For a 30″ crate dog crate end table plans

Parts

Cut list

Kerf 1/8″ included. Every cut runs edge to edge.

Steps

• Tape measure
• Speed square
• Pencil
• Drill/driver
• Clamps
• Safety glasses
• Hearing protection
• Dust mask
• Circular saw and a straight edge (or have the store cut the sheets)
• Jigsaw
• 1″ spade or Forstner bit
• Household iron
• Utility knife
• Countersink bit
• Putty knife
• Sander, 120 and 180 grit

Underlined words have a short explanation: hover or tap them. All of them are on the glossary page.

1. 1Before you start

   Read every step once, start to finish, before you buy or cut anything. Each step names the parts it uses by letter; the parts list gives their sizes.

   Set up somewhere flat with good light. A pair of sawhorses with a sheet of plywood on top makes a fine work table.

   Wear safety glasses whenever a tool is running, hearing protection for saws, and a dust mask for sanding and for cutting treated wood or sheet goods. Tie back long hair and loose sleeves. Keep children and pets out of the work area.

   • Tip At the store, pick straight boards: hold each one up to your eye and look down its length. Skip boards that bow, twist or have big knots near the ends.
   • Tip Measure twice, cut once. Most mistakes are a misread tape, not a bad cut.

2. 2Cut and label the parts

   Cut every part on the cut list. Cut the longest parts first: if one goes wrong, it can still become a shorter part.

   To mark a cut, hook your tape on the end of the board, make a small V with its point exactly at the measurement, and draw a square line through the point with a speed square. Put an X on the waste side.

   Cut on the waste side of the line, so the blade's kerf (about 1/8″) comes out of the scrap, not your part. Cut sheets with the good face down when using a circular saw: the blade splinters the top face.

   Write each part's letter in pencil on a face that won't show, and stack the parts by letter.

   Sand the faces before assembly while they're flat and easy to reach: 120 grit, then 180.

   ✓ Lay the parts out and count them against the parts list. Measure a few: if one is off by more than 1/16″, recut it now.

   STOP. Let the saw reach full speed before it touches the wood, keep both hands clear of the blade's path, and never reach under a board you're cutting. Support long boards on both sides of the cut so the blade doesn't pinch.

3. 3Cut the windows in the sides

   On each side (A), draw a window leaving a 3″ border all round: 14 3/4″ wide and 16 1/2″ tall.

   Round the corners: drill a 1″ hole in each corner of the window, touching both lines. The holes make neat rounded corners and give the jigsaw blade a way in.

   Saw from hole to hole along the lines with a jigsaw. Clamp both sides together and sand the window edges smooth so they match.

   • Tip Clamp the work so the line hangs off the bench, use a fine-tooth wood blade, let the saw reach full speed before it touches the wood and push gently: the blade bends if you force it, and the cut wanders.

   ✓ Both windows line up when the sides are stacked, and the borders are 3″ all round.

   STOP. Support the waste piece as you finish the last cut, so it doesn't drop and splinter the border.

4. 4Edge-band the top and sides

   Iron edge banding onto the front and both end edges of the top (B), and the front edges of the sides: cut a strip 1″ longer than the edge, hold it on with the glue side down, and run a household iron (cotton setting, no steam) slowly along it. Press it down with a block of wood while it cools, then trim the overhang with a utility knife held flat and sand the edges lightly.

   Plywood edges show the layers and splinter; the banding makes them look like solid wood and wear well.

   • Tip Ironing from the middle outward pushes air out from under the banding.

   ✓ The banding is flat and tight along every edge with no glue-less bubbles; press any bubble again with the iron.

5. 5Join the sides with the back stretchers

   Stand the sides up 31 1/2″ apart inside, banded edges at the front. Fit one back stretcher (C) on edge at the top back corner and one at the bottom back corner, flush with the back edges.

   Glue each stretcher end (end grain: a thin coat, two minutes, a second coat) and drive 3 screws, 1 5/8″, through the side into it. Predrill and countersink.

   The front stays open, so the crate slides in and out.

   • Tip End grain (the cut end of a board) soaks glue up like a straw. Brush on a thin first coat, wait two minutes, then add a second coat before you join the parts.
   • Tip Drill a pilot hole for every screw within 2″ of the end of a board, or the board will split. Then countersink so the screw head sits flush.

   ✓ The sides are 31 1/2″ apart at the front as well as the back, and the frame stands without rocking.

6. 6Add the front stiffener

   Lay the front stiffener (D) flat between the sides at the top front, its top face flush with the tops of the sides and its front edge flush with their front edges.

   Glue its ends and drive 2 screws through each side into it.

   It stiffens the front of the top, where people put drinks and lean, without hanging down in front of the crate door.

   ✓ A straightedge across the tops of the sides touches the stiffener and both stretchers.

7. 7Fix the top

   Lay the top (B) on, flush at the back, overhanging 1″ at each end and at the front.

   Drive 1 5/8″ screws down through the top into the side edges every 6″ (centre each on the 3/4″ edge), and into the top stretcher and stiffener every 8″. Countersink, fill with wood filler and sand flush.

   • Tip Drill a pilot hole for every screw within 2″ of the end of a board, or the board will split. Then countersink so the screw head sits flush.

   ✓ The overhang is even at both ends and the top doesn't rock or creak when you press its corners.

8. 8Sand and finish

   Sand every face and edge of the table with 120 grit, then 180 grit, always moving along the grain (the lines in the wood). Sanding across the grain leaves scratches that the finish makes darker.

   Soften every sharp edge and corner with a few strokes of 180-grit paper on a block, so edges don't splinter or chip.

   Vacuum the dust, then wipe with a tack cloth or a barely damp rag and let it dry 10 minutes.

   Use a water-based polyurethane or a water-based paint: they smell less and cure faster than oil-based finishes. Skip anything labelled "exterior only" or for decks.

   Brush on thin coats along the grain, sanding lightly with 220 grit between coats once each is dry. Three coats on surfaces that get wet or scratched.

   Let the finish cure a full 7 days before your pet uses it: pets lick, chew and sleep on it, and finish that is dry to the touch is not yet cured.

   • Tip Pine goes blotchy under stain. If you want colour, brush on a pre-stain conditioner first, or use a gel stain.
   • Tip Finish the back and underside too. Wood that is sealed on one side only can cup as the seasons change.
   • Tip Work in a warm, dry, well-ventilated room. Below about 50°F (10°C) most finishes dry slowly and cloudy.

   ✓ The surface feels smooth and even, with no drips on the edges and no dull, dry patches.

9. 9Slide in the crate

   Stick felt pads under the sides. Slide the crate in from the front with its door facing out.

   Check the crate door swings fully open and the latch is easy to reach.

   Don't set drinks, plants or anything that can spill or fall right above the crate door.

   ✓ The crate slides out easily for cleaning, and its door opens without touching the table.

   STOP. Keep cords and anything your dog could pull through the wire off the table near the crate.