Star Wars Dining Table

This project stemmed from my sister's dire need for a dining room table, my desire to push my creative boundaries, and mine and my sister's love for Star Wars. As a college student living in an apartment, my sister had little money for furniture, and it just so happened that I needed a new project for my high school shop class.

Features & the basic rundown:

The top is a representation of the death star (hopefully obvious, otherwise I didn't do a very good job!), complete with 9 LEDs arranged to look like the 9 points of the super laser. The aprons of the table are finished in a star field with the Star Wars logo in the center. The legs are representations of light sabers and are braced in the middle by an X shaped cross section that was supposed to be a representation of a walkway from the films( a la Death Star in A New Hope or the carbon freezing chamber from Empire Strikes Back), which features action figures of Luke and Darth Vader arranged to appear as though they are dueling.

Unfortunately, I neglected to document any of this project as it was being built, and as a result, this Instructable is much less of a "step by step" and more of a showcase of my work. However, I will do my best to walk through the process of the build, showing each section and trying my best to explain how I did it. I will also offer suggestions for alternative construction methods that would improve the quality of the work or accommodate different situations(denoted by an asterisk [*] and bold text), and I will provide links to the Sketchup model, templates, and other resources that I used throughout the build.

With all that being said, let's walk through it!

Note: Dimensions for parts or layouts can be found in the sketchup model or the templates if they are not explicitly stated in the step.

Step 1: The Legs

The legs are comprised of two pieces, the hilt and the blade, and they are joined together by a short threaded rod and some 5 minute epoxy. I integrated the emitter of the lightsaber onto the x-brace rather than onto the hilt, due to the fact that the brace slides down the legs during assembly (more on that later) and effectively covers the joint between the blade and the hilt. The hilt is made from an 1 3/4" poplar hardwood dowel, purchased from Home Depot here. The dowel was cut to four lengths at 10 1/4" . The grooves in the hilt were accomplished by turning the dowel on a wood lathe, and cutting in with an 1/8" thick parting tool. The depth of the groove was measured during cutting with a caliper to ensure consistency. The blade is an 1 1/4" colored cast acrylic rod in transparent red (code 2423) purchased from Delvie's Plastics here. The blade pieces are cut to 4 lengths at 23 15/16".

To join the two pieces together, I first bored an 11/32" hole in the center of one end of both the dowel and the acrylic at a little over 1 1/2" deep. I did this using a horizontal boring machine (pretty much a drill press laid horizontal with an x,y,z axis adjustable fence). I have included the templates I used for laying out and drilling the holes. I cut these templates out, put masking tape over the ends of the dowel/rod, and used spray adhesive to adhere the template to the tape, rather than the dowel/rod, so it could be peeled off after drilling, leaving no mess. During assembly, I took a 3/8" threaded rod cut to 3 inches long (I made mine from a 3/8" bolt 4 in. long by cutting the hex head off with a hacksaw and then cutting the remaining rod down to 3 in. [this was pretty silly, as I think there is 3/8" threaded rod available for blank bolts that just needs to be cut to size, but oh well...]) and I threaded it into the end of the dowel about an 1 1/2" deep, making sure to drip some epoxy into the hole as well as coat the threads (vise grips helped a LOT here). Since the threaded rod was cut to 3 in., when it was an 1 1/2" deep into the dowel, there was an 1 1/2" of rod still sticking out. From here, I put some epoxy on the remaining threaded rod, as well as the mating ends of the the dowel and the acrylic, and then screwed the acrylic onto the threaded rod until the the mating surfaces were tight together, and I let the glue set (be sure to wipe off any excess with a wet rag). It should be noted that the joinery of the hilt and the blade was done AFTER the hilt was painted. This makes things a little easier.

