How to Create a Memory Table
Homemade Father's Day, Graduation, Wedding or Birthday Gift
Jun 12, 2008
The memory table is a great way to honor the past or celebrate the future. It is a great gift for any occasion and can be tailored for any age range.
Our memory table is going to be a 16" square end table. You can change the size easily to meet your needs. It can be made as a coffee table or a plant stand. You can even alter the design to create unique children's furniture. For a child's room just make sure to lower the legs.
Materials Needed:
- One 15" square piece of plywood that is a half inch thick.
- Two pieces of 1 1/2" flat molding measuring 15" long by 1/2" thick
- Two pieces of 1 1/2" flat molding measuring 16" long by 1/2" thick
- Four pre-made legs measuring 32" in length
- Hammer and nails
- Drill
- Screwdriver
- Liquid nails adhesive
- 4 Wood screws 2 1/2" long
- 2 Quarts of liquid resin
- Mementos
- Pencil
- Measuring tape
- Paint
- Paint brushes
- Hot glue of white glue
Instructions:
- At the first corner of the 15" square measure in 2 1/2" inches and mark it with the pencil. Repeat at each corner. Drill a hole through the square at each mark.
- If the leg doesn't have a center hole you will need to find the center. This is done by drawing a line from edge to opposite edge on the top of the leg. Draw a line from at least three different angles by turning the leg after each mark. Where all the lines intersect is the centermost point of the legs. Drill in the center of each leg.
- Connect the legs to the square by gluing, then use your 2 1/2" screws. Make sure the legs are straight up and down.
- The next step is to attach the molding. It is important to make sure you glue each piece thoroughly so that later when you pour in resin it won't drip out onto your floor. Attach the two shortest moldings first on opposite sides of the table by gluing them even with the sides of the square. Make sure the bottom edge is even with the bottom of the square. This will give it about a one inch rise above the table surface. Nail the sides securely in place.
- Now take the two longer molding pieces and glue and nail them into place on the other two sides making sure they line up with the first two pieces.
- Add glue to each seam on the inside of the table and wipe off excess. Allow all the glue to dry.
- Paint the entire table the color of your choice. Make certain all of the paint is dry before proceding to the next step.
- Now comes the fun part. Arrange all of the mementos. Glue down each piece so it doesn't move when the resin is poured. You have an inch of thickness you can use so don't be afraid to add items that have some depth as long as they will remain under the one inch mark. The more items you add, the more interesting the table is. Overlap pieces and stagger the direction you are laying things out in.
- Once all of your mementos are in place you can begin pouring resin. You will want to do this in two stages. The resin shrinks as it dries. Pour in the resin to about three quarter of an inch in height. Make sure it is in a spot where it can dry undisturbed. Once it is completely dry, add the remaining resin. If you used a lot of items you will need less resin. If all of your items are flat like photos you will need more resin to fill the surface. Allow the remaining resin to dry.
Here are some ideas to help you get started with your special table.
The copyright of the article How to Create a Memory Table in Crafts is owned by Mary Welling-Bonney. Permission to republish How to Create a Memory Table in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
