Drag an orange dot to resize; a dashed line shows when it snaps to a common size. Click a dot, then use the arrow keys to nudge 1/8″ (hold Shift for 1″). Every size can also be typed in the panel.
Checks
- Top past the arms may sag 1/8″ (target 1/8″). Choose a smaller top, or a square top so the arms reach the corners.
- A downward lean of about 49 lb on the worst edge of the top tips it (the table weighs about 48 lb). Someone resting their forearms on the edge can tip it. Spread the feet to 34″ or more, or make the top smaller.
Shopping list
| Qty | Item | Est. |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2×6 lumber, 12′ (board) | $10.80 |
| 1 | 2×4 stud, 8′ (board) | $4.80 |
| 1 | 4×4 post, 8′ (board) | $11.20 |
| 1 | 3/4″ birch plywood, 4×8 sheet (sheet) | $68.00 |
| 1 | Wood glue (bottle) | $5.00 |
| 1 | 2 1/2″ wood screws (box of 100) | $10.00 |
| 1 | 5/16″ × 6″ structural wood screws (box of 12) | $24.00 |
| 1 | Tabletop fasteners (figure-8) (pack of 10) | $7.00 |
| 1 | 5/8″ pan-head screws (slides, hinges) (box of 100) | $6.00 |
| 1 | 3/4″ iron-on birch edge banding (25 ft roll) | $9.00 |
| 1 | Felt floor pads (pack) | $5.00 |
About $161 · rough estimates, check the store
Parts
| Part | Qty | Length | Width | Material | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Top Cut the outline with a jigsaw, from the 1:1 template or with a trammel for a circle. | 1 | 42″ | 42″ | 3/4″ birch plywood |
| B | Column board | 4 | 20 5/16″ | 5 1/2″ | 2×6 lumber |
| C | Foot Cut a 1 1/2″ wide, 2 3/4″ deep notch at the middle: one foot from the top edge, the other from the bottom edge. | 2 | 30″ | 5 1/2″ | 2×6 lumber |
| D | Top arm Cut a 1 1/2″ wide, 1 3/4″ deep notch at the middle: one arm from the top edge, the other from the bottom edge. | 2 | 35 1/2″ | 3 1/2″ | 2×4 stud |
| E | Bottom plug | 1 | 3 1/2″ | 3 1/2″ | 4×4 post |
| F | Top plug | 1 | 3 1/2″ | 3 1/2″ | 4×4 post |
Cut list
3/4″ birch plywood, sheet 1 of 1
2×6 lumber, 144″ → C 30″ · C 30″ · B 20 5/16″ · B 20 5/16″ · B 20 5/16″ · B 20 5/16″
2×4 stud, 96″ → D 35 1/2″ · D 35 1/2″
4×4 post, 96″ → E 3 1/2″ · F 3 1/2″
Kerf 1/8″ included. Every cut runs edge to edge.
Have the store cut it
Most home centers rip sheets on their panel saw. Show them this; do the short crosscuts at home.
- 3/4″ birch plywood: rip into strips 42″, keep the rest.
Steps
- Tape measure
- Speed square
- Pencil
- Drill/driver
- Clamps
- Safety glasses
- Hearing protection
- Dust mask
- Circular saw and a straight edge (or have the store cut the sheets)
- Miter saw, or circular saw in two passes, for 4×4 posts
- Jigsaw
- Chisel, 1″
- Impact driver or a strong drill for the structural screws
- Level
- Clamps, at least 2 that open 8″
- Sander, 120 and 180 grit
1Before you start
Read every step once, start to finish, before you buy or cut anything. Each step names the parts it uses by letter; the parts list gives their sizes.
Set up somewhere flat with good light. A pair of sawhorses with a sheet of plywood on top makes a fine work table.
Wear safety glasses whenever a tool is running, hearing protection for saws, and a dust mask for sanding and for cutting treated wood or sheet goods. Tie back long hair and loose sleeves. Keep children and pets out of the work area.
- Tip At the store, pick straight boards: hold each one up to your eye and look down its length. Skip boards that bow, twist or have big knots near the ends.
- Tip Measure twice, cut once. Most mistakes are a misread tape, not a bad cut.
2Cut and label the parts
Cut every part on the cut list. Cut the longest parts first: if one goes wrong, it can still become a shorter part.
To mark a cut, hook your tape on the end of the board, make a small V with its point exactly at the measurement, and draw a square line through the point with a speed square. Put an X on the waste side.
Cut on the waste side of the line, so the blade's kerf (about 1/8″) comes out of the scrap, not your part. Cut sheets with the good face down when using a circular saw: the blade splinters the top face.
Write each part's letter in pencil on a face that won't show, and stack the parts by letter.
Sand the faces before assembly while they're flat and easy to reach: 120 grit, then 180.
✓ Lay the parts out and count them against the parts list. Measure a few: if one is off by more than 1/16″, recut it now.
STOP. Let the saw reach full speed before it touches the wood, keep both hands clear of the blade's path, and never reach under a board you're cutting. Support long boards on both sides of the cut so the blade doesn't pinch.3Cut the top
Find the centre of the plywood square: draw both diagonals and mark where they cross. The circle is 42″ across, so its radius is 21″.
Make a trammel: drill a hole for a pencil in a thin strip of wood, and drive a small nail through the strip 21″ from it. Tap the nail into the centre mark and swing the pencil all the way round.
Cut just outside the line with a jigsaw, turning the plywood as you go so you are always cutting toward yourself. Sand to the line with 80 grit on a sanding block, then 120.
