Wooden End Tables
We needed a couple of small end tables that would fit into my girlfriends home office. We wanted something that we could build fast and was very unique and this is what we came up with.
To make these two end tables we found an old pallet (it was in my backyard for years...no idea why lol) and bought a large block of wood from a local rehab store.
The pallets were already aged but needed a finish to protect the wood. Which is kind of funny since the wood has been sitting outside for years...lol
I had to cut the block in half. Which was not possible with my circular saw. I did start the whole process with my circular saw. Carefully measuring each side and making a cut. Four cuts later and it was time to use the handsaw. I had to be very careful at this point or I would need to do a lot of sanding to level off the ends.
Luckily the cut turned out pretty good. Definitely a workout though...lol
After sanding the blocks I applied an aging process that uses black tea, vinegar with steel wool and more black tea. You can learn more about this process in the finishes section.
We then put on a clear coat to protect the wood over time. But I think the finishing process we used soaks into the wood pretty good so I am not sure the finish coat was necessary.
The tops required us to remove the supports of the pallet so the tops would fit nicely onto the legs.
There was some cutting of the tops so we had to age the cut pieces using the same process as I mentioned above.
The tables are slightly longer on one side, which was fine as these fit perfectly beside a small wooden couch we bought at a garage sale for $50.
Time wise this project took about 6 hours and only cost $20.