Crafting a Japanese-Inspired End Table

A few months ago, I had the pleasure of collaborating with Marc Spagnolo of The Wood Whisperer to film a new course for his Wood Whisperer Guild. For those unfamiliar, the Guild is a resource for woodworkers, offering in-depth online courses on building fine furniture. To create the course, he came out to my Colorado woodworking shop to film the course.

The project we tackled was a personal favorite of mine: a Japanese-inspired end table. The entire process, from selecting the lumber to applying the final finish, is captured in the full course, which includes detailed video instructions and a complete set of plans, all in the Japanese Style. You can find more informationn about the course here: How to Build a Japanese Style Endtable.

Selecting the Wood

For me, woodworking starts with the story in the grain. I don’t begin by calculating board feet; I begin by finding lumber with a grain pattern that fits the project.  For this table, I sought out tight, consistent grain, from a cherry board.  which allows the seams in the tabletop to almost disappear once joined.

After gluing up the panel, I cut it to its final width of 13 inches, carefully centering the seam. A few swift passes with a hand plane cleaned up the saw marks, leaving a glass-smooth surface ready for sanding through the grits.

Crafting the Legs and Frame

The legs were next. Before cutting their signature taper, I first jointed and ripped them parallel to create clean, reliable surfaces for laying out the joinery. Squaring up one end and using a stop block ensured all four legs were cut to a perfect, identical length.

The rails for the apron presented another opportunity to highlight the wood’s character. I deliberately cut the front and back rails from the same board with the attractive, tight grain, using a stop block to guarantee they were identical in size.

The Art of Joinery and a Gravity-Drawn Curve

The heart of any furniture build is the joinery. I carefully cut the mortises and tenons, sneaking up on the fit for a perfect, snug connection. Where the mortises intersected inside the leg, I measured precisely to ensure the tenons would be the correct length.

For the graceful arch in the lower stretchers, I used a beautiful physics-based technique: the catenary curve. By suspending a chain and letting gravity shape it, I traced a naturally pleasing arch onto a plywood template. I then built a simple router jig around this template to consistently cut and clean up the arches on the band saw and router table.

Final Assembly and Finish

With all the parts shaped and sanded, dry-fitting the entire frame was a crucial and satisfying step. Seeing all the joints click into place confirmed everything was perfectly aligned.

For the finish, I opted for a spray-on conversion varnish, a personal favorite. It lays down exceptionally flat and gets into all the intricate corners without any issue, providing a durable and beautiful coat.

Finally, I attached the top using dominos and screws for a secure but flexible connection, centered it carefully, and stood back to admire the completed piece.

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