Natural wood coffee table hacked from 2 benches

skogsta natural wood coffee table

We bought a SKOGSTA dinner table, two SKOGSTA benches for the table and also some SKOGSTA (bar) stools.

Back home, when everything was assembled the only thing missing was a matching coffee table. The old LACK table did not match with the new look.

And after a lot of searching we did not find any matching natural wood coffee table so my wife wanted to use two SKOGSTA benches next to each other.

I was a bit of meh that it was also not an ideal solution. So I decided to hack the two 120cm SKOGSTA benches into one coffee table.

This hack took me about 2 to 3 hours to make and I used 2 SKOGSTA benches. They costs €40 each. (Yes, it sounds cheap but the US price is around $80 each.)

Natural wood coffee table - IKEA SKOGSTA bench hack

What I like most is that we now have a matching coffee table for less than €100.

Since I’m not used to working with wood and this was my first real hack project it was a bit of a challenge and I made some beginner mistakes.

If you are going to “route”, do it in small steps. If you go too deep you will cut off pieces of wood.

Also you need to use the correct “miter angle” when cutting the 2 pieces for the short side of the table. Otherwise the “legs” will not stand correctly.

IKEA items used:
  • 2x SKOGSTA bench (120cm)
IKEA SKOGSTA bench
SKOGSTA bench | IKEA.com
Required tools:

How to merged 2 benches into 1 natural wood coffee table

First start by unboxing the first bench,

You can start by putting aside 4 legs because you don’t need them.

Then, you start to dismantle the under frame of the first bench. Continue on until you have only have the 2 top planks (originally, the seat) and the 2 long beams of the under frame.

IKEA SKOGSTA bench

Then, start unboxing the second bench and dismantle it partly. You only need to remove the 3 small beams. Keep one of them as a template for the miter and also for drilling the new holes.

IKEA SKOGSTA bench

 

Now take the 2 top planks (seats) from bench 1 and place them between the 2 top planks of bench 2.

Now you have to measure where the beam of the short side comes in and route the wood until it has the same level all through. (So the side beam can sit level, straddling the top planks.)

I did this also in the middle where the extra beam is for more support.

Natural wood coffee table - IKEA SKOGSTA bench hack

Then, measure how long the new side beam has to be and cut it to the correct size. Use the template for the correct angle to fit the legs.

After this you can use the template to drill out the hole. I will also advise drilling small pilot holes to prevent the wood from breaking or splitting.

Natural wood coffee table - IKEA SKOGSTA bench hack

You can use the scrap piece from 1 of the long beams and use it for the centre beam.

Lastly, I suggest using a decent spacer when measuring and assembling because I did not and the gaps are a bit off.

Natural wood coffee table - IKEA SKOGSTA bench hack

Also you should be able to use this guide to make a side table with 2 60cm SKOGSTA Benches.

~ by Johan