A useful project for your table
Turn a small board into something worth leaving out. Try open slots, a carved pattern or a contrasting wood inlay.
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Choose the surface and the shape
Slots make the scrap-wood and bamboo designs feel open and light. A carved surface keeps more of the board intact, while a rose inlay uses contrasting woods for a smooth decorative top. Choose the effect you like, then follow that maker’s build instructions for the parts and finishing.
Finished pieces from the gallery
Explore slotted wood, carved surfaces and contrasting inlays. Open a project to see how the maker built it, then adapt the linked design for your own table. V-carving and V-carve inlays require Easel Pro to carve.
DIY Scrap Wood Trivetby Johnny BrookeContrasting offcuts make a striped trivet with rounded corners and open slots. Johnny glues the wood into a blank and rounds the edges after carving. His instructions include the separate outline design.
Teardrop trivetby Mo StychClusters of teardrops give bamboo a patterned, textured surface. Mo offers square, hexagonal and teardrop outlines so the same motif can suit different places at the table.
Studded Trivetby Sam AlaimoA raised grid of pointed studs turns dark Corian into a textured tabletop piece. Sam leaves a square border around the pattern to frame it.
Honeycomb Egg Trivetby Joseph JohnsonA long walnut honeycomb doubles as an egg holder. Joseph adds underside recesses so the eggs sit in the openings. The monogram shown in the photo was added separately with a laser.
Rose Inlay Trivetby Charlie - River's EdgeA pale rose stands out against a round walnut base. The contrasting inlay gives this trivet a smooth decorative top; glue-up and sanding finish the fit.
Brett's Trivetby signsbybrettDiagonal slots and matching edge notches give Brett’s bamboo trivet its bold shape. The gallery shows a large and small version, so you can choose a size that suits your table.
DIY Corian + Walnut Trivetsby Amanda Lynn HendrixPale Corian and dark walnut make a strong contrast, either in stripes or around a carved center band. Amanda joins the pieces with silicone adhesive, then sands the assembled blanks.
Trivet Collection (Loon • Dragon • Magen David)by Allan SchwartzCrossing slots create an open wooden trivet with a loon, dragon or Magen David at its center. Allan carves the slots on opposite faces and adds the chosen center detail.
Cat hot padby Chamot thierryA curled cat silhouette turns a beech-wood hot pad into a playful tabletop piece. Curved slots trace its body and tail, while small cutouts pick out its face.
TIE Fighter Wing Trivetby Fernando RomeroSix finely carved panels turn a pale wooden hexagon into a TIE fighter wing. Fernando uses a V-groove bit for the fine pattern, then sands and finishes the surface.
Tabloid-Size Honeycomb Trivetby Fernando RomeroAn 11 × 17 inch hard-maple honeycomb gives a larger dish plenty of space. Fernando’s repeated open hexagons make the broad surface feel light; his instructions describe separate roughing and finishing passes.
Geometric Snowflake Trivetby Fred HouselRadial slots give Fred’s cherry hexagon a snowflake-like pattern. An optional cork backing helps it stay put on the table. His instructions use a fine bit for the pattern and a larger bit for the outside edge.
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From the community comments
Log in to post a question in the project comments. Replies are up to the community.
Allan Schwartz uses three upside-down clamps as locating stops, separate from the four clamps holding the blank down. The stops keep his work origin in place when he flips the wood. Johnny Brooke’s scrap-wood instructions show why the second-side orientation matters: he flips his blank and rotates it 90 degrees before carving the crossing slots. Decide where the blank will locate on each face before the first carve.
See also DIY Scrap Wood Trivet by Johnny Brooke.
From Trivet Collection (Loon • Dragon • Magen David) by Allan Schwartz.
Ask a questionChoose a design, make a copy and adapt it to your wood and table.
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