How to Build a Table with Wings

This has been one of my more interesting commissions. I wasn’t sure about the shape at first, but it turned out to be a really fun build.

Some of the specialty tools I used in this project (affiliate links)
• Amana Dado Stack
• Forrest Woodworker II
• Incra Miter Gauge 1000HD
• Earlex HV5500 Spray Station (I upgraded to the Fuji MPX-30 Gravity RP Gun with Cup)
• TS75 EQ Track Saw Fetsool
• West Systems Epoxy

When a client first described this unique winged table design, I’ll admit I was skeptical. The curved wings and flowing shape seemed like they’d be nearly impossible to replicate exactly on both the top and bottom shelves. But with the right order of operations, what initially seemed daunting became a straightforward and rewarding build.

Step 1: Mill and Glue Up the Panels

Start by milling all your lumber to thickness. Then glue up the panels for both the top and bottom shelf.

Pro tip: I typically use biscuits or dominos to prevent pieces from slipping during clamp-up, but since these panels would have significant material carved from the center, I skipped the joinery to avoid accidentally exposing a misplaced domino. Instead, I took extra care during the glue-up to keep the boards aligned.

Step 2: Cut to Length

Use a track saw to cut both panels to their final length. When cutting the second piece, use the first piece to add stability to the track.

Step 3: Trace the Wing Shape

Create or acquire a template of your wing design. Trace the wing shape onto the ends of each panel. This template ensures both pieces will be identical.

Step 4: Remove the Center Waste

Set up a dado stack about 3/4 inch wide on your table saw. Since there’s a lot of material to remove, work in shallow passes.

Start on the outside edges and work toward the middle. This approach is safer because if the piece wanders from the fence, the back of the blade will likely end up in the void you’ve already cut, reducing kickback risk.

Make multiple passes across the piece, then raise the blade to final depth and repeat the process.

Step 5: Cut the Lower Curve

Raise the blade to the height of your curve layout line. Sight down the blade and adjust the angle until it matches the curve as closely as possible.

Clamp a sacrificial fence to the table for the workpiece to ride against. Lower the blade and make a shallow pass, letting the edge of the saw teeth do the cutting. With each pass, raise the blade about the height of the carbide teeth. Continue until you reach your layout line.

Step 6: Cut the Upper Curves

Before cutting the shape of the upper curves, remove the majority of waste material by tipping the blade to roughly match the curve angle. Adjust the fence to the proper distance and cut away the excess.

For the inner curve, readjust the angle, blade height, and fence distance. If you’re being cautious (which I recommend), you may leave a small ridge of excess wood on the inside cut. Remove this easily with a chisel and mallet.

Step 7: Clean Up and Smooth

Use a hand plane to smooth the top surface and remove saw marks from the dado blade. Since you’ll be planing across the grain, sharpen your plane blade frequently—more often than usual.

Use a holdfast to apply downward pressure when working on the wings. Create the curve by taking shallow passes, working the plane back and forth following your curved layout line. The closer you get to the final shape, the shallower your passes should be.

Important: Cut your pieces about an inch wider than needed to avoid tearout on the edges, especially when planing across the grain.

Step 8: Refine the Curves

To refine the curves and eliminate plane marks, use an interface sanding pad (a Festool pad works great). These pads excel on irregular surfaces and contour to the shape of your workpiece.

Step 9: Prepare the Legs

Rip your leg stock to the widest width needed, then cut the legs to final length.

For the leg-to-shelf connection, dowel joinery works well. Create a simple drilling jig by drilling a hole in a cutoff piece and attaching a couple of fences with CA glue. This helps center the holes on the legs.

Step 10: Taper the Legs

Since these legs taper on all four sides, a standard tapering jig won’t work. Instead, create a custom jig from plywood:

1. Mark a centerline on both the jig and the legs for registration
2. Load the leg onto the jig, aligning the centerlines
3. Cut the front and back tapers first
4. Readjust your clamps to hold against the freshly cut taper while cutting the side tapers

Watch out: Be mindful of clamp placement to avoid cutting into them mid-pass. Learn from my mistake and position clamps carefully before starting each cut.

Step 11: Apply Finish

While natural wood is beautiful, don’t be afraid to paint if that’s what the project calls for.

To prepare paint for spraying, use an additive like Floetrol. This thins the paint for the spray gun while extending dry time, allowing the paint to level out better for a smoother finish.

Apply paint in a crosshatch pattern to ensure good coverage. For the legs, cut a piece of plywood to use as a platform—this makes clamping much easier than trying to balance thin tapered legs.

Step 12: Final Assembly

Use epoxy for the glue-up to give yourself plenty of working time to align all the legs perfectly.

1. Glue and clamp the legs to the bottom shelf
2. Double-check that all legs are properly aligned
3. Apply glue to the top shelf (take your time to avoid smearing glue everywhere)
4. Position the top and check leg alignment one more time
5. Drape a towel over the painted surfaces to prevent scuffing
6. Tighten the clamps and let the epoxy cure

Final Thoughts

What initially seemed like an impossibly complex shape became manageable once I broke it down into logical steps. The key is taking your time with the curved cuts, using jigs to ensure consistency, and not rushing the glue-up process. With patience and the right sequence of operations, you can create furniture with flowing, organic shapes that stand out from typical rectilinear designs.