So, I needed a new spot for my big leafy friend, you know, the monstera that’s kinda taking over the living room corner. Store-bought stands? Way too pricey or just plain flimsy. I kept seeing these cool, simple wooden stands online, kinda like that mid-century vibe. Figured, how hard could it be? I decided to give it a shot myself.
First off, I had to get the wood. Headed down to the local hardware store. Spent a bit wandering the aisles, looking at different types of wood. Didn’t need anything fancy. Just grabbed some decent square poplar stock, maybe an inch thick? And some round dowel rod, slightly thicker, for the legs. Already had wood glue and some screws back home in the garage mess.
Got back, cleared some space on the workbench. Pulled out my old hand saw and the measuring tape. Okay, planning time. I wanted it to hold the pot maybe a foot off the ground. Decided on an ‘X’ shape for the base where the pot sits. Measured out two identical pieces for that ‘X’. Marked ’em up with a pencil. Needed to cut a notch halfway through each piece, right in the middle, so they’d slot together nice and snug. That part was a bit fiddly, not gonna lie. Took my time sawing those notches out.
Then, the legs. Needed four of ’em, all the same length. Measured the dowel rod, marked it four times. Sawing round stuff is always a bit trickier, wants to roll on you. Managed okay, though. Didn’t need perfect cuts, planned to sand ’em later anyway.
Time for assembly. Laid out the two ‘X’ pieces. Put a good dab of wood glue in the notches and fitted them together. Wiped off the excess glue that squeezed out. Looked pretty good, nice and flat. Let that sit for a bit while I figured out the legs.
Attaching the legs to the ‘X’ base… hmm. I decided to drill angled holes into the bottom corners of the ‘X’ piece. Angled ’em outwards slightly for that splayed leg look, you know? Drilled carefully, didn’t want to split the wood. Put glue in the holes, tapped the legs in gently with a rubber mallet. They seemed okay, but just to be sure, I added a single screw going up through the bottom of the ‘X’ piece into each leg. Felt much sturdier after that.
Let the whole thing dry overnight. Next day, gave it a good sanding. Started with rougher sandpaper to smooth out the saw marks and edges, then finished with finer stuff. Got it feeling pretty smooth to the touch. Wiped off all the dust.
For the finish, I just used some natural Tung oil I had. Rubbed it on with an old rag. Really brought out the wood grain. Did a couple of coats, letting it dry in between. Didn’t want a heavy varnish look, just something simple and natural.
And that was basically it! Stood it up, gave it a wobble test – solid enough. Carefully lifted my big plant pot onto it. Fit perfectly. Stepped back and looked. Yeah, not bad for an afternoon’s work. Looks pretty sharp in the corner, lifts the plant up nicely. Feels good making something yourself, you know?
