How to Make a Wood Slab Into a Coffee Table

Creating your own furniture using reclaimed wood can be a rewarding experience. You are not only saving money, but also doing good to the environment. Coffee tables are a common accessory in living rooms and you can make one yourself using a slab of wood. Coffee tables normally accompany sofas or armchairs and are often the center point of a living room. They are much lower than dinner tables and you may even put your feet on them. Often these small tables don't have legs, instead standing on other types of supports. Does this Spark an idea?

Instructions

1

Put the wood slab on a saw horse. Cut off a 1-foot block from either end of the wood slab. Keep this block; it will serve as the leg of the coffee table.

2

Cut 1-inch-thick wood boards using the circular saw from the rest of the wood slab. Cut 3-foot-long slices. The width of the wood boards will depend on the girth of the wood slab.

3

Sand the wood boards using the 200-grit sandpaper and the sander. Wear protective goggles to avoid debris flying into your eyes.

4

Place the 3-foot-long wood boards next to each other on the ground. Nail one slice of wood at both ends of the 3-foot-long wood boards on the ground. This will serve as the table top. Use short nails so that the pointy-end of the nails will not hang out on the other side of the boards.

5

Place the table top on the 1-foot-tall block of wood you cut off at the beginning. The block needs to stand underneath the table top in the center. Nail the table top onto the block using 5-inch-long nails. Check whether the table top is wobbly. If it is, strengthen with a nail.

6

Apply the varnish to the wood boards using the brush. Use a face mask when applying the varnish as it may contain chemicals that could harm your lungs. Leave the varnish to dry for one day.