NotchLoading plan…
Loading plan…
Pedestal tables solve the breakfast-nook problem — no leg ever blocks a chair — but a single post carrying a whole tabletop has to look and be substantial. This design gets there by lamination and layering: the core is three 2x4s sandwiched face-to-face (glue plus screws for the first pair, glue plus brads for the third), the feet and top spider are stacked 2x6 layers with 45° and 30° BEVELED ends, and eight arched 2x8 corbels dress the transitions.
The bevel layering is the design's signature move: the bottom foot boards are beveled at 45°, the next layer at 30°, and when the layers stack, the stepped bevels read as one swept curve — especially after the source's step-4 instruction to SAND THE JOINT into 'a nice pretty curve.' You're sculpting with a chop saw and sandpaper, and it works.
Respect the CUT TO FIT flags — the cut list shouts them in capitals at four entries. Layered construction accumulates real variance, and the tabletop frame pieces and trim must be cut against the object on your bench, not the list. The 2x8 corbels are jigsawed to an arch; make one template arch, trace eight.
Two stability notes. Step 12's floor levelers aren't optional politeness — a pedestal table has one contact patch and rocks on uneven floors without them. And the source's final tip is the right call: screw the top to the base WITHOUT glue, so the heaviest piece in the house disassembles into two movable halves.
| Item | Qty |
|---|---|
| 2x4, 8 ftPedestal core and tabletop frame. | 3 each |
| 1x4, 6 ftPedestal trim. | 1 each |
| 2x8, 6 ftThe eight arched corbels. | 1 each |
| 2x6, 8 ftFeet, spider, and tabletop planks. | 7 each |
| 1x2, 8 ftDecorative underside trim. | 2 each |
| 2x2, 8 ftDecorative frame — omittable, says the source. | 2 each |
| Self-tapping screws, 2-1/2", star drive | 60 each |
| Pocket hole screws, 2-1/2" | 30 each |
| Brad nails, 1-1/4" and 2" | 100 each |
| Wood glue | 8 oz |
| Floor levelers and cork padsA pedestal has one contact patch; levelers make it honest on real floors. | 4 each |
| Stain and finish | 1 qt |
Overall cost: $$$. Lumber prices vary by region, species, and season, so we give a band rather than a figure we would only be pretending to know.
| Part | Qty | T × W × L |
|---|---|---|
| Pedestal core2x4Laminated face-to-face. | 3 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 21 3/4" |
| Pedestal side trim1x4 | 2 | 3/4" × 3 1/2" × 21 3/4" |
| Corbels2x8Cut into an arch — template one, trace eight. | 8 | 1 1/2" × 7 1/4" × 7 1/4" |
| Foot, bottom layer long2x6Both ends 45° BEVEL, not parallel, longest point. | 1 | 1 1/2" × 5 1/2" × 34 1/4" |
| Foot, second layer long2x6Both ends 30° BEVEL — the stepped-bevel curve. | 1 | 1 1/2" × 5 1/2" × 36" |
| Foot, bottom layer arms2x6One end 45° bevel. | 2 | 1 1/2" × 5 1/2" × 14 3/8" |
| Foot, second layer arms2x6One end 30° bevel. | 2 | 1 1/2" × 5 1/2" × 15 1/4" |
| Foot blocking1x4 | 4 | 3/4" × 3 1/2" × 5 1/2" |
| Spider, long2x645° bevels, matching the foot below. | 1 | 1 1/2" × 5 1/2" × 34 1/4" |
| Spider, cross2x6 | 1 | 1 1/2" × 5 1/2" × 42" |
| Spider arms2x6One end 45° bevel. | 2 | 1 1/2" × 5 1/2" × 15 1/2" |
| Spider arms, square2x6 | 2 | 1 1/2" × 5 1/2" × 18 1/4" |
| Tabletop frame, short2x4CUT TO FIT — the capitals are the source's. | 2 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 38 1/2" |
| Tabletop frame, long2x4 | 2 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 45 1/2" |
| Tabletop planks2x6 | 7 | 1 1/2" × 5 1/2" × 45 1/2" |
| Underside trim, 1x21x2Two at 42", two at 45" — CUT TO FIT. Decorative. | 4 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 45" |
| Underside frame, 2x22x2Two at 42-1/2", two at 45-1/2" — CUT TO FIT. Decorative, omittable. | 4 | 1 1/2" × 1 1/2" × 45 1/2" |
Buy 16 boards at 8 ft.
1 board
7 boards
Sandwich the three 2x4s face to face: glue and 2-1/2" screws join the first two; the third goes on with glue and 2" brads (its faces show, so no screw heads). Clamp or weight the stack flat while it cures — a twisted core makes a leaning table, permanently.
Mark the bottom foot board's position and attach the core to it from underneath, glue and screws, dead square to the post. Add the second-layer 30°-bevel board on top of it (dry-set the step-4 arm boards as placement guides — the source's tip), then fill in the beveled arm pieces in both layers and the 1x4 blocking.
The stepped 45°/30° bevels are rough stairs right now; sanding turns them into the swept curve. That's the next-to-last step, not this one.
Repeat the layered construction at the top of the post — the spider that will carry the tabletop. Mark, attach the main board, add the cross and arm boards with 2-1/2" screws and glue, outside edges flush per the source.
Face the pedestal's remaining sides with the 1x4 trim (glue and brads). Draw one arch template on cardboard, trace it onto the eight 2x8 corbel blanks, jigsaw them out, and attach with screws and glue at the post-to-foot and post-to-spider transitions.
Eight matching corbels from one template beats eight freehand interpretations — this is the detail people touch.
Now the sculpture step: sand the stepped bevel joints on the feet until each reads as one continuous curve. A coarse grit does the shaping; finish through the grits.
Install floor levelers under the four foot ends with cork pads. A pedestal table WILL rock on a real floor without them — one contact patch, no forgiveness.
Edge-join the seven 2x6 planks with 1-1/2" pocket holes and 2-1/2" pocket screws on a flat, level surface, clamping each seam flush. Frame the underside with the 2x4s — CUT TO FIT against your actual panel — and add the decorative 1x2 and 2x2 underside trim if you're keeping the full look (both are omittable, per the source).
Center the base upside down on the inverted top and screw the spider to the tabletop frame. LEAVE THE GLUE OFF, per the source — this table is heavy, and screws-only means it splits into two carryable halves at every future move.
Finish, flip, and claim the breakfast nook. No table leg will ever argue with a chair here again.
No reviews yet
Sign in to review this plan or share your build.
No reviews yet. Be the first to build this.
3 boards
2 boards
1 board
2 boards
Assumes 8 ft stock, a 1/8" saw kerf, and buying each part at its own width. Change the board size or kerf on the full board plan →