Dragonfly Side Table

Angles and an artful inlay set this Arts & Crafts-inspired design apart.

Angles and an artful inlay set this Arts & Crafts-inspired design apart.

I’ve been fascinated by interesting little tabouret tables lately, and it seems the more complicated the design, the more I’m intrigued. Tapered sides, angled joinery, and curved shapes all tend to invite the eye for a closer look. This small side table is an original design and is unique because it doesn’t have square legs. Rather, it uses solid side panels for structural support, which actually simplifies construction. If this table had square legs attached to the panels, it would require compound angles on the legs. By using solid panels instead, there are only simple angles, with no compound angles to contend with.

I first imagined the dragonfly wedges after building a dining table in 2012. Instead of the usual single wedged tenons, I made two opposing wedges, driven toward each other. I remember thinking it looked reminiscent of a dragonfly, and just needed a few tweaks to complete the effect. It wasn’t until I built this dragonfly side table that I had a chance to implement the idea.

Start with the Panels

Make the three panels required for the table—you’ll need two side panels, and a tabletop panel. The one-inch thick side panels are 20 1/4" long x 16" wide. If you leave the side panels a little extra-long, it's helpful when it comes time to bevel the top and bottom edges. The tabletop panel is 3/4" thick and 18 1/2" square. Glue the panels together and set them aside to dry.

Make the Rails

Once the panels are accounted for, there are only four more large components to make. Three rails to support the top, and one lower arched rail. The three rails are all the same size — 17 1/2" long x 2 1/4" wide and 3/4" thick. Rip and crosscut the three rails to final size, but wait to cut the ‘round corbel’ shape on the ends. We need to take care of the half-lap joinery before we cut those curves.

Also make the single lower arched rail at this time. The lower rail is made from 1" thick stock, and measures 18" long x 4 1/2" wide. Now take a moment to angle the ends of the lower rail to 7°. Like the other three rails, we’ll wait until the joinery is done before cutting any curves.

Side Panel Joinery

Now is a good time to re-visit the panels and sand them smooth, at least to level out the joints between boards and remove any dried glue. I used a drum sander to clean up the panels, but a random orbit sander works too. Cut the side panels to

2 Tilt a combination blade to 7° and bevel one end of the side panel. Now set the rip fence to 20 1/4", and flip the panel end-for-end to bevel the other end. 3 While the combination blade is still on the tablesaw, and angled to 7°, bevel a scrap board to help with the next step.

1 This wedged double tusk tenon I used on a dining table build looked a little bit like a dragonfly to me, which started me down the path to designing the dragonfly side table.