Coffee Table
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Second coffee table I made following these plans. Took me a while to complete only because I was on 12 hour shifts at work, but I tracked the time it took me to finish it and it was 5 hours.
![](/sites/default/files/coffee%20table%20%233.jpg)
![](/sites/default/files/coffee%20table%20%232.jpg)
Second coffee table I made following these plans. Took me a while to complete only because I was on 12 hour shifts at work, but I tracked the time it took me to finish it and it was 5 hours.
This project is one of my favourites. I loved it so much that I made 6 of them.
They are extremely easy to make. The plans are super easy to follow.
With a lot of children doing their work from home due to the pandemic we have had a lot of folks ask of we make children's tables/desks and chairs. Yes, we make tables, but no, we didn't make chairs....
Until now, thanks to Ana White! These are super cute amd fun to make.
It's a little difficult to tell exactly how small they are, so I modeled my drill for reference.
Happy building
So, after two years searching and not finding a square coffee table. I decided to see if I could build one. Having never built ANYTHING before I found Ana's plans and proceeded to get to it.
After we framed it, I kind of realized, "hey! I think I can do this."
One would think, since I belonged to a theater company for a while and I majored in theater in college, that I would have learned how to do this. However, I was very very good at walking up to people as they finished something and asking them if they needed help.
The breadboards didn't line up perfectly (the original plans were for a 2' x 4' table and I modified it. But, then i kind of fell in love with the edges.
The stain wasn't as red as I was hoping for. But it works. (Cabot Red Mahogany)
And now we have our coffee table.
I know. I know. Like bazillions of coffee tables haven't been built by humans over the years. But, this one means a lot to me. Cuz, you know, I'm really talented at handing over a credit card and asking someone else to do it for me.
Adapted from plans for Bedside charging table. Made it taller and wider to accommodate a hidden litter box inside. Cut out a cat silhouette for entry through the side. Cabinet is big enough for litter box and extra litter and scoop. Antique painted white finish distressed by sanding and used a coffee glaze over it.
Mon, 03/23/2015 - 05:27
I love this! I especially love the little cat cut out :)
Need more room in my closet, and when I came across Ana White and saw this closet, I said I can do this. I planned how I was going to do it and bought all the necessary supplies prior . It tool me 6 days to complete. Only had help nailing shelf to wall. First time using power tools.
Saw a basswood table just like this in Crate & Barrel for $750. And it really needed to be sanded and finished. That made wonder what one made of antique maple and oak would be worth.
I got the maple from a salvage place; three 10 foot 1 x 6s for $5 a piece. The wood looked terrible, but sanding from 80 to 320 helps anything.
Anyway, it's in my bedroom now and I already got a $650 offer for it!
It's the first "real" table I've ever made. I used my pocket hole jig and glue to build it up and it's solid as a rock.
When I do another, I'll do something different to secure the legs.
This is an absolute beginner project and took me maybe a day and a half to sand, build and finish. I sanded through at least six grits and quit at 320 because I didn't have anything finer.
About the only "non-beginner" this is that the height, width and length, as well as the distance of the bottom tray from the top are all Fibonacci relationships.
j
Tryde coffee table
A pine tree at the cottage was diseased and needed to be cut down. We had a portable saw mill come to slice the tree into 2.5 inch planks which became a couple of tables after about 5 years of drying the wood.
It all started with my daughter asking me if maybe I could cut the wood so she could assemble it. I looked over the plans and thought to myself that there was no way that I could pass up the fun of building this for my grandchildren. Then I got to thinking that if I built it really nice then my kids could pass it along between them over time.
I like to overdo things sometimes so I chose a nice red oak hardwood to make this a durable project that could survive multiple families of use. Hopefully the urethane finish will preserve the good looks of the red oak grain. While I have done plenty of home improvement carpentry I never built such a nice finished project so this was something new and fun to build. I made lots of little mistakes along the way that fastidious woodworkers would notice but my customer is really happy with it and that is all that matters.
This was the first time that I used the Kreg jig system and I must say that it was amazing. I glued and screwed everything together nice and tight. The Kreg plugs were a great finishing touch to keep little fingers out of sharp edged holes and also made the project look a little more professional. The plugs added some cost and did use up some extra sandpaper for the random orbit sander but it was worth it in appearance. Routing all the edges with an 1/8” round-over bit and adding a little laser engraved insert (you gotta brag!) made the last finishing touches before stain and clear coat.
The little dude was clearly happy with his new found reach and mom has been using that to put him to work. He is having so much fun that he has no idea how hard he is working in the kitchen!
Repurposed twin headboard to shelf for a granddaughter's birthday present. I added a shelf from a repurposed bed rail leaving the supports and attaching it to the headboard with glue and nail gun. I painted it with Ace Royal neon blue, and Ace fluorescent pink and green on the knobs which I found on sale at a local building center.
