Make a coffee table with sliding top

No need to put it on top, rather place it inside. Our compact houses require compact furniture – like this coffee table. A simple slide of the table tops reveals space below to store a variety of object, such as the TV remote, meaning you'll never need to search for it again.


You will need
Material:

Legs: 4 of 67 x 67 x 450mm pine
Front/back rail: 2 of 19 x 44 x 664mm pine
Front/back apron: 2 of 19 x 94 x 836mm pine
Side apron: 2 of 19 x 94 x 556mm pine
Top slats: 14 of 32 x 94 x 450mm pine
Base: 1 of 556 x 798mm 16mm plywood

Wood glue
2 ball-bearing runners; 300mm long
Eureka 13mm screws
Eureka 3.5 x 30mm screws
Eureka 3.5 x 50mm screws
Stain or tinted sealer to finish

Tools:

Drill / Driver plus assorted bits
Pocket hole jig
Orbital Sander plus 120- and 240-grit sanding pads
Quick clamp
Tape measure and pencil
OPTIONAL: Router and ‘V’ groove router bit


Here's how:

1. The legs are from 67mm x 67mm PAR pine – start by cutting four legs, each measuring 450mm long. If you have a router, route a chamfered edge with a 'V' groove bit on the legs' sides. If you have a steady hand, you can do this with a sander as well, it will just take a bit longer. It's just to get rid of the sharp edges.

2. Creating the table top can be done in a few ways; the easiest is to cut a piece of plywood 650mm wide x 900mm long and then simply cutting it in half so that you have two 450mm long x 650mm wide pieces.

3. The two side- as well as the front and back aprons are cut from 19mm thick x 94mm wide pine. The side aprons should be 556mm long and the front and back 836mm.

The ends of the side aprons are joined to the face of the front and back aprons. Use 5mm x 30mm Eureka Cut Screws and drive the screws through the face of the front and back aprons and into the side aprons. You can make use of the pocket hole joining method – as shown – as well. You should end up with a rectangle measuring 836mm x 594mm.

4a. The four legs go into each corner of the rectangle you just created. Apply wood glue to the two side of each leg that will sit against the inside of the aprons and clamp them in place.

4b. Secure the legs to the aprons by driving in 5mm x 50mm Eureka Cut Screw from the outside into the legs. If you have a pocket hole jog – you can make use of it as well.

5. The front and back rails are where the runners are fitted. Place the 19mm x 44mm x 664mm pieces between the legs on the table's longs sides and make sure it's flush with the top edge of the aprons. Secure the rails by driving 3.5mm x 30mm Cut screws through the front and back aprons into the front and back rails.

6. The base on the inside of the coffee table is a 556mm x 798mm piece of chipboard or plywood. To fit it, you simply need to cut out the corners, which is 67mm x 67mm, to make space for the legs. Make sure the base is flush with the bottom edge of the frame and secure it to the frame with 3.5mm x 30mm Eureka Cut Screws.

7a. To fit the runners, you first need to mark their positions. Measure and mark the centre of the 44mm wide rail (which you installed in step 5); which is 22mm. Attain the rail's centre mark length wise as well – it will be 664mm/2 = 332mm.

7b. Place the sliding part of the runner on the rails at the 332mm centre marks and align them with the 22mm centre marks before securing them with the 13mm screws (See photo 7b).

Good to know:
When mounting the runners, the bumper (end) should be at the centre of the table to allow for opening to the sides.

7c. On the underside of both tops, measure 66mm inward from the tops' left and right sides to get the position for the part of the runners that is secured to the tops. Place the frame side of the runner flush with the ends of the tops that will meet in the centre once they are closed (See photo 7c).

8. Flip the tops around and slot them in place, ensuring the tops meet at the centre when closed. Now you can do any remaining sanding and sealing.