Exploded Sofa Table

Video - March 27, 2018

My mom recently requested I build her a sofa table since everything she found was either too big or too small. Her size requires were 30″ High, 14″ Deep, and 46″ Wide. As long as I hit those dimensions she didn’t care what the table looked like. I took this as a fun opportunity to design on the fly, experimenting with some ‘new to me’ ideas and tapping into my creative side. Like any project that ventures into weird art, I fully expect some folks to not like it. Heck, I’m not even sure I totally like it. But it did allow me to explore some new ideas and test the limits of this construction method, which could be inherently problematic. Who knows, maybe I’ll start a new line of “exploded” furniture! Or not. But hey, it was a blast to build!

I’d like to thank all of the folks on Instagram who contributed ideas during this build process. I’d also like to thank the folks who mentioned that the piece looked like an exploded diagram, as that helped me establish the overall theme for the project. Because of the design on the fly nature of this project, there is no plan.

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Discussion

Patrick Schupbach March 28, 2018 3:52 am

Thank you for another wonderful video !!
The metal dowels are a true work of art, and make a real impact !!
Your craftsmanship is an inspiration to all !!

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Yan Charron March 28, 2018 4:56 am

Awesome video! i missed those so much! Thank you! That table looks awesome…and yes, it has inspired me!

Merci beaucoup!

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Ronn Winkler March 28, 2018 7:55 am

Great video. I like the design. New stuff for me and new ideas.

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Michael Dorsam March 29, 2018 5:06 am

Beautiful Design; and great execution. Very Nice Piece

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Alan S March 29, 2018 8:27 am

I know the “on the fly” nature of your build led to this, but I can’t help noting that if you want spaces in your top that way, leaving the steel rods unglued and adding a center screw in the bearers would be a good way of dealing with top expansion issues — admittedly pretty small in such a narrow table.

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Kevin Thomas March 30, 2018 5:49 pm

A very interesting build. I learned a couple of things that I think I can use in a future project. Thanks, Mark.

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Cole Arntzen March 30, 2018 10:21 pm

I think you might be surprised how strong those metal dowels into wood with epoxy really are.
If they ever pull out they will almost certainly bring generous amounts of wood with them.
Provided of course that you did rough them up appropriately and they were oil free.
I really like the wax-oil finish, really pops the grain.
Nice project!

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Runningwood April 3, 2018 10:47 am

Very nice job. This reminds of the little table you once made with the exposed metal dowels holding the top.

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ClaudiaB May 31, 2019 5:51 am

Can you talk a bit about why ripping a rough piece of stock at the table saw a “no bueno”? Thank you.

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- Marc Spagnuolo May 31, 2019 12:01 pm
  
  Sure. It’s just a matter of stability. Rough wood is generally unstable because it’s not flattened or straightened in any way. And any instability at the table saw is incredibly dangerous. If the wood tips into the blade unexpectedly, there could be a terrible kickback.
  
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Exploded Sofa Table

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