If you have a larger dog, espeically one that’s aging, a great gift you can give them is a stand to raise their food and water bowls off of the ground to reduce the strain on their neck while eating or drinking. Depending on the size of your dog you’ll want to adjust the overall height of these raised dog food bowl plans – but that should be a simple task.
All of the cuts for this raised dog food stand are simple straight cuts which you can do on a table saw or using a circular of miter saw. The holes for the bowls are based on 8″ diameter bowls with a 1/2″ lip. If your bowls are a different size, you’ll also need to adjust these cut outs accordingly. We have also designed this piece to use pocket hole screws on all of the major connections in order to keep the construction super DIY friendly. If you have any questions or troubles making the adjustments simply shoot us a reply in the comments down below and we would be happy to help.
Materials Required
- 1 – 2×2 @ 4′
- 1 – 4′ x 4′ sheet of 1/2″ plywood
- 1 – 1/2″ x 1 1/2″ trim board @ 2′
- 1 – 1×2 @ 4′
- 1 roll of edge banding
Tools Required
- Circular saw or table saw
- Jig saw
- Kreg jig
- Drill and spade bit
- Finish nailer (optional)
- Veneer edge trimmer
- Square
- Tape measure
- wood glue
Step 1: Legs and short sides
To begin the construction of this raised dog food stand, cut the 2x2s to length for the four legs. Then cut to pieces of 1/2″ plywood for the short sides.
Use wood glue and pocket hole screws to attach the legs, keeping the top and inside edges aligned between the three pieces. Make certain to also drill the top two pocket holes before assembling so attaching the top is easier later in the process.
Step 2: Long sides
The next step is cutting and attaching the two long sides. Here you’ll again use two pocket screws on each end, and pre-drill the ones along the top edge. Use wood glue along with the pocket hole screws to attach the long sides to the legs with the tops and inside edges aligned.
Step 3: Side trim pieces
These side trim pieces are purely decorative but provide a nice shaker-style design element, reflecting that clean flat panel design. These two pieces are cut from the 1/2″ thick x 1 1/2″ wide trim boards. Use wood glue and finish nails to attach these pieces in the center of the long sides.
Step 4: Bottom trim pieces
The decorative bottom pieces are made from the 1×2 board, and should actually be ripped down to 1″ in width so that the inside edge is aligned with the inside edges of the side boards. If you do not want to rip them down to 1″ width you can just cut the inside corners off at a 45 degree angle to allow the pieces to fit appropriately while leaving a 1/2″ exposure on the outside.
Step 5: Cut and attach the top
The last piece to cut is the top. This is also cut from the 1/2″ plywood, which is going to leave plywood edges exposed. You can use the edge banding tape, and a veneer edge trimmer to cover these plywood edges for a more finished product. Alternatively, you could edge glue a few solid wood boards and then cut them to the same dimensions.
Mark the center point for each bowl and then cut out the circles at the proper diameter for your bowls. You can drill a hole with a spade bit and use a jig saw to do this, or you could use a router and jig similar to the one we show in our circle cutting router jig plans. It’s just a matter of what method you are more comfortable with.
Once the holes are cut, simply use wood glue and the pre-drilled pocket hole screws in the sides to screw it down from underneath. The top should have an equal overhang on all four sides of 1/2″ past each leg.
Now that you’ve finished assembling the dog food stand, it’s time to give it a light sanding and then paint or stain as you see fit. And remember, if you use these plans to build a dog food stand of your own we’d love to see it – show off your skills by submitting your build!
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