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A grand round coffee table in the farmhouse style: a wide planked top cut to a circle, sitting on a stout, outward-splayed pedestal base. It's a showpiece build with two real skills stacked in it — laying up and cutting a round top from straight boards, and cutting the compound-angled base so the legs splay evenly.
The top is a glue-up of 1x12 and 1x10 boards joined into a slab, then cut round using a pattern (a trammel or a plywood template). The 1x6 apron boards that ring the underside are cut at 22-1/2° so eight of them form an octagon that reads as a circle under the round top.
The base is the angle work. The legs and rails are cut at 10° off square so the base splays outward for stability under a big top, and it goes together with 1-1/2" pocket holes and 2-1/2" pocket screws. Build it on a flat surface and confirm it sits level before you commit — a wobble in a heavy pedestal is hard to chase out later. Attach the top by screwing scrap blocks to the base, then screwing those blocks up into the underside of the top, which lets the top move seasonally without splitting.
| Item | Qty |
|---|---|
| 1x12, 5 ftTop. | 1 each |
| 1x12, 10 ftTop. | 1 each |
| 1x10, 8 ftTop. | 1 each |
| 1x6, 8 ftApron ring. | 2 each |
| 2x4, 8 ftBase legs. | 1 each |
| 2x3, 8 ftBase rails. | 1 each |
| 2x2, 8 ftBase rails. | 1 each |
| Pocket-hole screws, 1-1/4" and 2-1/2" | 50 each |
| Wood glue | 8 oz |
Overall cost: $$. Lumber prices vary by region, species, and season, so we give a band rather than a figure we would only be pretending to know.
| Part | Qty | T × W × L |
|---|---|---|
| Top boards (1x12)1x12Glue up and cut round to a pattern. | 3 | 3/4" × 11 1/4" × 60" |
| Top boards (1x10)1x10 | 2 | 3/4" × 9 1/4" × 48" |
| Apron boards1x6Both ends 22-1/2° off square, long point to long point, NOT parallel. | 8 | 3/4" × 5 1/2" × 21 3/4" |
| Legs2x4Both ends 10° off square, long point to short point, parallel. | 4 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 16 3/4" |
| Long lower rail2x3Both ends 10° off square, long point to long point, NOT parallel. | 1 | 1 1/2" × 2 1/2" × 43 3/8" |
| Short lower rails2x3One end 10° off square, longest point, NOT parallel. | 2 | 1 1/2" × 2 1/2" × 20 7/8" |
| Long upper rail2x2Both ends 10° off square, long point to long point, NOT parallel. | 1 | 1 1/2" × 1 1/2" × 46 7/8" |
| Short upper rails2x2One end 10° off square, longest point, NOT parallel. | 2 | 1 1/2" × 1 1/2" × 22 5/8" |
Buy 10 boards at 8 ft.
1 board
1 board
1 board
3 boards
2 boards
2 boards
Assumes 8 ft stock, a 1/8" saw kerf, and buying each part at its own width. Change the board size or kerf on the full board plan →
Glue up the 1x12 and 1x10 boards into a slab, then cut it round using a pattern or trammel. Cut the 1x6 apron boards at 22-1/2° off square, long point to long point, so eight of them ring the underside as an octagon that reads round beneath the top.
Build the base with 1-1/2" pocket holes and 2-1/2" pocket screws. The 10° cuts splay the legs outward for stability under the big top. Build it on a flat surface and make sure the base sits level before you finish it — a wobble in a heavy pedestal is hard to fix after assembly.
Attach the top by first screwing 3/4" scrap wood blocks to the base, then screwing those blocks up into the underside of the tabletop. This holds the top securely while letting it expand and contract seasonally without splitting. Sand and finish.
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