*The acrylic rod is shipped UNPOLISHED. It is very hazy and has large casting marks. To make it shine you will need a buffing compound (likely two part) PLUS a plastic polish. I was in a time crunch and skipped the buffing, and just polished off the haze the best I could with NOVUS #1 plastic cleaner. As a result, the casting marks remain on the rods, and it doesn't shine as well as it could. Take some time buffing the plastic and it will look amazing!*

*I realize most people do not have a horizontal boring machine or a wood lathe (I don't even have one - my school did). An alternative method of making the hilt would be to use PVC pipe/couplings/fittings or to use sink drain tube (like they used to make the original lightsabers!). I will not go into depth on how to make a hilt out of pvc, but I believe there are many resources out there on how to do so, should you choose that route. Since 1 1/4" is a common inner diameter for pvc, it should/would be relatively simple to slide an 1 1/4" acrylic rod into an 1 1/4" pvc tube, at which point glue and a locking screw or pin could be used to hold the joint together (most aftermarket lightsaber props with removable blades actually hold their blades in with this method, sans glue). PVC could also be used for the blade if one so desired, as acrylic is expensive (just find the appropriate schedule # that will fit inside your hilt core, or use reducers). It would just need to be painted with a paint formulated to adhere to plastic, such as Krylon Fusion for Plastic. If one would like to be really fancy, they could even use aluminum tubing anodized to the color they wanted, provided they could find it.*

Step 2: The X Brace Crosspiece

The X brace is composed of three sections: the top bracing, the sub bracing, and the end caps (emitters).

The sub bracing was made by cutting two strips of 3/4" baltic birch plywood* 1 1/4" wide by 28 7/32" and cutting a lap joint notch in the center of both to join them together. I used a 3/4" router bit and a chisel to cut the notches. The radius of the end caps was sanded into the sub bracing ends about 1/16" using a 2" spindle sander so that when assembled, the ends of the sub bracing will curve to the contour of the end caps.

A note on the sub bracing: I neglected to draw the sub bracing in the full sketchup model for some reason. I'm sorry about this, but hopefully this step will give you enough insight as to how I built it and integrated it into the top bracing.

On to the top bracing. I was able to recreate the gist of this step at work on some scrap 3/4" material, enabling me to take pictures and provide more of a "step by step" approach, save for cutting the dado and routing the inlay channel. This should make it a bit easier to recreate this section. Numbers in parenthesis (#) denote a specific photo for the step.

The top bracing was made from four 3" wide pieces of 3/4" thick baltic birch plywood* at 16 17/32" in length (I cut the pieces about 6 in. oversize lengthwise). A 3/4" dado was cut 1/4" deep down the center of each length (1), and then one end was mitered both sides on each piece.To cut the miter, I set the stop on the chop saw so that the piece would still be oversize AFTER both sides were mitered (2). I made the first cut (3), flipped the piece over (4), and then made the second cut (5) - leaving a nice, centered miter. After the miter was cut, I measured in 1 1/2" from the long edge on the unmitered end, and made a mark (6). I then drew a line from this mark to the center of the mitered point (7) . Using this center line, I measured out 16 17/32" from the tip of the miter, making sure to burn an inch (8a, 8b). When burning an inch (measuring from the 1" mark rather than the standard tab of the tape measure), the measurement read on the tape should be 1" bigger than the desired measurement (in this case we measured to 17 17/32" rather than 16 17/32" because of the inch we omitted). Once the length was measured out, I made a mark and cut the piece to final length (9a, 9b, 9c). From here I measured down the center line 1 1/2" from the short edge of the unmitered end and made a mark (10). I center punched where this mark and the center line intersected (11), and then used a compass set to an 1 1/2" radius to draw the radius (12). I rough cut the radius on the band saw (13), and then fine sanded to the line on the belt sander (14). Once the radius was done, I used the center punch mark as the center for the lightsaber blade entry hole. The entry hole was drilled out with an 1 1/4" forstner bit using a drill press (15). I highly recommend using a drill press for any drilling on this project, as vertical alignment is paramount. Repeat this process three times more and you'll have all the parts for the top bracing.

Part of the purpose of the x bracing, aesthetically speaking, was to look like a Star Wars walkway. To accomplish this, I decided to inlay 1" x 1/4" x 1/8" white acrylic plastic (purchased from Delvie's Plastics in a 12" x 12" sheet, 1/8" thick, color code 7328 here) into the edges, and paint the rest black. In hindsight, this was absolutely asinine. I ended up routing a long channel the length of the "light strip", at just over 1/8" deep and 1/4" wide using a dremel router set up. I then glued down the inlay pieces (which I cut on the table saw) in the increments they went in and filled in the voids with a power based wood putty, sanding the top and edge flush afterwards. If you go this route, I would highly suggest using a plastic auto body filler instead of a wood putty. Auto body filler tacks to itself and is formulated to fill large voids.**

