"MeSofa" - Mesa Sa Sofa (Detachable Food Tray for Sofas With an Arm Rest)

With just a few pieces of plywood, some constructions materials, and of course, creativity, a Food Tray for Sofas with an Arm Rest can be made.

“MeSofa,” short for “Mesa sa Sofa” was personally built for a Passion Project in school.

Step 1: Getting the Measurements of Your Own Sofa

Measure the height, width, and length of the sofa’s arm rest.

There will be a total of three (3) pieces to make before assembling the final product. It will consist of two (2) side parts and one (1) top part.

The dimensions taken for the food tray are as follows:

Side part #1: 200.00 mm x 510.00 mm

Side part #2: 200.00 mm x 510.00 mm

Top part: 250.00 mm x 510.00 mm

Step 2: Creating the Design of the Food Tray (using VCarve)

With the measurements/dimensions of the product taken, the design of the food tray may be created already.

The VCarve software is needed in order to create the design.

In order to learn how to operate VCarve, many articles and videos about instructions can be found online.

To create the three (3) pieces of wood to be cut, they were created using objects. These objects can be set to the exact dimensions of the food tray.

Before creating the objects, it is important to put the thickness of the wood (plywood) that will be cut. In this case, 18 mm wood was used.

Once the objects have been made, tabs must be added. These are highly necessary for the cutting of the wood. Three (3) tabs were added for each object in the design.

Lastly, find the "Save Toolpath" option to make it ready for cutting using CNC (computer numerical control). Save the design into a ".tap" file type and put it in a USB.

Step 3: Cutting Out the Design (using CNC)

Acquire the 18 mm plywood needed which will be used for cutting.

With proper knowledge and assistance in using CNC, the design may be cut in around 15-20 minutes.

Always be careful in using machines as they may be very effective yet dangerous too when not handled with care.

Once the wood has been cut from the initial board used, the pieces will be further taken out by hammering out the tabs with a sharp object.

There must be a total of three (3) pieces of wood at the end.

Step 4: Assembling the Pieces of Wood Into the Final Product

Construction materials used in the assembly are as follows:

hammer
nails
sand paper (of different roughness)
varnish

Before putting the pieces together, use a rough sand paper in evening out the extra scraps of wood for each piece. This will make it easier to assemble.

After this, hammer the nails from the top part to the side parts.

Further smoothen out the final product using sand papers with lower measures of roughness.

Finally, for the finishing touches, varnish the product just enough so it is shinier and smoother than before. Leave it out to dry and make sure no dust sticks to the varnish so it does not remain rough at the end.