Side Table with Cowhide

This lumber was just sitting there waiting to be turned into a table.

Sometimes I have a project in mind and go looking in the shop for the pieces I need. Other times I see a wood scrap and know what it's going to be. I saw this piece and it screamed tabletop for a side table.

Yes, and trim too! I saved all of these mahogany pieces at the beginning of the year to build a side table, and envisioned cowhide on top with silver upholstery nails.

This looks like a drawer but it will be turned over and become a shelf.

All the pieces were cut to the chosen size and sanded. Now time to glue it up.

Glued and clamped. The shelf was clamped in for support. After this dried, the shelf was glued in place and clamped. Brad nails were also used.

I glued 1/4" trim around the tabletop.

To attach the tabletop, I placed the legs and traced around them. I drilled a hole through the tabletop and into the legs and inserted wood screws. The tracing also shows where to glue the cowhide.

All glued together! These are the exact dimensions. Time for the finish.

After the finish, I glued on the cowhide and added silver upholstery tacks.

I was surprised how well this turned out. The cowhide was a great accent and really catches your eye when you walk into the room.

Adding a little decor completes the project.