Media Platforms Design TeamClassically trained in woodworking at the Rochester Institute of Technology, Nico Yektai enjoys applying those tried and tested techniques to craft his asymmetrical pieces. He custom-built this sapele coffee table for a client, taking the size and color palette of the room into account to determine the shape and finish of the table. Yektai encourages those wanting to build this table to adjust the size, shape and type of wood used to best fit their space. Check outYektai’s website for more of his work. Enough stock to make a 54 x 44inch rectangleFour pieces of 48-inch-long 2 x 6 stockOne piece of 72-inch-long 2 x 8 stockYellow carpenter’s glueUnibond 800 glueEight No. 14 machine 2-inch long screws Eight washersNo. 20 biscuitsOne 4 x 8 sheet of 3/4-inch particleboard One 4 x 8 sheet of 3/4-inch CDX plywood Brown or clear packing tapeSandpaper, 150, 180 and 220, for preparing the woodSandpaper, 320-grit, for sanding between coats of the finishMinwax Antique Oil FinishWater-based finish like Target Coatings EM8000cvStep 1: Lay Out TabletopMedia Platforms Design TeamBeginning with a cardboard template of the curving, asymmetrical 54 x 44–inch tabletop, rough-cut four pieces of stock lying side by side into the shape. If the wood has not been planed, send it through his planer.Step 2: Cut Stock to Create Table’s Fan ShapeMedia Platforms Design TeamCut the stock diagonally with a band saw into eight pieces, put them through the jointer and then lay them out again in the rough shape of the template. Doing so gives the tabletop its fan-like shape.Step 3: Glue SectionsMedia Platforms Design TeamFor this project, Yektai didn’t glue all of the boards together at once; instead he subdivided the top into three sections (two edges, four middle pieces and the remaining two edges). Using yellow carpenter’s glue and biscuits spaced roughly 18 inches apart piece the individual sections together and clamp them. Leave the clamps on two hours and let the glue cure overnight before using power tools on the sections.Step 4: Cut Tabletop’s CurvesMedia Platforms Design TeamWith the cardboard template, mark the table’s shape and cut the curves with a band saw.Step 5: Put Three Sections TogetherMedia Platforms Design TeamUsing a biscuit jointer, cut matching slots at 18-inch intervals and put the three sections together with biscuits to ensure proper alignment. However, don’t glue the sections together yet, so that you can separate them to add bevels to the joints later.Step 6: Refine Edges with RouterMedia Platforms Design TeamUse a router with a pattern bit to refine the tables edges. To give the bit’s bearing wheel a surface to follow, cut scraps of MDF to match the table’s curves, and clamp the scraps to the tabletop.Step 7: Add Notch DetailMedia Platforms Design TeamTo give the tabletop more character, add notches along several of the table’s joints. After marking the notch locations, separate the three sections. Using a chamfer bit on the router, add the triangle-shaped notches.Step 8: Glue and ClampMedia Platforms Design TeamBrush yellow carpenter’s glue on the joints and clamp the entire top together. With a small brush and a little bit of water, wipe away excess glue seeping from the joints. Flip the table and scraped off excess glue on the underside as well, once the adhesive set.Step 9: Begin Laying Out Table BaseMedia Platforms Design TeamOn the table’s underside, mark the location of the legs with blue painter’s tape. Using a beam compass and a scrap of cardboard, draw a curve to connect the legs’ planned locations.Step 10: Build Form for Curves (Part 1)Media Platforms Design TeamTransfer the curve drawn on cardboard to make a rainbow-shaped template that serves as the form for bending the base’s curved pieces. Cut out six arcs from particleboard and two from CDX plywood to give the form more rigidity.Step 11: Build Form for Curves (Part 2)Media Platforms Design TeamUsing glue and a pneumatic stapler, stack the arcs and route each piece to ensure a flush surface across the top of the form. Then cover the top of the form with brown packing tape to prevent the bent laminates from sticking to it.Step 12: Cut the LaminatesMedia Platforms Design TeamUse a band saw to create laminate edges, peeling off 16 6 x 1/8-inch-thick strips from the 42-inch-long 2 x 6–inch boards. Make the laminate edges longer than the final curve because some of the strips, after being removed from the form, tend to split at the ends.Step 13: Create the Curved Wood PiecesMedia Platforms Design TeamEach curved piece required eight laminate strips. A couple of thin sheets of plywood, wedged between the laminate edges and the clamps, evenly distributed the clamps’ pressure. Apply Unibond 800 glue between each laminate to achieve a firmer hold then carpenter’s glue. Clamp the stack of strips to the form, beginning at the center and working outward. Once the glue cures, remove the piece from the clamps, trim it with a band saw, then plane and sand the edges where excess glue has oozed out. Repeat the process to make a second curve.Step 14: Cut Curves to SizeMedia Platforms Design TeamReturn to the underside of the tabletop to mark the distance between the center points of the legs on the curves. Then trim the legs to length.Step 15: Build the LegsMedia Platforms Design TeamThe legs for Yektai’s piece are pretty free-form in their shape. Begin to make them by cutting 2 x 8–inch stock into 14-1/2-inch-long sections. Cut the stock diagonally to create two mismatched wedges, then glue them side by side. Repeat this two more times for the other legs, not worrying about exact angles, so that each leg will have its own character. After they cure, sand the legs to add bevels and curves to them.Step 16: Build a Leg to Anchor the CurvesMedia Platforms Design TeamOne leg accepts the two curved crosspieces and a single straight crosspiece. This leg differs from the other three—it is in three sections, for instance, instead of the usual pair of two free-form pieces that are glued together. Begin the fourth leg by ripping a piece of 2 x 4–inch stock down the middle at an angle, creating two identical pieces. Place those pieces son the table in the location planned for the fourth leg, then scribe the space in between. The scribed line defines the dimensions of a wedge to fit between two 2 x 4 scraps. Cut the wedge using the band saw, then apply yellow carpenter’s glue and clamp the three pieces together.Step 17: Create Mortise-and-Tenon JointsMedia Platforms Design TeamWith the router, make mortise-and-tenon joints to attach the legs to the curves and the straight crosspiece. After completing the joints, add yellow carpenter’s glue, then clamp them up.Step 18: Notch Base for CrosspiecesMedia Platforms Design TeamThe tabletop is designed to float on the base. To keep it from sliding, attach two 2 x 2–inch crosspieces to the underside of the table. Using a template laid over the base, route notches in the center stretcher and the curved pieces. The crosspieces fit into these notches. Finally, attach the crosspieces to the top with 2-inch screws and No. 14 washers.Step 19: Cut Shape into CurvesMedia Platforms Design TeamTo add an additional design detail to the table’s base, cut an asymmetrical V-shape section out of the underside of each curve. Clean up the edge with a hand plane and then use the band saw to bevel the edge. Step 20: Bevel EdgesMedia Platforms Design TeamUsing a router with a chamfer bit, follow the curved templates that are clamped to the tabletop to bevel the edges.Step 21: Sand and FinishMedia Platforms Design TeamPrepare the wood for finishing by sanding with 150-, 180- and 220-grit sandpaper. With a foam brush, apply Minwax Antique Oil Finish, sanding with 320-grit sandpaper between coats. For added durability and a sleek finish, spray the table with a water-based varnish.
