Apple Farm Crate Table

I have been hunkering down, working on the final edits of my book.  But, today I needed  to pause and to just build.  It is good for my soul, and also good for my booth that is needing some attention.  Inspired by Funky Junk's Old Sign Stencils, I decided to build a crate table. 

I started with the wood pieces I wanted for the top. I cut them 23" long, which is a little random, but it seemed like a good size. Measure the width of the pieces for the table top.

Next cut 4 sturdy 1" x 4" pallet boards, thick ones, 24" long.  These are the legs.  

Cut the crate sides.  I used wide, thicker pallet boards (which is best).  Cut the long sides the same length as your table top (23" for me).  Cut the short crate sides the width of the table top MINUS the thickness of the crate sides X 2.  For example, my table top width is 15 1/2", my crate sides are 3/4" thick so I subtracted 1 1/2" from 15 1/2" and cut my short crate sides 14" long. Attach the legs to the short crate sides.

Next, attach the long crate sides, using a clamp if needed.

Use screws to attach the table top boards to the crate.  You are screwing into the crate sides, this is why you should use thicker wood for the crate sides.

Next I used the Apple Farm stencils from Old Sign Stencils. I purposely placed the stencil off the side.  I used Fusion Mineral Paint in dark brown.  Remember to keep your stencil brush up and down, have very little paint on the brush, and pounce it up and down.  

I also added a number to the side of the crate.

I sanded the crate well, sanding some of the stencil off to make the crate look older, and then stained it with Early American stain.  

It is a sturdy side table with great crate character!

If you asked, "What book?" you can see it AND pre-order it HERE: