Victor O. of Raleigh, NC set out to build an entry table for his family’s new home, and got the toughest design brief there is from his wife: "use your imagination." After a string of magazine and website photos got turned down, he drafted his own design in SketchUp — an ambrosia maple case and shelf, walnut trim on the top and lower shelf, turned maple legs, and a drawer for keys.
The build took about six months and roughly $400 in materials, finished with Rubio Monocoat Pure. Victor calls himself a beginner; the table now lives under a mirror just inside the front door.
In Victor’s words
Wife asked me to build an entry table for our new home in NC. When I asked her about a design, color, material, etc… she said, "use your imagination." She wanted a drawer and a way of ensuring that keys or other items didn’t slide off to the floor.
I searched through wood magazines, woodworking websites, and other social media, showing her pictures of designs I had found. She didn’t like them and said she wanted something unique, that only she would have.
I took measurements, and started putting together draft designs in SketchUp. I showed her one I designed and bingo!!! Off to work I went.
The build
- Project type: Furniture — entry/console table
- Skill level: Beginner
- Wood: Ambrosia maple body, top and bottom shelf; prefabricated maple legs; walnut trim on the top and shelf
- Finish: Rubio Monocoat Pure
- Tools: Table saw, miter saw, bandsaw, impact driver, planer, sander, dust collection
- Time: About six months
- Cost: About $400 in materials
- Plans: Own design, drawn in SketchUp
Biggest challenge
Had two big challenges; one was attaching legs in a form that would allow for a drawer, and the other was aligning the grain to keep a continuous flow. The hardest was aligning and creating a base for the legs in which I can install a drawer and it was squared.
Next time I will use cheaper wood to create a template for the final design before cutting into the wood.
Photos
Find Victor at Instagram (vmortiz2026), Facebook (Victor Ortiz).
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