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

    • scutiger@lemmy.world
      5·
      8 months 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.

  • Timecircleline@sh.itjust.works
    5·
    8 months 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.

  • LordofCandy@kbin.social
    3·
    8 months ago

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

    • Ragnarokonline@lemm.eeOP
      2·
      8 months 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.