Modern Live Edge Walnut End Tables
After my girlfriend had sent me about a dozen different links in regards to end tables that would break the bank, I built these live edge Walnut topped end tables in place! I designed the frame out of Birch in a CAD modelling software ahead of time to be sure we both liked the style and we are both fairly happy with the end result.
I purchased all of my materials locally from KJP hardwoods, the two walnut live edge tops sitting at roughly 12” x 18” cost $35 CAD each and the birch for both tables was about $20 total. First step was the cleaning of the live edge by removing all loose pieces of bark with a small chisel. After this I sanded the surface of the walnut through 3 different grits (80, 120 and 180) until I was happy with the finish. From there, I cleaned the tops with mineral spirits to remove and dust and debris; let it try then Applied 3 layers of oil based walnut stain, and 2 layers of varnish.
I purchased all of my materials locally from KJP hardwoods, the two walnut live edge tops sitting at roughly 12” x 18” cost $35 CAD each and the birch for both tables was about $20 total. First step was the cleaning of the live edge by removing all loose pieces of bark with a small chisel. After this I sanded the surface of the walnut through 3 different grits (80, 120 and 180) until I was happy with the finish. From there, I cleaned the tops with mineral spirits to remove and dust and debris; let it try then Applied 3 layers of oil based walnut stain, and 2 layers of varnish.
While the Walnut tops dried after their first coat of stain, I designed the frame of the tables in a 3D modelling software. I wasn’t a huge fan of the hairpins legs you could buy, and wanted something with a bit more sustenance to it, so I went with an alternating frame design of my own, with the addition of hidden hardware through use of sunken mounts and dowel pin covers.
While the Walnut tops dried after their first coat of stain, I designed the frame of the tables in a 3D modelling software. I wasn’t a huge fan of the hairpins legs you could buy, and wanted something with a bit more sustenance to it, so I went with an alternating frame design of my own, with the addition of hidden hardware through use of sunken mounts and dowel pin covers.
After cutting all my pieces to size using a table saw to run my longer pieces of wood down to the desired thickness, and a chop saw for my desired lengths, I predrilled the sunken hardware mounting screws. If I had to do this again, I would HIGHLY recommend purchasing a pocket-hole jig. Trying to painting alignment for each piece throughout the drilling and assembly process was a huge pain. Thanks to me attempting to re-invent the wheel, this process took me well over 8 hours and several re-cuts to complete. Essentially, I pre-drilled holes to the same size as the Dowel I was going to use to cover up the hardware about 0.5” into the surface of the wood pieces. I then drilled a smaller pilot hole for each screw to mitigate cracking any pieces when fastening.
After cutting all my pieces to size using a table saw to run my longer pieces of wood down to the desired thickness, and a chop saw for my desired lengths, I predrilled the sunken hardware mounting screws. If I had to do this again, I would HIGHLY recommend purchasing a pocket-hole jig. Trying to painting alignment for each piece throughout the drilling and assembly process was a huge pain. Thanks to me attempting to re-invent the wheel, this process took me well over 8 hours and several re-cuts to complete. Essentially, I pre-drilled holes to the same size as the Dowel I was going to use to cover up the hardware about 0.5” into the surface of the wood pieces. I then drilled a smaller pilot hole for each screw to mitigate cracking any pieces when fastening.
Once the initial assembly was complete, it was time to hide all that hardware! Using some wooden Dowel I had bought from Home Depot, I used wood glue, and press fit in the end of the dowel into each hole, then used a hand saw to cut away the access, leaving a small amount of dowel sticking out from the hole. After the glue had set, I sanded down the dowels till they were even with the surface of the wood, and then sanded the surface of the frame down across the same three grits used for the walnut top.
Once the initial assembly was complete, it was time to hide all that hardware! Using some wooden Dowel I had bought from Home Depot, I used wood glue, and press fit in the end of the dowel into each hole, then used a hand saw to cut away the access, leaving a small amount of dowel sticking out from the hole. After the glue had set, I sanded down the dowels till they were even with the surface of the wood, and then sanded the surface of the frame down across the same three grits used for the walnut top.
Once the sanding was done, I again cleaned the surface with Mineral spirits and stained and varnished the wood (here I used the same stain and varnish, knowing that the birch, using the same stain would provide me with a slightly lighter finish than the top).
Once the sanding was done, I again cleaned the surface with Mineral spirits and stained and varnished the wood (here I used the same stain and varnish, knowing that the birch, using the same stain would provide me with a slightly lighter finish than the top).
The final step was gluing on the Walnut top to the frame and I was done! This was my first crack at building wooden furniture and I learned a lot throughout the process. Some of the things I would have done different would have been sealing the birch ahead of staining. Something I didn’t know was that Birch is fairly absorbent, and if you apply stain to untreated wood, it has a tendency to blotch. Luckily the pieces I was working with were small enough that it’s more difficult to notice. Looking back, I would probably change the design of the base of the stand, as levelling this piece was practically impossible! At the very least, I would recommend integrating adjustable feet to the underside of the base for better levelling. Hope you enjoyed!
The final step was gluing on the Walnut top to the frame and I was done! This was my first crack at building wooden furniture and I learned a lot throughout the process. Some of the things I would have done different would have been sealing the birch ahead of staining. Something I didn’t know was that Birch is fairly absorbent, and if you apply stain to untreated wood, it has a tendency to blotch. Luckily the pieces I was working with were small enough that it’s more difficult to notice. Looking back, I would probably change the design of the base of the stand, as levelling this piece was practically impossible! At the very least, I would recommend integrating adjustable feet to the underside of the base for better levelling. Hope you enjoyed!
