End Table

Details: Published: 20 January 2020; Created: 20 January 2020; Last Updated: 13 February 2022; Hits: 1130

This project isn't exactly an end table, but that's the closest thing it resembles in my mind. Maybe an open cabinet?

Sometimes there are spaces in a house that aren't really useful. Our kitchen has one such space. Like most families, we have an assortment of small appliances. Countertop clutter is my archnemesis, and I refuse to let it be taken over by small appliances. Especially when there's a space in the kitchen that isn't being utilized effectively. There's a saying about necessity being the mother of innovation. We needed a place to put small appliances that wasn't the counter or the floor. So I built this table/cabinet.

The materials:

2x4 Wood
3x3/4" Wood (for the surface)
Pocket hole screws & jig
Drill with square bit
Clamps
Saw
Wood conditioner (we found this makes a huge difference in how smoothly the stain absorbs)
Stain
Rags for applying stain
Gloves
Wood glue

Total cost: $60

Read on for more pictures & details...

I could have bought wood that was 2"x2" to make the cabinet smaller, but I was going for rustic.

I bought more wood than I thought I'd need, so there's some surplus in the price above.

The frame was easy. If you've never used pocket holes before, they are awesome! Screws hidden, and the holes can be filled with dowels if that's your jam.

Before I knew it, I had two sets of legs:

Attaching the longer members to make a box was just more pocket hole screws:

Here's some random pliers I really love (no joke). They are called Vampire pliers. There are teeth inside that makes it much easier to extract stripped screws. Best pliers I own!

Next, I glued down the base shelf. I left the clamps on for 30 minutes per set. That was long enough in 60 degree Fahrenheit weather for the glue to cure.

Measuring and assembling the cross bars was by far the hardest part of this project. We tried calculating (with real math -- who doesn't like a good challenge?) what the angles would be, but it didn't work out the way we thought it would. So I held up one piece, positioned it where I wanted, double, and triple checked, and then just drew a line.

I intentionally left each piece a little long so I could trim it down to fit snugly. Once the long cross bar was in place, I realized the upper portion of the short cross bar would need some support. I drilled into the middle of the long cross bar and put two strategically placed wood screws into the end of the upper short cross bar. Worked like a charm.

The second set of cross bars for the opposite side was much easier to make.

Some more angles to admire:

Once I had both sets in place, I took one screw and drilled through the structural frame in each corner to keep the cross bars from wiggling or getting bumped out of position. I could have used nails, but I like being able to disconnect things if needed. Here's what the underside looks like:

The Top

After the base was done, we realized we had an old butcher block top from a previous project that I didn't use. I slapped it on top and measured it with a ¾" overhang on all sides. I didn't like it, and I didn't like the top being flush with the frame. I adjusted the top to have a 1" overhang & was pleased with how it looked.

Several clamps later, the top was temporarily secured. I needed to figure out a way to trim the oversized butcher block so it had a 1" overhang on all sides. I took a piece of scrap wood & trimmed it to be 1" wide x 3" long. It being 3" point was mostly just because it was left over from the ¾" x 3" wood, but it played out nicely because the 3" gave me plenty of wood to square against.

I took the wood & my recently sharpened pencil. I placed the pencil against the edge of the wood & ran both down the butcher block's underside using the frame as a guide. The line wasn't perfect, but it gave me enough to take it to my table saw with confidence.

I setup my table saw with the fence & the square bracket. I learned how to use the square bracket on a table saw when I made a kitchen cabinet. It makes things much easier to... well, get square.

Here it is after trimming the top:

My father in law introduced me to the red craftsman clamps you see in the pictures. The best part about these clamps is there's two levers. One to tighten and one to loosen. It's a minor thing to loosen a clamp so you can adjust the wood ⅛", but being able to pull the trigger to loosen it just a hair makes a huge difference.

I already had four of those clamps. That might have been enough to glue down the top, but I wanted to make sure it really got glued tight. I ordered more clamps online and got to work staining.

Wood Conditioner

We had some wood conditioner left over from when we built our outdoor couch. With gloves on & rags at the ready, the wood conditioner deepened the natural hue of the pine just slightly.

Here's a picture with the wood conditioner applied:

This is the wood conditioner we used. It's from Home Depot. The wood pieces underneath the can are with no wood conditioner:

In the picture above, you can see how the stain blotches around the older grain (in between the growth rings). The wood conditioner helps even out that difference, as you’ll see in later pictures.

I let the wood conditioner absorb into the wood for seven days because I had other things happening during the week. Seven days later after the first application, I applied the wood conditioner again to make sure it letting it sit for a week didn’t ruin the project.

Staining

I applied the stain one hour after the wood conditioner this time. I picked up two different color stains from a company called Verathane. It’s sold at Home Depot. I like it better than Minwax because it’s thicker and doesn’t run like water.

The colors were Dark Walnut and Provincial. I had every intention of using Dark Walnut because I thought it was the prettier of the two. However, Provincial had a warmer hue to it, and I knew that putting polyurethane on the piece would darken the color even more. So, we went with the slightly lighter Provincial & kept the Dark Walnut for another project.

Staining wood is one of my favorite activities. It’s a little nerve wracking because you can totally ruin a project in less than 30 seconds, but it’s also really fun to watch the wood take on a different character.

I had read that using a medium hue stain would highlight imperfections in the wood. For example, where I sanded against the grain with the belt sander instead of with the grain. That really hit home with this project. This stain did highlight those imperfections, but it also gave the furniture character. Character is something you look for in furniture you buy. If it’s something I would buy, it’s something it’s something to be proud of making with your own hands.

The top on the pictures above is just resting on the frame.

Attaching the Top

Earlier I mentioned ordering extra clamps to ensure I got the top to adhere to the frame all the way around. I’m glad I did. The five reversible 18” clamps cost me $80 including shipping. That’s about $16 each. I spread the wood glue in an S pattern on the top of the frame. I laid the top down & centered it using the 1” measuring jig I made earlier in the project. It was literally just a piece of wood 1” long that I used on every side to make sure the top had a 1” overhang on all sides.