Spindle Table	New Den End Tables
End Tables

History
My family has a spindle table that was purchased, second hand, in 1911, by my grand parents (Andrew and Leatha) as the first furniture after they were married.   When I was a little boy I remembered the table in my grandparents dining room (family room in those days) with the radio sitting on it.   I can still remember hearing reports of post war europe by Edward R. Murrow on that radio.  
It came to me in the 1990s and for a number of years I used it, as an end table, between two recliners in the den as a convenient place to set remotes, drinks, etc.   Although I love the memories it evokes every time I look at it, there were some drawbacks.   It was a little too tall and not quite big enough so I decided to build something more convenient, the end table.  
We had to replace our recliners so we bought a pair of La-Z-Boy recliners that were attached to a console between them, the spindle table was moved to the side of the hearth, see pic.   The end table was moved to the side of the room and we used it's drawers and cubby for storage.

Replacement Table
The end table is 18" wide, 24" long, and 24" tall (pictured above) with two inset drawers and an open shelf.   The open shelf is a good place for kleenex, books, and other den miscelany.   The frame is 1-1/2" X 1-1/2" pine with mortise and tenon joints.   The top and shelf are edge laminated 1x6s (3/4" thick).   The sides and back are enclosed with inset panels, 5/16" thick, resawn from 1X6 pine.

The drawer fronts are 3/4" pine with a rabbet at each side to conceal the slides.   The drawer sides and back are resawn 1 X 4.   The drawer bottoms are 3/16" plywood, glued into a rabbet in the lower inside edge of sides, back, and fronts.   I use the same bottom technique for all drawers and some in the shop have over 50#s in them with no sagging.

The end table's frame is 1-1/2" square stock (ripped from 2x4s) with mortise and tenons at the joints.   When I rip the frame from 2x4s to 1-1/2", I machine off the rounded edges of the 2x4 leaving a very square 1-1/2".   I use 3/4" square tenons (and mortises), 3/8" tall.   One interesting point about the frame is, in the rear upper and lower frame joints, the tenon's corners actually touch within the mortises.  

When I edge laminate the 5/16" panel pieces for the sides and back panels, I use #10 biscuits at the edge laminations.   I must be very careful with the biscuit mortises so that they are in the center of the 5/16" panel pieces.  

I wasn't taking pictures when I built the original, but we decided to replace two large end tables in the den with two of these, so I'm taking pics on the Construction page.  

It is now 2021, the La-Z-Boys with console, have been replaced by two normal recliners, and the original end table is between them.   One keen aspect of having the end table next to the hearth, it was a good place for one of our side surround speakers.   So, the original end table is not beside the hearth, so I'm building a "Den storage/Speaker Table"  

Click for larger printable image and cut list

Den with La-Z-Boys attached to console and end table beside the hearth.

Front view of the end table.   Please note the Logitech Harmony, in it's charging station, on top of the table, it elimintated all the other remotes, even though we add brand new components.

Top drawer.   Each drawer has a 1/2 x 1/2" wooden lip glued under the front to act as a pull.

Bottom Drawer, good place to keep unused remotes and manuals after adopting the Logitech Harmony on top.

Front Corner detail showing side and corner construction.

Rear view showing hole for power to lamp, telephone, and remote charger.   We use a cordless phone in the den so no hardwire POTS line here.

Back corner view.

Second build.

Left side of love seat.   Note the handy afgan storage.

Both ends.

Are three end tables too much?

This spindle table was purchased, second hand, by my grandparents, in 1911, it was the first piece of furniture they bought after they were married..   When I was a little boy, I spent a lot of time at my grandparents house, the radio used to sit on this table in the corner of the dining room..   I remember listening to Edward R. Murrow broadcasting from London right after WWW-II.   I also remember listening to Sky King, The Shadow, Suspense, The Lone Ranger, Straight Arrow, and many others on it. I used it, in my den, as an end table between two recliners for a while, the top was a little high but I liked the middle shelf.   This is what gave me the idea to build the end table with storage, built in.

As it sits today.   Link to a different view.

A little closer look