How to Build a Semi-Elliptical Table with Silver Leaf

This was a fun build that stretched many of my skills. Figuring out all the angles to produce the segmented edge along the top was a lot of fun. The gilding process for the silver leaf is something I plan on exploring more textures and colors in the future, and using the spokeshave to shape the legs was awesome—definitely an underutilized tool in my shop.  This is a great example of where wood meets steel.

Some of the specialty tools I used (affiliate links)

DIY Shop made oval cutting jig

• SpokeShave https://amzn.to/2OmqT0s

• Minwax Spray Poly https://amzn.to/2OkRAm2
• WoodRiver Block Plane – https://amzn.to/2X7TJFh
• Jet Parallel Clamps https://amzn.to/2kAVtmH
• West Systems Epoxy https://amzn.to/340xKD4
• Silver Leaf https://amzn.to/2XskHI5
• Bent Lamination Resin Glue https://amzn.to/2R3VKSR
• Patina Book https://amzn.to/2rWYHcT

MORE ON THIS PROJECT:

Create a stunning semi-elliptical table featuring a silver-leafed top and elegantly curved legs. This project combines traditional woodworking techniques with decorative gilding for a piece that looks like it has traveled the world.

Step 1: Create the Plywood Center

Start by cutting a piece of plywood for the table’s center. Using plywood instead of solid wood prevents expansion issues that could damage the segmented outer ring you’ll add later.

Use your elliptical jig with a router to make two passes. The first creates the outer ring, which becomes a template. The second pass shapes the area that will receive the silver leaf.

Step 2: Build the Segmented Edge

Since you’re working with an ellipse rather than a circle, each segment requires a different angle and length. Test fit each piece individually, making adjustments until you achieve a smooth half-ellipse shape.

Join the segments using floating tenons and tape to hold everything during glue-up.

Step 3: Fit the Template

The outer ring template loses about a quarter inch when cut, so it won’t fit snugly against the inner circle. Compensate by setting up a collar on your router table. Calculate the distance between the collar and router bit to match the diameter of the bit used for the template.

When you ride the template along the collar, it leaves extra material for a tight fit against the plywood center.

Step 4: Add the Back Edge

Band the back edge with mahogany by ripping off a strip of plywood to make room. Since the curved table is difficult to clamp across its length, create a spring joint. Use a hand plane to remove material from the center, creating a bow. When you clamp the center, it applies pressure along the full length.

Step 5: Final Top Assembly

Add one floating tenon in the center for alignment and several across the back. Clamp and tap everything into place. Trim any excess length from the end segments with a track saw.

Step 6: Create the Bending Form

Build a bending form to shape the apron in the same elliptical arc as the top, set back about three-quarters of an inch. Reset your elliptical jig to cut an inset that accounts for the apron and table overhang.

Cut several pieces and layer them to build up the form’s bulk. Run each layer across the router table with a flush-trim bit for consistency. Remove the center to create clamp attachment points and cover everything with packing tape to prevent glue adhesion.

Step 7: Bend the Apron

Resaw strips thin enough to bend without cracking. Tape the ends together before applying glue to prevent sliding during the quick-working glue application.

Stack the strips and clamp from the center outward around the form. Use plywood cauls cut to the outer diameter of the ellipse to ensure even pressure and prevent flat spots.

Step 8: Finish the Apron

After drying, clean one edge on the jointer and cut to width at the band saw. Mark the length and cut at the miter saw, taking care to clamp securely for a safe, square cut.

Shape the back piece to match the apron’s inner curve using a miter saw and disk sander. Join the front apron to the back using floating tenons, then flush the back edge with a hand plane and smooth the outside with a flexible sanding strip.

Step 9: Attach Apron to Top

Glue the apron to the tabletop, using a temporary board to help with alignment and prevent glue smears.

Step 10: Shape the Legs

Sketch your desired leg shape on plywood, accounting for the curves and angles at top and bottom. Cut at the band saw, leaving material for cleanup. Smooth the outer curve on the disk sander and inner curve on the spindle sander, then finish by hand.

Mill wood for the legs and rip to rough width. Trace the template onto blanks, noting grain direction to minimize tearout during shaping.

Step 11: Cut and Fit the Legs

Cut legs to length at the correct angles and remove waste at the band saw. Clean up with a flush-trim bit at the router table.

Since the legs extend past the tabletop, cut undersized notches and refine with chisel, block plane, and rasp until they match the curve of the top and apron perfectly.

Step 12: Taper and Detail the Legs

Cut final tapers on the band saw. Remove sharp edges with a roundover bit to save time on hand shaping.

Add cloud lift details on the back edge where the legs meet the apron. Clamp a spacer to ensure consistent stopping points and rout along the edge.

Step 13: Create the Pillowed Front

Cut a template for the pillowed front shape and trace it on all leg tops. Draw a centerline to mark where the pillow should feather out.

Shape with a spokeshave, starting at the top and working down. Line up all legs periodically to compare progress and ensure consistency.

Step 14: Attach the Legs

Clamp legs in position and drill for dowels that will pin them from behind. Glue dowels in place and test fit.

Mask off the apron before the final glue-up to prevent squeeze-out stains. Use slow-set epoxy for ample working time to ensure each leg fits tightly and clamps securely.

Step 15: Prepare for Silver Leaf

Apply a slurry of grain filler to fill all pores in the wood. Silver leaf is extremely thin and will reveal any surface imperfections.

Dye the mahogany with custom-blended dye stain to achieve that rich, aged color. Stain the top as well, planning to leave intentional cracks in the silver leaf for an aged, well-traveled appearance rather than a distressed look.

Step 16: Apply Silver Leaf

Use pinstriping tape for a clean edge between the mahogany and silver leaf area, then cover the rest with painter’s tape.

Spray polyurethane serves as the gilding adhesive. Despite being labeled fast-drying, it stays tacky long enough to apply the leaf.

Apply silver leaf in a random pattern to avoid creating visible square patterns. Fill missed areas and deliberately create cracks to let the wood show through.

Use compressed air to remove any leaf from the segmented edge grain.

Step 17: Create the Patina

Mix a potash solution for patinating the silver leaf. Crumple tissue paper to create texture on the surface. Different areas of the paper will hold varying amounts of chemical and contact the silver for different durations, creating a unique pattern.

Step 18: Seal and Finish

Once you achieve the desired patina color, seal everything with a clear coat of varnish.

This became part of my Boulder Furniture Arts Collection.

Safety Notes

• Wear a respirator when mixing powdered glue to avoid inhaling dust
• Study patina solutions thoroughly to understand chemical burn risks and proper disposal methods
• Take extra care with curved cuts at the miter saw and band saw
• Work in a well-ventilated area when applying finishes

The result is a sophisticated piece that combines precision woodworking with artistic finishing techniques, creating a table that appears to have its own history and story.