Building a table and chairs for the kids is a great way to get them to want to sit at the table but also to get them to understand how things are created.
The list below of materials will make two small chairs and a table.
What you will need:
Table
• 4 X 35mm diameter X 400mm long round dowels.
• 1 piece of 15mm ply board @ 500mm X 600mm.
Chairs
• 4 X 35mm diameter dowels X 500mm long
• 4 X 35mm diameter dowels X 240mm long
• 2 pieces of 15mm ply @ 220mm squared
• 1 length timber - 20mm X 40mm X 1metre
Other materials needed
• Masking tape
• wood glue
• light weight spak filler
• 5mm & 8mm wood drill bits
• sand paper, medium and fine
• Allen keys or hex
• Paint - yellow, blue, red, white, black
• Paint brushes x 5
• 16 x insert lugs with a thread of 10 mm in diameter (to work with an allen key)
• 16 x 40 mm long bolts, 5 ml in diameter for lugs.
What you will need to do:
When you buy the materials it would be best if you can get the store to cut the pieces to size but if not then a hand saw and a clamp should do the trick.
Once you have everything cut down to size, it’s time to start on the table.
Table
• Turn the table top over and mark 4 points 50mm in from ply board corners. When marked use a 5mm wood drill to drill 4 holes, all the way through for the bolts.
• Next get the four legs and with each one cut a wedge off the end on four sides to make the pencil tip. You will need to do this for all the table legs and the chair legs.
• Use a 10mm wood drill and drill 25mm down the centre of dowel. Screw in insert lug and screw to table top.
• You can then insert bolts through table top and screw in legs.
Chair
Same process as table except for back supports. Use a hole saw and bore two 35mm holes through ply board, 20mm in squared from back corners. Slide dowel through holes and screw in place.
Paint
• Sand any rough edges. Fill in holes with spak filler.
• When painting the legs to look like pencils paint the legs up to the wedge cut outs in the colour you want, but remember that most pencils seem to be either red or yellow. Then get some masking tape and tape up the remaining point of the pencil, leaving about 10mm that you can then paint black as the ‘lead’.
• Repeat this at the top of the chair legs but paint the top bits white so they look like erasers.
NOTE: Chair seat height is set at 220mm high
Check Jake’s video to watch how he makes them.
Shaping the ends to look like a pencil
