This midcentury modern-inspired side table is only moderately difficult to build, so it’s a good project for beginner woodworkers who are looking to kick it up a notch. You have plenty of options to customize this table to fit your own needs (coffee table, night stand, side table), and of course you can use different joinery techniques, though I opted for a relatively simple pocket-hole technique which I’ll show you in the steps below.
-24″ x 48″ edge glued white wood board cut into two pieces – $30
-one 1×3 maple board cut to one 24″ piece and two 23 5/8″ pieces – $8
-4 tapered table legs – $20-$60
-4 angled leg plates (like these) – $10
-pocket-hole screws (you will use about 16 of a $4 pack of 100) – $.75
-wood stain (you won’t even use 1/8 of a $6.50 quart.) – $1
-polyurethane (optional)|
-100 and 180 grit sandpaper ($3 for a pack of five—this project uses approximately 2 each) – $2.75
-steel wool grade 0000 ($3 for a bag; I used about 1/8 of the bag) – $.50
Total Cost of Materials: $75*
*Cost is rounded up from the average price of materials mostly purchased at Lowes.
Tools:
-clamps
-straight edge
-pencil and large compass or homemade compass (as explained in step two)
-power drill
-pocket-hole jig with step bit and driver (This kit is nice)
-jigsaw with a clean cutting wood blade
-router (optional)
Step Two: Draw a 24″ circle using a homemade compass with a tack and string like the one I made here, or for a more accurate circle, drill two holes 24″ apart in a piece of scrap wood—one hole the size of a pencil, and one the size of a wood nail. Don’t worry if your circles aren’t exactly 24″ in diameter, though each circle should be the same size.
Roughly cut out the circle you drew in step three, leaving about a 1/8″ or 1/16″ border around the line of the circle. Turn the router into a compass by clamping a piece of scrap plywood to the router bottom. First, prepare the plywood by cutting it into the tapered shape you see above. Then drill a hole sized to the router bit, and 24″ away, drilling a hole that will snugly fit a wood screw. Make sure the wood screw isn’t thick enough to pierce through the flip side of the wood circle you are cutting.
After the plywood is screwed onto the router bottom, put a nail through the little hole and secure it to the center mark of the circle. Swing the router around like a compass to cut out a perfect circle!
Sorry I don’t have better pictures of this. It took two people to cut the circle—one person to hold the nail in place in the center of the router compass while simultaneously holding the circle firmly, and the other person swinging the router around. Next time I cut a circle, I’ll have a third person around to take a picture so you can check out this technique in more detail.
Step Five: Drill pocket holes into the 1x3s so you can attach them to one of the circles. The placement of the pocket holes is up to you, but I did two holes on either side and end of each leg of the X. Make sure the length of the jig, collar on the step bit, and length of your screws are set so that the screws don’t poke through surface of the wood when they’re screwed into place. Practice on two pieces of scrap lumber to make sure the positions are alright. This is an important step—so practicing is very important!
Step Eight: In between coats of stain, use steel wool to sand down the little wood hairs that will pop up. This will make the surface silky smooth. If you decide to seal the table with polyurethane (something I always like to do so my guests don’t have to worry about coasters), then you should do two coats of polyurethane, sanding with steel wool in between and after each coat has cured.
Step Twelve: Screw the table legs into the leg plates. Keep screwing so that the bolts on the table legs go into the wood.
If after my encouragement you’re still nervous about starting a project like this, why not ask a friend to help you? If he or she is experienced—great! If not, then it’s still great to have someone alongside of you to check your measurements and help hold things. You can learn together! But if you do start out on your furniture-making journey with an experienced craftsman, be sure to do most of the work yourself with his or her guidance. Doing it yourself will help you retain what you learn. Now just get out there and make something! You won’t regret it. –Mandi
Credits // Author and Photography: Mandi Johnson. Photos edited with Spring and Valentine of the Signature Collection.
69 Comments
cool beans!
I love love love all your furniture and wood building tutorials. Keep them coming.
This is so my style!! I LOVE this table.
A retro table like this would easily set you back hundreds of dollars to buy in a store! You’ve made it look so easy! Love the staining but you’re also not restricted and can have it lighter/darker or even painted. I would love this with chalk painted legs and a darker stained wooden top.
