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Design a mission coffee table
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This coffee table combines contemporary design with the classic materials and dimensions of Mission furniture
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By Dave Boulton, photos by Donna Griffith, illustration by Len Churchill
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Drawer Construction
As with any workshop project, the actual sizes of the drawer openings will vary. That's why it's best to build each drawer to fit each drawer opening.
Naturally, all drawer fronts are quartersawn white oak, but I chose 1/2" Baltic birch plywood for the sides and backs, along with 1/4" Baltic birch plywood on the bottoms. I used half-blind dovetail joints to attach the sides to the fronts, with the backs and bottoms held in dado slots (see plans for details). If you use another joinery method, you'll probably need to adjust your material sizes to suit.
Begin by trimming each drawer front to fit its opening. Aim for 1/32" to 1/16" clearance all around. Trim your drawer-box sides to match the height of each front, then cut them to length. Prepare drawer corner joints now.
Test-fit your drawer boxes, adjust size as needed, then reassemble them with glue. Clamp your assemblies and confirm everything is square.
Once the drawers are dry, test-fit them and adjust as necessary. If a drawer sticks, check not just the drawer itself but the runners and guides. When the drawers slide easily, rub some paste wax on the runners, guides and drawer bottoms. This time when you push them in, be gentle, and they'll glide with no effort. Mount the drawer pulls now.
As things stand now, the drawers probably sit about 1/2" recessed into the frame. Since you really want them to be flush with the frame's face, you need to push the drawer all the way in, measure the recess depth, then cut stop blocks to match. After testing, glue and clamp the stops to the back web rails, centred in the openings.
Top It Off
I built the top last. That's because it's a bulky finished piece that's challenging to store while everything else is in progress. As you plane and joint your wood, make the top at least 1/2" wider and an inch longer for now. When you orient your boards on the bench, arrange the grain so it's all running in the same direction. This gives a pleasing visual effect while also making it much easier to plane the tabletop smooth. After trimming, sand the top with 120-, 180- and 220-grit abrasives. Sand the edges as well, going one grit further on the end-grain to close up the pores, keeping it from soaking up more stain and turning out darker than the rest of the top.
When the tabletop is ready, turn it upside down with an old blanket between it and your bench to protect that smooth, sanded finish.
With the help of a friend, lower the carcass upside down on top of the tabletop, then fine-tune the positioning. I used 20 metal tabletop clamps to secure the top. Put three on each end, one on the front and back near the ends, then spread the rest around evenly.
Mark screw holes for the clamps, then remove the carcass. Drill pilot holes for the #10 mounting screws, then reposition the carcass. Be sure to use a drill stop to make sure you don't drill right through the tabletop as you work. Access to some of the end screws will be tight during the installation, but you should be able to get a hand driver into them.
Final Finish
Remove the drawer hardware and sand down the drawer fronts up to 220-grit. Before you complete one final sanding on the rest of the project, check all surfaces for clamp marks or any other blemishes. Repair these areas, then sand the complete project with 220-grit paper. Be sure to use a tack cloth or vacuum to clean off all dust after sanding.
Don't finish inside the drawers or other interior components. Finishing odours take a very long time to dissipate and the smell can even permeate into whatever you store in the drawers in the meantime.
When the finish is dry, reattach the hardware and move your new coffee table to its place of honour. Reserve a drawer for the remotes and TV Guide right away-all the other drawers will fill up soon enough on their own.
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