DIY Wood Pedestal Table Base – Build Plans

DIY Wood Pedestal Table Base

I’m totally happy dancing all around my kitchen today. I’ve recently built a new round table for our kitchen. And, it all started with this beautiful and surprisingly simple DIY Wood Pedestal Table Base.

I’ve wanted to build a round kitchen table for a few years, guys. I thought that having a round table to break up all the squared edges and straight lines in the room would look so much better in our kitchen.

And, I always think smaller kitchen-sized tables with legs on the corners are a bit of a pain. You have to push the chair so far back to get your legs out. Does anyone else think that’s annoying, or am I just being lazy about this? 😉

Well, no more pushing chairs back for me. LOL.

Another bonus with round tables, you get to sit next to 2 people. Which is a huge deal for our kiddos. They don’t have to fight over who they get to sit next to now. Yay, again. One less fight is always a win for parents, right?!

Making a Wooden Pedestal Table Base

I cheated on this build! I used a premade pedestal center, then added to the top and bottom of it to build the pedestal wide enough and tall enough to work as pedestal for a kitchen table.

Using a premade pedestal center means my DIY Wood Pedestal Table Base could have all of the beautiful curves made by lathes and bandsaws, even though I don’t own either of those pricier tools.

Full disclosure, Osborne Wood Products sent me this beautiful, chunky pedestal center for free. I’ve used their turned legs before (for this DIY Bench Project) and absolutely love them.

Osborne design’s beautiful products for woodworkers. You should definitely check out their catalog, if you’re looking to incorporate turned pieces into your own designs.

Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram for more DIY Projects, Furniture Builds, and lots of woodworking and DIY tips. OK, let’s get to this DIY Wood Pedestal Table Base build.

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Watch this 4-Minute Build Overview

Seeing someone do something always helps me understand the directions better. Check out this video to see me building this DIY Wood Pedestal Table Base.

Here’s What You’ll Need

• Osborne Wood’s Transitional Table Pedestal #11732
• 22′ of 2″ x 6″ Pine Framing Lumbar
• 1 – 8″ – 3/4″ thick wood, plywood, or MDF square (will be hidden under moulding)
• 1 – 12″ – 3/4″ thick wood, plywood, or MDF square (will be hidden under moulding)
• Pine Moulding
  • 8′ of 2 3/4″ Pine Crown Moulding
  • 3′ of 3 1/2″ Thin (about 1/4 to 1/3″) T&G Pine Plank
  • 3′ of 1″ Half-Round Pine Moulding
  • 7′ of 2 1/4″ Chair Rail Moulding
  • 5′ of 1 1/4″ Base Cap Moulding
• Tools
  • Table Saw and Miter Saw
  • Brad Nailer, Kreg Jig R3 and Power Drill
  • Wood Glue and Wood Filler
  • Screws and drill bits of various sizes

Steps to Build a Wooden Pedestal Base

Please note, I painted my DIY Wood Pedestal Table Base. This pedestal would look great stained too. But, you’ll need to sand it to a higher grit and be extra careful to sand off any excess wood filler or wood glue, before staining.

If any of these steps are confusing, watch the video above to see me assembling this pedestal base. And, download the printable build plans to get a better look at a diagram of how the wood and moulding should be layered.

Step One – Build the 1 1/2″ and 3/4″ Squares

Start by resawing the 2″ x 6″ Pine boards on your table saw, to square the edges. About 1/8″ off each side should work.

Then, build 2 – 2″ x 6″ squares that are 17 1/2″ on each side. Use your Miter Saw to cut 45-degree angles. If your Miter Saw isn’t big enough to cut clean through the board, you can finish the cut with a Circular Saw or JigSaw.

I used Kreg Jig Pocket Holes and wood glue to join the squares on this DIY Wood Pedestal Table Base.

Wood glue alone with clamps to hold the pieces tight while drying, would be strong enough, but I didn’t want to wait for the glue to dry before moving on. So, the pocket holes help me keep building instead of waiting for glue to dry.

Now, build the 2 – 2″ x 6″ squares that are 12″ on each side. Use the same steps to cut and join the 12″ wood squares. Sand both squares smooth up to 150-grit before continuing. Sanding these squares is easier before assembly than after.

Finally, cut 2 – 3/4″ squares from wood, MDF, or plywood. These will not be seen, so feel free to use whatever you have on hand. One square should be 8″ and the other 12″. These squares add extra height to this Wood Pedestal Table Base.

Step Two – Build Up the Bottom of the wooden Pedestal Base

Glue and screw one of the 12″ – 1 1/2″ thick pine squares to the bottom of the Osborne Wood Pedestal. Countersink the screws – use 2 1/2″ screws so that they go through the 12″ square, into the Osborne pedestal.

Make sure it is centered before screwing them together. Also, make sure those screws are at least an inch inside the 8″ square pedestal base. Using glue and screws to attach the pedestal to the squares makes this DIY pedestal base strong enough to handle decades of use.

Now, glue and brad nail the 12″ – 3/4″ thick square to the bottom of the 12″ – 1 1/2″ thick square. Then, you’re ready to add the bottom square. Countersink 4 holes in the bottom of the 17 1/2″ square.

This time use 4 – 3″ screws to attach the 17 1/2″ square, from the bottom. Again, make sure everything is centered.

The 3″ screws can be 3″ Kreg Screws or 3″ self-tapping #8 screws. These screws are long enough to go through the bottom, middle, and part of the top level of the squares.

Carefully measure where the screws will go, to make sure they will be at least an inch inside that 12″ square. Those screws add extra strength to your DIY Wood Pedestal Table Base.

