Also I haven’t sanded much of the table yet, I really like doing that by hand near the end.

if this post has a few errors its because its hard to type with three huge bandages on my fingers.

You ever have one of those moments when you realize you should have bought something and didnt? well mine was a first aid kit today. I lost my concentration for a split second and before i knew it i had cut deep into my pinky, ring, and middle finger at the tips. To make things worse i had to call a friend over to drive me to walgreens because for one, no first aid kit in the house and two, i drive a scooter and it is my right hand that was cut. I’m fine now and i dont think ill need stitches but it sure was one hell of a wake up call to stop being so comfortable at a table saw.

Also fortunately i wasn’t cutting anything for the customers table, just cutting down some stock to make it more manageable. I promise i will write a more definitive blog once its easier to type

Also, i plan on use 2 different types of wood for the top since i’ll be routing for a 12×12 tile squared in the center. I bought a large piece of Andiroba on ebay fairly cheap and thought i should ask if its even any good for woodworking and if anyone has had any experience. (big thanks to dan for the link on ebay)

Right now my plans are to have 2 11×64 boards out of Andiroba and 2 12×50.5 out of another wood, probably oak. make a route on the oak to hold the tile in place. it may be easier to understand if you were looking at graph paper with me aha!. anyway. i plan to use glue and the kreg pocket hole jig i bought recently because he said it had to be very sturdy because people put their feet on the table and sit on it often. so thats why i chose the runners/stretchers style.

also he wants it covered in that very thick pour on poly like most bars have. i have zero experience with that stuff and dont have a clue as to the best place to buy any so any links to tutorials or video on its use would be greatly appreciated!

This is table i’m working on, I know its a little “grand” for a first timers table, but I figured if I can do this table, it will make doing future tables much easier. I’m a child of the 80s and i grew up around 70s and early 80s furniture and if you remember, it was all massive and looked like wood. I love huge furniture still and can never just let a good floor model tv go to waste (i made a router table out of one and a fish tank out of another). So without regard i started on this “table” and it turned out huge and i had no idea why until i looked around my house. Everything i own is from the 70s or early 80s and big as all get out. In hindsight, that must have been why it was SOOOOO much fun moving into this house a year ago.

It is made out of a cabinet grade pine top from lowes, pine 2×2s and plywood. It is 23.5×48 and 27 inches tall. I know, pretty big considering my original idea was for a coffee table, ahaha.

CLICK HERE FOR THE REST OF THE PICTURES

I need to add stretchers for more stability since it wobbles a little. (i’m actually considering making it a cabinet instead of just adding support)

My dad used a rotozip with a jigsaw mount to cut out the diamond in the center, then i thought it needed it to be a little bigger and made a bad cut and thus the idea of a frame around it was born. I bought some small molding from lowes and we cut the miters, glued it together and i tried regular titebond2 on it, but the pressure was too much i guess and i had to use epoxy to get it to stay in place. maybe its a humidity thing. (i do live in west TN, very similar weather to Mississippi).

The finish is 2 coats of cherry oak i got at lowes discounted, 11 bucks for a gallon of something smooth like cherry oak? i’m buyin every time. anyway I dont know anything about staining and this is the first real attempt at staining well, i can see some flaws i made but oh well, life goes on. I sprayed 2 coats of poly from a can, some parts are smoother than others, i think i’ll get into the brush on poly before i give this piece away.

I got the idea from a generic coffee table pic on the web, and thought it would look better if it were bigger and had a porcelain tile in the middle of it.

including the rotozip bits i had to buy the table has only been about 50 dollars worth of materials.