Weddings are an awesome thing to be a part of. Two people deciding to commit to spending their lives together, the party that goes with it. It’s usually a time for fun and love. Getting the right wedding present is a different story though. Sure, you could be one the people who gets stuff off the registry. Not a bad way to go, because you know that’s what the new couple needs. Many people like to give something a little more personal. Something that truly came from their own thought. So when this guys roommates were getting married, he was racking his brain on what he could give them that would really stand out. Now, I’m not quite sure how he settled on what he did, but I sure am glad he thought of it. He created a completely custom table that is definitely one of the coolest wedding presents I’ve ever seen. I would flip if I was given this!
So he started out with a free table he found sitting on the side of a local community center.
The finish is pretty crappy and it’s definitely taken its share of dings and dents.
He took a router, a circle jig and put a nail in the center. He then mounted the router to a piece of scrap wood that would rotate around the nail for a near perfect circle.
The first pass with the router. He’s cutting this inlay for a very cool detail to come.
That unique detail is a ton of mini compasses. A test fit with the first ring of compasses. He had to widen the circle a few millimeters to make sure the compasses had a tight fit. Because of some geometric rule, every other subsequent ring fit perfectly after that because….math.
Now he just had to router out the middle portion of the table.
All finished!
The compasses were all placed in the circle and they fit absolutely perfect. There are over 1,000 of them in there!
He sanded down the top inlays and added a coat of wipe-on polyurethane.
The legs got the same treatment.
The routed inside needed to be sanded and spray painted.
Sanding and spray painting the outside edge of the table was necessary as well for aesthetics.
The lower portion of the table needed a good sanding as well. It looks much better after a little TLC.
The skirt of the table also needed a good sanding. I’m starting to sense a theme here.
He finished the lower portion of the table the same way as the top.
A close up look at the results of all that sanding. The colors of the wood stand out a lot more after the work he put in.
Time for the re-assembly. The poster used mostly original hardware.
Legs are attached again.
Time to get the compasses back in!
Some Gorilla Glue is all that was needed to secure the compasses to the table top.
I’d definitely need a few beers or a couple of whiskeys to do this for roughly 1,050 compasses.
Almost there! I wonder how many glasses of whiskey he’s on right now.
Finally done!
Now it’s time to move onto the coasters. These won’t just be any lame coasters however.
He did a quick rough cut out on his scroll saw.
He threw together a jig for the router table to make better circles.
This jig will allow him to make the circles much more precise.
He took a thinner layer of plywood, cut it to same diameter as the other circles, then rough cut the inner diameter.
Time to glue them together.
Time to use the jig again.
This looks so much better!
Drilled out holes for small magnets. What would he be putting magnets into the coasters for you ask? Just wait.
With a piece of cut glass on top here is the awesome finished table!
The finished coasters!
Now you probably have an idea of what these coasters are meant for, but you have to check them out in action for yourself.
This is definitely one of the coolest DIY tables I’ve ever seen. It’s such a unique idea as well, I don’t think I’ve ever seen another table quite like this. I really hope the bride and groom appreciate the time and effort this guy put into this project. This will make such a great addition to their living room, and it will be a great story to tell their kids. I’d say this guy is definitely in the running for roommate of the year.