| Are you struggling for ideas for your next woodwork | | | | router but can also be done with a circular saw set to |
| project? Don't want to attempt anything too big or too | | | | a 25mm depth by making numerous cuts across the |
| involved? Here is an idea you can get stuck into over | | | | timber and finished with a chisel. |
| the weekend. | | | | Once you have your cutouts, place the two 430mm |
| The Oak Beam Coffee Table | | | | lengths on the floor roughly two feet apart and lay |
| For this easy woodworking project there will be no | | | | your three one metre lengths across them sitting in the |
| screws, nails, joints or glue! The measurements for this | | | | cut outs. Arrange the one metre lengths so they have |
| project don't have to be exact, simply adjust the | | | | a small equal gap between them. Because of the |
| measurements given here to your own preference. | | | | weight of the oak beams no fixing is needed. To keep |
| The materials you will need for this idea are four | | | | the beams from moving a small wedge or dowel can |
| metres of rough cut 120mm x 180mm kiln dried oak. | | | | be pushed into the gaps, but this is not really |
| This can be sourced quite easily from most lumbar | | | | necessary. |
| yards, if you shop around you will get a pretty good | | | | To finish the oak use a belt sander with a medium grit |
| deal. If possible get the lumbar yard to cut the oak into | | | | belt. Try and finish the bottom of the cutouts to a |
| four equal one metre lengths. | | | | reasonably high standard as this ensures your beams |
| From one of your one metre lengths cut two 430mm | | | | sit square. My personal preference is to give the |
| lengths. Pick one 6 inch side on each your two 430mm | | | | freshly sanded oak two coats of danish oil which |
| lengths and measure 25mm in from both edges and | | | | enhances the oak grain. The end result is a rustic oak |
| draw a line. What we need to do now is make a | | | | coffee table, which in the right setting looks very |
| cutout on each of the lengths 25mm deep between | | | | appealing. |
| the two lines. The best way to achieve this is with a | | | | |