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CartDIY Outdoor Fluted Coffee Table
Elysia English shows how she built a fluted coffee table in just a few hours.
Elysia spends a lot of time on her back deck. It’s a place to congregate with family, entertain friends, or just relax and enjoy the fresh air. The outdoor sectional and privacy fence make for a cozy enclave, but she felt it needed a little more. So Elysia decided to spend a weekend creating new practical but beautiful additions to the space. Elysia decided to build a fluted coffee table. She wanted something visually appealing but strong enough to resist outdoor wear and tear. The fluted design does exactly that. It hides the sturdy inner frame to create an upscale look that complements the unpainted wood. Elysia’s local Home Hardware provided all the supplies she needed, along with some helpful design and construction tips.
Here’s a rundown of the steps Elysia followed and the tools and materials she used:
Creating the Rounds: I started with two pieces of pre-cut pine rounds for the tabletop and bottom. Then I used a jig saw to cut out two slightly smaller rounds from a piece of 5/8” plywood. These will be part of the inner frame.
Building the Frame: For the frame, I cut two different lengths of 2”x4” pieces (four 10” pieces and four 8” pieces). Then I applied wood glue to the ends of the 8” pieces and fastened them to the 10” pieces with my cordless drill. This gave me two frame squares that were 12” high.
Fastening the Frame to the Rounds: I spread wood glue all over the face of one of my inner frame circles and pasted it onto one of my pre-cut rounds. This would be the table bottom. Then I attached my two frame squares with wood screws. Once complete, I flipped the project over and did the same for the tabletop.
Attaching the Fluting: For the fluting I cut a whole bunch of ½” dowel pieces on my mitre saw (I wasn’t sure how many I would need). I was careful to cut them just long enough to fit inside my two pre-cut rounds (the top and bottom of the table). This allowed me to slide the dowels in and glue them to the inner frame rounds.
Applying the Finish: In addition to the elements, my coffee table needs to be able to stand up to spilled drinks and sticky food. I applied two coats of clear polyurethane for protection.
That’s it! And it only took a few hours! Be sure to check out my two other outdoor projects, all done in one weekend!
