• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Chisel & Fork logo

  • Home
  • About
  • Recipes
  • DIY
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • About
  • Recipes
  • DIY
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×

    You Are Here: Home → DIY

    Lift Top Coffee Table

    April 27, 2019 | Updated November 11, 2020 by Ryan 33 Comments

    6527 shares

    This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure.

    This DIY lift top coffee table can be customized to the size of your liking and will be the centerpiece for your living room.

    photo of DIY lift top coffee table in living room

    So this post is way overdue, but about a year ago, yes a year, a colleague of mine had asked if I could make her a lift top coffee table. She had an old one that she wanted to be replaced. She wondered if I could use the lift top coffee table and then build a modern one that was similar to one she liked at Amazon.

    I said yes but I'm not going to lie, I was a little nervous. First of all, I had never made anything modern looking. Everything to this point had been farmhouse style. But more importantly, I had to build this coffee table from scratch. I couldn't use someone else's directions to make it. I had to design it on my own. Needless to say there was quite a bit of work involved in this but I couldn't be happier with how it turned out.

    close-up of DIY lift top coffee table in living room

    I wanted to use hardwood that I had never used before but could take stain really well, so I settle on ash. Now if you're inspired to make this yourself, you don't have to use ash but it's very important to use hardwood. The other thing is I didn't have to buy a lift top mechanism. I just used the one from her old coffee table and then build this one around it. But if you're looking for other DIY projects, check out some of my other posts.

    photo of DIY lift top coffee table opening up in living room

    DIY Lift Top Coffee Table Shopping List

    • 4 - 1x8" @ 8 ft ash
    • 1 - ¾" plywood (4x4 ft)
    • Wood glue
    • 1 ¼″ pocket-hole screws
    • 8" hairpin legs
    • Lift top table mechanism
    • Stain or paint
    • Polyurethane

    Tools

    • Table saw
    • Miter saw
    • Planer
    • Hand sander and sandpaper
    • Kreg Jig
    • Clamps
    • Paint brush

    Cut List

    • (6) – 1×8 @ 39″ ash
    • (4) – 1x8 @ 24" ash
    • (1) – plywood 37 ½" x 24"

    How to Make a DIY Lift Top Coffee Table

    Step 1:
    Make all cuts listed above. If your ash isn't ¾" thick, then put through planer to make desired thickness.

    pieces of 1x8 ash lined up

    Step 2:
    Using table saw, cut 4 of the 39" 1x8 pieces of ash to a width of 6 ⅜". If your other 2 pieces of 39" 1x8 ash aren't at 7 ¼" wide, then cut those to 7 ¼" wide.

    Step 3:
    Drill pocket holes using Kreg Jig on each end of the two pieces of 1x8 @ 24" ash. Drill pocket holes in bottom of piece of plywood.

    putting together base of coffee table

    Step 4:
    Place two 1x8 @ 39" ash that are 7 ¼" wide and two 1x8 @ 24" ash around plywood as plywood is floor. Using glue and pocket holes screws, put it together. Clamp for 30 minutes to make sure glue sets.

    lining up top for coffee table

    Step 5:
    Place last four 1x8 @ 39" ash that are 6 ⅜" wide on top of side panels to make sure top will fit snuggly. You might have to trim a piece of wood with table saw if it doesn't line up.

    Step 6:
    Using Kreg Jig, drill pocket holes in bottom of three pieces of 1x8 @ 39" ash. Glue and drill together and then clamp overnight.

    gluing four pieces of ash for top

    Step 7:
    Now time to work on lift top mechanism. Each lift top is different so it depends on you you're connecting the base to the top. But with mine, I had to add two pieces of wood so it could anchor underneath the top. I used the remaining two pieces of 1x8 @ 24" ash and lined them up with the lift top mechanism. I then cut 4 pieces of 2x4 to anchor the ash underneath.

    installing lift top mechanism to base of table

    Step 8:
    With lift top mechanism attached to base, place top piece on it and let it line up with sides. This was the most complicated part of the process. I checked about 10 times and then marked the holes to screw in. I kept lifting it and then placing it back down to make sure it lined up.

    installing lift top mechanism to top of table

    Step 9:
    With everything attached, stain and polyurethane to your liking.

    photo of DIY lift top coffee table completed

    Other Project Ideas

    • Wine Cooler Cabinet
    • X Side Table
    • Farmhouse Desk
    • Sliding Door Entertainment Center
    • Homemade Adirondack Chairs
    « Green Chili Veggie Burgers
    Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas »
    6527 shares

    Receive Top 25 Recipes

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Sylvia Duer says

      April 27, 2019 at 8:48 am

      Wow, Ryan, this is really beautiful! I love the lift top design. It’s so functional. Your co-worker now has an original Ryan Masterpiece! 👍

      Reply
      • Ryan says

        April 27, 2019 at 4:08 pm

        Thanks! It was tough to make but loved how it turned out!

