How to Make a Wooden Angled TV Stand

Cutting the Parts

• 1

  Put on your safety goggles and steel-toed boots. Stretch your chalk line from on corner of the plywood sheet to the one diagonally across. Give the line a gentle tug and let it snap onto the plywood so the chalk mark divides the plywood into two right triangles.

• 2

  Remove the table saw's fence. Cut the plywood along the blue chalk line. One triangle will be the TV stands top, the other its shelf.

• 3

  Replace the fence on the table saw. Cut the 4 by 4 into three 2-foot lengths. These are your television stand's legs.

• 4

  Place the television stand's legs on the shelf's top side so all the legs' corners are completely within the triangle. Place two legs flush against the edge of the triangle's long side and the third flush against its right angle. Mark their positions with your pencil.

• 5

  Straighten out your pencil marks with the metal straight edge and L-square. Using the L-square as a jig, cut out the corner section and perpendicular cuts on the triangle's long side with the jigsaw.

• 6

  Drill holes wide enough for the jigsaw blade at the end of the perpendicular cuts. Using the straight edge as a jig, cut out the lines parallel to the triangle's long side.

Assembling the Television Stand

• 7

  Make pencil marks on all legs, 6 inches from the bottom. Using the L-square, draw lines across the legs width. These lines mark the position of the L-brackets.

• 8

  Center the L-brackets on the legs so one of the bracket arms faces the top of the leg. These arms support the shelf. Drive two 3/4-inch wood screws into the brackets with your power drill.

• 9

  Place the legs onto the shelf's bottom side so the brackets' free arms rest on the shelf. Attach the legs to the shelf by driving two 3/4-inch screws into each the brackets' free arms.

• 10

  Place the shelf and legs on your work surface feet first. Place the television stand's top onto the legs' top ends. Make sure all legs are flush with the top's edges.

• 11

  Fasten the legs to the top by driving a 2-inch wood screw through the television stand's top into each leg. Countersink all screws.

Sanding and Finishing

• 12

  Sand all surfaces with the power sander. Use coarse grain paper first, then medium grain, then fine grain. Wipe off the sawdust with your shop rags between passes. All surfaces should be glass-smooth after the last pass.

• 13

  Apply a coat of wood stain with your cheesecloth. Let the stain dry completely. Sand off the raised wood fibers with fine grain grain paper.

• 14

  Apply a second coat of stain with the cheesecloth. Let the stain dry completely. Brush on a coat of lacquer wood finish.