My wife picked up these two coffee tables somewhere at a flea market in 1994,
paying $ 1.Back then, we painted these 70's style dark-stained oak tables black to match our student interior. While tyding up our house this week we came across these battlescarred tables which have become obsolete.
Before returning to work next week I really needed to do a (small) project to end my vacation in style. To the workshop!
First I stripped the paint and sanded them, keeping some light woodstain to accentuate the grain. My son helped stripping the paint and earned a whopping €0,20.
The tabletop was so worn down it had to go, opening up a great opportunity to make one from scratch.
I started out with some 6mm oak parquet which has been lying around the house for years. I glued 2 tabletops and clamped them between two boards to keep them level.
Next, I cut 2 different mummy designs with my laser cutter. (why a mummy? you can find it in a previous post)
Originally, the mummies sat in an uncomfortable position on their knees, stressing their agony I guess. For these tables, I rotated them to make it look like they were sitting, which I think is nicer for a friendly coffee table.
I glued a sheet of MDF to the back of the oak to give it some support.
I glued a sheet of MDF to the back of the oak to give it some support.
Cut to size and sanded flat the tabletop revealed exactly the intended image, which is also nice for once.
The contrast between the grained oak and the plain MDF which I used for the inlay creates a nice effect; not much color variation but only structure.
To make sure the MDF would withstand future abuse I spray painted the tabletop 8 times.
I am very pleased with the end result, now I have to go and find a place to put them.
Bye! Mark.
