Live Edge Wood & Aluminum Coffee Tables

I’m sure most of us designers have some side projects outside the 9-5 at the office. For the last several years, I’ve been occasionally building live edge coffee table for friends. This year, I’m trying to start a little side business out of my hobby. I built some inventory, had it professionally photographed and put together a website.

http://lowedesignco.com

And now for a little background/ process. I built my first table when I moved into a new apartment in Chicago and needed a long narrow coffee table. Walnut slab, hairpin legs. As the hairpin leg craze took off, I knew I needed to design a new base for the table that did the top more justice. Thus the “H Table” base was born. Two constraints shaped the design- I’m terrible with a TIG welder and wanted the table to flat pack for when I moved.

I’m handy with a Bridgeport mill so interlocking aluminum parts secured with fasteners seemed like an excellent solution. One McMaster Carr order and late nights in the shop later, I had built my first table base.

I’ve since designed two additional table bases with similar construction- interlocking machined aluminum secured with socket cap screws. I’ve now built 7 tables and have several more in various states of build.



And below are exploded views showing the construction of each table.