Unusual Modern Style Coffee Table

This coffee table won 2nd place in the Advanced Division of the 2010 Guild of Oregon Woodworkers annual exhibition. It has none of the traditional design elements, but appears to be a random collection of boxes with an assortment of wood veneers, floating in air. Actually, the box sizes and placements and wood species are carefully selected for balance and utility, and the internal structure is meticulously hidden. The table contains 17 boxes, made of Baltic birch, covered with one of six species of thick custom made veneer: bubinga, red oak, padauk, birds-eye maple, anegre, and western walnut. The boxes are fastened to an interior H-shaped backbone of white oak, and bolted to each other. The edges of the boxes are trimmed with solid wood to hide and protect the edges of the veneer; the solid wood trim is cut from the same boards as the veneer, for a perfect match. Each box is finished and polished smooth. The legs are solid western walnut and can be removed for transport. We can alter the selections of wood species, but not the sizes or placement of the boxes.