- Tip Cut plywood with the good face down when you use a circular saw or jigsaw: the blade tears out the top face, not the bottom.
- Tip Keep the jigsaw base flat on the wood and let the blade cut at its own speed. Pushing hard bends the blade and leaves the edge slanted.
✓ Measure across the circle in three directions: every measurement is within 1/8″ of the size.
4Notch the feet and arms
Mark the middle of each foot (C), 15″ from either end. Draw a notch 1 1/2″ wide centred on that mark (the two feet will lock together in a cross-lap): on one foot from the top edge, on the other from the bottom edge, both 2 3/4″ deep.
Set your circular saw to the notch depth. Cut both sides of the notch, then make cuts every 1/4″ between them. Knock the thin slices out with a hammer and pare the bottom flat with a chisel.
Notch the two top arms (D) the same way, 1 3/4″ deep, at 17 3/4″ from either end.
- Tip Cut the notch slightly narrow and test it on the other board. You can always take off more; you cannot put wood back.
- Tip Mark the waste side of each line with an X so you saw on the right side of it.
✓ Each pair slides together with hand pressure and the edges finish flush. If a pair is too tight, pare the notch walls; never hammer it together.
5Assemble the feet and the bottom plug
Glue the notches and slide the two feet together into a plus shape. Stand it on the floor: it should sit flat on all four ends.
Set the bottom plug (E), a 3 1/2″ cube of 4×4, exactly over the crossing, its sides lined up with the feet. Glue it down.
Drill two pilot holes down through the plug, 1″ either side of the middle. Drive a 6″ structural screw into each: they pass through the plug and 2 1/2″ into the feet.
- Tip Draw lines across the crossing from corner to corner. Where they meet is the exact centre to line the plug up with.
✓ The base stands flat with no rocking, and the plug is centred within 1/16″ each way.
STOP. Structural screws need a strong drill or impact driver. Hold the drill with both hands: if the screw binds, the drill twists hard.6Build the column
The column is four 2×6 boards (B), each 20 5/16″ long, arranged in a pinwheel: each board's edge butts against the face of the next, so the outside is a 7″ square with a 4″ square hole down the middle.
Glue and screw the boards together one at a time, 2 1/2″ screws every 8″, through the face of one board into the edge of the next. Keep the ends flush.
Before the last board goes on, test-fit the column over the plug: it should slide on with about 1/4″ of play each way.
- Tip Drill a pilot hole for every screw within 2″ of a board end. Without it the board splits.
- Tip Choose the four straightest 2×6s. Set the crown of each board the same way so the column stays straight.
✓ Every side of the column measures 7″, and the column stands straight up when placed on a flat floor.
7Fix the column to the base
Spread glue on the plug sides and slide the column down over it until the column sits on the feet.
Turn the column so its sides are square to the feet. Check it is plumb with a level on two sides.
Drive two 2 1/2″ screws through each column side into the plug, 1″ and 2 1/2″ above the feet, after drilling pilot holes.
- Tip Shim the 1/4″ gaps around the plug with folded paper before driving the screws, so the column stays centred.
✓ The level shows plumb on two neighbouring sides of the column.
8Fit the top plug and the arms
Glue the top plug (F) into the top of the column, flush with the column end, and screw through each side into it as before.
Glue the arm notches and slide the two arms (D) together. Set them on the column, centred, pointing the same way as the feet.
Drill two pilot holes down through the crossing and drive a 6″ structural screw into each: they pass through the arms into the plug.
- Tip Lay a level across each arm before the screws go in. A twist here makes the top rock.
✓ The arms lie flat and level in both directions, and they point the same way as the feet when seen from above.
9Attach the top
Iron edge banding all around the top edge. Trim it flush with a sharp knife and sand the edge with 180 grit.
Lay the top good face down on a blanket. Turn the base upside down onto it, the column centred: measure from the arm tips to the edge, 3 1/4″ or more at every tip.
Fix 8 figure-8 fasteners, two near each arm tip, in shallow recesses drilled in the top edge of the arms. Screw each to the arm, then into the top with 5/8″ screws.
- Tip Get help turning the table upright. Lift it by the column and the top together, never by the top alone.
✓ Measured from the column to the edge of the top, the overhang is even on every side.
STOP. Use only 5/8″ screws into the top. A longer screw comes out through the 3/4″ plywood.10Level it and test the tip
Stick a felt pad under each foot end. On a flat floor, press down on the top over each foot in turn. If it rocks, sand the bottom of the long foot end a little at a time.
Press down gently on the top edge between two feet. It takes about 49 lb to tip, so it should stay put under a hand's weight.
✓ The table stands without rocking and does not lift when you rest your forearms on any edge.
STOP. Nobody sits or stands on a pedestal table, or hangs a heavy bag on its edge: that is where it tips.11Finish
Ease every sharp edge and corner with 120-grit sandpaper so nobody gets a splinter.
Sand all over with 180 grit, always along the grain (the direction the wood fibres run). Scratches across the grain show through stain.
Wipe off the dust with a barely damp rag and let it dry.
Paint, stain or a clear coat (water-based polyurethane is the easiest). Apply thin coats with the grain, let each dry fully, and sand lightly with 220 grit between coats.
Let it dry for the time on the can before using it.
- Tip Try your finish on a scrap of the same wood first: stain looks different on every board.
Conceptual layout, material estimate and assembly guide from the sizes you entered. Not engineering, not a building plan, not stamped or approved. Confirm measurements on site; follow local codes and product instructions; anchor tall pieces before use. Using this plan means you accept the Terms of Use.