Sofa Arm Tray with Easy Box Joints
If you have a sofa or chair with large stuffed arms, you know how tempting it is to balance a drink on them. Unfortunately, this often leads to unfortunate spills. This week’s project offers a great solution: the sofa arm tray. It’s similar to a TV tray, but handier to use; just slide it over an arm.
Box joints: the easy way!
The main feature of this sofa arm tray is the box joints, or at least what may seem like box joints. I suppose technically they are box joints, just constructed differently. Instead of using some sort of box joint jig on the table saw, these are simple a bunch of wood strips, staggered and glued together to interlock.
I made all of my strips 1″ (25mm) wide, but you could make them any width you like. To make it even simpler, use off-the-rack lumber from the home center and you will only need to crosscut them to length.
For me, this was a good opportunity to use the crosscut sled I made in last week’s show.
I glued and clamped up the pieces for the top, alternating sizes to create the box joints.
I found that it made sense to glue on the individual side pieces one at a time. I think if I were to build another sofa arm tray I would try completely assembling the two sides, then attaching them to the top like a regular box joint.
It was kind of tedious, but worked out in the end.
After a lot of sanding, I rounded over all the sharp edges using a roundover bit on my router. You can use a sander to ease over the edges if you don’t have a router.
I finished mine with Danish Oil. It’s easy to apply and looks great.
Free Plans
April 10, 2015 @ 10:42 am
Would have loved it if you did “fake box joints” for looks and used pocket holes for the actual joint. 😀 Just to mess with Mattias.
April 10, 2015 @ 12:44 pm
I just made one of these using pocket holes. Did not turn out as nice as yours but decent enough! Nice one Steve!
https://igcdn-photos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xfa1/t51.2885-15/11017625_613380488796761_2070998021_n.jpg
April 23, 2015 @ 6:08 pm
Have been watching your videos and am thinking about setting up a “micro” shop, as I live in an apartment with no storage space and am thinking about using the “table top” versions of the major power tools. I enjoy watching you building your projects and am planning to do a few (at this time the arm rest trays and the sofa tray). Keep up the good work.
April 28, 2015 @ 11:36 pm
Dean, welcome to my world! I’m an apartment-dweller, too; lots of tools … very little space. Good luck!
May 27, 2017 @ 11:03 am
I think there are a lot of us who are apartment woodworkers. I have to carry my table saw out on the patio when I want to cut anything and I blow everything off with the shop vac before i bring it back inside lol
April 28, 2018 @ 12:28 pm
Probably easier if one must put panels together later, to put sides together first then fake the top.