This Instructable outlines how to repurpose a couple of wall corbels into a beautiful Mexican cake pedestal.

Step 1:

I found these wooden carved tribal wall corbels at a thrift store. They laid around taking up space waiting for a purpose until it came to me. It occurred to me that I could turn them upside down and put them together to form a pedestal of sorts.

First they needed to be cut down to the desired height. This was done on a band saw.

This proved difficult because there were zero right angles on these corbels.

Step 2:

Unify the two base peices.

Strap the two together to hold them in place during drilling. Drill through about an inch with a 3/8" drill bit, then put a screw into the hole to fasten them together. After the screws are in plug the holes with some 3/8" dowel for concealment. Then sand them down flush.

Step 3:

Create a butchers block top.

Cut your boards to length, glue liberally, line up, and clamp. Let the boards set overnight.

Scrape excess glue off with a razor.

Cut some trim for the sides to help match the look of the base. I chose chair rail that was the approximate width of the butchers block. Miter cut and fit it around the edges. Glue these and clamp as well. Cut your miters long the first time because there is nothing worse than trying to fit a miter joint and the board coming up short.

Step 4:

Cut a metal plate to be used for attachment of the base with the platter. Mark and drill for screw holes. Screw the plate onto the base first then turn it upside down to screw it onto the platter.

Step 5:

Sand the living life out of the top so that it is flat and smooth. This will take a lot of time, best to do this outdoors and with a dust mask. remember to work from rough grit to smooth grit sandpaper. Example: start with 80 grit to sand down the bulk then step up... 100, 150, 220.

Stain the top to match. Brush on quickly and evenly and then let it sit overnight to absorb and dry. The longer you can let it dry before use the better.