Bedside Table
September 2025
Duration: 3 weeks
Project Description:
A low-parameter furniture project that began with form and joinery research. The final product could not include cabinetry, drawers, or other closed compartments. Joinery was to include floating tenons and/or domino joints. Hardware was discouraged.
Total pieces: 434
Wood species: Walnut & cherry
Power tools used: 12
IDEATION
CONSTRUCTION
Table Assembly
Next steps: joinery via dominos and tenons, and drum sanding to smooth surfaces
Left: cutting the corners out of the shelf to fit around the legs
Right: assembly of the table, beginning with the aprons and legs (domino and tenon joinery) and moving onto the table top and shelf (pocket screws)
FINALS
Above: Glue-up of inlayed squares for the table top and shelf
Right: Finalizing dimensions of inlayed squares by trimming edges
Left: Glue-up of legs via lamination
After a coat of Danish oil.
Assembly of Table Top & Shelf
Rough layouts of the table top, shelf, and aprons, followed by the first glue-ups of strips of squares.
Early milling included the planer, jointer, and table saw, following precise calculations and measurements
The most time-consuming part of the construction process was easily creating the squares that make up the table top and shelf, particularly the ones with outlines of the opposite wood type (thin pieces below).
Trimmed the sides of each strip, glued them together, and carefully cut the four pieces to size.
The final step of construction was adding thin trim pieces to the intersection points of the aprons and legs, creating a smooth and refined transition between pieces.
