Couch Tray Structure Question

[StGerrit]

Hi Fine folks!
I am a beginner woodworker that have mainly done small projects but I am looking to make my first bigger piece, a Couch Tray for my wife for when she eats on the couch.
My biggest question is will this structurally work?
Material - Feet, legs & support beams will be made with walnut, the surface will be made of Ambrosia Maple.
Joint - Dowel joints with glue (Mortise & Tenon joints are out of the question since the hammering of the chisel creates too much noise and I live in an apartment)
Dimensions - 20"w x 16"l x 26"h.

• Surface - 20" x 16" x 1"
• Legs - 26" x 2" x 1"
• Feet - 16" x 1" x 1"

In the picture everything is square but I will be using a spokeshave to round everything to ensure she doesn't get hurt if she bumps into it or stubs her toe.
My apologies if anything is unclear, English is not my native language and I am trying to learn all the correct phrases.

Thank you for taking the time to read through!

Regards,
Gerrit.

 

[Wilsoncb]

Without getting into a lot of detail. 1x1 for legs is questionable. 1” thick on top is structurally overkill but OK if thats what you want aesthetically. I would think about shaping the legs to make them thicker at the top and bottom to get a gusset type situation. Finally, I would turn the cross brace 90 degrees so you have more strength vertically.

 

[creasman]

Consider laminating the legs by first building a form and then gluing them from thinner strips. That will give you the strength without adding thickness to the design. You'll end up with something like this (minus the upturn at the top, for your project).

 

[BKHam]

I would remove the cross brace under the table top because due to weight. your design will be top heavy. you can dowel for sure. see my version below which uses thru tenons but dowels woudl achieve the same thing.

 

[StGerrit]

Thank you to all for the suggestions. I really appreciate it. I have never shaped wood like those legs so I am definitely going to give it a try. This is an exciting new project for me so thank you again for the advice, I am very pumped up about it. Also that table you built is very beautiful BKHam, thank you for sharing!

 

[MarkDarby]

Wow… looks nice. This is a project that I, too, have on the books. Thanks!!

 

[Wiley's Woodworks]

You've picked a great project to up your skill level. I'm guessing this is your first time to design your project. Some observations:

• You should not need the width braces under a 1" top. Increase the length of the legs by 1". If the top braces are just for appearance purposes, keep them and consider tucking the legs inside the braces. Use glue on the end where the dowels are and on the face where it mates with the brace.
• To add additional strength at the lower joints (the joints most likely to fail imo) add small triangles on the inside angle. IMO this wouldn't disrupt the appearance.
• Instead of a spokeshave to round the edges, use a block plane. The cuts will be smoother and more uniform over the entire length of the long pieces. Use rubber contour sanding blocks to do final smoothing. On both planing and sanding, count your passes to keep all pieces as uniform as possible.
• Use Titebond III glue in each joint and let it sit overnight. Be sure and put 2 dowels in each joint. I recommend 3/8" X the longest you can find. Sink them into the face grain faces up to 1/4" from going through.
• Finish with wipe-on poly. The top needs the water protection of the polyurethane, and you want the whole piece to match in finish.

 

[MikeMen]

There are many ways to round over edges. I found the easiest and most uniform method is to use a small router (laminate trimmer) with a round over bit. I usually have one already set up with a 1/4" or 5/16" bit ready to go.

 

[JNCarr]

Great project!

A couple more thoughts - maybe too late if you're already building...
Most couches have vertical sides or maybe even a protruding cushion for an armrest. Vertical uprights have two benefits over the slanted ones shown - (1) they would hug closer to the sofa side reducing the chance of stubbing a toe and (2) significantly reduce the torque on the lower joint which as @wiley said will likely be the failure point.
Unless your couch has a lower than usual height from the floor, you might want to increase the height of your feet to 2" or more. This will give them more strength for the dowels.

Good luck!