In the morning, your coffee table lives up to its name. There are snacks strewn about it and perhaps an art project or two by midday. In the afternoon, someone uses it to prop their feet up. At night, it becomes the center of game night.
With all the life that happens around a coffee table, it is crucial to have a good one. Choosing any of these coffee tables will allow you to build a great addition to your living room or any room in your home.
Whether you want a simple and straightforward build or a complex challenge, we’ve collected the nine best DIY free coffee table plans on the internet.
Here’s the list of coffee table plans:
- Ana White’s Benchright Coffee Table
- Rockler’s Mission Style Coffee Table
- Ana White’s Farmhouse Coffee Table for Beginners
- Little Glass Jar’s Industrial Coffee Table
- Her Tool Belt’s Crate Storage Coffee Table
- Build Something’s Outdoor Coffee Table with a Beverage Cooler
- Build Basic’s DIY Coffee Table
- Rogue Engineer’s Sawhorse Coffee Table
- Fine Woodworking’s Mahogany Coffee Table
01. Ana White’s Benchright Coffee Table Plan
Modeled after a Pottery Barn favorite of the same, the Benchright Coffee table brings charm and a bit of storage to the living room. Made of rustic pine and handles of your choice, this coffee table can fit into many different decors depending on your stain and accessory picks.
This is a little bit more involved build, but between Ana White’s instructions and her friend Ashley’s step by step photos, you have multiple guides to help you build this beauty.
Some DIYers even shortened the depth of the design and added a bit of height to make it a workshop bench. Whatever you do, this cute & modern coffee table can find a spot in your home.
Find the full plan here: Ana White’s Benchright Coffee Table
02. Rockler’s Mission Style Coffee Table
If you are looking for a sturdy coffee table that you would let people kick their feet up on without batting an eye, this physically chunky mission style coffee table could work for you.
The heavy visual appeal of this coffee table matched with its clean lines make it a great addition to almost any home.
Rockler provides incredibly detailed instructions for the coffee table, from choosing the woods, matching the legs, making the railings, beams, and slats, to the final assembly. If you want a more lumberjack look, there are options provided to use rough sawn lumber.
Whatever you choose, this majestic and unique DIY coffee table will be a handsome addition to any living room, den, or even a reading nook.
Find the full plan here: Rockler’s Coffee Table
Related article : DIY Picnic Table Plans
03. Ana White’s Farmhouse Coffee Table for Beginners
We’ve thrown two difficult projects at you so far, so now it’s time for a simple and budget-friendly project. This Farmhouse Style Coffee Table is beautiful, made from solid wood, and has an extensive shelf underneath for storage of blankets, baskets, or other knickknacks.
This DIY coffee table is 18-inches high, 46-inches long, and 22-inches deep. This can be used as a side table as well. Along with a DIY video on how to build, the material sheet and tool list is provided.
These free plans from Ana White give you step by step instructions, usually with pictures, to walk you through. Add to that this project’s lack of nails and pocket holes, it is seriously the place to start!
With everyday lumber for your local hardware store and some screws, you’ll be well on your way to having a beautiful and sturdy DIY coffee table in your home.
If this attractive farmhouse decor is your style, the site also has matching console tables and side tables to keep your house cohesive.
Find the full plan here: Ana White’s Farmhouse Coffee Table
Check out the video tutorial here:
04. Little Glass Jar’s Industrial Coffee Table
Clean lines pair well with the sleek stained top of this industrial coffee table. This style of coffee table tends to get a bit pricey, so these free coffee table plans will save you quite a bit of money while giving you a feeling of accomplishment – and a new coffee table!
Little Glass Jar lays out a clear supply list, with links to many of the essential woodworking accessories and tools if you don’t have them already. Their pictures are some of the clearest and straight-forward we have seen, making it an excellent project for the first-time DIYer. Dimensions are provided the whole way through allowing you to measure twice and cut once.
All in all, you can make this cute but classy coffee table in your home for under $75 and an afternoon. If you don’t have a table saw at home, most local hardware stores will do the cuts for you if you ask.
So, you might only need to assemble it, stain it, and use it! This is truly one of the best plans to start with.
