Burnt Wood Flag Table
Home and Family 4169 Final Photo Assets
Combining two things I like - an oversized coffee table and a rustic flag - this coffee table looks super chic and expensive, but is a breeze to make using standard lumber yard supplies.....oh, and a blow torch.
Okay, that was a bit dramatic, just a propane torch - the same kind you use to brown creme brûlée. If you haven't used one, you should. It's fun.
MATERIALS
Four 4" x 4" x 18" posts
Fifteen 1" x 3" x 6' boards
Three 3" x 6" x 18" boards
Four 1" x 3" x 40"
Two 1" x 2" x 40"
Two 1" x 2" x 6'
Iron star (a few if you have them)
Propane torch
STEPS
Burn seven of the 6' boards. You do so by igniting your torch and holding it a few inches from the board just until it starts to darken. Use constant motion to keep one area from getting darker than another. I found it easiest to set the boards up against a wall and work on them vertically. Seems like the flame from the torch covers more surface area that way.
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Line the three 18" boards up and place your stars randomly on them. Burn around the stars. Wait for them to cool a little, move them to a non-burned area and burn again. Repeat until you have a "field" of stars.
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Lay out 7 burnt boards and 6 regular boards to create your flag, be sure you start with a burnt board at the top to be official. Lay your 18" boards on top and mark where they fall with a pencil. Cut the long boards along the pencil line so that the field of stars lays flat among the stripes.
To build your table, screw two of the 4" x 4" x 18" posts flush to the sides and 1" from the top of the two remaining 1" x 3" x 6' boards to create the long sides of the table. Measure the width of your pre-assembled flag and cut the two 40" boards the same length. Screw these into the legs to create the short ends of the table.
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Now take the 1" x 2" boards and screw them around the inside of the table to make a lip that is the same depth as the thickness of the boards. Lay your long boards down, resting them on the lip. Once you get to where your field of stars should go, you'll need to cut the remains two 40" boards to fit inside the frame of the table. Screw this to the inside of the table on the long sides and then screw, from the bottom up, to attach the shorter boards and the field of stars. Do the same thing at the other end of boards, about the same distance in, to give extra support. If you want, you can seal the entire table with a clear sealer, or just let it age gracefully....like us.
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