Floating Top Coffee Table

I have been intrigued for years by the floating top genre, and always feel a little foolish looking under the table to see how the top is suspended. Usually there is some kind of stretcher between the aprons that supports the top. In this case, I was able to find some optical grade polycarbonate rod. This is really a strong material used in bullet-proof glass. These rods are positioned at the back corner of the top of the leg in a blind spot created by the overhang of the top. The span from one rod to the next is significant and a low table should be able to be sat upon. This span dictated a design that would support such a load, with very little flex. Notice the top is much thicker at the center along each edge. This creates a bow truss effect that requires the bottom edge to stretch as the load is applied. This lateral movement is held in check by a Wenge strip on the bottom edge from corner to corner over a gentle curve that is duplicated on the top edge of the apron. In this example, I tried to stay as "green" as possible. I used plantation grown domestic American Cherry for the base. For the top, I used a replica veneer made by Alpi in Italy. These are very stable and colorfast veneers that look far better than the currently available Macassar Ebony, which is very nearly gone.