In this build, I use a shop-made oval cutting jig to cut an elliptical top for a table and create an abstract shape for the shelf and sculpted legs. The table is made from Cherry, and the legs are made from walnut.
Affiliate links of some of the products I used in this build
• Titebond CA Glue Medium – https://goo.gl/X3afqX
• CA Glue Accelerator – https://amzn.to/2SxcLBQ
• West Systems Epoxy – https://amzn.to/2jfseVc
• Porter cable router – https://amzn.to/2jSs1sZ
• White side spiral combo Router Bit – https://amzn.to/2jfDCQY
• Mega Flush Trim Router Bit https://amzn.to/2PlD8c4
Today, I’m going to walk you through building this oval table with some abstract shelves and sculpted legs. It’s a fun project with some unique challenges, so let me show you how I tackled it.
This piece is part of my Boulder Furniture Arts Collection.
Gluing Up the Panels
I started with the typical process of milling the lumber, but here’s where I did something different. Normally, I’d use dominoes for alignment during glue-up, but since I was planning to cut an oval and some abstract shapes from this stock, I didn’t want to risk cutting into a domino and having it show through on the edges. Nobody wants that surprise!
Instead, I cut some cauls and covered them with packing tape to prevent the glue from sticking. These kept my panels nice and flat during the glue-up. Pro tip: I spaced my clamps off the top of the workbench with some scrap wood so the clamps could slide under the material when clamping the cauls down.
Cutting the Oval Top
Once all the panels were glued up, I made a quick shop-made oval cutting jig and stuck it to the center of my workpiece with double-stick tape. Now, I’m not enough of a mathematician to explain exactly how it works, but the basic gist is there are two pivot points that slide back and forth in the jig. One controls the length of the oval, the other controls the width. Pretty neat! I did several shallow passes with the router until I cut all the way through.
Creating the Lower Shelves
The lower shelves only needed to reach a little past halfway across the table, so I glued up two shorter blanks and traced half of the oval shape on them. Over at the bandsaw, I roughed them out, making sure to leave the line for cleanup later.
Here’s a handy trick: I used double-stick tape to attach the top to the lower shelf, then used a bearing bit in the router table to clean up one side of the shelf to match the top perfectly. Did the same thing for the bottom shelf. Where the oval shape ended and the abstract portion began, I used the disk sander to blend the two shapes together smoothly.
The “Squidward” Abstract Shape
Time to finalize the abstract shape of the lower shelves! I just started drawing what I thought was a nice gentle curve and kept refining it until I was happy. My daughter said it kind of looks like Squidward’s head from SpongeBob SquarePants. With her seal of approval, I headed over to the bandsaw and cut out “Squidward’s head.”
I cleaned up the bandsaw marks at the spindle sander, then used more double-stick tape and the router table to make a copy for the lower shelf.
Designing the Legs
Now for the legs. I thought I was being clever by using the arch of the oval to create the arch of the leg, but after drawing it out, I decided it looked terrible—too many steep curves coming together.
Back to the drawing board! I sketched out a few different variations and decided to make the legs straight with just the top section curving. Then I added a beveled top to the leg, kind of like the shape of a calla lily flower.
Since the lower part of the leg is straight, I marked a stopping point on the table saw fence and where the curve started on my template. I made the cut, stopping when the two lines met, then shut the saw off so I could safely remove the piece. The curved part got finished at the bandsaw.
Router Template Setup
I was going to use this template at the router table to cut out the legs, so I needed a solid place to start the cut. I used a little CA glue to attach some extra material at the start and end of the cut. This gives you something for the bearing on the router bit to contact before it starts cutting, which reduces the chance of catching the end grain and tearing up your workpiece or causing a kickback.
I refined the curve at the spindle sander, then did a final hand sanding with a flexible sanding strip to fair the curve and eliminate any divots.
A few dabs of CA glue attached the fence to the jig, then I added some riser blocks with clamps. After the glue set up, I reinforced the riser blocks with screws from underneath so the clamping force wouldn’t break the CA glue bond.
Cutting Out the Legs
When selecting wood for the legs, I chose pieces where the grain would flow with the curve—it makes a huge visual difference. I traced the template shape and headed to the bandsaw, leaving the line as usual.
At the router table is when you really see those glue blocks in action. I made contact with the bearing against the plywood block, then started the cut. Very little risk of kickback or catching.
Creating the Joinery
The legs join to the top with a notch cut into them. I set up a stop block on my miter gauge so the notches would be in the exact same place on each leg, then cut them out with a dado stack sized to the thickness of the top and shelves.
Here’s the thing: since the top is curved and the dado has a flat bottom, it created a small gap where they came together. To fix this, I chiseled out a concave shape similar to the curvature of the top on each leg.
Test Fitting and Adjustments
I did a test fit to see how things were coming together. The top fit really well, but when I installed the lower shelves, the sharper curve of “Squidward’s head” left a gap on the short leg.
I marked the location of the leg on the shelves and approximated how deep of a notch I needed. Using my Japanese pull saw, I cut against the grain, then chiseled out the rest. A few test fits and adjustments with the chisel got me a nice tight fit on all sides.
Rounding Over the Legs
I wanted a nice smooth roundover on the front of the legs, so I used a standard roundover bit in the router table. To do this safely, I glued on some starter plywood blocks—safety first! At the router table, I used the starter blocks to safely start the cut against the bearing, taking several small passes and raising the bit between passes until I was taking a full depth pass.
A little whack with a good mallet and the plywood pieces knocked off pretty easily. The stain left over from the glue would get cut off in the next step anyway.
Finishing Touches on the Legs
At the miter saw, I trimmed off the tops of the legs to the decorative angle I’d decided on earlier. In hindsight, this might have been safer to do at the table saw—that little cutoff got sucked into the miter saw. Of course, that piece could have also turned into a bullet and kicked back off the table saw, so pick your poison. I know all you hand-tool-only lovers are screaming at me now!
To put the final touches on the legs and blend the top into the sides, I hand-sanded a small chamfer around the curved tip and along the sides.
Pre-Finishing
After a final test fit, I decided it would be easier to pre-finish the pieces before assembly. Smart move! I marked each leg location and covered the joints with tape so the finish wouldn’t interfere with the glue bond.
I used a little denatured alcohol to remove the pencil lines and eased over the edges with some hand sanding. For the finish, I went with a clear wipe-on satin poly—four coats before assembly, then a fifth touch-up coat after.
Final Assembly
Once all the parts were finished, I removed the tape and prepped my clamps with some cushioning material so I wouldn’t mar the new finish. Time for assembly!
Since I had nine joints over seven pieces to line up and clamp together, I used a slow-setting epoxy. This gives you the working time you need for complex assemblies. As usual, the band clamp was disappointing and was abandoned by the end of the glue-up.
The Final Result
Well, my kid won’t let me call it the Squidward table because, well, she thought it was a dumb name. But I think it turned out pretty good! The sculpted legs give it a really organic feel, and those abstract shelves add visual interest without being too busy. This whimsical design went perfectly with the furniture and art in my clients’ Boulder, CO home.Â
Hope this helps if you’re looking to build something similar. Feel free to adapt the design to your own style—that’s the fun of woodworking!
I’m the owner of Benham Design Concepts, a mixed media art studio where I design and build custom furniture and other works of art using wood, glass, stone, and various metals.
In this blog, I talk about the art I create, my journey, and the things I learn along the way.