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Permalink Reply by John Muir on July 1, 2012 at 7:19am

I'd custom build it for whatever your friend typically keeps on his night stand. Any chance you or a conspirator could get a pic of the friends current night-stand set-up?

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Permalink Reply by Derrick R Vachon on July 1, 2012 at 7:33am

Ah, there's a thought. At the moment, he hasn't got one. He was just married, so I thought it would be a nice gift for them.

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Permalink Reply by Dom on July 1, 2012 at 11:04am

I wish I had a picture or two handy. I really should work on documentation...but I built a ticket podium for a theater I work for a while ago and this project is not too different.

My tips:

- Start with good quality wood. I like oak, and make it thick. It's worth the money.

- When you stain it, coat with poly urethane.

- Be precise in your measurements and cuts, take your time, so everything butts up nicely.

- Don't be afraid of the decorative molding section at home depot, you can get some really cool stuff to spice it up.

- As mentioned above, try and build in something specific to what he might use it for. If he has an alarm clock, phone charger, and any other electrical stuff on it, build in a small wireway to hide the chargers and a space for a power strip.

- A shallowish drawer with dividers is quite handy.

Good luck!

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Permalink Reply by Chuck Knight on July 1, 2012 at 1:15pm

Don't start the design with the ornamentation.  "Old school look" is just that...a look.  Start with the functional aspects, and then decorate it later.

 

Even the classics work this way.  Chippendale, for example, is nothing more than Queen Anne with some applied chinoiserie decorative details.

 

If it's a nightstand, let's start out with the obvious.  What does his bed look like?  I assume you want them to look right, together.

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Permalink Reply by Derrick R Vachon on July 2, 2012 at 7:49am

All excellent suggestions gentlemen, thank you for the input! I'll post pictures later of the finished product.

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Permalink Reply by Native Son on July 2, 2012 at 8:27am

If this is a belated wedding gift, you might want to build two nightstands.  Dom has good ideas, but are you talking about building a nightstand, which traditionally has a drawer or two or a night table, which is just that, a small, bedside table to hold the lamp, alarm clock & phone?

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Permalink Reply by Derrick R Vachon on July 2, 2012 at 1:02pm

Ah, I did think of that, but their new home is tiny, and they have just enough room for one. But I think I will combine the two ideas, and see what happens. Thank you.

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