Waterfall Framed Grand Console Table

Attach the 1x2 blocking to the insides of the two side 1x12s with glue and 1-1/4" brad nails. This blocking gives the top and bottom shelf something solid to nail into right near the mitered corner, where you don't want to be relying on end grain alone.

Glue and nail the top to the side panels at the mitered corners. Dry-fit first — with a parallelogram-cut board it's easy to flip a piece end-for-end by mistake and end up with a corner that doesn't close. Clamp across the joint while the glue sets if you can.

Glue and nail the bottom shelf to the side panels the same way. Take diagonal measurements across the whole carcass and adjust before the glue sets — everything you build from here locks in whatever shape the box currently has.

Assemble the four front 1x3 rails into a frame on the bench first, mitered corners tight, outside edges flush all around. If you have a pocket-hole jig, use it here on the miters — it's the difference between a face frame that stays tight and one that opens up a hairline gap in a year. Then glue and nail the whole frame to the front of the carcass at once, flush to the outside edges.

Flip the project over. Fill in the open sides of the legs with a new 1x12 flush to the face frame, which is now on what's currently the bottom. Use a scrap piece of 1x3 as a spacer to hold the correct gap while you position the top-open side.

Attach the two center 1x12 divider boards. Check the gap between them with a scrap of 1x3 as you go — it needs to be exactly one 1x3 width so the center face frame trim sits flush against both faces when it goes on.

Build and attach the back face frame the same way as the front — assembled flat, mitered corners tight, then nailed on as one unit.

Glue and nail the short 1x3 trim pieces into the center divider gap, front and back. Go over the whole piece and nail off anything you missed while it was flat on the bench. Sand everything, fill nail holes, and finish.