How to Make a Breakable Toy Table

There are lots of reasons you might need a breakable table. Perhaps youre interested in playing a prank on a friend that requires you to break some furniture without getting hurt. Set designers often need to construct breakable furniture for stunts performed on the stage or screen. Building your own breakable table is a relaxing rainy-day project. You don't have to use heavy, hard-to-manage wood and the table doesn't have to be perfect. After all, you're going to break it anyway.

Instructions

1

Design your breakable table. You can recreate the design of a table you can already have. Simply measure the dimensions of the table and put them into a drawing so you have plans from which you can work. Of course, you can express your creativity by designing your own table from scratch. The simplest breakable table is simply a large, square tabletop with four L-shaped legs at each corner.

2

Cut your balsa wood to the right size to make each piece of the table. While you can use any kind of soft wood you like, balsa is a good choice because of its special properties. Its easy to cut and shape and is fairly strong, unless someone is trying to break it. Balsa wood will then split evenly without an excess of splinters. Dont worry about sanding the pieces right now.

3

Fit the pieces together to make sure they are all the right size. If one of the legs is too long, trim it and check again. Check to see if the top of your table is level. If its not, you can flatten it out by spraying it with a little bit of water. Place the warped tabletop on a hard, flat surface and then put something flat and heavy on top of it. Once all the pieces are ready to go, you can now sand them with a piece of fine-grade sandpaper to make the edges and surfaces smooth.

4

Assemble the table again, but this time, glue it together with some wood glue. While you can use nails if you want, they could be a hazard when the table breaks. Allow the glued table to set as long as the manufacturer advises to ensure the bonds are strong.

5

Now that the table is done, decorate it. You can stain the wood if you want a natural look. Consider using acrylic paints for a more creative design.