The end caps are made from a 2" pine hardwood dowel (purchased from the Home Depot here) cut into four 1 1/2" lengths. I bored an 1 1/4" hole through the center on the end of each end cap, using a jig I made and an 1 1/4" forstner bit. The jig is a 3 1/8" piece of scrap with an 1/8" cut down the middle about halfway down. I drilled a 2" hole using a 2" forstner bit (since the diameter of the end caps is 2") right in the middle of the 1/8" cut. This cut acts as a clamp when the endcap is put in the 2" hole. After the hole was drilled, I changed the 2" bit to an 1 1/4" bit and placed the 2" endcap in the hole, all WITHOUT MOVING the jig. I clamped the jig around the endcap by squeezing the sides with the vise, and drilled the 1 1/4" hole.

During assembly, the top bracing is arranged onto the sub bracing, the sub bracing being glued into the dado. The sub bracing is held in by pin nailing into it through the top of the top bracing. I neglected to join the mating surfaces of the top bracing together and just joined each piece individually to the sub bracing, but I would highly suggest joining the mating surfaces (the mitered ends) of the top bracing with glue and wood biscuits if possible, as well as to the sub bracing. The end caps are centered so the bored hole lines up with the hole drilled into the top bracing, and then glued and pin nailed into the sub bracing. If you sanded the ends of the sub bracing, it should form to the contour of the endcaps. If you cut the dado first like I did, you'll notice that you can see it on the end of each piece after assembly. To fix this, you can do what I did, and putty it after assembly, or you can cut the dado with a router, and just stop the dado where the entry hole will be drilled.

*I ended up making the x brace out of 3/4 baltic birch ply. I do not recommend this. I instead recommend using 3/4" MDF, or 3/4" hardwood maple for the x brace and aprons. The plywood edges were exposed on my project (I had not yet learned about edge banding) and as such, you can see the ply core through the paint. Although the edges can be edge banded, it's a bit of a hassle because you need to compensate for the thickness of the banding on all banded edges. MDF is a better alternative because it takes paint very well, machines very smooth and accurate, and the edges can be finished raw. The only con is that it swells a bit from soaking in paint, but due to the nature of this project, I don't see that as a huge issue. That being said, hardwood maple is probably the best alternative, as it takes paint just as well as MDF (due to having very closed grain), doesn't swell from paint, and has the benefit of being very strong and durable, since maple is very hard. Its only drawback is that it can be rough on tools due to being so hard, and it can be a little more expensive than MDF. Both MDF and hardwood maple are exceptional options, one would just have to decide which to use based on which is more cost effective and easier to obtain. *

**A better solution would be to paint the x bracing and then use a self adhesive white vinyl material (found here) to cut the "lights" to the size in the model, and stick them on instead. From there you could clear coat over the vinyl. One would just have to be sure there was no dust on the bracing and no air bubbles in the vinyl.*

Step 3: Aprons & Corner Posts

The aprons were made out of 3/4" baltic birch (again, I would use mdf or hardwood maple if I were to do this over) cut to 4" x 19 1/2". I cut a bevel into my aprons because I didn't want a regular square edge profile. The corner posts were made from an 1 3/4" square hardwood dowel (purchased from Home Depot here) cut into 4 in. lengths. I bored an 1 1/4" hole down the center of the end of each corner post 1" deep, using an 1 1/4" forstner bit and the drill press. I drilled holes for pocket screws along the top edge of each apron for attaching them to the table top, and drilled two pocket holes on each end for attaching to the corner posts. I used a pneumatic Kregg jig for this, but one for a regular drill can be purchased here. I staggered the holes on the ends so the screws wouldn't hit each other when the aprons and corner posts were assembled.

For assembly I clamped the corner post to the workbench, the apron to the workbench (with a 1/2" spacer under it), and ran a clamp from one end of the apron to the outside of the corner post, clamping the two pieces together. I then pocket screwed the pieces together. I repeated this until the whole section as assembled. I DID NOT glue the pieces together yet, as they were painted separate. I took the assembly apart (AFTER it was laid up onto the bottom of the table top. See the next step.) and I wrote registration numbers on the end of each apron and on each corner post where the apron went, so the screw holes would line up during final assembly later.

