Okay, this just might be my favorite build to date. It was a build that didn’t start with much of a plan and transitioned into something AWESOME!

I recently built myself a IKEA hack floating media console using some reclaimed white oak and since this coffee table is going in the same room I decided to make it out of the same material. So, that is where it started. My house has a little mid-century vibe to it and currently a lot of straight lines. I wanted to change that so I decided to make this table pill shaped!

Reclaimed white oak barn wood… this stuff has so much character!

But this build starts with the legs. I milled up a ton of the reclaimed white oak barn wood. I started at the miter saw and cut the planks into smaller sections. Then ran them thru the jointer to get two sides flat. Next thru my thickness planer and lastly I ripped the pieces into 1 1/2” strips at the table saw.

My supervisor checking on me…. so many slats ready for glue-up!

During the milling process I kept each plank as thick as possible not worrying if they were all the same thickness. I just wanted to get them flat and keep the most amount of material.

Then I glue-up all the slats on the wide sides to get to legs that were 17 1/2” Tall x 1 1/2” Wide x 27” Long.

Love these clamps so I can stand these up off my workbench while they dry.

Rather watch this piece being built? Check out my YouTube Channel!

Next I milled up some more of the reclaimed white oak, but this time I kept them all the same thickness and 2 1/2” wide. The same width that I did on the Floating Media Console.

I used probably 4 bottles of glue for this project!

With any glue-up I always make sure to scrap the glue off before it fully cures. I find it is cleaner than doing it right away and better than waiting til it is fully cured. Because when it fully cures it is harder to scrap off and you can sometimes get wood chip out. These cabinet master clamps from Pony | Jorgensen are great because you can stand them up on end and clean the glue on both sides of a piece.

Time to scrap glue… love that I can get to both sides by staining up these Pony Cabinet Masters.

Once everything was dry it was time to trim them up. For the table top I first used a straight edge along with my circular saw to get one side straight. I then took the piece over to my table saw and rip the other side. The coffee table is only 24” wide so it fit easily on the table saw.

Trimming first side with a straight edge and cordless circular saw.

Then to make the pill shaped ends I used a circle jig with my trim router and a straight bit. Since the table is 24” wide I decided that I wanted the arch to be approximately 12” down from the end. If I left it at exactly 12” the circle jig would want to make a full circle, so I end up placing the jig 12 1/2” from the end. This way the router bit starts and end off of the piece. This makes it easier because my router isn’t a plunge router, plus it ensure that I don’t over cut the piece and start cutting a circle.

Circular jig and trim router ready to make this a pill shape.

I started the bit off the piece and ended off the piece, so as to not over cut the arch.

I think Awesome Oscar likes it… I know I do!

To use the circle jig you do have to drill a small hole as a pivot point, so I make sure to cut this on the bottom side of the table top. And then take small passes to cut the arch… it took me approximately 4-5 passes to cut these out. And well, I love the look. I already want to make something else with the same shape!

To trim the legs, I decided to use my cross cut sled and the table saw. This gave me super clean edges on both sides.

The more I use this cross-cut sled the more I love it. I don’t know what I did before I had one.

Now it was time to put these pieces together and since the planks on the top were glued the short way I knew I needed to add something to support them in the middle, so I glued up a few more pieces to create aprons that were 1 1/2” x 1 1/2” x 42”.

All the f-style clamps to glue up the apron/stretcher pieces.

Loving the progress, but the top needs some support.

Then to attach them to the base I used my trim router, a homemade jig and a straight bit to create some recesses or dadoes in the legs. I put them closer to the center of the legs because I didn’t want them to be visible from the sides and also so they could be as long as possible to support the top all the way out to the top of the arch.

It’s all coming together… now to give it a few more curves!

Then to secure the aprons to the legs I recessed some 3” long screws from the aprons to the legs.

I also used a 1/2” roundover bit and gave the legs a similar pill shape as the top. And since the top itself was thinner I decided to do a 1/4” roundover on it.

I rounded over both sides of the legs with a 1/2” round over bit to give them a similar pill shape as the top.

And then lastly I added the top using z-clips. Z-clips allow for the wood to move without cracking, splitting or warping with seasonal moisture changes. If you want more information about wood movement I wrote a whole other post about it… Wood Moves… What To Know Before Building Furniture!

Z-clips allow the top to move with seasonal humidity changes.

I created the slots with my biscuit joiner, but you can also use your table saw and rip a dado or slot for the z-clips to sit in.

OH… I almost forgot… you might notice that the legs are wider than the top, I did that on purpose. And to make the top look like it sits inside the legs I added some small 1 1/2” pieces to the top of the legs that sit flush with the table top. And then the piece was complete!

Legs all shaped and ready for final sanding.

Just like my media console I haven’t decided on how I want to finish this reclaimed white oak. I have some new laminate flooring that I want to install before I make that decision. But when I do I will be sure to share that with you all.

Having the legs wider than the top and the top recessed gives this piece a special touch.

I love how this piece turned out and really do think it is one of my favorite builds. What do you think? Do you like it? Please let me know in the comments below.

And thank you for following my building journey… remember Build LOUD, Build Wild and have an AWESOME day!

Sadie

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