Round Corner CNC Children-proof Table Set

When our first son start walking, we realize that our sharp and pointy coffee and side tables weren't the best items around our small living room. That because Borja, our son, spend most of the day in that area, and an accident could happen at any time.

So, my wife decide that we need new tables, in order to avoid any accident involving, Borja, his forehead, the pointy tables and the covering glass on the top of them.

We visited a lot of furniture and decor stores, until we find a coffee and a side tables perfect for us, with round corners and soft edges. The truth is that the tables were really pretty, the problem was the price. The coffee table was around $400, and the side table around $250. And we did not have that money.

I told my wife that I can make some similar tables for a quarter of the coffee table's price. My wife give a poker face, but I didn't care.

Some months earlier a friend and I gave a try and CNC two study tables. We get the file from a CC licensed site, to use it for personal purposes. From a single 18mm pine plywood sheet, we cut two tables. He's an architect, so he gave all the cutted pieces to his carpenter so hi can finish both tables.

The first thing my wife told me, was that the tables needed to have round corners, like those we saw at the store Also should be easy to clean and move, because our previous tables were heavy and bulky.

With my wife specifications and the information taken from some furniture and measure standards books, I start to write down all the ideas that I would later use to draw both tables.

I decide that the best material was 18mm walnut both sided MDF, for the price, and because my wife like walnut wood and it veneer.

With the material, specifications, and standards knowledge, I took the computer and start to draw.

As I don't know how to use AutoCad, I draw the tables in CorelDraw, in which my proficiency higher. Besides Corel has the possibility to export to DWG if needed.

Step 1: Materials and Files Info

The cutting file is in metric units, designed to cut one set of tables (coffee and side tables) on a single 244x122cm plywood or MFD sheet.

Both, the CDR and the DWG files, have some color coded instructions on the left side. As simple as, inside cut, outside cut and pocket hole.

The coffee table is 98x58cm.

The side table is 58x58cm.

*If you need other width or length for the tables, feel free to modify it as you need.

Step 2:

Once you find a FabLab or a CNC workshop, you can send the file, so you can receive an estimated price for the cutting.

Another way of cutting, if you don't find a CNC, is to plotter the file and give it to a carpenter, so he can cut all the parts.

Just to let you know, when I had all the pieces cutted, I realize that they don't fit one on each other, so they need to be sanded 1mm each side on the snap-on part. This because the CNC guy did not pay attention in the pocket holes. So you better assure they pay enough attention on that matter, so the pieces snap easily.

Step 3:

As you already know, if you have previously worked with MDF, you need something to cover the brown ugly edges. You can cover them with something I'm going to call "edge cover", that because I don't know the correct word in English for it. But if you know a good carpenter, you can ask him about this stripe, made out from different type of woods. This stripe should be ironed to the edge. You can use your regular home iron for that.

I used walnut "edge cover", to match my walnut sided MDF.

Step 4:

When you have all the pieces cutted, and

if you are lucky enough, your pieces should snap into each other with a bit of work. If not, go to your carpenter he can fix it.

I screw some 1" angle joints, to
stick together the legs and the top. This give stiffness to the tables so you can sit on the edge and the top won't pop off.

*As an advice, I use a Polyform 1000 coating to prevent toy scratches.

Step 5:

Enjoy!