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Coffee Table – Metric

This coffee table offers the perfect mix for any DIY project: basic materials, simple construction, and great-looking results.

Difficulty: Intermediate
Time: 3–5.8 hours
Cost: $$

Cut list

Part	Qty	T × W × L	Material	✓
Top	1	19" × 597" × 1220"	—	☐
Shelf	1	19" × 508" × 914"	—	☐
Shelf Ends	2	19" × 64" × 432"	—	☐

Materials

Item	Qty	✓
Plywood, 19mm x 1220mm x 1220mm oak plywood Full Sheet	1 board	☐
Trim, 19mm x 1220mm screen molding 6mm	1 board	☐
32mm coarse-thread Kreg Screws	6 each	☐
4-pack table leg angled brackets	1 each	☐
203mm-long cylindrical table legs	4 each	☐
32mm flat-head wood screws	10 each	☐
25’ roll, oak iron-on veneer edge banding	1 each	☐
Edge banding trimmer	1 each	☐

Overall cost: $$. Lumber varies by region, species, and season, so we give a band rather than a figure.

Tools

Drill / Driver
Jigsaw
Miter Saw
Pocket Hole Jig
Combination Square — optional
Tape Measure — optional

Instructions

1. Make the Table Top
- Cut the table Top to rough size from 19mm oak plywood, as shown in the cut diagram.
- Start by making a straight cut to produce a piece that’s 597mm wide by 1220mm long—with the grain running lengthwise.
- Then lay out the cut the arched shape on each side. The Tip below works great. After you have done this, cut the arched sides using a jigsaw. For best results cut just outside your layout line, and then sand up to the edge to create a smooth, consistent shape.
- Tip: LAY OUT A SMOOTH CURVE EASILY Here’s an easy way to lay out a smooth, consistent curve, as is needed for the table Top edges, by using a piece of screen molding. This inexpensive molding is available in any home center, and it’s flexible enough to bend, but stiff enough to do so consistently.
- First, Mark the centerline of the plywood, as well as the locations of the ends of the curves as shown.
- Set the screen molding on one end mark, and then position a clamp, as shown, to hold it in place.
- Then do the same at the other end.
- Now flex the screen molding at the center line until it reaches the edge of the plywood.
- Then trace the molding to mark the curve onto the table top. Do this along one edge, and then the other.
2. Make the Shelf
- Cut the shelf to rough size from 19mm oak plywood, as shown in the cutting diagram.
- Then lay out and cut the arched edges, just as you did on the Top.
- Then, drill five pilot holes in each end, as shown. These are for screws that will attach the Shelf later.
3. Make the Shelf Ends
- Cut two Shelf Ends to finished width and to rough length from 19mm oak plywood, as shown in the cutting diagram.
- Set one of the Ends on the Shelf so the outside face of the Shelf End is flush with the end of the Shelf, and the ends overhang slightly. With a pencil, trace the curved profile of the Shelf onto the edge of the Shelf End.
- Set your miter saw to that angle (approximately 9°, in our case), and then cut the Shelf Ends to final length at that angle.

Coffee Table – Metric

Cut list

Materials

Tools

Instructions

1. Make the Table Top

2. Make the Shelf

3. Make the Shelf Ends

4. Cover Edges with Iron-On Veneer

5. Attach the Shelf Ends to the Top

6. Apply Stain or Finish Now

7. Attach the Shelf to the Ends

8. Attach the Legs