How to Solve the Problem of a Coffee Table That Is Too Large

If you have a coffee table that you really like, but that is simply too large for the space you have for it, you can take radical action to make it smaller. Don't do this if the table is an antique or in any way valuable, because you will certainly remove any value that it has. However, if you are careful, you won't necessarily detract from its aesthetic beauty, and if you get your proportions right you may even improve it.

Disassemble the Table

• 1

  Lay the table upside down on a workbench or table, placing a blanket between it and the bench to protect the top.

• 2

  Remove any screws holding the top to the aprons -- the four boards that hold the legs together. These screws may be driven vertically through the bottom of the aprons and into the top, or diagonally through the inside face of the aprons.

• 3

  Separate the top from the leg and aprons assembly.

• 4

  Cut two of the legs on one end of the leg and apron assembly off of the aprons. If these are assembled with mortise and tenon joints, you will do this by running a saw along the joint between the apron and the leg. This will sever the tenon from the apron and leave the severed tenon inside the mortise in the leg. A mortise and tenon joint is made up of a piece of wood with a rectangular hole cut into it -- the mortise -- and another piece of wood with a tab at the end of it -- the tenon -- that fits tightly into the hole to hold the two pieces together.

• 5

  Remove the severed tenon from inside the mortise by drilling down into it, and then removing the remnants of the tenon with a chisel.

Cut the Top and Base to Size

• 1

  Cut the top to the size that you want using a circular saw. Sand the cut edges and apply a finish on it to make it resemble the rest of the table.

• 2

  Shorten the two aprons off of which you cut the tenons. Cut off the same length from each of them that you cut from the table top.

• 3

  Cut a tenon into the end of each apron that you just cut shorter, to a dimension that the tenon will fit into the same mortise that the other tenons were in. Cut the shoulders of the tenon using a sharp saw, then pare it down with a sharp chisel to the dimensions of the mortise.

Reassemble the Table

• 1

  Apply glue on the tenons and inside the mortises. Press the tenons into the mortises and clamp the assembly together. Wipe up any excess glue that is squeezed out of the joint with a damp cloth. Allow it to dry.

• 2

  Lay the tabletop face down on the bench again, in the same position that it was in before.

• 3

  Lay the shortened table base assembly on top of the inverted tabletop.

• 4

  Line up the screw holes and put the screws back into the same holes that you took them out of.