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How to: Make a DIY Geometric Trivet from Scrap Wood

by on Oct 16, 2013

The third of our scrap wood projects is, again, super easy with the right equipment. In this case, a table saw with a dado blade. The slick thing about our design is that it only takes 2 setups to get all the fancy dados cut. If you’re new to using dado blades, this project is the perfect way to get in some practice. Plus, the resulting trivets will make lovely gifts this holiday season. But enough of the yammering; let’s get to it.

The supplies we used for this project include:

  • a table saw with a fence
  • dado blades
  • 180 grit sand paper
  • a scrap of 1″ thick oak bigger than 8″ x 8″ square
  • measuring tool

Step 1: Cut that scrap wood to 8″ square EXACTLY.

A person is holding a brown material.Step 2: Set up the WIDTH of your dado blades to 1/2″ EXACTLY.

"Geometric Trivet from Scrap Wood"Step 3: Set the DEPTH of your dado blades to 1/4″.

Serrated saw blade on a circular saw with a measuring tape.Step 4: Set up your table saw’s fence to 1 and 3/16″ EXACTLY.

Step 5: Pick a ‘top’ to your future trivet and run the board through to plow a channel.

Person cutting wood board with a circular saw.Step 6+: Give your trivet 1/4 turn and run it through again. Do this 2 MORE TIMES.

When you’re done with all four cuts, your trivet should look like this:

Geometric trivet board made with scrap wood.Step 7: Set up your table saw’s fence to 2 and 7/8″ EXACTLY.

Step 8: Repeat steps 5 though 6+.

When you’re done with step 8, this is what your trivet will look like:

DIY geometric scrap wood tricks.Step 9: Hand sand and hand sand some more. Take your time, go gently, smooth everything out (including all sides of the channels), and take down all the sharp edges and corners.

Someone is using sandpaper on a piece of wood.Done: Total time from construction to sanding to putting the trivet to use took about 1 1/2 hours, the bulk of which was sanding.

Now, go forth and dado, my children.

A brown kettle sits on a wooden grid.

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