Printing Tray Coffee Table

Any collectors out there? When your collection is spending more time in boxes than in sight, or every surface in the house is overflowing with your collectables, it’s time for a project like this. In my case, I’m a nerd. So obviously I’ve got a fossil collection (and a geology degree so it wasn’t completely out of left field). The inspiration for this piece came from discovering a wooden printing press tray at a local flea market. These trays are full of tiny compartments and were used to store letter tiles that went into printing various texts. After I got the tray, it was just a question of building the table around it!

Custom cut glass inlaid to the table top to showcase the nerd within. Oak finished with danish oil and water-based polyurethane.

This piece was made with reclaimed white oak from my favorite place, Longleaf Lumber Inc. in Cambridge, MA. Could not have been happier with how the table turned out and the combination of the wood’s natural imperfections and warmth fit perfectly with the antique tray inside.