Herringbone Coffee table

When I renovated our toy hauler last year I wanted to create a space that could be used as a "dining area" since the original was removed. I wanted it to be lightweight so that I could stow it away when not needed and to have more of a coffee table feel. I love finding inexpensive ideas to create the exact idea you have in your head when you can't seem to find it.

Supplies needed:

• Paint sticks

• 1x2x8

• 1/4 sheet plywood

• Collapsible legs

• Brad nails

• Wood glue

• Miter saw (circular saw)

• Jig saw

• Driver

• Stain

Step 1

Decide on how big you want your table. I decided to go with a standard 1/4 sheet of plywood that you can get in the project section precut, which is 48"x24". In order for the legs to attach securely you want to get 3/4" thick plywood. Next find center, (12" if using the same size board as me) length wise and draw a line, this will be your middle herringbone line. I also measured 6" out on either side of the center to create my two other center lines for the herringbone pattern.

Step 2

Draw a line between the two lines on a 45 degree angle to get the length of the paint sticks needed. In these measurements I needed to cut the paint sticks at 8.5" long. Next mark a dot at the center of the top and bottom of each paint stick. Take your paint sticks and add wood glue to the backs of each and start with the middle line gluing them down lining up the center marks on the lines. Let the middle row dry before doing the next outer rows. For the outside rows just repeat the process letting the excess hang off the edge of the plywood.

Step 3

Once they are all secured flip the table upside down and clamp a scrap piece of wood along the side as a guide for your jigsaw to run straight across the edge. This will cut all of the excess corners off. Sand the edges of the cut paint sticks smooth. Next cut the 1x2 trim at a 45 beveled cut for the two long sides and secure with wood glue and brad nails. Then cut the two shorter pieces for the other two sides to complete the trim. Wood fill and sand.

Step 4:

At this point I secured the collapsible legs on the base of the table and then stained the entire top with Special Walnut by Minwax. Added a polyurethane top coat and it was finished!

The legs I used made it very easy to fold up and store behind the couch in the RV. They also were industrial and sleek looking which went nicely with the look of our interiors.

Like always if you are more of a visual learner you can check out the highlight I have saved on my Instagram account here, where I saved the entire process of me building this one!