Step 4: Table Top

The table top was made from a 36" pine round (purchased from the Home Depot here) and the pieces for the death star panels were made from 1/4" mdf. The edges of the top were already rounded over when I received it, but they were rounded over inconsistently, and I ended up having to round the edges by hand.

Before I could dive in to positioning my aprons & corner posts and laying up my death star template, I first needed to find the center of the top. To do this, I drew a chord from one edge of the top to another edge (1). I measured the length of this chord, halved that length to find the center, and made a mark at the center. I then drew a line through this center mark perpendicular to the chord (2). I repeated this process at another place on the top, and where the two perpendicular lines intersected was my center (3). I drilled a small hole through the center (it would be filled later with putty) so it could be seen from the bottom of the top as well, and set to laying out my aprons and corner posts. I mostly eyeballed the position of the aprons on the table top, simply moving them around a little bit at a time and checking the distance from each corner post to the edge until each distance was the same. (The exact measurements for centering the aprons are in the sketchup model, but I was lazy). When I was happy, I clamped the aprons down with some pinch clamps and pocket screwed them to the table top. I then unscrewed them, wrote some registration keys on the table top and corner post tops (1 on the top to 1 on the corner post, 2 on the top to 2 on the corner post, etc...) so that everything would line back up during reassembly and then set out to lay up the death star template.

The template for the death star design was made using Inkscape. I exported the file to a pdf (included here) and printed the pdf using Foxit Reader, as Foxit Reader allows for tiled printing at full scale. I set the parameters to 100% zoom, no overlap, auto rotate and center, and tiled print (4). Once the pages were printed (I ended up with 20 pages), I cut out the template (I cut out the WHOLE template, not the individual panels - that comes later) and taped the edges together to make a complete template. I numbered each of the panels, starting from the top left, going right, and then starting left with each new row (5). There should be 44 panels in total.

To lay the template up onto the table top, I first taped over the entire table top with 3" masking tape. I then used the center hole I drilled earlier and a makeshift compass (made from a finish nail, some scrap wood and a pencil) set to a radius of 17 1/2" to draw a 35" circle on the masking tape. This would be the confines of the template. The template is drawn to 35" in diameter, so that the finished table top will have 1/2" overhang all around. I used spray adhesive to attach the template to the taped off top. Once the template was adhered to the tape, I used an X-Acto knife to cut around each individual panel of the death star design, making sure to dig in deep, as the lines cut into the top would serve as border guides later when the panels were being glued on. I cut out the super laser oval as well, because the LED circuit is recessed into the top of the table top and covered by a 1/4" panel (the super laser oval). Once I was done cutting around each panel and the super laser oval, I peeled off each panel piece, making sure to retain the tape, and stuck them onto some 1/4" mdf. I traced around each panel piece onto the mdf, and wrote the corresponding number onto the mdf as well. I then rough cut out the panels on the band saw, and sanded them to size on the belt sander. Once the panels are cut out, scratch out the number on the face, and write it on the back. That way you will still be able to tell what number panel it is after sanding and paint. (This whole process if covered in photos 6-16, using the shape of a triangle.)

The circuit board is probably the most ambiguous part of this project, because it wholly depends on the shape of your super laser oval panel. I used ferric chloride to etch my circuit design, making a DIY printed circuit. More information on this method can be found by searching "Etching circuits with ferric chloride and pc board".