Step Three – Building up the Top of the Pedestal Base

Now we can add the square layers on the top of the pedestal. First, unscrew and remove the bolts that were attached to the pedestal when Osborne sent it. Then, glue and brad nail the 3/4″ thick 8″ square on to the top of the pedestal.

Make sure it’s lined up with the pedestal edges. Then glue and screw the 1 1/2″ thick 12″ square to the top of the pedestal. Countersink 4 – 3″ long screws to make sure the screws connect that 12″ square all the way into the 8″ square Osborne Wood Pedestal.

Carefully measure where the screws will go, to make sure they will be at least an inch inside that 8″ square. Then glue and screw the 1 1/2″ thick 17 1/2″ square to the top of that 12″ square. Countersink 4 – 2″ long screws to make sure the screws connect that 17 1/2″ square to the 12″ square.

Carefully measure where the screws will go, to make sure they will be at least an inch inside that 12″ square. That’s it for building up this DIY Wood Pedestal Table Base. Yay!

Step Four – Add Moulding to the Top of the Pedestal Base

Now it’s time to add the finish trim and moulding. This part of the table build was inspired by a photo on the @Hammerari Instagram account.

I just happened upon it while trying to find examples of how other people have used moulding on a pedestal base. You might recognize him as the very talented carpenter on HGTV’s Windy City Rehab. I’m a huge fan of his work on that show. 🙂

Before we get started, let’s talk moulding. You can probably find PVC or MDF versions of some of this moulding. BUT, I really recommend using wood in this case since it is stainable, stronger and much easier to sand and get a nice smooth finish.

I love finish carpentry and moulding as much as I love chocolate. And, that’s a lot, guys! So, I use it often and have a lot of practice with it.

If you don’t, just take your time and double-check all measurements before making them. I think it’s easier to cut and attach 1 piece at a time. Then measure for the next and attach that. My cuts tend to be more precise that way.

The trim moulding on the top of this pedestal base is a bit simpler than the bottom. Use 2 1/4″ Chair Rail Moulding around the 8″ square section of the pedestal. And, 1 1/4″ Base Cap Moulding around the 12″ square section of the pedestal. That’s it for the top of this DIY Pedestal Base trim moulding.

 

DESIGN NOTE: I went with a 17 1/2″ wide base to make sure it looked nice and chunky, wasn’t so small that it would tip easily, and also wasn’t so big that our feet wouldn’t fit under the table. I added a 42″ Round Top to this pedestal table.

In my opinion, this size of pedestal would work with 41″ to 45″ round tables. If you want a larger top, I’d increase the size of the squares to prevent the table from easily tipping when someone presses down on the edges.

Step Five – Add Moulding to the Bottom of the Pedestal Base

First, use glue and brad nails to install 2 3/4″ crown moulding upside down against the 12″ square and on the 17″ square at the bottom of the pedestal. You can see this diagram in the printable build plans.

Be careful installing this crown, it can be confusing. Take your time and pay attention to your angles.

Next, glue and brad nail a 3 1/2″ T & G plank to the Osborne pedestal bottom. You can typically buy this T & G plank in a bundle of 6 – 8′ long boards.

I happened to already have it for projects like my DIY Kids Play Kitchen. If you don’t want to buy a whole pack of this, you can substitute anything you want, like maybe just 1/4″ plywood.

Above that T & G plank, glue and nail 1″ half-round round trim. Then against the bottom of the beadboard, glue and brad nail 2 1/4″ Chair Rail Moulding upside down. That’s it for the bottom of this DIY Wood Pedestal Table Base.

Step Six – Wood Filler Time!

Now, let’s make everything look pretty. Use your favorite wood filler (I used this one) on all of those brad nail holes, where all the moulding corners meet, and in any gaps between the moulding and the pedestal.

Let that dry according to the directions.

Sand the wood filler flush with the wood. I used 150-grit. Reapply the wood filler in any spots that need it. Then let dry and sand again.

Here’s a look at my pedestal after applying Danish Oil in Black Walnut. Now, I didn’t sand this wood or apply wood conditioner, like I would if I wanted to leave it stained.

That would have made the stain finish look more even. Still, it looks nice stained, right?! I love using Danish Oil under paint because it soaks into the wood and hardens, making the wood more durable and stronger.

It’s a good way to strengthen pine a bit. And, it looks really nice under paint when you want a distressed look. Which is exactly what I did. You can find the DIY White and Grey Distressed Chalk Paint tutorial in another post.

You can find more furniture painting inspo on my DIY Furniture Painting YouTube Playlist.

More pictures of this DIY Round Kitchen Table

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Hello, DIY friends! You can download the DIY Round Kitchen Table – Pedestal plans here. These plans are currently free to email subscribers and for personal use only. They cannot be shared or sold without my permission. Please let me know if you have any questions and enjoy your build! 🙂

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Check out all 4 DIY Tutorials from this Wooden DIY Round Kitchen Table Build!

• DIY Wooden Kitchen Table – Pedestal Base (this post)
• DIY White and Grey Distressed Furniture Paint Steps
• DIY Round Table Top from Plywood Circles
• DIY Store Bought Stain Finish Steps

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Looking for more DIY Build Projects? Check out this DIY Barn Star Quilt Tutorial.

Or this great DIY Farmhouse Console Table tutorial. Those deep drawers are a must-have for me.

And, this DIY Table Over Washer and Dryer is always popular.

If you need a great little desk for your elementary age kids. Check out this DIY Childrens Desk with Storage Drawers.

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Feeling inspired? Now that you’ve seen this DIY Wood Pedestal Table Base tutorial, you can build it too. Let me know if you have questions. Don’t forget to sign up for the Abbotts At Home email newsletter to get DIY, Remodeling, and Crafty ideas in your inbox.