Philip Heaphy, Four Pillars Coffee table (FURNITURE 2025)

Photos:

Philip Heaphy

Country

Australia

Four Pillars Coffee Table Being a woodworker and carpenter for most of my life, it breaks my heart to see timber put in a skip bin and sent to the dump. Over the last few years i collected scrap piece of flooring (black butt) which I used for the top and dressed the edges with some off cuts from another job I did (Tasmanian oak) The legs are a combination of off cuts the main pillars are the protective blocking sent when buying packs of flooring and have a rebate cut into them to take the strapping. Having the rebate already, I recut to have every piece the same size and inlayed with some camphor timber which was some old tongue and groove boards I got from another job I worked on. The rails and top supports are black butt again, this time they were off cuts from a gate I made a few years back. I cut a double halving joint for all rails to be supported by the pillars that sit on a rail with a mortise and tenon joint to hold both pillars together. The pillars are also connected using the open slot mortise with whole-timber tenon which is a continuation of the rebated inlay using camphor but showing the end grain as a feature. The finish is a soft wax feast Watson first coat with a top coating of hard wax. The central cutout is an old roofing beam that was cut and shaped to show the under lying halving joint, and some curved cutouts of the rails to add depth. Over all I had great enjoyment and pleasure designing and building this coffee table, show a lot of features and skills of woodworking, taking inspiration from such books as the art of Japanese joinery, and the complete guide to Joint-making. I hope the time and effort that went into it will be appreciated by all.

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