Study table is a day to day companion of students and professional people. Imagine you want to buy a study table but going low on budget. So you may ask how can I make a study table at home with wood or plywood? Do you want to know more? Well, here is the kicker for you.
A professional like me who’s in the furniture business can help you in this matter. From my experience here are 7 easy DIY tips to make a study table. The following parts will have a broad discussion on these ideas.
Hence, stay hooked with the writing:
7 DIY Steps To Make Study Table At Home With Wood:
A wooden study table is really easy and cheap to make. All you need is some sort of wooden piece. Such as hardwood, plywood, etc. Some drilling, screwing, and cutting machines. These are the basic items to make a study table at home. Now let’s talk about all these 7 DIY steps below:
1. Buy Wooden Plates And Cut Them In Size:
The first step to build a study table at home is cutting and attaching wood plates. There are no rules for using any particular wood plates when you’re making a study table. However, if you think about durability, lumber woods are a good choice. If you prioritize cost-effectiveness, hardwood or plywood is a better deal.
The ideal width of a study table is 4-5 feet. So, when you are buying wood plates, make sure the lumbers are near 9-10 feet. You can cut the excess part while making the study tabletop. These steps will guide you about the size and cuts of the study table:
- Bring 4 pieces of wood plates, make sure two are sized 2”x10”x9 feet each. The other two has the measurement of 2”x10”x3 feet
- Decide what should be the measurement of tabletop height and table leg height.
- Normally 5 feet is a standard size for study tabletops. And leg sizes are ideal near 3 feet. So cut 2 lumber wood plates into 4 pieces. Two pieces in 2”x10”x 5 feet size and the other two in 2”x10”x2.5 feet size. From the other two plates cut two more 2.5 feet plates. Four pieces that are 2.5 feet in size will establish the support of the table.
- To cut wood plates you can use an automatic circular wood saw. This ensures the most precise cutting of woods. If you don’t have an automatic saw, use manual saws to cut wood plates.
- When you are done separating four pieces, trim or sand the sides of each plate. This will keep wood pieces flat and make sure no gaps are there when pieces are attached.
- Sides you trim or cut can be used as a support under the study table so don’t throw these away. The use of these will be discussed in the next phrases.
- Sanding and coloring the plates can be done in this stage. You can apply wooden colors or varnish all plates. You can apply water sealants too.
2. Attach Wood Plates With Dowels & Glue:
When you’re finished with the cutting process, it’s time to assemble the pieces. The large pieces sized 5 feet will be used as tabletops. The process of attaching these two plates is as follows:
- First, keep the trimmed sides of both plates together. The next step is marking the middle part of both plates. Take a ruler and pencil to mark which places you need to drill. And put dowel pieces on the holes of one plate.
- After the marking is done, it’s time to drill holes on marked sides. Place a dowel wobble or jig on top of each mark. The hole position should be symmetrical with the jig hole. Use your fingers to hold the wobble tightly.
- With your other hand, put the drill nod in the jig hole and start drilling deeper inside the wooden plate. Make at least 5-6 holes on the sides of each plate.
- Now leave the holes of one plate as these are. Take the other plate in your hand. Use your fingers to place the dowel joiner over a hole. Use a small hammer to strike it so that it fits tightly in the space.
- Make sure all the dowels match the same height. Seal the points of every hole with glue. Wait for the glue to harden.
- When the dowels are attached fully, it’s time to attach two plates. One dowel for each hole of another plate is the attachment goal. Brush wooden glue on the sides of each plate.
- Place the plate which has more holes in the floor that’s attached to the room wall. This will make sure the plate would stay still in one place.
- Push the other plate that has dowel spikes towards the bare hole plate. To apply pressure you can use a hammer. Make sure two plates are tightly attached. Leave the plates for 24 hours. Your tabletop is ready now.
3. Build Table Base With Remaining Pieces of Wood:
The tabletop is ready now. What you need to do is make the support legs with the other four pieces that are sized 2.5 feet each. Let’s see how you create the base part of the table:
- The base part attachment process is just the way you made the tabletop. Divide four pieces into two groups. Trim and attach each group plate, mark, drill, make holes and put dowels. Then apply pressure to attach these. When the process is finished, you will get two bases for tables which will act as support.
- Make sure the wooden glue is dried properly. Otherwise, base woods may get detached in pressure.
4. Attach The Base And Top of Table:
In the final part, the goal is to attach the two bases to the tabletop. Once the attachment is done, the study table is ready for use. It is better to send all the pieces with grit before the attachment process. Let’s talk about it briefly in the following steps:
- Place your tabletop on a flat surface and flip it. This will be at the bottom of the study table.
- To attach bases with table bottoms, you’ll have to drill holes and attach screws. But the process is not easy as the head of the base will lay over the tabletop. In this case, the pocket hole is the solution.
- Clamp the pocket hole machine on the width side of one base plate. With a drill make 4-5 pocket holes in a row. Keep the same gap between each hole. These angled holes will allow the screws to penetrate and bind two wood surfaces.
- Do the same thing with the remaining base wood plate. Dig angled holes with a pocket holder. The pocket holes should be made in a way so that these go down to intersect the tabletop.
- When the holes are ready it’s time to bind two bases with tabletops. Place one base vertically over the table. The holes should stay upward. In this stage, you can tell someone to hold the base plate. This will allow you to drill and attach screws through the holes easily,
- First, place the screw in the hole and use the screw drill to make the screw penetrate through the hole. When one hole is done, go for the remaining one. Tell the person to firmly hold the base part who’s standing with it.
