The Console Table

Our living room has a fireplace that our family likes to spend time watching. Part of that requires our couch to be in the right place to view it. We also recently made the decision to purchase a projector to show movies on the wall above the fireplace, which is another reason our couch needs to be oriented to face it. When re-arranging the living room, it was agreed that a console table behind the couch would be very useful, and would help eliminate the need for a coffee table. So, I designed a console table to fit our needs and more importantly, fit our couch. Our couch is only a few years old and wouldn't be changed for a long time, so I was confident that whatever table I make to fit this couch will be used for many years.

One requirement we had was to integrate outlets for lamps and for phone charging cables. For a long time, we had thought of placing those outlets on the top of the table (I had seen many other designs for console tables with this placement). I decided shortly before the build that this would be a recipe for disaster, as any spilled drink would flow directly into the outlets. I changed the placement to the side of the legs, vertically. Our couch also has a section of the frame behind the cushions that could be used as a support for the console table, so a sort of overhang was built into it also.

I had recently done a build of a chess board that used maple, and really liked working with it, so that's what I used for this table. The price wasn't too bad, and the wood is very sturdy.

The first step was to measure the couch that the table would be designed for, including the frame on the back that the table would sit over. Then I sketched it out and showed the boss for her opinion.

A pretty simple design

The design was a flat board across the top, with a small lip at the back. This table would be in front of a window, so I didn't want anything to slide behind it and end up in a tough place to reach. The sides were a solid board also, with a 45deg brace on each side, to give the top support and also prevent the table from racking (wobbling side to side).

I got the go-ahead from the boss, so I visited one of my local wood dealers (The WoodSource) and bought several 1"x8" boards of maple, including a long 2x4 of maple for the braces.

I only wanted the couch to be 6" off the wall, and with a 2" overhang onto the couch, the board fit perfectly for the top. The sides would need to have some wood trimmed off, so that the frame of the couch would press against the side legs (which would then be pressed against the wall), so I trimmed 2" off the side of the board for the legs.

The legs would join with the top with a simple 45deg miter, secured with glue. That wouldn't be enough strength on it's own, so I planned on adding some hidden brackets on the inside of the joint, which I'll show later.

After the boards were cut to the correct lengths, I cut the 45deg angles on the top of the legs. The top board would have a 45deg cut, but not the whole way - because I didn't want a sharp angle on the 2" portion that would be overlapping the couch - so I needed to stop the 45deg cut at 2".

The legs with their angled cuts. I chose which side of the board was prettiest and labelled the other side as 'inside'.

Braces cut at 45deg

The top board lined up on the miter saw for the 45deg cut. Notice the blue block near the saw. I bought myself some gauge blocks (perfectly measured blocks for easy measuring at standard measures) and used this one for a quick way to mark 2". I removed it before cutting! The saw has a stop-cut that can limit the downward reach of the blade - which I set to 2".

Here we can see where the cut was stopped, right at that 2" pencil mark on the side. The part on the right side of the cut was removed with a horizontal cut with a hand saw. Interesting thing to notice - the strain the wood is apparent as the saw blade was removed, the wood closed the gap in where the saw was at the top of the cut.

One issue with maple is the fact that it is such a hard wood, that often cuts will result in a burn if the cut is made too slowly. The side of the blade rubs the board and actually burns it. While this doesn't seem like it would matter, it does affect the adhesion of glue. The burned wood actually prevents the glue from penetrating and getting a good grip on the wood - the pores are sealed and the surface is simply too slick. I needed to shave off a hair's width of wood with the saw, with a quick cut. This would remove the burn and not shorten my pieces a noticeable amount.

Burning from my blade on the cut ends.

After the top board was shaped, I sanded down the surface a nice sanding with 120 grit. The next step was to create the lip. I did this by cutting a 1/8" strip off the portion I cut off from the legs with the table saw. I only wanted a small amount of the lip to stand above the board. Before gluing the strip to the edge of the top board, I added a chamfered edge to it with the router. I bought a new router bit (my old one was dull) and used edge of the top board as a guide for the router. The router bit has a 45deg angle on the blade, and a bearing that rests against an edge for support. It prevents the bit from cutting deeper than I intend.

Router with a chamfer bit

Chamfered edge added to the strip. I would turn it over and add another to the other side.

Once the strip was shaped, I used the same chamfer bit on the rest of my pieces. I was worried that I would get over zealous (or distracted) and chamfer the wrong edges, so I taped-off the areas I wanted skipped.

The next step was to glue to strip to the edge of my top board. I used every clamp I owned along the 74" length of this board. The small black/orange clamps were used to ensure the alignment of the strip as the others squeezed the strip against the board.

Need more clamps.

Next step was to cut the holes for the built-in plugs. I bought plugs off Amazon that had integrated USB ports, so I wouldn't need a charging block. I traced the shape of the plugs onto the legs, and drilled holes in the corners to form the rounded corners. Those holes also served as entry points for the jigsaw which was used to cut the bulk of the wood away.

Pictured here is the plug, and the brackets that will reinforce the corner joints.

I tried using a router with a flush-trim bit, but the amount of wood to remove was too much for the router, particularly since the wood was so hard. I did go back to the jigsaw, remove the bulk and then smooth the edge of the cut with the flush-trim bit on the router.

