DIY Side Table or Bedside Table Made From Leftover Wood

This is the wood I had to work with: 1"x3"'s, 1"x4"'s and 3/4" Plywood

I didn't want to do all the wood cutting in my apartment because it would be way too messy so I set up my mobile workshop outside. I'm in love with this work table from WORX because it's light enough for me to carry, it only takes minutes to set up and it even comes with 2 clamps!

I started by cutting the plywood to make the top and the bottom of the table (I chose to have 3 pieces for the top and 2 for the bottom, each board about 1 1/2" smaller to give a staggered effect. Then I cut many many pieces of 1"x3" and 1"x4". I originally made all the same size but then I came up with the idea to cut boards of different lengths to give a curved effect.

After all the wood was cut, I went back inside and covered up the sides of the plywood and the ends of the pine boards with iron on wood edging.

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.

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 absolutely love the way it looks in my bedroom and though I was originally thinking of painting it black, now I think I will just stain it.

You can see more details on this project in this video, including how I started off building something completely different!