This item furniture has long served not only as a place to store and view the press. A handmade coffee table can be used for gatherings in the living room, as a workplace or a “podium” for arranging collection items or flower arrangements.
Content:
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What can a coffee table be made from?
The most commonly used materials for creating such products are eco-friendly wood, chipboard, medium density fiberboard, hardboard. Looks great like furniture made of forged metal in high-tech or loft style.
A combination of several materials at once is also welcome: wood and metal, metal, tempered glass or mirror. You can also make an original coffee table under a tree from the remnants of a laminate.
natural wood product
Some craftsmen make this type of furniture even from car wheels or used pallets. Other improvised means are also used: forged legs from old sewing machines, old suitcases, boxes, birch logs, etc.
The use of improvised materials for a coffee table is justified only if the products made from them fit perfectly into the overall style. Also important is the thoroughness of surface treatment. Otherwise, the product will not look very presentable.
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Standard sizes
There are a lot of do-it-yourself drawings of coffee tables assembled on the net. Their standard height is 40-50 cm. A design with a height of more than 70 cm already belongs to dining tables. The usual size of the tabletop is 80x40 cm. But you can choose other parameters for your product. A table-stand for planters or a landline phone can be quite high, and a table that can fit cute trinkets that give the room a cozy feel is only 10 cm high.
The coffee table can easily turn into a miniature coffee table by reducing the length and width of the tabletop to a minimum. The classic product for hotel gatherings has a countertop size of 80x40 or 80x80 cm. In order for it to harmoniously fit into the interior, when installed near a sofa or upholstered furniture, its height should not be higher than the seats themselves. It is also necessary to take into account the general proportions - the larger the countertop, the lower it is necessary to make the legs.
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Materials and tools
You can get neat curly cuts with an electric jigsaw
The simplest do-it-yourself coffee table (see photo) may consist of just a few parts. For the manufacture of legs, we need wood bars, metal corners or pipes. You can buy ready-made steel or aluminum racks in specialized stores.
To assemble the countertop, a board, plywood, fiberboard or chipboard is used. It is desirable to select a tree to match the rest of the furniture.The product can be equipped with additional shelves for dishes or storage boxes. This type of furniture can be simply made up of separate boxes, fastening them together. The result is an original piece of furniture with an unusual shape.
For work, we need a minimum of tools and fasteners:
- roulette
- screwdriver or screwdriver
- self-tapping screws
- electric jigsaw: you can also use a regular saw, but the cuts will turn out to be less even, they will have to be polished longer; cutting curly cuts is better to order in the nearest workshop
- grinder: you can replace it with nozzles for a screwdriver or drill
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With the addition of additional shelves, drawers are not required
The process of assembling the simplest coffee table from solid wood with your own hands is simple:
- The designs of such products are varied. It can only consist of a tabletop and support racks (legs). To increase the rigidity of the frame, you will also need drawers - wooden bars assembled into a frame to support the countertop
- For a coffee table with intermediate shelves, the drawers are no longer required - the shelves inserted inside will serve as an additional rigidity element
- When cutting blanks, it is better to fix them with workbench clamps. The cuts will turn out perfectly even, strictly at 90 °
- The part is sawn to half, then turned over and finished sawing to the end. All cuts are sanded
- The first is more convenient to assemble the underframe, consisting of legs and a tsar frame, to which the lid will be attached
- The most durable corner joint of wooden parts is the tenon-groove fastening. The transverse fiber arrangement and tight fit ensure a secure connection. To create several spikes and grooves, it is enough to have a jigsaw, a rasp and a chisel on hand
- Screwed connections are considered simpler, but less reliable. To fix the sidewalls to the legs, holes are prepared at an angle. You can further strengthen the connection with metal corners
- First, the product is assembled dry, without glue. The final connection using the adhesive composition is carried out after checking the corners, as well as the horizontal and vertical arrangement of the parts. All blockages or bevels should be removed
- The tabletop is attached last. To do this, holes are drilled in the drawer, the diameter of which is slightly smaller than the diameter of the screw. Fibreboard products can be screwed using small z-shaped holders
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Eurolining product
Such a board is equipped with very convenient tenon-groove joints. You can assemble a cover from it by fitting the boards tightly to each other, you can quickly enough. The same material is used for the legs. For stability, they are reinforced with sides.
