Custom Couch-Arm Table

Lees in Afrikaans

This little couch-arm table is pure convenience for your patio couch.

What you Need for your Couch-arm Table

20mm pine cut to the following dimensions:

• 1 x 350mm x 300mm (outside of armrest)
• 4 x 140mm x 65mm (dividers)
• 1 x 350mm x 140mm (compartment cover)
• 1 x 350mm x 70mm (compartment bottom)
• 1 x 350mm x 180mm* (top of armrest)
• 1 x 350mm x 160mm (inside of armrest)

This measurement is to fit our couch, which had an arm width of about 170mm. If the arm of your couch is wider or narrower, adjust this dimension as necessary for your couch-arm table.

• Wood glue
• Wood stain
• Tork Craft joining biscuits

Tools

Festool pendulum jigsaw, Tork Craft cordless mini sander, Tork Craft biscuit jointer, Bessey one-handed clamps, Tork Craft sash clamps, pencil, and paint brush.

What you Do

1. Cut all pieces to size, as per the diagram. Note that the dividers are angled.

2. When you’ve cut the dividers, clamp them together and sand them so that they are identical.

3. Make marks for biscuits on all the pieces, as indicated in the diagram. Align two pieces that are to be joined, and make a mark on both.

4. Use the Tork Craft biscuit jointer to cut grooves in all the pieces, at each mark.

5. Start assembly by making the compartments. To do this, apply glue to the back of each divider, then insert biscuits into the slots.

6. Put the dividers in place on the outside of armrest piece.

7. Apply glue to the front and bottom of the divider pieces, and put the compartment cover and bottom in place, then clamp the whole assembly together. Leave to dry.

8. Join the top of the armrest and the inside of the arm rest using glue and biscuits, and clamp together. Leave to dry.

9. When the components have dried, join the top of the armrest to the outside of the armrest, using glue and biscuits. Clamp in place and leave to dry.

10. Sand the completed armrest table, then stain and seal. Your nifty armrest table is complete!

Tork Craft Biscuit Jointer

A biscuit jointer is used to join two pieces of wood together providing a quick means of getting a perfectly flush joint, while at the same time reinforcing the joint and adding strength to the joinery. It uses a small circular saw blade to cut a crescent-shaped hole in the opposite edges of two pieces of wood or wood composite panels. An oval-shaped, highly-dried and compressed wooden biscuit is glued into the slot and clamped together. The wet glue expands the biscuit, further improving the bond.