Behind the Scenes: Crafting the Death Star Holotable
Every woodworker has a bucket-list build. Mine? A coffee table straight out of the Imperial design catalog. I’ve loved Star Wars since I first heard a lightsaber hum on the VHS copy my parents wore out, so bringing a slice of that galaxy into my living room felt… inevitable. This piece features a UV-printed Death Star image on an acrylic panel, illuminated from below to give it a 3D holographic effect. In this behind-the-scenes look, I’ll walk you through two key parts of the build: cutting perfect wood circles and routing precise rabbets for the tabletop. Along the way I’ll share personal insights, lessons learned, and some handy tips for woodworkers. (And yes, we’ll talk about how a high-tech UV printer, the EufyMake E1, helped bring the Death Star to life on the tabletop!)
Cutting a Perfect Wood Circle
I knew the Death Star table deserved a flawless circular frame, so I took an unconventional route, literally. Rather than cutting a circle from one huge board (which I didn’t have on hand anyway), I glued-up six pieces of walnut into a hexagon as my starting blank. Imagine a wooden honeycomb shape, roughly the size of the desired circle. Each board’s ends were mitered so that all six fit together in a ring-like hexagon. Clamping this assembly was a quirky challenge (hexagons don’t exactly lend themselves to easy clamping!), so I drove a couple of screws through the joints as temporary clamps while the glue dried. Once the glue set, I had a sturdy six-sided blank, the perfect canvas from which to carve out my circle.
The next step felt a bit like woodworking wizardry. I built a custom router trammel, basically an arm attached to my router that pivots around a center point, turning my router into a giant compass. It was a simple shop-made jig: a strip of plywood screwed to the base of my plunge router, with a small hole at the exact radius of the circle I needed. I drilled a tiny pivot hole at the center of the hexagon blank (right where the middle of the table would eventually be negative space) and anchored the jig with a finish nail. With everything set, I took a deep breath and fired up the router.
Cutting the circle was surprisingly smooth and incredibly satisfying. I started with the outer circumference of the frame: the router swung around the pivot in a controlled arc, shaving off the walnut corners as it went. I took it slow and shallow – about an eighth of an inch depth per pass, letting the router nibble away gradually. As I guided the router clockwise around the hexagon, I could literally watch the sharp corners transform into a perfect curve of a circle. By the time I reached full depth, the outer cut released a flawless round disk of walnut. No wobbles, no flats, just a true circle. Moments like that are why I love shop-made jigs; the result looked CNC-precise, but it was done with a humble handheld router and some plywood ingenuity.
With the outer shape complete, I re-set the trammel for the inner circle to cut out the center and create the ring-shaped frame. Using the same pivot point ensured the inner cut would be perfectly concentric with the outer one – a big benefit of this method. I’ll admit, routing the inner circle felt trickier, almost like drawing a donut hole from the inside out. This time I guided the router clockwise around the pivot (you always want to route against the bit’s rotation for control, clockwise when cutting inside a shape, counter-clockwise on the outside). Just like before, I took multiple shallow passes, and soon the router broke through, freeing the inner waste piece. What remained was a beautiful walnut ring that would become the table’s circular frame. It was a eureka moment seeing that perfect wood circle; six rough boards had turned into one continuous, smooth hoop.
Along the way, I picked up a few tips and lessons worth sharing for anyone attempting a router-cut circle in hardwood:
Secure your workpiece – Make sure the blank can’t shift. I tacked my hexagon down to a scrap backer board before routing, which prevented any mid-cut surprises when the circle was finally cut free. You could also use clamps or double-sided tape, but do secure it somehow. The router will exert a lateral force as it pivots, so a firm hold is essential (I learned this when I noticed the router pushing ever so slightly on the pivot nail).
Multiple shallow passes are your friend. Don’t try to cut through in one go. I did about 1/8″ deep passes, and it made the process very controlled. The wood fibers cut cleaner with less strain on the router, and I was left with a crisp edge by the final pass. Patience pays off here, you’ll get a cleaner result and save your router bit from overheating.