An example of a finished table
Let's describe how to make an original coffee table with your own hands from a lining:
- The form of a table-top can be any. When making a cover of a complex shape, it is necessary to prepare a sketch of it and indicate in the figure the width of the boards from which it will be folded. Then, using a jigsaw, cut the parts
- We carefully grind each of the resulting blanks with sandpaper or a nozzle on a screwdriver or drill
- The boards will be connected to each other by a strapping bar located on the back of the table top. The principle of such an assembly is similar to the shield. To strengthen the strapping beam, it is additionally attached to wood glue
- After assembling the shield, we proceed to the manufacture of the base. Each pair of legs must be connected on both sides with side crossbars. In the absence of a screwdriver, you can use an ordinary screwdriver if you first make holes of a slightly smaller diameter in the tree
- Pairwise fastened legs are interconnected by a bar in such a way that its end protrudes from the inner sidewall by 2.5 cm
- We attach wheels to the legs for ease of movement. It is not worth saving on this type of fittings - after all, it must withstand considerable weight
- For tinting, wood can be stained with stain, matching its color to the color of the rest of the furniture, and then varnished
- Similarly, you can make a coffee table with your own hands from chipboard, plywood or laminate. The principle of its assembly will be similar
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Table transformer
A small coffee table can be made in the form of a transformer, which in a matter of minutes, unfolding, it turns into a full-fledged dining or desktop. When folded, a wooden table (see photo), made by hand, will take up a minimum of free space.
Types of table transformations
There are several types of this type of furniture. May change:
- only the dimensions (length and width) of the countertop
Product with adjustable legs
- table height only: use this method if you want to turn a small coffee table into a taller dining table
Double top product with adjustable height
- both the height of the legs and the dimensions of the table top: a way in which more complex mechanisms are involved
Coffee table with lifting lid
- a variety of previous designs are a table with a lifting lid that can be moved to the side; in this case, it is easy to turn it into a worker and spread documents on it or install a laptop
The main stages of manufacture
lifting mechanism
To assemble the structure, you will first need a special mechanism. It is easier to buy it in a furniture store. But if you wish, you can assemble it yourself, with your own hands, cutting out parts from durable metal.
- You can make a similar product from chipboard 22 mm thick. You will need 2 plates for an extendable tabletop measuring 750x900 mm, plates used as side racks, 4 furniture corners, support bars. It is also necessary to prepare self-tapping screws, hinges, washers, nuts and bolts
- Sawing parts for assembling such a table must be carried out with an accuracy of a millimeter. Otherwise, when unfolding its sash, it will constantly jam
- It is better to connect the sidewalls to each other with a metal screed - corners. This will add strength and reliability to the product.
- After connecting the sidewalls, mark the places for attaching the transformation mechanism
- We drill through the tree through the bolts and nuts
- We fix the parts of the mechanism and check their work
- Last we fix the details of the countertop. This must be done using metal corners.
- We check the operation of the mechanism. Align joints if necessary.
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Veneer finish
Do-it-yourself restoration of an old coffee table is a simple process. Today it is not difficult to choose a veneer that matches the color of the rest of the furniture - stores offer a huge range of similar products that imitate a variety of wood species.
You can fix the veneer on the countertop with a cold and hot method. In the first case, you need a press. Finding it at home is problematic. But it’s quite possible to glue the countertop with veneer using a hot method with your own hands:
- To ensure that the veneer lies perfectly even, clean the surface, removing all bumps and knots
- The tree must be degreased by treating with acetone. In the presence of resin, it is pre-cleaned with a knife
- After carrying out the above procedures, treat the surface to be glued with a primer.
- Apply a small layer of glue (preferably PVA) to the cleaned surface. You can also use mezdrovy, polyurethane or a special composition for working with wood
- The glue should be sufficiently thick and viscous. Water-based formulations are not recommended. Otherwise, the veneer, having absorbed moisture, will swell
- Glue the veneer only after the applied layer of glue has dried. It shouldn't stick to your hands.
- Carefully apply the veneer, and then put a white sheet of paper on top
- We begin to warm up the veneer with a hot, but not too hot iron. If air bubbles appear, they must be pierced with a needle, smooth the surface with your hand, and then iron again. Glue protruding along the edges is immediately removed with a rag.
- A stain or varnish is applied over the veneer. They protect the material from external influences and moisture.
