Introduction
Now that our 25th wedding anniversary is over it’s back to work on the coffee tables for my bride. Besides the legs being shorted and having only 1 drawer, these coffee tables have other differences, such as a lift-up top.
Lift-up Top
I designed the coffee tables without having the lift-up on hand or even a measured drawing. I got lucky that the mechanisms that I ordered from Lee Valley spanned precisely 19 inches the exact width of the table. What I didn’t count on was the depth of the device, which required more than the 4-inch clearance that was in my plan. As a result, I had to cut a hole in the plywood that was to separate the top of the table from drawers when it was opened. Actually, I had to cut the first hole 3 times to get the device to fit.
Also, I had to add a piece of oak to the sides of the coffee tables to mount the mechanism.
More Veneer
For the end tables, I used veneer strips to cover the edges of the plywood that I used for the top. I didn’t bother to hide any of the other plywood edges as these wouldn’t be seen, but I did stain and finished them to help protect the tables from moisture. However, I didn’t like how these turned out. So instead of leaving the plywood tops of the legs and the sides exposed, I’m covering these up with veneer.
Tony Dingwell 