I started by eyeballing where I wanted my LEDs on the panel, and drilled holes for them with a 1/4" bit. I rough cut some 1/16" copper PC board (purchased from Amazon here) to the shape of the panel, taped it to the panel and sanded the edges flush. After this, I made a scan of the panel and imported the scan into Inkscape. I made an Inkscape file of the distance between my LED anodes and cathodes (included here) so that I could center the LEDs in the 1/4 holes I drilled. I drew my circuit design onto the panel (17), deleted the panel scan from the file, and then printed the circuit design using a LASER printer. If you use an inkjet, the circuit image won't transfer. I cleaned the pc board with scotch brite and then transferred the circuit design to the pc board using an iron. I touched up the areas that didn't transfer with a sharpie, and then etched with circuit with ferric chloride (purchased here) by setting the pc board in a tub filled with the chemical. After 24 hours, I pulled the board out. I cleaned off the toner/sharpie with denatured alcohol and then drilled out the holes for my resistor leads and LED anodes/cathodes with circuit board bits (purchased here). I used 9 5mm green LEDs (purchased here) in my circuit, and used a 3xAA battery box (purchased here) to supply 4.5 V to the circuit (each AA battery is 1.5 V, so 3 wired in series is 4.5 V). The battery box even came with a switch! Using this LED circuit calculator, I found the resistor ohm rating I needed. The circuit is designed so the LEDs are wired in parallel, not series. With a source voltage of 4.5 V, a 2.2 forward voltage, and an 18mA forward current, I was able to find out that I needed 150 ohm 1/4 watt resistors (purchased here). The LEDs I used can be maxed out at 20mA or 22mA, but I chose to run them at 18mA so they're a little dimmer. That way they last longer and aren't blinding. I then wired up my circuit according to my design (positive is the inner circle, negative is the out). I filled any breaks in the circuit by soldering in some wire. I didn't wire on the battery holder yet, as it feeds through the bottom of the table. I did test the circuit though by holding the hot on the positive and the ground on the negative. Success!

The recess in the table top that houses the circuit board and super laser oval panel was routed out to 1/2" deep using a router with a 1/2" cutting bit. I used the lines left on the table from cutting out the super laser oval with the X-Acto knife as a guide and made adjustments as necessary so that both the circuit board and super laser oval panel fit. After the recess was routed I drilled a hole through the bottom of it on an edge, so the battery box wires could be fed through. After this was done, it was time for paint!

Step 5: Sanding & Painting

Unfortunately I do not have any visual aid to offer for the painting process, but I will do my best to explain the procedure I followed.

I used Rust-Oleum Painter's Touch 2X Ultra Cover paint on all my parts. I used satin sheen, except for on the legs, which was Metallic Aluminum, and the primer, which was flat grey. I used Minwax Satin Polycrylic for the clear top coat. Before any coats of paint were sprayed, I puttied any dents with a powder based wood filler, and I finish sanded the parts to 180 grit. Take your time when sanding. The key to a nice finish is in the prep work. I neglected to sand off the numbers on my death star panels (I was in a big rush and had no sander) and you can see the number through the topcoat . As mentioned earlier, the x brace and aprons should've been made from mdf or edge banded, as the ply cores are exposed and can be seen through the topcoat. You live, you learn.

I also bought a spray handle that attaches to a rattle can. (You can buy one here) This is highly recommended. It really makes laying down an even coat very easy.

I ordered my bulk paint by the case of 6 from Home Depot, and purchased individual cans off the shelf at Home Depot and Ace Hardware. I ended up using about two cases of Satin Canyon Black, a case and a half of flat grey primer, a can of Metallic Aluminum, two cans of Satin Summer Squash, three to four cans of Satin Stone Gray, three to four cans of Satin Granite, and a can of Satin Blossom White.

A coat of paint consisted of two passes, being sprayed about 20 minutes apart.

The legs:

1. I started by removing any dust with an air blower and a tack cloth.
2. I sprayed two coats of flat grey primer. I let the primer cure for 24 hours in between coats. I scuffed the finish to 220 grit in between primer coats.
3. I sprayed two coats of Satin Canyon Black paint. I let the paint cure for 48 hours between coats. I very lightly scuffed between coats with a very fine sanding sponge.
4. I masked off which grooves in the grip/hilt that I wanted black.
5. I sprayed two coats of Metallic Aluminum. I let the paint cure about 48 hours in between coats. After the paint was dry, I pulled off the masking tape and set the parts aside.

The X-bracing:

1. I started by removing dust with an air blower and a tack cloth. I masked off each individual white plastic inlay with blue tape.
2. I sprayed two coats of flat grey primer. I let the primer cure for 24 hours in between coats. I scuffed the finish to 220 grit in between primer coats.
3. I sprayed 2 passes of silver on each of the end caps. When this was dry, I masked off the end caps.
4. I sprayed three coats of Satin Canyon Black. I let the paint cure for 48 hours between coats, and scuffed the paint very lightly with a very fine sanding sponge in between the first two coats. When the paint was dry, I peeled off the masking tape on the end caps and the inlays, and touched up bleed through and over masking with a black sharpie. I then set the part aside.