What a great table, I love it! I don’t think I’m skilled enough to make this, but it looks gorgeous!
I bought a pocket screw jig this weekend and I’m super excited!
Love this! (and it would look sooo cute as a “color” too!!!)
this is so cool! i love that it’s so easy to stash remotes inside it.
That looks awesome! I always have these grand ideas of making my own furniture, but they never seem to materialize, as I can never find what I need in my local hardware store. This is so inspiring!
Thanks SO much for listing the price–that’s so helpful when deciding whether I think I can do one of your projects now or if I need to wait for another time. Keep doing it! Love you guys!
quick question. or 2. I read the instructions. It said to sand between coats of poly. I understand that part. But it also says to sand after the 2nd. layer of Poly as well. Won’t that create unsealed scratches? I’m a real novcice at this.
I have been looking for a table just like this to purchase! I am so happy you posted this tutorial – I will definitely be using it to build exactly what I have been looking for! Thanks for sharing!
Marianne
thematimes.com
Wow! That’s beautiful! It looks so easy, but if I tried I would probably destroy it big time!
Love your projects!
This table is adorable! I wish I had a place to put it, and I wish I could make it! I feel that after I was done a photo of mine would go up on one of those DIY fail websites. Keep posting I love the DIYs
AnnCates xx
http://anncates.blogspot.com
You did a great job on this side table! To me the puppy steals the show 🙂 What breed is the little cutie?!
Wow I totally was thinking it was going to be a makeover of an old table, but making your own is awesome! Things like this would never even cross my mind to attempt doing, but this looks amazing. I love the shape and the open space between the two circles. It looks so high end!
Lauren | http://www.livelovelauren.com
Wow, i`m very impressed. Beautiful table. I would love to do something like that but i don’t think i have the skills…
http://staygold-jv.blogspot.pt/
Lovely Post ( I always enjoy your DIYs) I also just posted a DIY on my channel if anyone wants to check it out!
simplyeasierliving.blogspot.com
Thanks
I love the wood stain! I think it makes everything look so much better and even looks store bought! Thanks for another amazing DIY project! 🙂
http://everydayingrace.blogspot.ca/
this table looks perfect… no i just need to find somebody who can build it for me 😀
This is beautiful! And it seems (almost) doable.
-Tara
themountaincreative.com
Great make , impressive job ! 🙂
What a brilliant diy: the table looks so vintage. If the photo’s didn’t demonstrate it, I’d never guessed it was newly made.
X Eveline from http://fragilityofbeauty.com
Sad to say I don’t have the skills or tools for this… (or a boyfriend with either of those things haha!)
Looks really great though! If I could I would… 😀
I have been searching for the perfect mid century modern side table for awhile and haven’t found anything affordable. This are just what I’m looking for! I’ve never built any furniture, but I think I’m going to give this one a try!
Claire from FOXTAIL+MOSS
http://www.foxtailandmoss.com
This is so awesome! Definitely saving this for the day we have space to build things and have tools again (oh NYC apartments). My husband has built us a few pieces in the past, and we’ve slowly been collecting a few mid century pieces, so this would be perfect.
Mandi, this table is SOOOOO pretty! I love it and I can’t believe how awesome it turned out.
This is such a perfect table. I’d love to try doing something like this myself one day but it’s pretty daunting.
I am loving all these building DIY projects lately. Keep ’em coming!
Wow, I didnt belive that you are sooooooo good and to make it. Really a big wow.
http://www.fashiondenis.com
whooooaaah, sweet table! Great job.
thumbs up for pocket holes.
-Josh
I love this!
Lovely design. Love the pock-like effects! 🙂
Have a beautiful day!!! <3
xoxo,
the bbb blogger
I love this table!
This is such an amazing table! Color me impressed…maybe I will try this one day when I am feeling bold.
This looks lovely….
While I’m not sure that I could actually make this, I think it looks fab! Bookmarking for later 🙂
I only wish I had the DIY skills you girls have! Unfortunately, my idea of DIY is at the elementary level, ha ha! You make it look easy though. Really, truly.
Sincerely,
Laurali Star
http://www.thesecretsurprisinista.com/
Thank you for that DIY tutorial. I just now looking for how to make an interesting furniture for the home with minimal effort.
