Home: No-Drill, Easy DIY Wooden Side Table / Stool

Basic little things for the home can be the most outrageously priced s*!% in the world. Instead of coughing up $100+ (which seems to be the going rate for stools like this), you could just grab a 2x2 and a slice of log, some glue and put the money in your travel savings account. You don't even need a drill to make this! Easiest is to just ask the guys at the hardware store to cut your wood for you, and this is the least messy wood project ever.

TOOLS:

Slice of log, sanded  |  2x2 cut into three 40-cm pieces, sanded (I found one that had some bark on it which I liked)  |  Wood glue  |  Optional: your choice of stain/laquer/paint  |  Bucket + water

I. To distribute the legs evenly, I took a round item half the size of my table top (in my case a pot lid) and arranged the legs standing around it, equal distance from each other.

II. To make sure everything was symmetrically spaced, I put the table top piece on top.

III. Then (according to the instructions on the glue packaging) spread a layer of glue on each leg.

IV. .. And placed the table top in its place, with a bucket full of water on top as a weight. Then let the glue dry a full 24 hours. The alternative method (especially if you find it hard to slap the top piece on the glued legs so it's centered, is: put the table top on the floor, top side facing the floor, then place the glued legs standing on it, and place a tray/large book on top of the legs. Then put the weight on top. I had no flat item in the house big and strong enough to do this job, so I did it the slightly harder way.

V. Lastly, instead of the stain in the first image, I ended up treating the stool with a very watered down light grey paint to give it a bit of a weathered look.

So easy it's not really even tutorial-worthy.. If you don't have access to a piece of log like I used, you could  instead come up with all kinds of different things for the top piece - many kitchen stores sell a variety of exotic-looking cutting boards, or for a square version, add one more leg and glue together a few rows of the same 2x2.

xo,

Julia