Got a new sofa and our old coffee table was too large to fit the space. Wife asked for a new one and I took it as an excuse to try out cutting circles with a router.

I couldn’t find poplar thick enough for a sturdy-looking table, so took a pine panel and glued it underneath my poplar panel before routing out the final shape with a router (straight bit).

Finished the top with a few coats of shellac and then polished with wax and steel wool for a smooth finish.

There’s plenty with this build that I’m not proud of, but I was surprised at how easy it was to route out the circular blank. If I did it over again, I’d have used oil-based stain so the final color isn’t so harsh across the various poplar boards. I also would’ve liked to route out some kind of design in the tabletop, but I’m still only just learning how to use the router.

Link to gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/hSzKjGF

  • @mulcahey
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    51 year ago

    Looks great but HOLY SHIT THERE’S A SCORPION ON YOUR TABLE WATCH OUT DUDE

    • @scutiger
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      51 year ago

      I heard when they have big claws and a small stinger, their sting is less severe. You should be scared if it had small claws and a large stinger.

  • @[email protected]
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    fedilink
    51 year ago

    It looks great! I don’t think the stain looks harsh at all. I think it really showcases the texture of the wood. I’d buy this coffee table.

  • Perrin42
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    fedilink
    41 year ago

    That’s not popular at all! There’s not even anyone there!

  • LordofCandy
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    31 year ago

    Looks good. Poplars green tint is a pita to deal with. Usually it’s painted. Nice to see a clean stain and grain.

    • @[email protected]OP
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      fedilink
      21 year ago

      Thanks for the kind words! You can actually see a bit of the green poking through in the grain band to the left of the scorpion. At first I wanted to cover it up completely, but I grew to like it more and more as the spooky month was going on.