Matching End Table

Sometimes, when looking through the pictures that I have taken of various projects, I can find a pretty good set of photographs that paint a picture of what steps take place to complete a piece of furniture.  I never fully document everything, and I am trying to make sure that I take enough pictures to paint an adequate picture, but sometimes there are enough to warrant an entire post.  In this case there are some obvious steps missing…

I had made a solid poplar coffee table for our living room and we decided that we needed a matching end table to complement it. I figured that it wouldn’t be that big of a job so I jumped all over it. I went out and bought some rough 4/4 (1” thick) poplar boards and set to work.

The first thing I wanted to do was to cut and size the boards for the top.

When it comes to getting a quick and smooth glue up of multiple boards that are meant to lay flat, a biscuit jointer is a very quick and easy way to ensure proper alignment.

Then I needed to make the frame of the table.  Since I did not expect the table to carrying any amount of substantial weight, I went with biscuit joints for the legs and rails. This came together very fast and I forgot to get any pictures.  What I have is the finished product of assembly.

I also made a drawer in this table, something the coffee table lacked and I regret not putting one on there.  The drawer is just ½” plywood with a solid poplar drawer front.

This is how the drawer fits into the frame.

And this is how it all looks, unfinished, with the top.

The finish is the same as the coffee table, a simple green paint with a polyurethane topcoat.

All in all, this project took about 2 weeks.  1 weekend to build and then 1.5 weeks to sand, paint and finish.  If I were to do it again, I would do a better system for guiding the drawer, it racks and rotates a bit as you push it in and it is not very smooth.  All this knowledge is passed on to the next project!