Happy New Year!
Since my girls have moved on from their little table and are trying to eat on the couch now, I needed something to spare my couch from as much cereal as possible. Since I had an extra board and these pipe table legs available, I was able to make a cool little table for the side of the couch that turns to become a TV tray when we need it.
Supplies:
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- 3 pipe table legs (mine were 28″, but 24″ would work better)
- One 1×10 board, around 48 inches long
- Screws (usually come with the pipe legs)
- Stain
- Furniture pads (optional)
Tools:
- Miter saw
- Drill or screwdriver
- Sander (or sandpaper)
- Brush for stain
Step 1: Measure. I measured the arm of my couch and decided on 21 inches for the length of the tray top (and base bottom). The board I had was 10 inches wide, which is about perfect for a plate, but you could do 12-14 inches for a little extra width. Just be aware that it will stick out farther into the room – I wanted the space for walking around. For height, my legs were 28 inches, which makes the tray a nice height above the couch arm and also leaves plenty of room for adult legs when it’s sitting in front of you on the couch. (I would probably go down to 24-inch legs like the ones I linked above if I do this again, as 28 inches makes it a bit high for kids.)
Step 2: Cut wood. I took my board to our miter saw and cut two pieces at 21 inches long. That was it.
Step 3: Sand and stain. Taking my two boards inside, I gave the cut ends a quick sanding to round off the edges and any sharp corners. Most of this leftover board was already stained, but I did have to stain the cut ends and touch up the edges.
I didn’t bother staining the bottom side of what would be the bottom board, but I did stain both the top and bottom sides of the board that would be the top tray piece.
Step 4: Position and attach the legs. First, I did the bottom board, with the unstained bottom on the floor. With this bottom board down, I positioned two of the legs so that the edges of the round bases were 3 inches in from the back end of the board. I also positioned each leg 1/2 inch in from each side.
It’s important with these legs to be sure they are tightly screwed together (the pole into each end’s base), and be sure they stand at equal heights. If one is a little taller than the other, you can loosen the screwed on base from the pole a little bit to adjust for level. I also checked for level vertically around each pole to be sure they were straight.
Once happy with the position, I screwed the base of each leg onto the board. BE SURE your screws are shorter than the width of your board so they don’t poke through.
Once the bottom was attached, I set the top board on the floor with the underside facing up. Then I flipped the legs and the attached bottom so that the legs’ other ends/bases now sat on this board. I positioned them the same way — 3 inches in from the back and 1/2 inch in from each side. I again checked for level and then screwed the bases into the board.
Once those two legs were on, I flipped the whole thing so it was right-side-up. It had a little movement from side to side, so for added stability I added a third leg right at the back in the middle of the board. (Plus, I just liked how this looked.) After measuring to make sure the base was centered, I screwed it in place on the bottom board. Then I checked to make sure the top of the tray was level. All good, I reached up from underneath and screwed the top base into the top board.
Step 5 (optional): Finishes. If you’re worried about scratching your floor, you can add furniture pads to the underside of the bottom board. I didn’t bother since it’ll often be on our rug anyway.
Also, as you might’ve noticed, I ran out of black screws. 😆 If you have this problem too, a black sharpie solves this easily.
That was it! I like how this turned out a lot. It’s rustic and kind of modern, and it fits with the look of our other decor and my other little DIY table without being an exact match.
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