Find the full plan here: Little Glass Jar’s Coffee Table
Related DIY Free Woodworking Plan : Free Plans for DIY Bed Frames
05. Her Tool Belt’s Crate Storage Coffee Table
Have you been trying to figure out how to add a bit more storage to your living room to tuck your kid’s toys away? Well, this crate storage DIY coffee table might be just the thing for your space. You can use this compact coffee table as a side table if you want.
This coffee table uses two coffee crates as drawers, each measuring 18-inches long x 12.5-inches wide x 9.5-inches tall. The coffee table also has hidden casters built-in, making it easy to move around the living room for cleaning or to make way for a workout.
Matching stool plans are provided on the website if you’d like to use the coffee table as a craft table for your kids, too!
Her Tool Belt provides both real pictures and computer-sketched diagrams to make every step as accessible as possible. With clear, straightforward directions, you should be able to put this together after the kids are in bed. Of course, they may want to help you paint it the next day!
Find the full plan here: Her Tool Belt’s Coffee Table
06. Build Something’s Outdoor Coffee Table with a Beverage Cooler
Nothing makes a long, hot summer day better than a cold drink after time in the sun. If you’re not quite ready to buy an outdoor drink fridge, maybe an outdoor coffee table with a spot for drinks is a better choice!
This unique coffee table design can be the hit of any future porch party you have. The clean, light lines are easy to construct, and your friends will definitely be impressed when they hear you built it.
This cedar-toned coffee table doesn’t have to hold drinks in the center, though. You could put in some plants, make a rock garden, or even an s’more-making candle station.
If you need a bit more surface space in your living room or outside, just set in the flush lid, and you’ll have a bit more room for those delicious appetizers.
While this is a little more involved project than some, it is clearly laid out by Build Something with diagrams, written instructions, and a discussion section on the site if you get stuck!
Find the full plan here: Build Something’s Coffee Table with a Beverage Cooler
07. Build Basic’s DIY Coffee Table (Free Plan)
For a simple build that isn’t just a boring rectangle, check out Build Basic’s coffee table. A simple miter saw angling allows the coffee table to have angled legs, creating a unique look with minimal difficulty added.
Jenn, the woman behind Build Basic, will even walk you through how to add small accents, like a little block, onto the legs to make it look like you did some intense mortise and tenon joinery. If you’re not quite that fancy but want to appear that way, dive into this free plan.
Jenn estimates this project will take four hours and cost around $45. While it is a simple project, you will need to pay close attention to keep everything oriented properly. But, as usual, the clear written and visual guide will get you from start to finish without a hitch.
Find the full plan here: Build Basic’s Coffee Table
08. Rogue Engineer’s Sawhorse Coffee Table Plan
Potentially the cheapest build on our list, this sawhorse DIY rustic x coffee table is a simple build that can add rustic class to your living room. You will need a pocket hole jig, and a miter saw, but other than that, it’s just the usual power tools you’d find in any workshop.
After properly joining together two 2 x 8 x 10 untreated kiln-dried lumber pieces, three 2 x 4 x 96” premium studs, two ½-inch pocket hole screws, and two ½-inch wood screws, you’ll have yourself this simple DIY coffee table.
The Rogue Engineer will walk you through every step of this under 25 dollar DIY coffee table.
Find the full plan here: Rogue Engineer’s Coffee Table
Make your own router table with these plans: DIY Router Table Plans for Free
09. Fine Woodworking’s Mahogany Coffee Table
If you want the beautiful lines of a Scandanavian style coffee table to accent your home, then this is it. The project is quite the undertaking, but the stunning arched legs and clean top of this piece of furniture will wow you.
Many drawings are included in the instructions, as well as how-to instructions for using a planer sled to taper the leg’s thickness.
These free DIY coffee table from Fine Woodworking are the best of the best. They provide clear, detailed instructions that will produce heirloom pieces. If you’re up for the task, you’ll be using your finished product for decades to come.
Find the full plan here: Fine Woodworking’s Coffee Table
Making the Most of Your Free DIY Wooden Coffee Table Plans
If you have a spare afternoon, choosing one of these amazing woodworking projects could mean creating your family’s favorite piece of furniture. Of course, you could always use it as a gift or teach someone else to build it right along with you.
Whatever your purpose, each of these plans is well-laid out and provides everything you need to accomplish the goal from start to finish. Which DIY coffee table plan is your favorite?
