I started this project by trying to design a multifunction coffee table to meet the current requirements for modern households.
The most interesting part of the project for me was designing the drawers, they have a very distinct shape which comes together to form an oval, hiding itself.
Looking back now, I feel that the project has been a great triumph as not only has it met all the specification I set but has exceeded my expectations.
To begin, I used dense modelling foam to experiment with potential designs.
The pictures show my final attempt with the modelling foam, the white ovals were to be made from some kind of laminated wood and would be placed horizontal. The blue parts would be the drawers, I used blacker marker pen to indicate where hollow parts would be in the final product.
These drawers would then sit sandwiched between 2 flat ovals and held in place using a metal rod which also allows it to pivot to allow access to the contents of the drawers.
The final product would be made up of 2 pairs of drawers therefore, 3 flat oval pieces would be needed as well as 4 individual drawers.
The next step was to construct the 3 flat ovals to create the ‘sandwich’.
The two outer ovals were to be the same size while the inner one had to be slightly longer to accommodate the slight offset of the 2nd level drawers.
I began by drawing them all up on 2D Design, a CAD package which would then allow me to use a CAM router to cut them out precisely. I used Laminated MDF for the ovals.
Once the router was finished, I added more laminate to the edges that were just exposed using a hot iron to adhere the glue.
Finally, to finish off I used varnish to give the ovals a nice looking and durable finish.
Potentially the hardest part of this project were the drawers themselves. Due to their unusual shape, I had to create a jig (template) to mould them into shape.
By creating a jig I made the process of making the drawers much quicker and accurate. You can see the jig in the pictures, it was simply constructed using 2 identical, CNC cut MDF boards which were then separated by blocks of wood.
TO then create the required shape I soaked bendy plywood in watered down PVA and moulded it around the jig. While doing this I used small tac nails to keep the ply in place. Once this was done all the way round the jig, I clamped the ply in place and allowed it to dry.
Once they were dry I cut off the excess, cleaned up the surfaces, varnished them and then glued in place a support for the metal rod. This process was done 4 times for each drawer.
Now that all the individual pieces of the project were constructed all that was left to do was the assembly.
From the pictures to the left you can see how well the final product turned out.
It not only looked great but also functioned perfectly, it is still in use to this day.