Console Table with Scroll Legs

January 19, 2015 by Amy 62 Comments

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Our family rotates which sibling to give to at Christmas, I had my sister Kristi this year. She’s the same sister that I ‘helped’ tile her house with herringbone travertine, barn wood tile, Versailles travertine, that was fun :-). For Christmas she really wanted a console table to go behind her couch, it is the first thing that you see when you walk into the front door. She was eyeing this beautiful Giles Console Table from RH.

However $1895 is not in the Christmas present budget. I decided that I could whip up something similar, but decided to change up the legs into scrolls. The final cost was about $95, I think it turned out lovely. It’s an impressive piece, that is not too hard to build.

How to Build a Console Table with Scroll Legs

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Materials – wood cost is about $83

4 – 2″ x 8″ x 10′ pine (or 5 – 8′ boards)
6 – 1″ x 4″ x 8′ pine
1 – 1″ x 8″ x 8′ pine
1 – 1″ x 10″ x 8′ pine
7 – 1″ x 3″ x 8′ pine
1 1/4″ pocket hole screws*
2 1/2″ pocket hole screws*
1 1/4″ brad nails
wood glue
wood filler
sandpaper
paint/stain/top coat

Step 1

(Note: this console table uses homemade scroll legs, but really you can sub for square or even reclaimed table legs, just cut them to 25 3/4″. The plan shows orange square legs, that is where the scroll legs go, I had trouble drawing them in Sketch up.)

Cut the 2×8 boards into 3 that are 81″ long and 6 that are 25 3/4″ long. Download the leg pattern: Console Table Scroll leg 1, Console Table Scroll leg 2, Console Table Scroll leg 3. Print out the leg pattern, make sure your print settings are on 100% and not ‘fit to page’. Line up pattern, tape together and cut out. Trace the pattern onto the 2 x 8 x 25 3/4″ boards. Cut out the scrolls using a band saw (that is what I used), scroll saw or jig saw. (If you are using a jig saw, I find that it is difficult to get a straight down cut with a jig saw and you may have to sand a lot and fill more later.)

Apply some wood glue to a leg and sandwich 2 legs together. This will give a nice ‘chunky’ leg look.

Clamp the legs together until the glue dries. If needed you can screw the legs together.

Repeat for each set of legs. Once the glue has dried, remove excess glue and sand the leg joint smooth, using wood filler as needed.

Step 2

Cut the 1×3 boards into 4 that are 80″ long, 8 that are 18 1/2″ long. Drill pocket holes* on both ends of each of the 18 1/2″ pieces. Apply wood glue to the ends of the 18 1/2″ boards and build up the bottom and top frames using 1 1/4″ pocket screws.

Cut the 1x4s to 80″ long. I like to trim the edges until the width is 3 1/4″ so I have a straight edges to work with. I decided to give the bottom a planked look and left a 1/16″ gap between the boards. Use wood glue and 1 1/4″ or longer brad nails to secure the boards.

Step 3

Cut the 1x3s that are 25 3/4″ long. Drill pocket holes* in both ends of the boards. Use wood glue and 1 1/4″ pocket hole screws to attach the back supports on the ends and middle.

Tip the table onto it’s back and clamp a scroll leg into place (flush with an edge). Use 2 or 3 – 2 1/2″ screws to attach the leg to the bottom.

Add pocket holes to the top frame that will attach the top later, and pocket holes to attach the top frame to the scroll legs. Use wood glue and 1 1/4″ screws to attach the top frame to the back and legs.

Step 4

Measure from the top of the bottom planking 12 1/2″, mark on the back and scroll leg.

Measure across the length, mine was about 15 5/8″ – 15 3/4″. Cut a 3/4″ x 1 1/4″ x your number board with a 20 deg miter. Drill pocket holes on the 90 deg side underneath. Use glue and 1 1/4″ to attach it to the back, use 1 1/4″ brad nails to attach the other side to the scroll leg.

Measure the width that you want the middle shelf, probably around 15 3/4″. Cut the 1×8 and 1×10 to 80″ long and trim the width to fit. Drill pocket holes in the middle shelf boards to join them together. Use wood glue and 1 1/4″ screws to join the boards. Once the glue is dry, remove excess glue and sand the shelf.

Step 5

For the 2×8 x 81″ boards, I trimmed the width to 7″ so I could have straight edges. Drill pocket holes along the inside edges to join the boards together. Use wood glue and 2 1/2″ pocket hole screws to join the top boards together. Once the glue is dry, remove excess glue and sand the top.

Attach the top to the top frame with wood glue and 1 1/4″ pocket hole screws. Place the middle shelf on the shelf supports, use glue and brad nails to secure it into place.

Remove any excess glue, apply wood filler to holes, cracks and blemishes and allow to dry. Sand the wood filler and console table until smooth finishing with 120-150 grit sand paper.

My sister wanted the console table a greige color, so I painted it with Americana Decor chalky finish primitive. It took 2 – 8 oz jars to cover the table. I applied 1 coat, plus touch up.

To give the edges some definition, I lightly sanded the edges and used a dark glaze to age the table. The glaze is Van Dyke Brown. I applied the glaze initially with a Q-tip to get it on the sanded corners, then used a rag to feather it out.

Apply a top coat to the paint and let dry.

Download the build plan for later