- Now make sure every screw has intersected the tabletop. You can examine it by applying pressure on the base part. If it seems tight and fit, one base has been attached successfully.
- Now go for the remaining base. And do the same process again, clamp pocket hole machine on side, make angled holes by drill machine. Attach the base and tabletop with attachable screws.
- Tighten the screws properly and make sure each screw has reached the tabletop bottom. Check the base wood’s strength by mildly pushing it on the opposite side.
5. Bind An Additional Support With Study Table Base:
You may have followed the previous four parts correctly. Now your basic study table is completed. Let’s enhance its strength furthermore. Attach an additional wood piece with two base wood places. This is done by doing the following things:
- Remember, at the very beginning I said not to throw the trimmed parts away. Now is the time to bind these for a good purpose.
Use the drill and make holes on two trimmed parts. Attach a dowel on one of these. Then bind the two parts and seal the dowel entrances as well as the whole side area with wood glue.
- Now use the pocket hold to drill two holes on each side of the support plate. Place the support plate on the bottom surface of the study table. Then bind each side with the study table permanently by putting screws on holes.
6. Make Extra Spaces On Study Table:
The study table is ready now basically. Suppose you need extra spaces to keep things on it. In that case, you can follow these additional steps:
- Make a rack over the study table. To do this, you’ll need two same wooden plates like the bottom support. The difference would be in size. The rack supports should be half of the size of the bottom base plates.
- Drill holes on each side of the study table. This time the holes should stay far from your sitting range. Then add glues on holes and put dowels on holes. Apply pressure so that these things fit well. Keep remembering to drill holes according to the width of support racks.
- Now again create bare holes on rack supports and attach them on table sides, seal the gap with glue. Always place support plates in a way so that these leave spaces. For the main flat board which will be attached behind later.
- Place the flat board behind the study table and attach it with side racks through glue and screws. The drilling and screw attachment is done because the board is big and screwing makes it more stable.
- When the rack base is done, you can customize the front part on your own. That means drilling and adding one or two flat boards to create cabinet-like spaces.
7. Create An L Shaped Study Table For More Convenience:
There can be multiple study table users in a room. In that case, an L-shaped study table is a good choice. What it does is creates one additional surface for many uses. The process is similar to the making of an ordinary table. However, there are some steps you’ll have to follow additionally:
- You’ve learned previously how to make a sturdy tabletop. This time you’ll have to build another tabletop from wood plates. The measurement should remain the same with the main tabletop
- The two bases of your study table will change position now. One will be attached with the side of the new tabletop plate. Another will stay on the side of the main study table.
- The main study table should be placed like a linear line. On the side of the linear Line, attach your additional study table which should hold the shape of the letter ‘I’. These two tabletops should be attached following the previous methods. Together they will create the Mirror L shape.
Related Questions:
Tools That Are Needed To Make Study Table At Home:
Earlier there has been a brief discussion about the study table and its making. Let’s summarize the tools again that you need in the building process:
- Wooden pieces or lumbers,
- Drill machine,
- Dowels,
- Glue,
- Hammer,
- Circular/manual saw
- Screws,
- Colors.
Study Table Size Chart For Different Ages Students:
People of different ages and professions use study tables on purpose. So, whether you are making a study table at home, or buying from the shop a clear idea about accurate size is a mandatory thing. The following table will give you a basic idea about the size of the study table you are making or buying:
| Age Group | Age Range ( Years) | Table Height ( Inch) | Tabletop & Seat Gap (Inch) |
| Nursery Children | 3-4 | 18”-20” | 7”-8” |
| Kindergarten | 5-6 | 19”-23” | 8”-10” |
| School Kids (G1-G2) | 6-8 | 20”- 24” | 10”-12” |
| School Kids (G3-G4) | 8-10 | 25”-27” | 12”-15” |
| School Kids (G5-G8) | 11-15 | 27”-28” | 12”-14” |
| Teenagers | 15-17 | 30”-34” | 13”-15” |
| Adults | 18-Above | 30”-35” | 15”-17” |
What Is The Ideal Size of Study Table Top & Base?
The size of the study table depends on the space it’s getting. For a large space, the size can be enhanced. A small space on the other hand needs reduction. From a neutral point of view, a single user study table size can be 4-5 feet on top and the bases can be 3 feet long.
Is Cardboard A Good & Cheap Option To Make A Study Table?
The use of cardboard can reduce the study table-making cost. However, the idea is far from reality. First of all, cardboard is paper. And like any other paper, it is prone to water and vulnerable to pressure. But cardboard tables can be made to keep things that are lightweight and dry.
Which Woods Are Good to Build a Home Study Table?
The category of different woods affects the durability of the study table. In quality, hardwoods are far better than others. These are durable, have good pressure resistance, and have elegant finishes. So hardwood is a good option to build a study table at home.
What Are The Perfect Colors to Style A Study Table?
The color choice depends on personal preference. For example, you like natural tones. So, a simple varnish or wooden color can bring a natural wooden vibe over the study table. If the study table is for teens, you can paint it with colorful shades.
Final Words:
Study tables are important for people who study and learn. Sometimes when you plan for a new study table, try making it at home. With easy use tools and DIY methods, it is possible to make a less costly study table at home.
So, next time make your study table with your creativity and easy to purchase wood plates. These can save your time and bucks for other works.