How-To: An Incredibly Easy Wooden C Table
This post originally published on Curbly.com
The bed in our guest room is very tall. And if you’ve ever tried to find a tall end table, you know that they aren’t easy to come by. So I decided to make one… and my version of the C-table was born. This is not one of those time intensive woodworking projects — in fact, it didn’t even involve power tools. Click through to check out this incredibly easy little project.
The final piece is a color blocked navy and gold piece, with some raw wood left on the top to add character. And the best part? You can buy all of the wood at your local craft store!
1. Here’s what you’ll need:
– 1 piece of balsa wood, 24″x12″ and 1/2″ thick
– 2 pieces of balsa wood, 12″x12″ and 3/8″ thick
– 1 round dowel rod, 24″ long and 1″ thick
– Navy latex paint
– Gold spray paint
– Scotch Blue painter’s tape
– Paintbrush
– Hammer and small nails
– Wood glue
– Fine sandpaper
2. Begin by spray painting the dowel rod gold. Let it dry thoroughly.
3. Apply glue to the shorter edge of the 24″x12″ piece of balsa wood. Place the edge of one of the 12″x12″ pieces on top and then carefully nail it down so as not to split the wood.
4. It should look like this. Wipe any excess glue that might have oozed out while you were nailing them together.
5. Repeat the process on the other end.
6. Apply glue to both ends of the dowel rod and carefully insert it into the center of the top and bottom of the table as shown above. Weight it down with a book and support it on the back side so it dries square. (I used a crate filled with dog toys!). Let it dry for a couple of hours. Insert a nail through the top and bottom into the ends of the dowel rod for added stability.
7. The last step is to paint. Place blue tape about 2/3 of the way up. Flip it over and paint the whole top section (which will actually be the bottom) with the navy latex paint.
And that’s it, you’re all finished! The final product is the perfect size for a small lamp and a few knick-knacks.
You could also opt to finish it a different way — if you prefer a more natural look, consider staining the whole piece rather than painting it. Or you could try different paint colors. Copper and white was another combination I was considering.
I didn’t put any sort of sealant or finish on the top of mine, but if you anticipate that your C-table will get a ton of use you might consider adding a coat of sealer at the end.
