[4DThinker]

I've been searching my PC for photos I took, and taking new photos of old projects. A cleaning house effort I suppose. The elliptical cuts on this table were done on my router table. I don't have the jig I created any more, but it was an inverted version of the classic ellipse drawing jig. The jig held the wood and passed it through the stationary bit on my router table. Long slender ellipses, and half ellipses on the ends of boards were all possible with that jig.

These days I'd cut all the parts on my CNC. I didn't have a CNC when this table was made.
4D

 

[jw2170]

I like that...

Looking at ellipses for other project as well...

 

[MEBCWD]

I love small accent tables and this one is no exception. I like the simple design but this could also be made with a lot of decorative details.

Was the top made from the cutout of one of the leg/support pieces?

 

[4DThinker]

Yes, the top was left over when I cut out the wide leg board. It was the usefulness of that center ellipse that turned a test of a jig into a table. The cherry boards had been glued up to become a coffee table for a client. The client backed out so they stood unused in my shop for a couple of months. When I got the idea for how to make an ellipse jig that could cut long skinny ellipses or ellipses on the end of boards I figured I would use up some of the cherry to test it.

Decorative details are difficult to squeeze from the minds of college students. It is cultural exposure I think. When I do get a student who likes detail for detail's sake it is almost always an import from South America or India. Some students strongly resist when I suggest some V-carving or texture or inlay to spice up a boring surface.
4D