The slatted shelf is handy for things like napkins, but at a coffee table height of 17″ it would be awkward to see the shelf if the top were solid. An acrylic insert seemed a reasonable solution, and has worked out well. Design details echo the patio trestle table I previously posted.

This is the second project in which I’ve used a Festool Domino 700 joiner, and I must say it almost feels like cheating.  After decades of chopping mortises by hand and cutting tenons on a table saw, I can now mill the mortises almost faster than I can lay them out.  Results so far have been flawless.