        Reply
    2. Melanie says

      April 27, 2019 at 8:03 pm

      This is awesome Ryan!

      Reply
      • Ryan says

        April 28, 2019 at 8:08 am

        Thanks Melanie! Hope you're doing well!

        Reply
    3. Jena Leigh | Naughty Kitchen says

      April 29, 2019 at 7:48 pm

      This is DOPE Ryan! I love the color of the table. Was it just plain Ash wood with a top clear coating?

      Reply
      • Ryan says

        April 29, 2019 at 8:26 pm

        Yep just ash. Ash has beautiful grain that can really be highlighted. And yes I used a clear top coating.

        Reply
    4. Kyle says

      April 29, 2020 at 10:33 am

      Hi Ryan,

      I absolutely love the table and it has inspired me to do something similar rather than buy a coffee table for my new place. I am new to using a jig and drilling pocket holes. Can you show where you ended up drilling the holes?

      Thanks!
      Kyle

      Reply
      • Ryan says

        April 29, 2020 at 10:41 am

        Hey Kyle,

        Glad this inspired you. Unfortunately I didn't take a great pic of the pocket holes but what you want to do is drill them at the edge of the two smaller boards that are the sides. It will then fit in to form the box. It is a 90 degree join. There is a video here that helps explain it!

        Reply
        • Kyle says

          April 29, 2020 at 11:29 am

          Awesome! This is exactly what I was looking for thanks!

          Do you feel that drilling the pocket holes on the inside of the 24" pieces gives enough strength? From what I see drilling from the outside would give more strength, but obviously I would like them hidden inside the table.

          Thanks again!

          Reply
          • Ryan says

            April 30, 2020 at 6:50 am

            Drilling on the inside works fine for this.

            Reply
    5. Cate says

      May 14, 2020 at 6:20 pm

      Shouldn’t the long sides of the table be longer than the plywood since the shorter ends are on the inside? I just don’t want to make all the wrong cuts.

      Reply
      • Ryan says

        May 14, 2020 at 7:05 pm

        Good catch. That was a typo on my part. The plywood is 37 1/2" long to fit inside.

        Reply
        • Cate says

          May 15, 2020 at 12:37 pm

          Thank you for your prompt response. Looking forward to starting this project!

          Reply
    6. Issa says

      June 27, 2020 at 11:57 am

      Great job! I’m looking into building this since I can’t find what I want already made, this is perfect! Would it be possible to know the final dimensions of the table? L, W, H? Also, are the legs on this one really 8’’ tall? Thank you so much!

      Reply
      • Ryan says

        June 27, 2020 at 1:55 pm

        The table is 39" x 25.5" x 8". And yes the hairpin legs are 8" tall. This gives the table the height of 16" which is the typical height for a coffee table. Hope you have fun making one!

        Reply
    7. Alim says

      July 27, 2020 at 11:27 pm

      Hello,

      This looks great! I would like to do this myself. Is there a reason you didn't use plyboard on top and cut to size? It seems easier than having to rip 4 pieces of wood and join them together?

      Thanks!

      Reply
      • Ryan says

        July 28, 2020 at 6:59 am

        You can use plywood but I wanted the look of the four boards and the whole outside to all be the same type of wood.

        Reply
        • Alim says

          July 28, 2020 at 2:55 pm

          Okay I understand now. Your plywood wasn't the same. I am thinking of doing top and bottom in both mahogony plywood, and ripping another of the same plywood for the sides. So its all same wood. I think it would work. I wanted to clarify with you in case there was something I was missing that led you to put the four pieces together. Seems just a preference thing.

          Thanks for the reply!

          Reply
    8. Juscelia veiga says

      September 05, 2020 at 11:12 pm

      Hello Ryan
      Great job! It looks really nice, I was wondering if you know how much all the material cost?
      Thank you

      Reply
      • Ryan says

        September 06, 2020 at 7:37 am

        I used ash wood which is a little more expensive so it was about $175 for everything.

        Reply
        • Angela says

          October 21, 2020 at 5:01 pm

          Hey Ryan,

          This looks amazing. I am trying to find a diy project for a sit stand desk that is also aesthetically pleasing. I thought about a lift top option. Opinions on doing this for a desk? Not sure how practical it would be.

