DIY: Sit, relax, enjoy your cuppa

Handy little arm table lets you do puzzles in your lounger.

Do your Sunday morning crossword from the comfort of your armchair, writes Greig Morgan

Here's a great piece of furniture to keep cups, glasses, books and the TV remote handy in your living room.

Step 1
Measure the width of your couch arm and convert the measurement to your top piece of timber with the aid of a square.

Cut along the waste side of the pencil line, then measure and cut the top and two side pieces to lengths that suit your couch.

Step 2
With the top and sides cut to length, use an electric sander to remove all sharp edges and blemishes.

Step 3
Scribe a pencil line 12mm down from the top edge on the two side pieces and mark evenly spaced apart spacings before pre-drilling and fixing the side pieces to the top.

Step 4
Check to make sure the side arm table is a comfortable snug fit, then sand to remove any pencil marks and blemishes before staining your new piece of furniture to suit your decor.

Tip
If you don't want to see the screws, another option is gluing and using panel pin nails countersunk and filled with wood putty to match timber. Round sharp edges to avoid damage to the furniture.

Materials:

300mm x 25mm untreated timber
2 x 150 x 25mm untreated timber
40mm screws
Wood stain or paint
150g sandpaper
Tools:

Skill saw or handsaw
Screw gun
Square
Safety gear
5mm drill bit
Tape measure
Pencil
Finishing sander
Paintbrush