Drawn to the beetle kill pine for its beautiful colors and local ties, I wanted to create a unique project for our living room. I decided to build a hexagon shaped coffee table with the beetle kill pine, and inlay the emblem from the Colorado state flag. I came up with basic plans for leg placement and dimensions and then worked on some detailed complement design. Then, starting with rough cut beetle kill pine from a local wood supplier, I started cutting and shaping the pieces.
The frame is made from mortise and tenon joinery. The legs are cut from 2×6 stock, while the rails are cut from 1x material. For the bottom shelf, I experimented with a “pinwheel” design (trimmed out to allow for expansion and wood movement). On the top, I glued in a piece of clear white pine contrasted against the “blue” from the nettle kill, and then inlaid the “C” in the correct dimensions and placement from the Colorado flag.
Once it was all assembled, we sprayed it with a pre-catalyzed semigloss lacquer.
It came out beautifully unique and will be a prized piece of furniture in our Colorado home for years to come.
-Andy Broadworth
Thornton, CO
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