WOW!! That’s amazing! I love the little hidden shelving to hide the remotes!
Might give it a try!
Thanks!
Amanda
Hi there! When sanding in between and after the polyurethane, you need to be using grade 0000 steel wool, not sandpaper. The steel wool is so fine that it won’t leave any marks on the finish, but it will take care of any of this tiny bumps that keep your finish from feeling velvety smooth. 🙂
– Mandi
That’s my brother’s puppy! Her name is Sandy and she’s a Morkie— a crossbreed of a Maltese and a Yorkshire Terrier.
-Mandi
Wonderful vintage-looking side table!
Looks fairly easy to make also, thank you for sharing this!
-Mariska
http://freecarnation.com
love this
this is rad as all get out. so so cool.
thank you so much for this! I used to keep my vintage table legs and they are exactly like that, i wish to do something like that with them.
Great tutorial! Forever wishing I had the skills to pull this off!
That is stunning. Must try. Been looking for a side table like this on. Why not make it? Thank you. Absolutely love your blog.
Rosie x
http://www.rosedogandco.blogspot.com.au
Wow, i would say this was and aunthentic mid century table!
Love love love it
Can´t find a table she likes in the stores – makes her own. Awesome!
This is beautiful! I was wondering, what color/brand of stain are you using? The color of the wood is beautiful!
That’s so beautiful – I’ve re scrolled through the photos countless times now! So wonderful that it’s handmade. Bless you for trying to I still confidence in me to make one too! I may just instruct my husband 😉
This turned out absolutely stunning! I love it!
xoxo
Taylor
This is beautiful! I wish I had a saw to be able to make this. I’m sure it would still be cute as a square though!
x Sara from awildroseblog.com
What a beautiful DIY piece, thanks so much for telling us how to make it!
http://emicphany.blogspot.ca
Oh my gosh! I love this. That table looks super expensive and yet was relatively easy to make. I shall definitely be pinning this and saving this till later….Great post!
I love this DIY! You make it look so easy.
She Adores Vintage
Love this! My boyfriend is really into mid-century modern furniture right now. We’ve been scouring Craigslist and some online auctions to find pieces like this, but it never occurred to us to just MAKE one! I’m curious, how long in total did it take you to do, from buying supplies to photographing the finished product?
Mandi, this project – and you – are incredible! I absolutely love this project. My husband and I have made almost all the furniture for our house, and I think this would be an awesome bedside table. 🙂 Keep up the good work!
I know this post is about the table, but I love that framed print! Where did you find it?
I actually used a mix of Golden Pecan from Varathane and Early American by Minwax. The Golden Pecan was too yellowy for my taste after applying one coat.
It’s hard to say how long it took me, because I broke it up between days, and took time to take pictures of everything. I bought supplies one day (all in one trip), then did everything up to step six in one evening, and spent the next day doing coats of stain and polyurethane. I allowed the polyurethane to set up overnight before doing a final sand with the steel wool then assembled the table in the morning. Assembling it was really fast. So, I’d say 2-3 days, because of waiting for the layers of stain and polyurethane to dry. You could get it done in one day if you started working in the morning. It would take the entire day, though, because of waiting on the stain/poly to dry. Then I would assemble it in the morning to make sure the polyurethane is set-up.
It’s my brother’s print, and I’m pretty sure it’s a vintage winter olympics poster. I think he ordered it from AllPosters.com, or somewhere like that, and framed it with an Ikea frame.
I really really love this table! You guys have such an inspiring blog.
I love this table!! But if I wanted to make it a little larger to use as a coffee table, any advice or tips for adjusting the dimensions?? would be greatly appreciated!!
Way Cool!!
I feel like most of the woodworking / construction DIYs on here are done by men, and it’s a little frustrating sometimes. I’m so happy to see one done entirely by a woman! Hooray and thank you!
Do you think this would work?
https://www.kregtool.com/store/c13/kreg-jigsreg/p114/kreg-jigreg-mini
I’m planning to make this table soon. I’m sorry if I’m missing it somehow in the description, but what length of legs did you use for this? I’m sure it could be any length but it looks perfect just the way it is!