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Even a product that is simple in form can be turned into a true work of art with the help of simple tricks. With the help of decor, you can also update your old coffee table with your own hands. Today there are many finishing techniques:
- decoupage: imitation of hand painting by transferring various images to the surface of the countertop and then fixing them with varnish; you can use both fabric, decorative napkins, lace, and postcards, decals, book illustrations, old photos or photos printed on a special printer; thick sheets of paper are pre-cleaned from the thick bottom layer; so that the drawing is not damaged, it is pre-treated with hairspray or a special compound
Decoupage technique
- volumetric decoupage: to obtain 3D drawings, additional processing with decorative plaster or composition for surface modeling is required
- mosaic: pasting the surface of the countertop with small tile elements, pieces of planks or broken pieces of porcelain; with the right selection of a mosaic pattern, you can create whole pictures
Mosaic
- craquelure: a similar term is called the artificial aging of the surface; a similar effect can be achieved by processing with special compounds (craquelure varnish); staining is carried out even before the previous layer has completely dried, as a result of which the pattern turns out to be cracked
Craquelure technique
- painting with brushes followed by varnishing: in the absence of drawing skills, you can use any type of stencil; mural elements can also be present in other types of decoration, for example, individual decoupage elements are sometimes highlighted in a brighter or contrasting color
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Removing old paint
Whatever decoration technique you choose, before finishing the countertop, you must first prepare:
- For ease of use, pre-unscrew the legs
- use a grinder or sandpaper to completely scrape off a layer of old paint or varnish
- to remove fine nicks and fine dust particles, treat the surface again with fine-grained paper
- screw the table legs back on
- seal all joints of the boards with putty and dry the surface thoroughly
- cover it with a layer of acrylic primer in 2-3 layers; each subsequent one is applied only after the previous one has completely dried; it takes at least 4-5 hours
- paint the countertop with varnish, and then to improve adhesion, treat it with fine sandpaper
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A creative modern coffee table can be created by mounting LED strip lighting into its tabletop. The glass cover in it is made removable so that in case of failure of the light sources, they can be easily replaced.
It is necessary to cut out the center in the countertop - the lower mirror layer, glass and LED strips will be inserted here. It is enough to retreat 5-6 cm from the edge
Volumetric lighting of the table
The cut places must be painted over with paint to match the entire product, otherwise they will be conspicuous when illuminated.
For a hold "viscera" the structure will need 4 metal corners, which will be fixed in the inner perimeter of the frame
Screw only three of them at first, leaving the fourth side free. In this place we will install the controller
Mounting the controller
We lay a 4-mm mirror on the frame, after lubricating its edges with glue. The resulting gaps must also be painted over with black paint.
Do not take waterproof LED strip. Due to the layer of silicone coating, it shines less brightly, and the light will be diffused. To obtain sufficient lighting, the number of LEDs must be at least 72 pieces per meter
The power of the power supply directly depends on the total power of the tapes. For example, with a tape length of 1.7 m, a device of 36 watts is sufficient. If the power values are not indicated in the documentation, they are calculated based on the output voltage and the amount of output current. These two parameters must be multiplied
A single color ribbon does not require a controller. The installation of an instrument with an IR receiver may only be necessary when using multi-color lighting. But here, too, a controller with special bells and whistles is not needed. The only requirement is that it must be small in size. After all, it will need to be installed inside a small frame. In order for it to enter without effort, remove the plastic case, leaving only the board
LED wiring diagram
The LED strip is glued exactly in the center between the mirror and the table top, strictly parallel to the base. Otherwise, the light tunnel will shift. We start attaching it from the corner in which the RGB controller is placed. We cut off the excess tape along a special cut line. It is marked every 5 cm
After soldering the wires, they should be tinned. You can replace soldering with connectors for LED strips
We cut out a suitable-sized hole in a metal corner for the output of tape wires and fasten it to the fourth side
We close the structure with a countertop. Glass can be simply put on glue. However, replacing the LEDs in this case will be a serious problem. It is better to make holes in it and screw it with self-tapping screws.
To create holes in glass, there are special spear-shaped drills. Drills with abrasive diamond coating are safer and more accurate.
It is better to order glass cutting in a specialized company. Be sure to indicate that you need a slight rounding of the corners and processing of the edges. Otherwise, you will constantly cut about them.
Turn on the backlight and admire the result
original backlight
The author of the following video suggests making an unusual coffee table from old pallets with your own hands. A master of his craft, he is so proficient with the tool that the product in the end looks like a high-quality exclusive thing that is not ashamed to be placed next to expensive furniture:
VIDEO: I can do everything myself. Coffee table
Coffee table: drawings, detailed instructions for making your own hands from improvised materials (125+ Photos & Videos)