The aprons & corner posts:

1. I started by removing dust with an air blower and a tack cloth.
2. I sprayed two coats of flat grey primer. I let the primer cure for 24 hours in between coats. I scuffed the finish to 220 grit in between primer coats.
3. I sprayed two coats of Satin Summer Squash on the front of the aprons. After this was dry, I masked off the center of each apron, and used spray adhesive to attach a print out of the Star Wars logo. I cut out around the letters, and pulled off the tape and paper around the letters; the letters stayed attached to the apron.
4. I sprayed three coats of Satin Canyon Black on the aprons and corner posts. I let the paint cure for 48 hours between coats, and scuffed the paint very lightly with a very fine sanding sponge in between the first two coats.
5. I sprayed the star field by holding a can of Satin Blossom White so the nozzle sprayed vertically, and spraying short bursts - letting the paint rain down over the workpiece. This can also be done by spraying your fingers and flicking the paint onto the workpiece. Once the paint was dry, I peeled off the masking tape for the logo and put the aprons and corner posts back together, gluing them this time with 5 minute epoxy. When the glue was set, I set the part aside.

The top:

1. I started by removing dust with an air blower and a tack cloth.
2. I sprayed two coats of flat grey primer on the top and on the death star panels. I let the primer cure for 24 hours in between coats. I scuffed the finish to 220 grit in between primer coats.
3. I sprayed two coats of Satin Stone Grey on the top and on the super laser oval panel. I let the paint cure for 48 hours, scuffing lightly in between coats with a very fine sanding sponge.
4. I sprayed the death star panels with four coats of Satin Granite (two coats would normally be sufficient, but I neglected to sand off my number as mentioned above, and they bled through my color coats). I let the paint cure for 24 hours in between coats (I was in a hurry) and scuffed the paint very lightly in between coats with a very fine sanding sponge. I masked off a small oval in the center of the super laser oval panel and painted it with a pass of Satin Granite.
5. At this point, I glued the death star panels onto the table top. I used 5 minute epoxy and 5 pound dumbbells as a weight to clamp each panel to the table top. I used the indentations left from cutting each panel out of the template as a guide for positioning. When these were dry, I masked off the panels with tape and newspaper, leaving the back, the edge, and a channel down the middle of the top exposed.
6. I sprayed two coats of Satin Canyon Black onto the top, covering the back, the edges, and a channel down the center of the table top (Make sure not to paint over your registration marks for your apron and corner post layouts, otherwise it will be hard finding where your screw holes line up). I let the paint cure for 48 hours, scuffing very lightly in between coats with a very fine sanding sponge after the first coat.

Topcoats:

I decided to wait and clear top coat all my parts at the same time, which is why parts were set aside after final color top coat. I brushed on three coats of Minwax Polycrylic with foam brushes on all of my parts. The aprons & corner posts were top coated after their final assembly to make it easier. When the polycrylic was dried, it was time for final assembly at last...

Step 6: Final Assembly

The Top:

The apron and corner post assembly was screwed back on to the the bottom of the table top, being glued with 5 minute epoxy. The battery holder for the circuit board was threaded through the hole in the bottom of the recess and soldered to the circuit board. The battery holder was held on to the inside of the nearest apron with dual adhesive velcro. The circuit board was built up on the bottom with spacers, to level the super laser oval panel and for heat dissipation. The board was held down with dual adhesive velcro. The top of the circuit board was also built up with spacers as well for the same reason as the bottom, and the super laser oval panel was held down with dual adhesive velcro.

The Legs and Bracing:

The legs were assembled as described in step 1. I purchased some adjustable furniture feet from the Home Depot that screw into the bottom of the legs. I went with adjustable feet so I could level the table if I needed to. The x-brace slides down over the legs and glues to the tops of the hilt with 5 minute epoxy. The end caps cover the joint between the blade and the hilt.

The dueling Luke and Vader are Star Wars Mission Series Action Figures (The Bespin Pack, purchased here [if they're still available]). I formed these to the dueling pose by dipping them in very hot water, posing them, and rapidly cooling them in a cup of iced water with salt in it. I promptly dried them off and glued them down, joining them to the table at the feet, and joining the figures together at the lightsaber clash. I used regular super glue for this.

