In this tutorial I will show you how I made some really cool and not so average Table Numbers for a wedding or any event.

These cool geometric shapes will fit in with any table setting and are super easy to make. Believe it or not, I made 24 of these table numbers for a wedding with only one 8 foot long piece of 4x4 dimensional lumber. I painted these white with lavender numbers but the possibilities are endless.

COMPONENTS USED IN THIS BUILD:
Lumber - 4" x 4" x 8' ( I got mine at Home Depot for under $10)

Enjoy!

P.S. It seems that when viewing this page from a mobile device, the embedded video doesn't work. So here is a link to my YouTube video for your reference.

WATCH VIDEO HERE

Step 1: Step 1: Breaking Down the Lumber

The first thing I did for this project was to break the 8 ft long 4x4 down into 4 manageable pieces so I measured and marked at 2', 4', and 6'. I used my table saw with a cross cut sled to make these cuts but you could also use a Miter Saw instead. Because my saw blade only cuts to about 3" of depth, I had to make one pass and flip the piece over and cut through with a second pass.\

Please refer to the video for details.

Step 2: Step 2: Cutting Cubes

Now that I have smaller pieces of lumber to work with I continue on with making some cubes (24 of them to be exact).

Still using my cross cut sled and table saw, I used a scrap piece of wood for a stop block so I measured 3.5" (because a 4x4 is really 3.5 x 3.5) and clamped it to the fence of the sled. This way I can be very quick and efficient while making each cube the exact same size.

Please refer to the video for details.

Step 3: Step 3: Cutting the Final Shape

This step is the most tricky and involves a compound miter cut. If you chose to use this method, please make sure you are very careful. WATCH THOSE FINGERS!

I took a scrap piece of 2x4 to make my jig and I cut a V Shaped notch in the center so the cube can safely be held while cutting the edges off the cube. I clamped this jig to my miter gauge and angled my blade to a 45 degree angle. With this setup, each pass will cut off one corner of the cube. Repeat this step 8 times total for each cube and you are left with an awesome geometric shape that can be painted and stand on its own.

Please refer to the video for details.

Step 4: Step 4: SANDING.....

You can literally use any method you want to sand these things but since I have a belt sander, and I hate sanding, I turned mine upside down and clamped it to the end of my table saw. This was is much faster and allows you to blow through sanding all of your shapes with ease. Again, if you chose to use any of the methods I use in this tutorial, please know your tools and use caution.

Please refer to the video for details.

Step 5: Step 5: Paint and Finish

Now that all of your shapes are cut and sanded, it is time to finish them off. I used some white spray paint for these but you could use any finishing method you prefer.

To keep the shapes off of the table surface while painting I uses these handy little Paint Pyramids almost every time I stain or paint a project. With the shape suspended on the pyramids I proceeded to paint them by using the directions on the spray paint can. I only used one coat on each shape because I like that the wood grain was still visible after only one coat.

Please refer to the video for details.

Step 6: Step 6: Numbers and Stencils

Now to turn these shapes into something useful...

Pick a flat face of the shape. One with a good area to put numbers on would be best. If you are creative and artisic, you will probably have no problem free-handing some lovely numbers, but I am not that guy. I chose a more fool proof method and used some stencils to paint the numbers with. This step is pretty easy as I just put the stecil down and lightly painted in the lines to reveal the numbers.

And that is it!

We are all done! Just look how cool these look and all it took was a piece of lumber, a few tools and some time.

THANK YOU for making it to the end!