How to Build a Side Table for Your Laptop

Have you bought a laptop recently? If so and if you do not have a dedicated office space for it, chances are your new laptop has ended up sitting around on the coffee table, end table or counter top. You may have noticed that it can create quite a bit of clutter. Of course, one option is to put it away in a laptop case or bag whenever it is not in use, but that is not very practical. It would especially be a hassle if you use your laptop multiple times in a given evening, like I do. The best way to keep your laptop handy around the house without it being in the way when you do not need it and without creating extra clutter is to build a piece of furniture for it.

Now do not begin to worry that you do not have any woodworking skills. All you need for the project we are going to tackle in this tutorial is a few pieces of wood, some paint, and some spare time. My guess is the last item will be the most difficult to find!

Since the type of table we are talking about making is going to be custom made, there are a myriad of ways you could put something together that works for the style and layout of the room in which you want to utilize it. For the purpose of this how-to we are going to make a sofa side table which will fit nicely between the end of a sofa and a wall. This will create an indiscreet spot to place your laptop so that it is out of the way but still easily accessible. The table will consist of two pieces of wood joined at a right angle which will fit into the space between your wall and the end of your sofa. It will have the appearance of being a built-in solid box that will act as a table-like surface on which you can elegantly and neatly display and use your laptop.

Here is a list of the materials we will need:

1) 1 x 6 piece of wood that will provide you with enough lenght to cut
two boards--one will be the height of your sofa and the other will be the depth of your sofa (i.e. distance from front to back).

2) Piece of 1 x 1 wood

3) Wood screws

4) sandpaper

5) wood glue

6) measuring tape

7) miter saw or miter box

8) table saw, circular saw, or hand saw

9) paint

10) L-brackets with screws

After you have procured these items it is time to get started.

Measure Twice, Cut Once

Start by measuring the height of your sofa. Measure on the end starting at the floor and ending at the top of the arm. This is because we want the height of the table to match the height of the arm of the sofa so that the top of the table sits flush with the top of the arm. Do not worry about accounting for the thickness of the top board. This will not come into play since we are going to join the two at a right angle.

Now measure the depth of your sofa from the front to the back. This is so the table will be flush with the front of the sofa. Once you have these two measurments it is time to go cut your 1 x 6. Make sure you have enough 1 x 6 to make two boards that match the measurements you have just taken. Remember to double-check your measurements before you cut and write the measurements down!

It Is Time to Cut

When you cut your boards one end will need to be cut using a miter saw or miter box at a 45-degree angle. This is so the two pieces will join and make a nice seamless joint thus forming a 90-degree angle. If your board is long enough for you to get both boards out of then this will be easy. If the two measurements you took add up to say 4 feet and you have a 6 foot piece of 1 x 6 then you can do this.

Take your first 1x6. Measure from the end and make a mark at the length that you measured for the height of your sofa. Set your saw's blade to cut a 45-degree angle. Place your 1 x 6 in your miter saw or miter box (or if you do not have one you can use a table saw that has the capability to angle the blade). Make your cut at the mark. You will now have a piece that matches the height of your sofa but with a 45-degree angle.

Now the second part is simple! Just follow the same procedure for the next board, except cut it to match the depth of the sofa. But remember to cut it at a 45-degree angle.

Once you have these two boards cut, you can join them together. Apple some wood glue and then join the two pieces together at a 90-degree angle and once the glue has had a chance to set, attach the L-Brackets to the back side of the joint. This will give it extra reinforcement. But we also want to add stability. This is where the 1x1 comes in.

A Leg Up

First cut a piece of the 1x1 to be about a foot long. You will now want to miter each end of it at 45 degrees. This piece will connect to each of the 1x6 boards on the back side. Next we will create a leg to support the back end of the table. Simply cut a 1x1 piece that can attach to the underside of the top of the table and reach the floor. This leg will be a back leg to give the necessary support in the rear end of the table. Attach the leg to the underside of the top of the table using L-brackets. You can also incorporate some small pieces of wood to add support (see pics).

Paint It Black...Or Whatever Color

Once you are satisfied with your new table you can jazz it up with paint or any other kinds of details you wish to add. Make it your own. You can make it low-key by painting it solid black or you can make it a funky conversation piece in the room. Just make sure you put your personality into it.

This table and its design can be applied to just about any situation. When creating a laptop table, be creative but make sure that the piece you build meets the function that you need it to. Thanks for reading and I hope you have a great time building your table!