My husband built me this beautiful farmhouse desk for my guest bedroom! Thank you for the plans! I am in love with it and now enjoy working on grad school homework!
Danielle
The first is a modern adirondack chair mad3 of cedar and I added some vinyl stickers for my son's high school logo.
The second are a set I made using just pine and stained with cedartobe stain. They stay under the cover of the porch and are in excellent condition after 4 years.
We only just discovered your site and were so inspired that we wanted to try out this console table right away. As carpentry virgins, it couldn’t have been easier! We had looked all over the place for a console table for our upstairs hallway and this one totally fit the bill, at less than a quarter of the cost of the ones we’d liked in stores. We modified it slightly, adding about six inches to the height. The only snag we ran into was that our 12″ board for the top ended up being only 11 1/2 inches wide (I guess they’re normally 11 3/4″) and so it’s not quite deep enough but you can’t tell that without a very close inspection. We stained it with Minwax’s “Ebony” and are thrilled with the result! Thank you so much! This was the first but will not be the last piece of furniture we build!
Weekend project, I used 4x4's instead of the 2x4's to give a heavier look, now off to buy a bandsaw to give them a 1/4" taper to give a more refined look.
Sat, 12/28/2013 - 08:39
What were your dimensions since you went with 4x4 instead of 2x4?
My husband and I built this to place our huge white board on for homeschooling. We altered it a bit by adjusting the length to 7 ft. It was painted lavender ( my favorite color). I may have to add another easel to prevent the white board from sliding off. Thank you Ana for your awesome plans.
Mon, 04/06/2015 - 16:11
Isn't this so fast and easy! I love the color that you chose!
This is my first project from Ana's plans and we love it! I did alter the bottom shelf to be 2 long shoe shelves instead of cubbies and I made it 3 wide instead of 4. I've had friends comment on it and say that they want me to make them one. I need to make about 3 more benches for our entry and laundry room and love that I can do it myself with Ana's help!
Necklace Armoire - a mother's day gift for Mom. I made this to go with the Fancy Jewelry box that I did for her for Christmas. Based on the Wall Jewelry Cabinet plan. This piece is made to stand like a narrow tower, and it opens up like a book. There are hooks inside, on both sides. I placed the hinges on the left, because Mom is left-handed. Dimensions are 6 1/2" wide, 14 1/2" tall, and 6 1/2" deep. Top & bottom are 1x6, box and door sides are 1x3, and door front and back are 1/4" birch plywood. The inside is lined with felt. The wood, stain and paint were already on hand, I just needed the felt and hardware. The build was very easy. The finishing took longest because it has both stain and paint, with added felt and hardware. On the right side I used some hooks re-purposed from an old jewelry box, and on the left side are 3/4" brass shoulder hooks from Lowes. Hooks are attached to some 3/8" craft board, which was stained and glued in place. I got to use my newest tool (23 gage headless pin nailer) for attaching the trim (very neat - it really was just a pin-size hole to fill). The front closes with a brass hook and eye. I sure hope she likes it! :) Happy Mother's Day!
Wed, 07/10/2013 - 02:27
Thanks so much for the nice comment! Just finished another project, for Mom's birthday this Friday. :)
I really didn't have a plan for this, but looked around on this site and on the internet and found something like what I wanted to do, so just made a simple frame out of scrap 1x2s. I made a groove in the center of each 1x2 with my table saw before assembling. I found this pretty punctured metal at Lowes and cut it to size, slid it into the grooves then attached the bottom of the frame and the little shelf. I added a 3/4" bead and sausage trim piece around the whole thing to finish it off nicely. The bracelet holder is a dowel rod that I painted purple and attached with eye hooks and cup hooks to the bottom of the little shelf. Since it was hard to put earing studs in the center (with the backs on), I also cut another piece of the metal, filed down the edges and attached a llittle ring clip, that can hang from one of the cup hooks if needed. I'm happy with how this came out and I hope my Daughter-in-Law will enjoy this birthday gift.
Wed, 04/01/2015 - 15:58
How cute & clever! What if you just cut a sort of flap in the metal backing? Then it could fold up for closed back earrings. Awesome design. Thank you for sharing.
In reply to Love this! I can't wait to make my own by mommyof2cuties
Wed, 04/01/2015 - 18:23
Yes, I was trying to imagine some way to do what you suggested, but just couldn't make it work. I didn't want to make a door - which would be the ideal solution. Also, fiddling around with the frame may make it unstable on the wall, so I just thought this would be easier. She can lift the whole thing off and add and remove studs at a comfortable height without worrying about removing necklaces, etc.
In reply to Stud Earring holder by CSaintD
Wed, 04/01/2015 - 18:24
And forgot to say thank you!
Comments
Ana White
Thu, 03/26/2015 - 14:58
Nice work! This is beautiful
Nice work! This is beautiful!