Shijiazhuang Asa Technology Co., Ltd. , https://www.hskinlift.com
Building Matching Custom Mid Century Modern Bedside Tables
These matching Mid Century Modern bedside tables were a special custom project for a fantastic client of mine based in Atlanta. They had just moved into a new house and were in the midst of significant home renovations. They wanted to incorporate some custom furniture pieces that reflected their unique style. They came across a photo on Instagram of a similar mid century modern table I had previously created and reached out to me to design their own custom-sized bedside tables for their bedroom. Here's how I helped bring their vision to life!
Wood Selection and Design
Since I had constructed a similar mid century modern side table in the past, and still had it, I brought it along to their house to see how it would look beside their bed. My prototype was too small for their space, but it provided an excellent reference point for designing a set that perfectly matched their requirements.
We first discussed the ideal size for them. My prototype was too short, so they needed something taller. Additionally, they have a California King-sized bed, which is quite tall and large, so we needed something that complemented the scale of the bed.
We agreed that tables with overall dimensions of 26 inches tall, 20 inches wide, and 20 inches deep would be perfect. These dimensions allowed for about a 6-inch opening since I planned to use 1-inch-thick material and 18-inch-long hairpin legs for the base. The case would also feature a continuous grain pattern running up the sides and across the top.
The client chose cherry wood, my personal favorite, with a natural hand-rubbed oil finish and hand-rubbed wax topcoat. This is my go-to finish for cherry wood and one I highly recommend to all my clients.
Milling the Cherry Wood
Given our decision to use cherry wood, I visited my local hardwood supplier and selected some rough-sawn 5/4 solid cherry. I chose the 5/4 because I wanted the finished thickness of the boards to be 1 inch—nice and sturdy, and it would look more robust next to the California King-sized bed.
I was thrilled with the color of this cherry wood, even before milling it. I knew it was going to turn out beautifully!
I began the milling process by cutting the case pieces to their rough lengths. In this case, I included the sides and the top into this rough length as I aimed for that continuous grain pattern running up the side, across the top, and down the other side. I then ran all the pieces across the jointer to ensure they were perfectly flat on one side.
Once one side was perfectly flat, it was over to the planer to plane the opposite side parallel and then mill it down to the final thickness—one inch in this case.
After the milling was complete, I prepared to glue up the pieces that would form the cases. Since the cherry pieces I obtained were so wide, I only needed to glue two pieces together to achieve my desired depth of 20 inches.
With the panels out of the clamps, I used a card scraper to eliminate some of the glue high spots and then ran the case panels through my SuperMax 19-38 drum sander to clean up the remaining glue and smooth out the panels. This machine is fantastic and certainly a luxury, but it saves me a lot of sanding time in the end.
Building the Cases
Once the panels were out of the clamps, I used a card scraper to remove some of the glue high spots and then ran the case panels through my SuperMax 19-38 drum sander to get the rest of the glue off and clean up the panels. This machine is awesome and definitely a luxury, but it saves me a lot of sanding time in the end.
Ok, so I kind of messed up here in the documenting of this project...it happens. I get heads down on the task at hand and forget to take photos of some processes before it is too late. I will try and explain the next part of what I did though...
Ok, so the overall height of these tables is going to be about 26 inches. The legs are 18 inches tall, so this leaves me with 8 inches for the overall height of the cases. That means the inside compartment will be about 6 inches tall (remember, the top and bottom of the cases are 1 inch thick).
Ok, so knowing that the sides of the cases will be 8 inches tall, I square the left edge of the panels. In my case, I am using a Makita track saw to square the edge, but this can be done in any number of ways; on a table saw or a circular saw and a straight edge to name a few.
Once I have a square edge I mark over, from the left edge, 8 inches and make another straight cut; this measurement makes the left side of the case. Next, I measure from the left edge again, 20 inches for the top, and make another straight cut here. Lastly, measure over another 8 inches, from the left edge, and make the last cut which will become the right side. Now I have cut the pieces for the left side, top and right side, all in sequence. Since you will not see the bottom, it is not as critical (in my opinion) to do a continuous grain on it so I just make sure I get it to the same dimension as I did on the top (20 inches).
Next, I want to cut a 45-degree bevel on every edge that I just cut above, making sure to not remove anymore material. Meaning, I want that 45-degree bevel to hit exactly on my straight cut line. My table saw is a right tilting so it makes it a little more difficult so I use an Incra 5000 miter sled on my saw. Once I have all my long miters cut, I lay the pieces back on the bench, face side up, to make sure I maintain the continuous grain pattern and label the pieces to keep them in order.
One other design detail was to create a bevel on the inside edge of the case pieces. I did this on the table saw with the Incra 5000 as well. It adds a nice design element to the overall look and eases the opening to the case where you would reach your hands into.
The next step, before gluing, is to reinforce the miter joints as just glueing these end grain to end grain may not be strong enough. In my case, I used a Festool Domino to cut some slipped tenons and reinforce the joints. You can also use a biscuit joiner or cut splines in your joints. Then it is just a matter of gluing, clamping and making sure the cases are perfectly square!
Hairpin Legs
Once the cases were done, sanded, and finish applied and dried it was time to attach the hairpin legs. I used hairpin legs from, well from www.HairpinLegs.com. I have used their products on several projects and they are great. You can get them in several different sizes and finishes. In this case, I went with the 18-inch legs in a raw finish as I was going to be painting them with a flat black paint. Their standard legs are 3/8 inch thick and their Heavy Duty line are a full half inch thick; very strong, very sturdy.
The legs come with mounting holes drilled into the mounting plates, but no hardware. You simply need #10 panhead screws, pre-drill your holes and mount the legs. My client also opted for the 3-rod version of the hairpin legs, which I think looks great and adds even more strength.
Conclusion
Building these mid century modern tables was fun and my client really loves them, which makes it rewarding for me. This particular style of mid century modern table is also a challenge when you are doing the long mitered corners and the continuous wrap-around grain pattern. I really love the look of the cherry boards I was able to select and I cannot wait to see these in a few years and watch how their color deepens and grows more rich!
Thank you for checking out my blog. I would love to hear your feedback about the project. If you like the content, consider subscribing to future posts. If you are interested in your own custom furniture piece, feel free to contact me via the form below. Thank you - Derik
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