Lap Desk
The second gift I made this year is a bed tray. My younger daughter spends a lot of time in bed playing minecraft and chatting with her friends so I thought she might like a little tray to keep her laptop off her legs and give her a level spot for a cup of tea, too.
I started with some nice, clear 1x3 pine. I ripped about 1/2" off of one board, cut them very roughly to length and then glued and nailed them together.
Then I cut them to length with the 45 degree angle on each end. Basically, picture a thick (and crude) picture frame.
I then glued it up.
Just a quick side note here. I've been using the Home Depot's craft wood for years because I don't have a planer so it's easier to buy it already dimensioned. The trouble is that they slap this crappy sticker on every single piece and it's a pain to get off. Well, this year I thought of heating up the sticker with a blow dryer and then peeling it off. It worked like a charm!
I cut the slats for the top next. I made them about 1" wide and I wasn't really sure how many would fit or if it'd have to adjust any for thickness, etc.
I came up with a great system for spacing them out. Most are 3-pennies apart with a few that are just 2 pennies apart. It worked perfectly and they're all symmetrical.
Here it is with the top all glued and nailed on before I made the legs or put any finish on it.
I decided not to get too fancy with the legs, so they are fixed in place. They're glued and nailed so I think they should be sturdy enough. If they're too short, I can add extentions.
And here it is upright and ready for finishing.
I used my usual clear varnish finish. I put two coats on with light sand after each coat. Nice and smooth and it won't absorb any spilled tea.
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