DIY Small Side Table/nightstand

I recently built a new headboard for my bedroom and needed a new bedside table to go with it. I didn't want to spend a lot of money on this so I gave myself the challenge to build something out of a pile of leftover wood I had been accumulating for a while. You can see the whole build process in the video but here are the steps to make the table

The design for the table was loosely inspired by this $800 table from C2B. I say loosely because I was making my table with limited tools and scrap pieces of wood I had left over from other projects.

I don't have a workshop so I set up outside in the alley to cut all the wood (love my Worx workbench and cordless circular saw!).

I used 3/4" plywood for the bottom and top of the table:

the bottom has 2 pieces:

1 x 21"x15"

1x18"x12"

and the top has 3 pieces:

15" x 9"

18"x12"

21"x15"

For the pedestal, I had used 1"x3"s and 1"x4"s - having a miter saw would have been nice to cut the 1"x3" but I made the circular saw work.

1"x3" cut list:

3 x 4.5"

2 x 5.5"

2 x 6.5"

2 x 7.5"

2 x 8.5"

2 x 9.5"

1"x4" cut list:

3 x 5.5"

2 x 5.5"

2 x 6.5"

2 x 7.5"

2 x 8.5"

2 x 9.5"

2 x 10.5"

1 x 11.5

I covered all the ends of the wood pieces with iron-on veneer - that was the longest part of making the table!

I used wood glue and 1 1/4" screws to attach the boards together, staggering the screws so they wouldn't hit the ones from the previous board. I also used 3" screws to attach the plywood boards to the pedestal. I used a level to make sure the table wasn't going up crooked and a line in the middle of each board helped me align them in the other direction.

Once the pedestal was done, I attached the first piece of plywood to the top with 3" screws and then screwed that to the other 2 pieces of plywood from the bottom so that no screws would show on the top.

I loved the look of the wood so I chose to not paint it. I love the shape of the table and how sculptural it looks and it looks great with my new headboard!