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Walnut coffee table

Project by archie18 posted 179 days ago 594 views 3 times favorited 14 comments Add to Favorites Watch

My daughter requested a simple coffee table so I built this for her. Black walnut with 4 coats of semi-gloss polyurethane.

-- Robert in middle TN


14 comments so far

View woodworm's profile

woodworm

5811 posts in 342 days


posted 179 days ago

Very beautiful! Really very nice table. Great job.
I love walnut but cannot afford to buy walnut lumber – I bought walnut mushroom pegs!

-- Regards, Woodworm - KL, MY.

View archie18's profile

archie18

37 posts in 241 days


posted 179 days ago

I lucked out last summer and got a bunch of walnut and cherry at an estate auction for about $0.50/ft

-- Robert in middle TN

View oldskoolmodder's profile

oldskoolmodder

691 posts in 431 days


posted 179 days ago

Can’t go wrong with Black Walnut.

-- Respect your shop tools and they will respect you - Ric

View Woodhacker's profile

Woodhacker

1151 posts in 475 days


posted 179 days ago

Robert, you’ve done a beautiful job. I’m sure your daughter loves it.

Thanks for posting it.

-- Martin, Kansas

View Bob A in NJ's profile

Bob A in NJ

400 posts in 750 days


posted 179 days ago

Nice job on design and construction. As a maker of two small walnut tables myself lately, these caught my eye.

-- Bob A in NJ

View PeteMoss's profile

PeteMoss

47 posts in 221 days


posted 179 days ago

That’s great. My wife has requested a walnut coffee table that she wants to be simple and almost just like this one except she doesn’t want the breadboard ends, which I’m not sure I could construct anyway. Would you mind sharing your overall dimensions? Thanks.

-- PeteMoss

View Todd Thomas 's profile

Todd Thomas

4690 posts in 200 days


posted 179 days ago

great job…looks very nice…

-- Todd, Oak Ridge, TN, Hello my name is Todd and I'm a Toolholic, I bought my last tool 10 days, no 4 days, oh heck I bought a tool on the way here! †

View CharlieM1958's profile

CharlieM1958

6680 posts in 970 days


posted 179 days ago

Nice job!

I’m curious. I’ve used both water-based and oil-based poly, and find they have a slightly different appearance. This looks more like water-based to me. Am I right?

-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"

View Jason34's profile

Jason34

30 posts in 260 days


posted 179 days ago

Excellent job. I love the breadboard ends.

View jimi's profile

jimi

26 posts in 280 days


posted 178 days ago

Very nice table! I am curious as to how the legs are attached to the aprons?

-- Jim, SE PA

View archie18's profile

archie18

37 posts in 241 days


posted 178 days ago

Thanks for all the nice comments. Dimensions are height 20.5in Top width 23.25in Len 47 in.
legs 2.5in at top tapered to 1.5in.
Finish is oil based poly, i think the white look is glare on the photo.
Legs are rabbeted at top for apron then glued to apron and finally long wood screws from the inside through the legs into the aprons.
Top is attached by gluing and nailing 1/2×1/2 strips to inside top of apron. 1×2x4 inch blocks with 1/2 in x 1 in rabbet are glued and screwed into underside of top with rabbet overlapping strip on apron.

-- Robert in middle TN

View mpatman's profile

mpatman

5 posts in 205 days


posted 158 days ago

Lovely table, love the Walnut!

View coloradoclimber's profile

coloradoclimber

386 posts in 819 days


posted 158 days ago

Archie, that’s really nice. I really like the look of walnut.

The legs are 2.5” square at the top. Did you have to laminate stock or were you able to find some thick enough?

Were you going for the continuous apron look? Is that why the rabbeted legs instead of what I would think of as the more traditional mortise and tenon of the aprons into the legs?

Are you worried about strength? Racking of the legs in particular.

View archie18's profile

archie18

37 posts in 241 days


posted 157 days ago

I used 3×3 stock for the legs. I wanted the continuous apron look plus doing rabbets was much easier than tenons. I don’t think leg strength will be a problem on a table this short, that was another reason for the rabbets, lots of glue surface to two surfaces of the apron. It is rabbeted on sides and ends to prevent racking in either direction.
THanks for all the nice comments.

-- Robert in middle TN

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