I have been thinking of doing this for a few months now. Back in January I started scouring the internet for ideas, found a few, then worked on the plans for my own. I really liked the simplicity and designs from POPSugar, Snazzy Little Things, and Heather's Handmade Life. The only addition I wanted was a shelf to keep their things on.
After going through several sheets of paper making sketches of what I wanted and writing down all of me lumber measurements, I headed to my local Lowe's for lumber. This was before I bought my compact circular saw, so I bought dimensional wood.
WHAT DO I NEED?
- 4 - 1/2" x 2" x 3' boards (these will be one side of the legs)
- 4 - 1/2" x 1" x 3' boards (these will be the other side of the legs)
- 4 - 1/2" x 3" x 3' boards (these will be the crossbars on the long side)
- 4 - 1/2" x 3" x 2' boards (these will be the crossbars on the short side)
- 7 - 1" x 6" x 4' boards (these will make the table top)
- 1 sheet 4' x 4' plywood (this will be the shelf)
- 4 Shelf Pins
- Wood Stain (I used dark walnut and antique white)
- Paint Brush
- Wood Glue
- Wood Clamp
*These measurements are for a medium dog crate (30"L x 19"W x 21"H) and a shelf that fits canvas bins up to 11"H.
Before diving into the construction, you may want to stain your wood pieces. I did a mixture of both. The frame was stained after it was put together, and the shelf and table top boards were stained at that same time.
DAY 1
After laying out my boards and removing the bar-code stickers, I constructed the legs by attaching a 1/2"x 1"x 3' (A) to a 1/2"x 2"x 3' (B). I just drilled the pilot hole where I wanted the screw to go in both pieces of wood, then screwed the two pieces together. Adding some wood glue would help to ensure the bond is even stronger on those pieces, though it's not necessary. The easiest way I've found to do this when working alone is to lay board A flat on the ground, and board B perpendicular to board A so that they create a right angle.
Once the 4 legs were constructed, I screwed the crossbars and legs together to create the frame. Boards C (1/2" x 3" x 3') made the long side of the frame while boards D (1/2" x 3" x 2') made up the short side of the frame. Again, drill pilot holes before screwing in the wood screws to keep the wood from splitting.
Now that the frame is set, the holes for the shelf pins can be drilled. To have my shelf sit just above the dog crate, I measured 2' from the ground and halfway across board B. After marking each of the 4 legs, I drilled holes far enough for the shelf pins to fit snugly. I have a ton of these from desks and shelves I've taken apart and thrown out over the years. I always keep the hardware just in case!
DAY 2
This is where I decided to stain the piece. The frame was put together, but the table top was still 7 separate boards. I cut open a couple trash bags and taped them together to make a tarp to place the frame on while I was staining it in my garage (that I rent and in no way wish to ruin!). It took the majority of my 8oz can of dark walnut wood stain to get the coverage I wanted on the frame. I alternated between the frame and the boards for the table top until I got the colors I wanted on each. The antique white stain I used was a fast drying stain, so I was able to move onto the next part without ruining the wood.
For the table top, I glued the 1" x 6" x 4' boards together. These were slightly longer than I wanted them to be, so I trimmed them up a bit first. I took off enough for their to be an inch lip on either side of the table.
The wood clamp I have doesn't reach the full 3 1/2 feet I need it to, so I did 4 boards, then 3 boards. Spread a good amount of glue along the section of the wood you are gluing together. Having extra seep through is fine! Just wipe whatever glue seeps through the cracks off with a damp cloth. Attach the wood clamps on either end of the boards that are now glued together until they dry. I left them on for about 30 minutes before checking and they were plenty dry by then.
DAY 3
TABLE READY FOR ASSEMBLY! While the frame was close to being dry that evening, I decided to let it sit in the garage overnight and continue to dry. I didn't want a stained wall and floor! I will say, I was eager as all get out to move this little lady into the house the next morning! I moved the frame inside first (placing it over John's cage), then put the shelf into place on top of the shelf pins, and finally placed the top on the table. The last thing to do was play around with the decor! Check out my Labels post to see what I ended up doing!
I had so much fun making this beauty! It has me ready to make a couple raised garden beds and try my hand at a tv console rather than purchasing one! We'll see what the summer has in store for me.
I hope this gives you some ideas for a weekend project at home and would love to see anything you create!
Happy building!
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