Another Christmas present I built and gave to neighbors and friends was a small, unfinished table. After our home was built, there was a lot of left over 1X10 and 1X12 material of various length. Most was just #2 SPF, but there was also some pretty decent fir. I also "inherited" a number of stud remnants of various length and quality. To get rid of it, I decided that I'd surprise the neighbors and friends with a very simple, small, table that would be great in a laundry room, storage room or even attic where you'd appreciate a small table to set boxes on when storing or unpacking them.
I lightly planed the 1X material to remove any minor cupping, then joined/squared them with a single pass over the joiner. Most were matched at lengths of 36 to 40 inches, with widths for the two boards of around 21" to 23"
Legs were ripped from the 2X4's for a length of 35-1/4", using my taper jig. They started out at 1-1/2" square, tapering on two sides to a 1" square at the bottom. I used some of the leftover
1X stock to make 3" band boards, allowing for a 3/4" overhang of the top on sides and ends.To keep life simple, I didn't use any joinery for the tables, relying on Robertson head screws and glue to hold the legs to the bands. The bands themselves were glued and held with finish nails, so the main reinforcement of the band's joints were the legs themselves. The bands were held square by the two boards forming the table top.
Unlike good woodworking technique, I glued and nailed the tops to the bands. Most of this was done 1 table at a time and since the glue hadn't set by the time I had one assembled, I merely placed it on the shop floor and added a couple 60# tractor weights to level it nicely. I made about a dozen of the tables and left them on porches with a red ribbon.
The tables were a big hit. Almost everybody can use a little table somewhere for something- inside or outside. If they eventually fell apart- so what? In reality, one of my kids used the table in his apartment through college and it still graces a corner of his garage, where it is used for everything. A neighbor placed one along the wall of a laundry room, where it still is used for soap, Clorox etc. storage. Another was placed in a basement storage room to set boxes (like a seasonal storage box) to get stuff out of, rather than use the floor, and several others went to attics for just that purpose. The best use, so far, was by another of my kids, who to this very day uses her little table as her "kitchen table."