If you hadn't already figured it out, we are in the middle of a living room remodel. We've always had a mishmash of furniture we've picked up here and there, none of which fits well together. But now my wife and are are focused on styling the room in "mid-century modern". Or at least inspired by that era.
This end table is meant to replace one we picked up at a garage sale years ago. I decided to use cherry so it will complement the credenza and the coffee table, but not match them. My goal is to work within a style, not create matching pieces.
Steel conduit
The steel pipes are inexpensive 1/2" steel electrical conduit. Initially, I thought I would paint them silver or even a bronze color, but decided I liked its raw galvanized mottled look.
They just float in 3/4" holes in the legs. (1/2" conduit is actually slightly less than 3/4" in outside diameter.)
Tapered legs
Since my credenza and coffee table each feature turned legs, I decided this table would have square, tapered legs. Again, I'm not trying to match my furniture. I made a simple jig to cut the tapers and explain it in the video.
To give the table top its thickness, I used a torsion box construction made from 3/4" pine plywood. This makes it sturdy, yet lightweight. And less expensive: the only cherry plywood in this project is a 1/4" piece for the top.
This is an easy project. At least it should be. I ran into a few complications.
My goal with this bookcase was to maximize a full sheet of 3/4" plywood. The design I came up with does just that. There is very little scrap lumber left over.
I also included room in that sheet for a simple dowel hole jig. Joining this all together with dowels creates a strong piece of furniture as well as eliminates the need for any fasteners.
To make this bookcase, just download the plans and follow the cutlist. Keep all your grain running the right way and keep track of your pieces and you will have no trouble at all. It really is that simple.
Stained?
Since I was using pine plywood, I thought it might be nice if I stained this project: something I rarely do. Typically I just apply a clear finish and let the natural color of the wood shine through. Unfortunately, I decided to try a product I have never tested: a polyurethane/stain mixture in one can. The results were disastrous. Very difficult to apply, it left ugly streaks and pools of stain. It refused to stick to the birch edge banding.
People use that stuff?
I'd like to think I have a fair amount of experience at staining and finishing wood. I've tried just about every technique there is and I knew this would be similar to applying poly, a fairly time-consuming process. I did everything the manufacturer recommends. I applied a pre-stain wood conditioner and carefully brushed it on using one the the manufacturer's brushes intended for their polyurethanes. I let it dry overnight, sanded with steel wool and applied a second coat, which they also recommend. Still looked horrible.
As I was already running behind on this project, I had to make a decision to keep applying more coats (after waiting 8 hours between each) or cut my losses and just paint the bookcase. I opted for the latter. This is a product marketed as an easy one-can finish for inexperienced finishers and DIYers. I can't help but wonder how many of them became as frustrated as me and gave up ever trying to finish wood again.
Yes, paint!
Strangely, I am very happy with the way the paint turned out of this piece! It matches one of the colors in my Jetsons wall clock and fits well in my mid-century modern living room.
If you want a super-easy easy weekend project, make this bookcase with the intention of painting it. If you choose to go that route, you can eliminate the edge banding and just paint the exposed plywood edges. You can also eliminate the dowel jointery and just glue and screw it all together. Recess the screws (or nails) and fill in the holes with paintable wood filler. You can also save money by just using MDF instead of plywood, since grain direction is irrelevant on painted pieces.
If you hadn't already figured it out, we are in the middle of a living room remodel. We've always had a mishmash of furniture we've picked up here and there, none of which fits well together. But now my wife and are are focused on styling the room in "mid-century modern". Or at least inspired by that era.
Steel conduit