          P.S. this looks amazing!

          Reply
          • Ryan says

            October 21, 2020 at 6:35 pm

            Thanks. For a sit stand desk it is definitely possible but I don't have directions for it. I found an example of what one could look like on Overstock.

            Reply
    9. Peter says

      November 10, 2020 at 3:14 pm

      What part of table boards are you ripping down to 7-1/4" on the table saw? Maybe update your cut list to include final lengths and widths?

      Reply
      • Ryan says

        November 11, 2020 at 9:14 am

        It is two of the 39" pieces. If they are 1x8s they should already be at 7-1/4" but if not they should be ripped down to that size. I updated the post. Let me know if you have any other questions!

        Reply
    10. Jessica says

      November 12, 2020 at 11:25 pm

      I want to build our coffee table for the living room like this, i have 0 experience building furniture and have only basic tools such as clamps, drill, screws ect.... so i am ordering the wood from a local shop where they will cut, plane, and sand it for me...

      If I want my table to be square, 3ft x 3ft, and 8 inches deep, what should i ask the exact measurements of each board to be?

      Reply
      • Ryan says

        November 13, 2020 at 9:43 am

        Part of it depends on the thickness of the wood but if it is 3/4" like mine, you'd have two sides that are 36" and two that are 34.5". Then the bottom which is plywood would be 34.5" x 34.5". The top is up to you. You could have 6 pieces at 6" inches wide and 36" long or 4 pieces at 9" inches wide and 36" long. Hope that helps!

        Reply
        • Jessica says

          November 15, 2020 at 12:46 pm

          Okay so... the last bit confused me, so I just wanna triple check. For one solid piece it would be,
          All 3/4 thick
          (2) 36" long x 9 inches wide
          (2) 34.5 long x 9 wide
          This creates the siding..
          The bottom 34.5 x 34.5

          If I were to divide the top into 2 rectangles, the inside into 2 rectangle compartments I would want to do
          1 more 34.5 x 9 x 3/3 and the two wooden braces for the lift table what would the measurement for those need to be?? Would that depend on the lift kit measurements

          Reply
          • Ryan says

            November 16, 2020 at 2:55 pm

            Exactly! And yes it depends on the lift table mechanism for the measurements.

            Reply
            • Jessica says

              November 16, 2020 at 9:23 pm

              Thank you a ton! You've been very very helpful !

    11. Sally Parker Willmore says

      November 14, 2020 at 8:33 pm

      Hi, there are two different size lift mechanisms. Which size did you use? We hope to make it this week, thank you so much for the plans!!

      Reply
      • Ryan says

        November 15, 2020 at 10:58 am

        The lift top mechanism I used was from an old table so I build the size of the table around it. The ones I linked are some suggestions that could work!

        Reply
    12. Taylor says

      December 14, 2021 at 12:36 am

      Hi Ryan, could you share what stain and/or sealant you used please? I really like that color you wound up with.

      Reply
      • Ryan says

        December 14, 2021 at 6:59 am

        I used Minwax Special Walnut stain and then some polyurethane to seal.

        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    About Chisel & Fork

    ryan standing in kitchen

    Hey there! Welcome to Chisel & Fork, a blog with tasty recipes and DIY projects. I'm Ryan and here you'll find hundreds of recipes ranging from true comfort food to vegan. Oh and if you like woodworking, you might just find your next inspiration. Read More About Chisel & Fork…

    Get Your Free Copy of My Top 25 Most Popular Recipes

    title page of ecookbook

    Healthy Recipes

    • Cinnamon Overnight Oats
      Cook Time5 Minutes
    • Buffalo Chicken Spaghetti Squash
      Cook Time1 Hours 10 Minutes
    • Peanut Butter Energy Balls
      Cook Time25 Minutes
    • Quinoa Sweet Potato Salad
      Cook Time1 Hours

    Popular Recipes

    • Baked Cheddar Mac and Cheese
      Cook Time40 Minutes
    • Cranberry Mimosa
      Cook Time5 Minutes
    • Apple Pie with Crumb Topping
      Cook Time1 Hours 40 Minutes
    • Chocolate Chip Scones
      Cook Time35 Minutes

    Featured In

    logos of places where Chisel & Fork has been featured

    Footer

    ^ back to top

    Information

    • About
    • Privacy Policy
    • Accessibility

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates
    • Recipes
    • DIY

    Contact

    • Contact
    • FAQ
    • Work With Us

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2022 Chisel & Fork

    6527 shares