I've completed the shaping of the hole for the plug, but the cord needs to come out of the plug, and since the plug is buried into the wood, I needed to cut out a recess for the cord. I used a chisel to make an appropriate notch.

I added small blocks to both sides of the hole to receive the screws that will secure the plug.

Previewing how the plug will look once installation is done. A nice flush face that is level with the board.

I didn't get photos, but the next step was to cut a recess for the steel brackets that would be used inside the corner joints. There wasn't a lot of wood at the joint, so I decided a bracket would be a good way to give that joint some support, and it would be hidden on the inside, and recessed. I used a chisel to mark the outline of the recess, and then used my router with a straight bit to cut away at the wood and make a shallow recess - about 1/16" deep. Two recesses on each corner.

I did a test fit to see how the assembly would work. It worked well, and showed how the lip extended out on the side, which would rest above the couch.

The next step was to take the legs off, and add the feet. I used adjustable feet so that I could raise or lower them in case the couch wasn't perfectly level. To do this, I clamped the leg board to the side of my table, used my dowel jig and drilled a hole for the feet to be inserted. They were levelling feet, so there was a threaded insert that would go into the hole, and the feet would screw into that insert.

Dowel jig aligns the drill bit perfectly straight so it can make a hole without the concern of it being crocked (which can happen if drilling free-hand).

After the feet, I needed to cut a notch at the bottom of the legs to accommodate for the baseboards along the wall. If I wanted this to rest against the wall, I needed to account for the baseboards. I measured a space on each leg, cut the majority of the wood off with the jig saw and then finished the trim cut with the router. Once that shape was cut, I added a chamfered edge to it also.

Added blocks to my board as guides for the flush-trim router bit. I placed tape on my project piece and some scraps. Then used CA glue (super instant glue) to glue them together. When I was done with the trimming, I peeled the pieces apart which essentially were held together with tape (as the glue was only holding the two pieces of tape).

The last step before final assembly was to prepare the braces. I wanted to have them pre-drilled, so that when it was time to assemble, that step would be done and I would be able to move faster. I drilled the holes in the braces and a counter-sink to allow the head of the screw to be recessed into the surface without cracking the wood.

Testing the alignment of the brace after pre-drilling.

Final assembly was next. It was tense for me, because I really wanted the corners to have a tight seal on the joints, and for that, I needed perfect 45deg cuts and a perfect 90deg angle on the legs. I taped the leg to the table top, so I could have something to hold the boards together while I glued the joints. When the legs were glued to the table top, I then added the corner brackets. They gave it a lot of support. While the glue was wet, I needed to then add the braces. Finding the correct spot to glue and screw them was easy, as I had marked the spots during the dry-fit earlier. I glued then screwed the braces on.

Final assembly was done. Then I waited a few hours for the glue to set before testing it at the couch.

Once the glue was dry enough for me to move the unit, I screwed in the feet, and moved it out into the living room to see how it would look with the couch. It fit perfectly.

The window sill needs to be cleaned and the couch is full of pet hair, but what's important is the table fits. sits nicely on top of the back of the couch frame.

Another angle. The lighting is terrible because I was taking these photos at 1am! I couldn't wait until morning!

The couch pressed back against the table shows how well it fits between the wall and the couch, with the accommodation for the baseboard.

After the fun of testing the fit of the table with the couch, I needed to sand the entire unit. First, I spritzed the wood with a water spritzer, and let it dry. It raised the grain of the wood (as would happen when stain is applied). Once dry, I used my orbital sander with 220 grit sandpaper, giving the wood a nice, smooth surface and removing any sharp edges. By raising the grain with water and sanding after - there would be no issue with the surface becoming bumpy once stain is applied. I then needed to stain and seal the table. My wife and I liked the red stain that was used for the shift shelves, so I stained the shelf red using the same stain.

Staining the wood can be messy. I decided after previous projects that I would start covering my work table with project paper and wearing gloves. Good decision. Clean-up was much easier.

This was the stain I used. The colour name is Cognac.

This happens on all my projects - the glue residue that I didn't sufficiently sand (because I couldn't see it) sealed the pores of the wood enough to prevent the stain from penetrating. It only becomes visible once stained. I needed to sand that area, removing the stain and the glue residue. Once that was done, I had to re-stain, essentially the entire top and legs - to ensure an even coat without visible transitions.

After staining, I used a product that I had put on my chess board (to be posted later). It is called a 'hard wax' product. Essentially an oil with wax that penetrates and then hardens to give a good table-top finish. Quite easy to apply and the smooth finish it gives is really nice. Expensive product but worth it in my opinion.

Osmo Polyx-Oil was what I used. Clear colour with a satin finish. Great product.

I applied 2 coats of the Osmo, wiping it on, and then wiping the excess off. Two coats were applied about 12hrs apart, with a super light sanding in-between. The result was perfect. I left it for another 16hrs before installing the plugs and setting up in the living room. I also added felt pads to the back of the shelf so the hard shelf wouldn't damage the wall as it was pressed against it (with people sitting on the couch and moving it)

This project was easier than I expected. I had wanted to do it for a long time but didn't get around to it because other things got in the way. I'm looking forward to move night with snacks and drinks easily within reach.