Magazine Coffee Table

When my friends Sam and Melody mentioned that they got a new space of their Counseling Collective, I asked them if there was anything I could do to help furnish the space. Melody mentioned that they needed a coffee table for their waiting room area which I was excited to make. This would be the first piece I’ve made for someone else. After doing a little research, I found a design that I thought would work well for the space - a coffee table with a built in magazine rack. I made a list of materials I needed and also a cut list.

I decided to go with 2x2 - 8 ft pine board for the frame and 1x8 - 6 ft pine boards for the shelfs. I started with one side of the main frame. Using two kreg jig holes per joint and 2 1/2” screws, I attached the first three pieces together. Filling in the holes with pocket hole plugs hides the screws and gives it a bit more of a finished looked.

After cutting the 1x8 - 6 ft board to the right size, I drilled four pocket holes to connect them together. Once that was done, I drilled four more pocket holes on each side which connected the top to the frame. I only connected one side of the frame to the top as I knew I would have to connect the wooden dowels for the magazine rack.

After doing a little math, I spaced out six 1/4” holes for six wooden dowels. This part was a bit tricky since you have to make sure all the dowels are inserted correctly before screwing in the four top screws. You can also think about replacing the wooden dowels with metal dowels for a different look and feel.

The original design of the coffee table was finished at this point. I’d be perfectly content stopping at this point but Melody had asked for an additional lower shelf for extra storage. I drew up a design to accommodate that.

The additional shelf would have the exact same dimensions as the top shelf so that was the easy part. Designing the structure around the shelf was a bit more complicated due to the amount of kreg jig holes needed in a short area. It just worked out and fit snuggly into the original design.

After sanding down some of the rougher parts of the build I finished the table up with a few coats of satin polyurethane. I like the natural look that the polyurethane gives it without making it look too heavy. Sanding down the surfaces at the end with #0000 steel wool really gives it a smooth and finished feel.

I finished the final sanding the morning of delivery. Overall, I was really happy with the way it turned out. The additional of the bottom shelf really helps balance the design once magazine rack was filled. Thankfully the coffee table fit perfectly in the space and matched the furniture that had already been bought. Please check out Austin Counseling Collective and help support the great work that they hope to do in our community!