Watch the grain and feed direction. Walnut is hardwood, and when the router bit hits the end grain sections of each board, you might feel it. Keep the router moving steadily to avoid burn marks. If you pause on end grain, the spinning bit can char the wood (ask me how I know!). Also, remember the rule above: go against the bit’s rotation, I went clockwise for the outer and inner cut – to prevent the router from grabbing or “running away” on you. This gives you more control and a cleaner cut instead of a rough, chatter-filled edge.
Choose the right bit. I used a sharp 1/2″ down-cut spiral router bit for these circle cuts. The up-spiral helps pull chips out and prevents clogging, which is especially helpful in deep cuts. A sharp bit also reduces tear-out on the top edge of the cut. If you only have a straight bit, it can work too, but make sure it’s sharp and take extra care with clearing sawdust.
Plan for the pivot hole. If you drill a pivot hole in your work, try to place it where it will be inconspicuous or in a waste section. In my case, the hole ended up in the waste piece from the inner circle, so the finished frame had no trace of it. If your project won’t allow that, consider using a scrap of wood on top of your piece for the pivot, or a template jig, to avoid marring the final surface. Little planning steps like this save headaches during finishing.
When the router trammel dust settled, I stepped back and had one of those proud woodworker moments. The circular walnut frame was absolutely spot-on: a perfect circle both outside and inside, ready to embrace the acrylic Death Star panel. This method of gluing up a hexagon and routing the circles proved to be a winner. Not only did it achieve accuracy that would be tough with a jigsaw or bandsaw, but it was also efficient with material. I didn’t have to start with an enormous round board or waste a lot of wood. The whole process felt like a behind-the-scenes trick, a bit of extra prep (the glue-up and jig-making) leading to a top-notch result.
In the end, turning that hexagon into a true round frame was totally worth it. The perfect geometry of the circle gave the finished table a professional, polished look. If you’ve ever struggled with wonky circular cuts, I can’t recommend the router trammel method enough. It delivers results so clean and precise that you’ll feel like you leveled up your woodworking game. And in my case, it literally brought this Death Star project full circle (pun absolutely intended)!
Routing the Rabbet for the Acrylic Inset
With the walnut ring ready, the next step was to create a recess (rabbet) for the acrylic panel to sit in. A rabbet is basically a step-shaped ledge cut along the edge of a piece of wood – in this case, along the inner rim of the wooden circle. The goal was to have the acrylic disk fit perfectly flush with the top surface, as if the Death Star image is part of the table, while the LED lights would be hidden underneath.
I set up my hand-held router with a rabbeting bit, which has a bearing to guide it along the edge. Guiding a router around a circle felt a bit like flying an X-wing in the Death Star trench, it requires focus and a steady hand. I clamped the walnut tabletop ring firmly, then routed the inner edge in multiple light passes. One thing I’ve learned: chip-out is the enemy when routing a rabbet on hardwood. To avoid tearing the wood, I never try to cut the full depth in one go. Instead, I made several shallow passes, sneaking up on the final depth and width of the ledge. The first pass was just a slight 1/16″ deep score, giving me a clean edge reference. Subsequent passes took a bit more material each time (around 1/4″ at most), until I reached the desired depth. I ended with one more light finishing pass to ensure the inside corner of the rabbet was crisp and smooth. This step-by-step approach left a very clean cut with no tear-out, even in the tricky end-grain sections of the circle.
After routing, I did a test-fit with the acrylic disk. To my relief, it dropped neatly into place, sitting flush with the wooden surface. Achieving that snug fit was incredibly satisfying, the tolerances were tight enough that the panel almost looked like it grew there. If it had been too snug, I would have sanded the rabbet a hair wider; if too loose, I’d have had to rethink (maybe add some discreet clips). But fortune smiled on this Jedi woodworker, the fit was just right.
Tips for Routing Rabbets:
Multiple Passes Are Key: As mentioned, avoid the temptation to cut a deep rabbet in one shot. Taking it in stages prevents the router bit from biting off more than it can chew, which avoids tear-out and burn marks. It also gives you more control on a curved workpiece.
Test your depth on scrap: I actually set up a piece of scrap wood of the same thickness and routed a small rabbet first to fine-tune my router depth. This saved me from any unpleasant surprises on the actual piece.
