Harold's Renovation Blog: Complementary Small LACK Entertainment Centre from LACK Coffee Table

So: I live in a very small house. When I moved in I needed a small entertainment centre to fit between the heater in my lounge and a wall. All the ‘off the peg’ designs were too long for the space, so I decided to create my own to match the LACK coffee table that I already owned. This project requires a bit of DIY skill, but is fairly easy and can be achieved in an evening (3-4 hours).

Things you need:

1 Full size LACK Coffee Table.
4 Additional long-ish screws.
Piece of wood that fits inside the table top for reinforcing (see step 4)
Additional brackets for extra shelf (Optional)
Tools (Saw, Drill/Driver, Pilot Wood Drill, Large Paddle Drill, Screwdriver, Glue & Clamps)

Method:

1. Our finished table is going to be the width of the end of the original table: that is a given from the design. The depth of the table is adjustable, up to half of the original length of the full size table. I plumped for a measurement that fitted my Hi-Fi best. Whatever measurement you choose: Mark this measurement from either end of underneath of the table top (the bit in the middle is waste). If you wanted to, you could create a very long and narrow version of this unit by turning all the instructions through 90 degrees!

2. Do the same to the shelf piece. I knocked about 3mm off the original measurement so that the shelf is a little recessed into the unit, just for aesthetic reasons really: to my mind it looked a bit odd when is was flush. (Again: the middle bit is waste).

3. Cut both pieces carefully to ensure that the new pieces all match.

4. The top is constructed like a cheap internal door, with an expanded cardboard honeycomb filler sandwiched between two sheets of veneered hardboard. Push this filler backwards into the space to create a recess for your piece of re-enforcing wood. (The reinforcing could be skipped if you have an even load to put on the top of the finished item, but as my TV is quite heavy, with a small stand, I decided to do this as a precaution).

5. Measure the location of the pre-drilled holes in the underside of the table top at the front of the cut pieces.

6. Transfer this measurement to the back of the cut piece so that you have the location of the back legs. Drill holes of an appropriate size to match the pre-drilled holes at the front, taking care not to go right through the top.

7. Run glue around the edges of the wood and seat it into the recess you made in Step 4, making sure to seat it so that the centre of the wood is roughly in line with the holes from Step 6. I clamped the board down to make a good bond between the hardboard and the new wood.

8. You should now have a miniature version of the original table top. Drill pilot holes in the new wood to accept the legs using the same drill & holes as in Step 6.

9. Fit the legs as per the IKEA directions using the double ended screw.

10. You should now have a small table.

11. Cook dinner.

12. Eat dinner.

At this point, if you are feeling lazy (or you want the table to be exactly the same height as the standard coffee table), you could just fit the middle shelf as per the IKEA instructions. For the finished article with the base fitted: continue below.

13. Mark the centre of the bottom of the legs of your new table and drill a pilot hole of the appropriate size for your 4 chosen additional screws.

14. Mark the bottom of the spare piece of top (hereinafter called the base) with the same dimensions as in Step 5 for the screw holes into the bottom of the legs and drill right through. Drill the pre-drilled holes out so that the go right through.

15. Using a larger drill, drill these out to be big enough to accept the heads of your chosen screws so that they are recessed into the void in the body of the base, taking care not to go right through the top of the base.

16. Place base on top of upturned ‘table’ and attach using 4 screws.

17. You should now have this:

18. Fit the shelf as per the IKEA instructions, setting it at the correct height to accommodate whatever you want to put under the TV. You have 2 shelves if you need them, but I only needed one.