Mid-Century Inspired Dog Bowl Stand

5 Materials
$30
2 Days
Easy

With a new dog in the house, we were looking for a way to improve the eyesore of two metal bowls sitting on the floor. It didn't look great, and the bowls kept getting moved around every time the dog would eat or drink. We love all things mid-century, so we decided to make a wood dog bowl stand with mid-century style in mind.

We're thrilled with how it turned out since it both looks nice and solves the problem of the bowls getting knocked around. I'm also told it's better for dogs to eat out of elevated bowls. The project also had my mind racing with other alterations, like not using legs and just making the two side pieces longer. However you decided to customize it, here is what we did.

I had a few 1x10" boards sitting around that I'd gotten for free, so they made the perfect material. If you're starting from scratch, you'd need about a 5-foot board. The top and bottom pieces are 21 1/2" long. The two side pieces are 5" long. After cutting all 4 to length, I cut 45-degree miters on the corners.

Next, I drew 7 3/4" diameter circles on the top board where I'd be making the bowl cutouts. I happened to have a mixing bowl in our kitchen that was exactly this size, so once I determined where I'd center the dog dishes, I just traced the mixing bowl to give me perfect circles.

I used a jig saw to cut out the circles. The beauty of this cut is that it doesn't have to be perfect because the lip of the dog bowl will cover your cut on the end product.

I lined the boards up end to end, inside faces down. I used wide painter's tape to tape up each seam (this will serve as the "clamp") in preparation for folding the boards together. Next, flip the boards over so the outside faces are down and spread wood glue across the seams.

Next, fold the boards together and "assemble" them as they'll look in the end. Use painter's tape to secure the final corner and let dry.

To get the rounded edges, I decided to cut and sand instead of using a router. I used the table saw to make small, 45-degree cuts on each corner, being careful not to cut too deep. Just take about 1/4" off each corner.

Then, use a palm sander to round off the rest of the corners.

I also used fine and very fine sandpaper to prep the rest of the outside faces for staining.

Before staining, I drilled a hole for each of the 4 legs so I could screw them in later.

Stain to your liking (I used golden oak), and then be sure to seal it since water drops will likely be spilling onto the wood - unless you have the cleanliest dog ever. I used 5 coats, just to be safe, of polyurethane. At this point, be sure you are also staining and sealing your legs to match.

After the poly dries, the final step is to screw in your legs. I used 5" legs leftover from another project, but you can find them easily at any hardware store or amazon. I did use a pliers to pull off the "feet" of these legs because I thought they were bulky and ugly, but there are plenty of styles you can choose from.

The final step is to drop in your bowls, and you're good to go!

Our bowls were tapered and about 2 3/4" deep - the perfect size for this project.

Follow me on Instagram at   @woodyworking for more woodworking DIY or home improvement projects. Happy building!

Suggested materials:
  • 1x10" boards
  • 5" furniture legs
  • Wood glue
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