectly. So from the planed surface I just used my random orbit sander at 180 to perfect the flatness, then progressively finer grits by hand finishing at 320. Then a coat of shellac and 320 sanding then another coat and 320 sanding. Then the final finish.
Thank you everyone for the kind comments. I will take a pic of the bottom in a day or so when I have new batteries for my camera. Basically it is very simple. There is a cross-piece dovetailed into the sides that has a screw up into the top in the centre. The top is attached using clips available from Lee Valley. As I say pics to follow.
Dennis , I was curious as to how you cut the ends to get that slight radius . Did you make a template ?

Do you have any pics of the underside , as I'd like to see how it went together:)
Generally when I need a curve I just take a thin piece of wood like ash and tie a string to it at one end then pull it to the curve I want. I did that for both the side and end curve. I rough cut the curve with a jig/saber saw then finished with planes and sandpaper. A good block plane is essential for the end grain and I have beauty from Veritas.
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Beautiful work! I'd also like to see the underside and would like to know the original dimensions of the cherry wood board before you milled it. Thanks.
Thanks Hank. The boards were just over an inch to start and after milling came to about 7/8 inch. I milled six to get the final four.
2
OK so I bought new batteries for my camera and as requested here is the underside of the table. The cross piece is dovetailed into the sides and screwed into the top. You will see numerous holes as my original intent was to use more than one screw but in the end I decided it was unnecessary. The clips are available from Lee Valley and actually are called clamps. Tabletop Mounting Clamps - Lee Valley Tools They fit into a kerf with enough depth to allow the top to expand and contract. They hold very firmly so you can pick the table up by the top with no problem. I have also included a photo of the jig I used to create the arc for the side. The string can be placed in any of the slots to modify the arc as needed. I also have two slots for the cross piece for more variability. Thanks again to everyone who has responded to this post with their comments.

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Thank you for sharing Dennis , as I'm learning all the time . You look like a master ;)
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