Have you seen a coffee table/display case?

[wainzoid]

Every winter when work is slow I come up with some kind of project. This week I intend to finish last winters project which was new kitchen cabinets. All I have left to do is hang the doors. So next...

I would like to make a new coffee table with a glass top. There I would display my treasures. I have seen one yrs ago, that displayed indian artifacts. Don't really remember much about it. What was in it blew my mind and I didn't really look at the case/table.

Does anyone have something similar? Or seen one? Or have any good ideas?

thanx in advance

 

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[watercolor]

About 3 or 4 years ago when "cabin fever" set in. . . and the wife kept asking:
"What are you going to do with all this 'stuff' (not her exact words LOL) you've found". . .
so, I spent a week building a coffee table with a plate glass top.

I spent about a week of time and maybe $175 on wood (oak) & glass.
Oh, I took these photos BEFORE I ordered the glass.

It was a fun project. . . you should have fun!

 

[wainzoid]

watercolor,
I really like it, nice job!!!
I've been thinking about this project for quite a while, just haven't decided what I actually want. I was thinking dividers inside, with stuff grouped. Mostly because when the dogs wrestle, I can see them bumping it and sending everything ajar.
Is your top locked or screwed shut? Hinged?
I was thinking of wrapping foam blocks with velvet, and putting them in the compartments. Using different thickness's to raise or lower what is displayed. That would keep thin items (like coins) close to the glass and easier to view.
Still thinking! ?!?!

thanx

 

[mope540]

I remember a relative paying $800 for a display table back in the late 70s. This table was sea treasure themed and had actual gold coins recovered from ship wreck(s). The coins and other sea related items were placed on sand and covered with 2" thick clear acrylic. When he bought it, 4 or 5 of the gold coins had already been harvested by drilling through through the acrylic with a hole saw to retrieve them. Wish i had taken a picture of it back then.

 

[roaddust66]

Lexington Furniture of Hickory North Carolina makes two different ones. They are of their Bob Timberlake line. sometimes I see them on ebay

 

[NHBandit]

I made mine out of a $30 craigslist coffee table & a piece of 3/8 thick glass. The wife found some Civil War print fabric at the local quilt shop. I used the original drawer fronts, installed locks in them and turned them into hinged doors for putting stuff in and taking stuff out without having to lift the glass. Got under $100 invested total.

 

[OldJerseyGirl]

My table is not the best, but I set it up to display some of my Indian relics. My husband put in a bottom and the glass can be taken off. Nobody looks at the table much anyway, lol, they like what is inside.

 

[OldJerseyGirl]

Here is a better picture of the whole table.

 

[Bottlecapbill]

This is actually a fantastic way to display your goods, without creating too much clutter in the home. I wish I had some wood working skills lol. I've seen similar tables sell at furniture stores and garage sales and it never even clicked in my head until now! Thanks guys!

 

[wainzoid]

Thanx, those are all great cases/tables and displays. Cabinets are finished and my shop is free'd up. But still thinking.....

 

[Back-of-the-boat]

Thanx, those are all great cases/tables and displays. Cabinets are finished and my shop is free'd up. But still thinking.....

There is a post asking about a glass display and there are a lot of tables in that post some may even be some that have been shown here maybe you can get more ideas and examples there.

 

[CASPER-2]

this is mine - older pic - this is full now

 

[ModernMiner]

Great post! Some awesome display tables guys and gals.
-MM-

 

[NHBandit]

I've seen some at one of the local flea market that were made using an old window from a house as the top. Cool concept but if I was going to build one I'd use much thicker glass than common window glass. Too thin and setting a cup of coffee on it could be a disaster. The one I show in post #6 was actually really easy to do and I have ZERO woodworking skills. I bought the table used because it looked like it would serve the purpose I had in mind. I had a large piece of 3/8 thick glass in the barn already but any glass shop can cut you a piece and sell it to you in any size you need. Bought a $20 used router at a garage sale and cut halfway through the top of the table the same size as the glass. Then cut all the way through the top an inch or so in from that leaving a lip for the glass to sit on. It already had a bottom in it so we removed it and the wife covered it with quilt batting and fabric to give it a slightly soft surface for my rusty junk to sit on. Had 2 drawers already so I kept the drawer fronts and tossed the rest. Those are now the access doors to put tiff in without having to lift the glass. I have less than $100 invested including buying a router, and 4-5 hours of my time.