Coffee Table

A couple of years ago we had a loft conversion and as a result we had some left over roof joists. I decided to use them to create a coffee table. The video below shows a step by step guide to how to build your own. I was delighted with how the project turned out however I ended up using it as a TV stand, It fitted so well in the room and i am so pleased I chose to keep the rustic theme.

Materials

To make this project you will need a lot of 3 by 6 inch timber. You will also need a slightly thinner wood such as an old cladding board or a strip of plywood. To make this easy it would be best if you have a circular saw or a chop saw to cut the wider pieces of wood. I used a biscuit join to Join the two together so I used a router. To finish the wood I used an electric plane and a electric sander but these are optional. To download the design follow the link below. 
Table Design


Stage 1
The first stage was to cut the wood to the correct sizes, These were 3 X 121cm, 6 X 46cm and 3 x 96cm. I used a circular saw to cut through the wood but it was not quite deep enough to cut right through it so I finished off with a hand saw. To prepare the wood I used an electric plane to take off the rough edge that has been created from pulling the roof down and storing it outside. As it is recycled wood it has lots of cracks and nail holes, you can then sand these or fill them in with some filler but i chose to leave them to add to the rustic theme.




Stage 2 
To create the top of the table I connected the three 121cm timbers using biscuit joints. Using a rougher I cut two groves 1cm wide, 5cm long, and 10cm off each end. In one of the corresponding slits I added a plywood biscuit made from a recycles piece of ship lap. Gluing each of these in place created tongs to slot in each of the groves. Applying a generous amount of glue i clamped the three pieces together using sash clamps and left it for 24 hours to dry sufficiently.



Stage 3
Repeat the process with the 96cm pieces to create the base and then twice more with the 46cm pieces to create the sides. To assemble the complete coffee table router 4 slits two at each end of the top piece and the same on the base piece. Cut matching slits on the side pieces again gluing plywood strips in to create a biscuit joint. Clamp the table scrape off any excess glue and again leave to dry over night.