Modern Side Table
€12,00
Modern Side Table
€12,00
A four-leg side table at your sofa's arm height, one shelf low down; plywood and pine, screws only.
An original Square & Furrow plan: designed for today's homes, every step drawn, cut list for standard lumber, imperial and metric.
At a glance
- Size: Square 20 x 20" (508 x 508 mm), Narrow 14 x 20" (356 x 508 mm), tops 22 to 26" (559 to 660 mm); top 25 lb (11 kg) + a 50 lb (23 kg) press; tie it back
- Skill: Confident beginner
- Build time: A weekend and an evening: a day to cut and finish, dry overnight, a half day to build
- Materials: approx. US$80–140
- In the plan: 13-page PDF, US Letter, 12 illustrated steps, imperial, with metric in the lists and steps
Inside the 13-page plan
- An exploded drawing that shows how every part goes together
- Dimensioned views of the finished build, in feet and inches
- Materials list and hardware schedule, with standard lumber sizes and metric equivalents
- Cut list for standard lumber, so you can cut everything before you start assembling
- Clear illustrated step-by-step assembly drawings: one job per step, every part drawn, fastener positions marked
Safety: Not a seat or a step: never sit, stand or climb on it. Top rated 25 lb (11 kg) plus a person's 50 lb (23 kg) press straight down on its edge; shelf 25 lb (11 kg). It tips easily: untied and empty, a pull of 3 to 7 lb (1 to 3 kg) at the top edge tips it, so a child hanging on it can bring it down. Tie it back to wall studs with two furniture straps (step 11), each rated 50 lb (23 kg) or more: a tipping guard, never a climbing rating. Do not use it untied where a child under 5 can reach it. Heavy things low on the shelf, a lamp in the middle of the top. Press only on the half of the top nearest you; never pull on it or push it away.
The PDF plan is a digital download; nothing ships. An original design by Square & Furrow, produced with AI-assisted tools and checked by our build model.
Illustrated step by step
Imperial + metric
Cut list & checklist
Instant PDF download
Built to work
Modern Side Table
Built in home workshops more than a century ago, and redrawn for the way you build today.
RenderingStep by step
Every part drawn. Every fastener marked.
Each step is one job with its own clear drawing: the parts it adds are shaded, every nail and screw position is marked, and the hardware and tools sit right beside it. An exploded view shows how the whole build goes together before you make a single cut.
Before you build
Your tools & materials checklist
Tick what you already have. Whatever is left is your shopping list. Your ticks are saved on this device, so you can come back to it from the lumber yard.
0 of 0 on hand
Tools
Materials
One table, either footprint; buy straight boards. A 2x2 is 1 1/2" square, a 1x 3/4" (19 mm); ply sold as 3/4" is 23/32" (18 mm), a "1x" may be 11/16" (17 mm): the plan is checked at both. Cutting layout: Fig. 1.
Questions about this plan
What are the finished dimensions?
Square 20 x 20" (508 x 508 mm), Narrow 14 x 20" (356 x 508 mm), tops 22 to 26" (559 to 660 mm); top 25 lb (11 kg) + a 50 lb (23 kg) press; tie it back. The drawings are dimensioned in feet and inches; the materials list, cut list and steps give metric sizes alongside.
What skill level do I need, and how long does it take?
It's rated confident beginner. Expected build time: A weekend and an evening: a day to cut and finish, dry overnight, a half day to build. It suits someone who has built a simple piece of furniture or cut a mortise and tenon before; each step still names the tools it uses.
How much does it cost to build?
Roughly US$80–140 in materials at typical US lumber-yard prices. Prices vary a lot by region, so price the materials list at your local yard before you start.
What tools do I need?
Pencil; Speed square; Level, 24" (610 mm); Masking or painter's tape (the depth flag on the bit); Bathroom scale and a folded towel (the 50 lb press on the near half); Stud finder with wire detection and a hook (luggage) scale (the anti-tip straps and their pull test, steps 11 and 12); Circular saw with a clamped straightedge guide, or a handsaw; Sawhorses or scrap lumber to cut over; Sanding block; Sandpaper 80, 120, 180 and 220 grit; Household iron and a sharp utility knife (the edge banding); Foam brush or lint-free rags; Drill/driver with a nose 1 3/4" (44 mm) or less across, 7/64" (2.8 mm), 1/8" (3 mm) and 11/64" (4.5 mm) bits, a countersink bit and a #2 cross-head bit; 1 bar clamp, 24" (610 mm); 6 small clamps, throat 2" (51 mm) or more; Scrap: a straight stop board about 24" (610 mm) long (1x4 offcut), a 3 3/4" (95 mm) block of 2x4, a stick cut from the leg offcut (18 1/2" (470 mm) Square, 12 1/2" (318 mm) Narrow), a 3/4" (19 mm) scrap, a 1/2" (13 mm) scrap (the pull-test gauge), four business cards, a 3 1/2" (89 mm) wide 1x4 offcut as the wall gauge, ten 5 lb (2.3 kg) sacks of rice for the load test; 2 anti-tip furniture straps, each maker-rated 50 lb (23 kg) or more in the pull; 4 pan-head #8 x 2" (51 mm) screws, 4 pan-head #10 x 3" (76 mm) screws, 4 flat washers (not the kit's short screws); 4 snap toggles rated 100 lb (45 kg) in pull-out only if a wall plate has no stud; plus a tape, pencil, safety glasses, hearing protection and gloves. The interactive checklist on this page lets you tick off what you already own.
Where does this plan come from?
It is an original Square & Furrow design for today's homes, produced with AI-assisted tools and checked by our build model. You get a materials list, metric sizes, a cut list for standard lumber and clear illustrated step-by-step assembly drawings, every part drawn. Sizes are in feet and inches, with metric alongside.
Can a beginner follow it?
It's rated confident beginner, so it helps to have built something framed before, or to have a handy friend on the bigger lifts. Each step is a single job with its own drawing: the parts that step adds are shaded, the nails, screws and bolts it drives are marked where they go, and the hardware for that step is listed beside it. An exploded drawing at the front shows how the whole build goes together before you cut anything.
What do I get?
A 13-page print-ready PDF (US Letter) to download after purchase. It prints well at home or at a copy shop, and reads fine on a tablet in the workshop.