Side Table, Nightstand, Bedside Table, end table, whatever you like to call it, we designed these super simple DIY Live Edge Side Tables to be cut from a single sheet of plywood and added the live edge top and shelf for an extra pop that makes them really special.

My new apprentice Isaac needs some furniture. We need to build some basic skill-building projects, and outfitting he and his wife Ashleigh's new apartment is a perfect way to do so.

In the video below we go over cutting dadoes, reinforcing with dominoes, sizing, flattening, and finishing a live edge top, as well as attaching it to the base to accommodate wood movement and seasonal changes in the solid wood top.

This is a fairly easy project that can be accomplished with a table saw, a dado stack, and a hand plane. Though I don't often work with plywood, Ashleigh wanted a painted base, so it didn't make sense to build these from solid wood. Plus, stylish furniture that's built to last?

A fun side note is that the spalted maple came from the stack I’ve got drying in the barn, the scraps of angle iron were from the blacksmith shop build, and the stain he had leftover from refinishing a bookshelf. Oh and 8 dominoes per stand, so all in I think we were about $2 per stand, plus a little elbow grease.

Building a Nightstand

Use Materials Efficiently

In order to make this build cost as little as possible, we needed to figure out how to cut each sheet of plywood in a way that would give us the most useable wood per piece.

If you’re just making one nightstand you can get away with only using one sheet of plywood. For the pair of nightstands, we used about one and a half pieces.

It should also be mentioned that we got the plywood in the discount section at Home Depot for $0.50 a sheet, so always check there first!

Layout nightstand

Once you have made your cuts, be sure to layout your nightstand (or have someone else hold the pieces in place) so you can step back and be sure you like the way the finished product is going to look. This is especially important for shelf heights.

Another tip, if it’s not too difficult, is to stage the piece in the room where it’s going to live, just to make sure all the heights are correct.

Make a Test Cut

You’re going to be cutting dado joints along the top shelf as well as on each side of the nightstand “legs” or side pieces to make sure everything fits nice and snug.

But before we start making a bunch of cuts, we want to make a test cut to be sure the depth and width of the dadoes are correct.

For the bottom piece of the nightstand, we want the top of the dado to be exactly three inches up from the base of the piece. I like to measure this out and set my square for ease of measuring.

Once you make this cut go ahead and insert another piece of the plywood into the cut, if you can fit it snugly with just hand pressure then the dado is correct.

* We will be using dominoes to make sure the fit is secure, if you don’t have dominoes you can also use dowels or pocket holes.

Cut Remaining Dadoes

The other dadoes should be cut where you’d like the internal shelf to be. This is both for storage and stability, so even if you don’t need the extra shelf, I recommend it for the strength and stability of the piece.

Cut Hole for Cords

If you want to use your pieces as a nightstand where you might have a lamp, alarm clock or other charging needs, you’ll want to cut a hole in the backing of the nightstand.

To do this, simply use a Forstner bit and drill through at the appropriate position in the back.

Add Dominoes

Set up a fence at the proper height for drilling the holes for the dominoes and drill two holes in both the top and bottom junctions of the pieces of plywood.

Add some wood glue into the dado cuts, place your dominoes and tap the plywood into place. Repeat for the other side.

Prepping the Live-Edge Top

Because we’re using a live edge top for both the counter surface and the upper shelf, you’ll want to cut the pieces to size and then use a scrub plane to knock off the high spots.

Paint the Base & Finish the tops

Paint the base of the nightstand(s) and let dry (I always recommend Milk Paint, find out why here!). Meanwhile, oil the top two shelves with my 3-ingredient homemade furniture finish.

Add Angle Iron Brackets & Add Top

Because wood tends to flex and move with seasonal changes, we want to avoid our piece potentially breaking. We’re using some angle iron brackets that will allow us to attach the screw through the slab into the bracket that will allow it to freely move as it expands and contracts.

Add Shelf

The final step is to add the top life-edge shelf. Pre-drill three holes to attach the shelf (you can clamp a piece of plywood onto the back to avoid blowing out the back of the piece). Insert shelf and add three screws to secure it in place.

$2 Nighstand Build!