Completion:

The acrylic rod slides into the holes drilled into the end posts. A hole was drilled into the inside of each corner post, and through the rod.. A small hex bolt was then threaded through each one, to act as a locking pin.

The table top is a 1/4" thick, 35" diameter glass table top purchased here. It rests on the table top on many 1/4" thick rubber bumpers.

Step 7: Coasters & Chairs

The coasters were made by sandwiching a death star design between two acrylic disks. Each coaster is made from a 4" diameter 1/8" thick black acrylic disk (color code 2025, purchased from Delvie's Plastics here), a 4" diameter 1/16" thick clear acrylic disk (purchased from Delvie's Plastics here), and a death star design traced onto some self adhesive cardboard (the same stuff used for needle art). The sandwich is held together by green screws that thread into a bushing (purchased here). The acrylic disks have eight 3/16" holes around the circumference for the screws to fit through, and are drilled in pairs (one 1/8", on 1/16") so they line up. Make sure to label which is the face on each disk - if a disk is put on backwards, the holes won't line up. The death star design was an icon I found on Google that I imported into Inkscape, made a vector tracing of, and re-sized to be 4" diameter. The template is included below. I printed the template out, the cardboard was masked off and the death star design was glued onto the tape with spray adhesive. I cut out the design, peeled off the tape and painted the cardboard with grey acrylic paint. When the paint was dry, I peeled off the adhesive back and stuck the cardboard design onto the black disk. I drilled out the entry holes for the screws, touched up the paint, and stuck the corresponding clear disk on top, lining up the holes. I then pushed the screws through and tightened them down.

The coaster box is 3/4" baltic birch with rabbeted sides and a dado-ed in bottom. The top is hinged with two inexpensive Home Depot hinges. I did a dry fit with the hinges before paint. The hinges are recessed into the box a little bit so the top sits flush. I cut out the recess with a router. The box is painted in Satin Blossom White, with the Galactic Empire logo in Satin Canyon Black. Painting procedures were similar to the rest of the table parts. I finish sanded to 180 grit, and cleaned the parts free of dust with a tack cloth and an air blower.

1. I sprayed two coats of flat grey primer, scuffing with 220 grit sandpaper in between coats. I let the primer cure 24 hours in between coats.
2. I sprayed a coat of Satin Canyon Black on the top. I masked off the top and glued on a printout of the Galactic Empire logo, and cut out around it with a razor knife.
3. I sprayed two coats of Satin Blossom White on all of the parts.
4. I brushed on two coats of Minwax Polycrylic on all of the parts with a foam brush.

When the paint was dry, I glued in some red felt I purchased from Joann's fabric to the inside of the box, and the put the top on.

The chairs were two bar stools bought off of KSL (the Utah, Idaho and Colorado exclusive Craigslist) for $10. I reupholstered them with fabric I bought from Joann's Fabric, and replaced the seat foam as well. The paint on the frame was ground off with an angle grinder, and the frames were repainted. For painting:

1. I sprayed two coats of flat grey primer.
2. I sprayed two coats of Satin Canyon Black.
3. I spray the star field the same way I did on the aprons.
4. I sprayed two coats of Rust-OLeum Painter's Touch Satin Clear.

The chairs were reassembled and the set was complete!

Step 8: Hindsight Is 20/20...

Overall, I am very satisfied with the result of this project. I learned a lot building this project (especially of what NOT to do) had a lot of fun building it, and last but not least, the look on my sister's face when she saw the finished product was priceless!

There are many ways this project could be attempted, with tons of options to make it better, but I'll leave that in the hands of more qualified builders. For now, I'm satisfied with my result. :)

A special thanks to my high school woodshop instructor, Mrs. Hales. The skills you taught me all throughout my high school career enabled me to complete this project, and I will be forever grateful for everything you've done for me. If you're reading this, thank you.

Thanks a lot for reading. I hope you enjoyed my first Instructable - I tried to be as detailed and concise as I could given the circumstances, since I was a dolt and didn't document anything. I hope it was detailed enough to help one duplicate this project if they desired, or at least provided a basic understanding of how I did it. I hope you were inspired by this project to take it above and beyond what my capabilities allow. If not, I hope you were at least entertained!

May the force be with you all.