Rustic x coffee table

  I was lucky enough to have 100 year old barn wood for this table!  I used this rustic plan, but made a few tweaks of my own

For the bottom I decided to rest the shelf on top of the rails instead of pocket screwing them in from the side.  I thought this would show more character of the barn wood (saw marks, knots, etc) while adding stability.  With that change, you also need to adjust the height of the end rails (under the cross brace) to make it flush with the shelf.  

For the top I decided to use bread boards instead.  They are all fastened with 2 1/2" pocket screws (with a kreg jig),  as are all of the rails and bottom shelf boards.   For a different look, I recessed the x-brace and end rails to the inner third of the legs instead of flush to the outside.   However, this made it difficult to screw the x-braces in, so those are just glued in place (with good quality wood adhesive!).  Thankfully, they feel very sturdy and don't need screws!  Also, the fact that they are recessed reduces the chance they are kicked or bumped.  

I sanded through 220, to keep all of the original marks yet make it smooth to the touch

I finished it with 100% pure tung oil, which made the texture of the wood really pop, and turned it to a nice dark amber.  It would be a shame to make this wood hide behind stain and poly forever.  Tung oil is the best if you want imperfections highlighted, yet want a nice sheen.  The top boards got 5 coats, the bottom shelf 3 coats, and the frame 2.