Quick Project: Make a Coffee Table that's also a Dog Crate
With experts agreeing on using a dog crate for puppies, this project shows how to can build a coffee table that is also a dog crate for your pet.
05/10/2020
Veterinarians, breeders, trainers and experts all recommend using a crate to train puppies and young dogs, and it has become an essential part of housebreaking and training your pet. Since young dogs do not like to mess in their crate, they become more adept at holding it in until it's time to go outside for wee-wees.
Dog crates are also ideal if you want to teach your pet to sleep outdoors, or outside the bedroom, rather than have them become used to sleeping on your furniture. This project lets you make a dog crate that's also a coffee table, which means your pet will actually be sleeping inside your furniture!
A practical piece of dual-purpose furniture
Not everyone has the space in their home for a dog crate, especially for a medium- or large-sized puppy. That's why I love this idea so much. You can disguise the dog crate and not have to worry about where to put it, and your new pet gets to spend close time with his new loving family.
Wanting a coffee table for her lounge, this avid DIY enthusiast came up with the idea to kill two birds with one stone. The finished coffee table / dog crate blends in perfectly with the decor in the room and you hardly even know that there is a dog crate in the corner.
YOU WILL NEED:
67mm PAR pine for the frame uprights and cross pieces
Laminated pine shelving for the top
4 x 30mm screws
8 steel angle braces
Wood filler
TOOLS:
Drill / Driver plus assorted bits
Countersink bit
Multi or orbital sander plus 120- and 240-grit sanding pads
Tape measure and pencil
HERE'S HOW:
1. The first step is to measure the dimensions of the crate, the height, length and width. Add a minimum of 10mm to these measurements so that it will be easy to fit the finished coffee table over the top of the crate.
Measure the length, width and height of the crate.
2. Cut and join the corner sections for the crate. The corners use a simple butt joint and can be screwed together or you can use a pocket-hole jig to join the two sections. DO countersink the holes so that these can be filled in later on.
Join the corner sections together with screws.
3. Now you can measure and cut the cross pieces for the top and bottom of the frame.
Cut and attach the top and bottom cross pieces.
4. Cut the top 20mm wider and longer than the frame underneath.
GOOD TO KNOW: If you plan of staining or painting the dog crate coffee table, do this before attaching the top. Sand all the pieces smooth, wipe clean and then apply stain, sealer, varnish or paint.
5. To hold the top in place, add a couple of braces underneath that will allow the top to sit firmly within the frame.
Once you have finished and everything is dry, remove the top to fit the table over the crate and then place the top in position. This easy project means you will have a dog crate and coffee table in one, and no one will be any wiser!
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