Hi-Lo Table
A coffee table that becomes a dining table or a desk—in desk in se seconds!
It goes from coffee to dining table in no time.
I’ve got a large family family, and when we all gather, it’s become tradition to haul a card table up from the basement and evict the coffee table to make more space for dining. Our next big get-together will be different; instead of shifting furniture around, I’ll just flip up the coffee table legs and round up the kids!
1 BUILD UP THE TOP
I started with a piece of walnut plywood cut to size. On the underside I glued 3-in.-wide strips of the same plywood on the edges and pinned them into place. I put one more 3-in. strip in the middle, and added two 6-in.-wide strips to provide a mounting surface for the legs. Doubling the top like this adds stiffness without too much additional weight.
2 BEVEL THE EDGING
The top is wrapped with edging to hide the plywood edges. Square edging would be fine, but I cut a 13-degree bevel on the edging stock. This bevel matches the angle of the legs and gives the table a more refined look.
3 ADD THE EDGING
Fasten the edging to the ends of the table first. When I added the side edging, I let it protrude beyond the bevels of the end edging. Instead of fumbling with long clamps, I used a pin nailer to hold the edging in place while the glue dried.
4 TRIM THE EDGING
Trim the overhanging ends of the edging to match the bevel. Protect the wood from the saw teeth with a layer or two of painter’s tape. Then sand the cuts smooth and flush.
5 CUT SLOTS IN THE SLED
Drill two holes 6 in. from the ends of a sled made from a 12 x 30-in. piece of plywood. Draw lines to connect the holes, then cut out the slot with a jigsaw.
6 ASSEMBLE THE FENCE
Cut two slots in a 2-in.-wide fence. The fence slots should line up and be perpendicular to the slots in the sled. Connect the fence to the sled with a pair of threaded jig knob and 1/4-in. bolts, then attach toggle clamps and a heel to finish the jig.
7 SET THE TAPER ANGLE
Align the end marks on the leg with the edge of the sled. Position the fence against the leg and lock the fence into place. Make sure the leg is against the heel of the fence and clamp it down.
8 TAPER THE LEGS
Adjust the table saw fence to cut along the edge of the jig and then make the cut. Cut all the long legs with the same jig setup, then adjust the jig to cut the shorter legs.
9 ASSEMBLE THE LEGS
The half-lap joints for the legs are made by layering the leg parts. Fasten the parts with glue and a nailer or clamps. I built two leg sets at a time, laying them out on my workbench to make sure I got a “mirrored match.”
10 CONNECT THE LEGS
I cut another 13-degree bevel in the stretcher then glued and screwed it between a pair of legs. I fastened a second stretcher to make a strong corner where the legs will pivot on the hinge.
11 ATTACH THE PIANO HINGE
Align ends of the short legs up to the inside of the edging. Position the legs with a framing square, then predrill and screw a length of piano hinge to the tabletop and the legs.