Support the router and work securely: A round frame doesn’t have a flat side, so make sure it’s well-supported. I used blocks and clamps to hold the wooden ring steady on my bench, so the router wouldn’t tip as I moved around the circle. Keeping consistent pressure on the router (like using a bearing guide or a fence wherever possible) helps keep the rabbet uniform in width.
By the end of this routing session, the walnut ring had a nice ledge for the acrylic. The hard part of the woodworking was done – I had the main structure ready. Now it was time to bring the Death Star to life on that acrylic.
Bringing the Death Star to Life (UV Printing)
Here’s where woodworking met high-tech. Rather than painting or etching the Death Star details by hand, I used a EufyMake E1 UV printer to create the image on the acrylic tabletop insert. If you haven’t heard of the EufyMake E1, it’s a cutting-edge device, the world’s first personal 3D-texture UV printer. In simple terms, this machine can print full-color images (even with raised texture) onto all kinds of materials: wood, metal, glass, acrylic, you name it. It uses special UV-cured inks, meaning the prints are durable and vibrant.
I digitized a high-resolution graphic of the Death Star schematics and loaded it into the E1. With a bit of setup, the printer laid down the image directly onto the acrylic disk. Watching it work was mesmerizing, it built up the design layer by layer, with perfect registration. The result was a crisp, detailed Death Star image in grayscale and white (to mimic that classic holographic look). The UV printing process even allowed for slight texture, so you can feel the Death Star’s lines on the acrylic if you run your fingers over it. It was like printing a giant sticker directly onto the panel, but one that’s seamlessly bonded to the acrylic surface.
Using this tool was a game-changer. I’ll admit, at first I was a bit skeptical about mixing printing technology with woodworking. But the EufyMake E1 made it incredibly easy to get professional, consistent results – far better than any decal or manual method I could have managed. The fact that it can print on curved or flat surfaces with equal ease (and even do rotary printing on cylindrical objects) opens up a lot of creative possibilities beyond this project. Consider this my official conversion to the ways of the UV printer!
With the Death Star image now on the acrylic, I mounted some LED strip lights on the underside of the panel. A quick test in a dark room made me grin from ear to ear: the Death Star glowed an eerie imperial blue, exactly as I had imagined. The combination of the UV-printed graphic and the backlighting gave a true hologram table feel. I secured the acrylic into the wooden frame with a few small screws from underneath (hidden from view) to ensure it stays put. The walnut wood got a final finish (a few coats of wipe-on poly for protection and sheen), which really made the grain pop and nicely contrasted the high-tech centerpiece.
Wrapping Up: The Empire (of Woodworking) Strikes Back
Stepping back and looking at the finished Death Star table, I felt a surge of pride (and maybe just a little bit of the Dark Side). This project pushed me to blend traditional woodworking skills, like careful sawing and routing, with modern fabrication techniques like UV printing. The journey taught me the importance of patience and precision: from accurately cutting the big wood circle to meticulously routing the rabbet so everything fit together like a dream. I also learned to embrace new tools; the EufyMake E1 printer added a whole new dimension to what’s possible in a home workshop, allowing me to achieve a level of detail on the tabletop that would be nearly impossible otherwise.
For fellow woodworkers and Star Wars fans out there, I hope this behind-the-scenes peek was both informative and inspiring. You don’t need imperial resources to build something out of this world, just some creativity, the right jig or tool for the job, and the willingness to try something new. May the grain be with you!
Watch the Build in Action (Video)
Reading about this build is one thing, but seeing it happen is another adventure entirely. If you’re itching to watch exactly how this Death Star table came together, I’ve got you covered. From cutting that giant walnut circle to wiring up the lightsab—er, LED lights, every step is captured on video. Check out the full build video below and join me on this Star Wars woodworking journey. Grab some popcorn (or blue milk 🥛) and enjoy the show!
Feel free to drop a comment or question after you watch – I’d love to hear what you think of the project. And if you’re new to Timber Biscuit Woodworks, consider subscribing to the channel for more fun builds and woodworking tips. Happy woodworking, and may the force be with you!
