Synopsis: This elegant side table has tapered, octagonal legs that are made from green wood, boiled on a stovetop, and bent using a basic form. The octagonal top is cut on the bandsaw and shaped by hand, and the entire structure is supported by a half-lap stretcher assembly. Bizzarri shows how to make the table using mostly hand tools.

---

I designed this table to be very accessible to build. Its structure is borrowed from the bottom half of a Windsor chair, but while Windsor chairmaking can seem to require a forester’s access to trees, turning skills to match Richard Raffan, and a laundry list of unusual tools, this table can be made from sawn lumber, doesn’t involve a lathe, and requires only a few specialized chairmaking tools.

Riving and shaving the parts

The table’s legs and stretchers are best made from ring-porous hardwoods like oak (used here), ash,…