How to Make a Wooden Turn Table

If you'd like to have something different and more functional than a traditional centerpiece, making your own lazy-Susan turntable provides a bit of style while helping to bring napkins and condiments within reach of everyone at the table. Assembling one from scratch is a simple woodworking project that requires just a few tools and a basic woodworking ability, although advanced craftsmen can use the opportunity to add rebates, edges and beveled corners to the table to challenge their skill level.

Instructions

1

Locate the center of the pieces of plywood by drawing lines from corner to corner. Where they intersect is the center of the wood.

2

Gently hammer a nail part way into the plywood at its center point. Don't hammer the nail all the way through the wood, and leave the majority of the nail protruding from the wood.

3

Tie a loop at the end of a piece of string. Measuring from the end of the loop, cut the string about 51/2 inches long. Attach the untied end of the string to the bolt on the jigsaw's guide, and adjust until the length of the string is five inches from the jigsaw's blade to the looped end.

4

Place the loop over the nail. Using the string jig as a compass, cut a perfect circle in the wood. This piece will form the top portion of the lazy Susan.

5

Repeat steps three and four on the second piece of plywood, adjusting the length of the string jig to be 2 1/2 inches. Cut a smaller circle to serve as the lazy Susan's base.

6

Wrap edge banding around the exposed edge of the plywood to hide the plywood edge. Use a household iron on the exterior of the banding to activate the glue needed to adhere the banding to the plywood. Continue applying the banding all the way around the edge of the turntable. Trim to fit. Repeat this process for the base.

7

Round the edges of the turntable using a router with a quarter-round bit.

8

Sand and finish the turntable and the base with sandpaper and your choice of paint, stain or lacquer. Do not fill the nail hole used to anchor the jig while finishing. This marks the center and will be used to fit the bearings in later steps. Wait until the finish dries before proceeding to the next step.

9

Affix the turntable bearing to the base of the lazy Susan using wood screws, making sure to center it. Use the nail hole as a guide to centering it.

10

Drill an access hole through the base of the lazy Susan. Using the top edge of the bearing as a jig, rotate the bearing so the top and bottom pieces are 45 degrees out of alignment with each other. Drill through the opening in the bearing and all the way through the base. Use a bit that is large enough to allow your wood screws to pass all the way through the hole.

11

Drill a small hole all the way through the center of the base, aligned with the original jig's nail hole. Make this hole just large enough to allow a nail to pass through it snugly.

12

Align the base with the turntable. Push a guide nail through the hole in the center of the base, and loosely tack the base to the turntable at the center of the top piece, which should still be marked with a nail hole from the string jig.

13

Attach the base. Using the access hole you drilled in Step 10, reach through the base to the bearing, attaching a screw to the turntable. Rotate the bearing 90 degrees, and use another screw to attach the bearing to the table top. Continue doing this until all screw positions in the bearing are filled.

14

Glue non-stick rubber matting to the base. Use a utility knife to cut it around the edges of the base.