How to Make a Sliding Coffee Table

Coffee tables are an ideal spot to place a drink while relaxing in a living room or den, but they can be difficult to move when you need more floor space. The legs can dig into carpeting or other surfaces. You can make a sliding coffee table with a sled runner-like base to allow it to slide across the floor with ease. Select hardwood for the coffee table frame and hardwood plywood for the top so that it will be a quality, durable piece of furniture. Does this Spark an idea?

Instructions

1

Place two 2-by-2-by-32-inch boards on a work surface. Form a flexible curve ruler on each end of the two boards in a curve that resembles a sled runner. Trace along the curve ruler on each end of the two boards with a pencil.

2

Cut the curve from each board using a band saw. Guide the boards through the saw just fast enough to allow the blade to cut through the wood to complete each cut.

3

Sand the cut curved ends of the boards with a fine-grit sanding pad until they are completely smooth. Always sand in the same direction as the wood grain. These are the bottom boards for the coffee table.

4

Position the bottom boards parallel to each other on a work surface. Space the boards 12 inches apart from the inside edges of the boards. The curved ends should be curving upward, similar to a sled runner.

5

Insert one 2-by-2-by-12-inch board between each end of the bottom boards to form a rectangular assembly. Position each board so that the outside edge is 2 inches in from the ends of the bottom boards. This is the bottom assembly.

6

Assemble a second rectangular assembly using the remaining 2-by-2-by-32 and 2-by-2-by-12-inch boards in the same manner that formed the assembly in Step 5. This is the top assembly. Drive two evenly spaced trim head wood screws through each joint in the bottom and top assemblies using a screw gun.

7

Place the bottom assembly on a work surface. Position one 2-by-2-by-14-inch board on end over each corner of the assembly. The 2-by-2-inch ends should be flush against the top of the assembly. Center the top assembly over the top ends of the 2-by-2-by-14-inch boards.

8

Drive two evenly spaced trim head wood screws through the top and bottom assemblies into the ends of the 2-by-2-by-14-inch boards to secure the coffee table together.

9

Center the plywood panel over the top of the assembly. Drive decorative head wood screws through the plywood panel every 2 inches into the assembly.

10

Apply an even coat of wood finish to the sliding coffee table using a paintbrush. Allow the finish to dry for 4 hours and apply a second coat. Wait 24 hours after the final coat before using the coffee table.