DIY MEDIA TABLE

An opportunity presented itself when we couldn't find a media table that was a particular size for our home theater. We already had a support beam trimmed with pallet wood and so I decided to build my own table from scrap pallet wood. I have never built anything out of wood up to this point. However, with plenty of available wooden pallets I decided to try it.

First came the pen and paper, and several sketches later I realized that with that many options it would be very difficult for a rookie to choose the right one. So I decided to consult my carpenter/construction expert friend, Andrey T. 

With plenty of advice and good tips under my belt, the difficult part was finding the time to get this project going. Initially I was going to start building at the start of the year but with the heavy snows and bitter colds of the last winter really hampered the desire to get out. So I waited until the warmer weather. With other projects in the works with warm weather, getting the table done quickly became more challenging. 

Shortly after I brought the pallets I used a sawzall to cut them up a lot quicker then if I pulled the nails out individually.

I also bought a table saw and a miter saw in order to get this project done. It was like Christmas.

The second step I ripped 100" beams that were used for the frame. I had to use a more heavy duty saw that could cut through nails. The Diablo 84 teeth blade worked really well. The 4" beams were cut in half. 

The 6 legs I kept at 4" wide. In order to fit nicely beneath the screen the table had to be 17" tall.

The dusty part of the project came when I used the router to make a groove for the shelves. It was a 4 hour ordeal that ended with sore wrists and forearms. Thanks again to my friends who trusted me and let me borrow this expensive piece of equipment.

It was nice to work in one of my garages because the dust and shavings were extensive. It was fun dusting everything off and then sweeping and vacuuming. But the outcome was awesome and worth 

all the pain.

One of the other things that I didn't know even existed before this project was the jig set. The set came with screws and wooden screw plugs. I had to buy more screws and ended up not using the plugs because they didn't fit well. At the end of the day it was a great tool but it required drilling 56 screw holes.  

The next step of glueing and screwing together all of the pieces made me a bit anxious because the wood that I used was not perfectly straight and therefore the alignment was somewhat tricky. But it turned out to straighter and more level than anticipated. Half of the table bowed inwards and was narrower by almost an inch compared to the other side so I placed an additional cross beam to push the middle out more. It worked out well and made for a uniform width across the full length. 

My favorite part of the this project was choosing the wood for the shelves and making to it look how I imaged it. I wanted to preserve the rustic look and therefore used parts of the wood that had the nail holes. It actually looked better to remove the nail heads out of the wood. The laying out and cutting took a good 8 hours but very rewarding. 

To secure the shelves in place I used wood glue and finishing nails on both ends. It was quick and easy and I really enjoyed using the nail again.

The next step was sanding which was a bit dusty but a lot less dustier then the router one. I used 150 paper for the first sanding then finished it off with 220. It turned out to be very smooth and it would later prevent any splinters for other family members.

During the pre-staining and staining process it was actually really cool to see the wood grain begin to stand out more. I noticed that the frame wood was a bit darker than the shelves and though it wasn't intentional I really like that look.

I pre-stained and then allowed for it to dry for 2 hours and then stained it with a natural color. I picked up a good tip from a wood pallet wood worker who recommended using a spray bottle to apply the stain. It worked out really well. It is always good to cover the floor to catch all of extra spray.

My friend also gave me a great tip that there is a clear matte finish that would help protect the table and preserve it's natural look. I couldn't find the polyurethane by Minwax but it was nice to find out that Rust-Oleum made a water based one. 

I applied it with a brush and used a sponge brush to even it out. The instructions stated that up to 2 coats could be applied for better coverage and protection and therefore I did that. It worked out really well. 

This is the final look as it stands in our theater room. It fit well and will always remind me of the process. It would have been fun to have a furniture branding took to put an official label on it and the date it was completed.