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Hardwood Lazy Susan[4/4 · 2ft · 5-Pack]
One pack. One build. All 5 boards used. • Makes 1 lazy Susan
Shop Black Walnut 4/4 · 2ft Pack Shop All Speciesselect 2' Lengths
How it goes together
*Exotic — not available for shipment to US customers. Food-safe species shown.
A big, solid hardwood lazy Susan for the dinner table, the island or the pantry shelf. Four boards edge-glue into a round top, board 5 makes the base, and a steel ball-bearing turntable does the spinning. One 2ft pack makes one 16" turntable.
Quick Build — for experienced woodworkers
| Part | Qty | From | S4S size | S2S size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top pieces | 4 | Boards 1–4, one each | 16½" × 4" × ¾" | 16½" × 3½" × ⅞" |
| Base pieces | 2 | Board 5 | 8" × 4" × ¾" | 8" × 3½" × ⅞" |
| Lazy-susan bearing | 1 | Hardware | 6" square, rated 100 lb or more | 6" square, rated 100 lb or more |
Top: 4 pieces edge-glued, then cut to a circle as wide as the panel.
Base: 2 pieces edge-glued into a square.
Bearing: 6" steel lazy-susan bearing, screwed to the base, then to the top through a ¾" access hole in the base. No glue.
Finished size: S4S 16" diameter × about 1⅞" H, base 8" × 8" · S2S 14" diameter × about 2" H, base 8" × 7".
Before You Start
Shopping List
- 1 lumber pack — 4/4 · 2ft (S4S or S2S)
- 1 × 6" square steel lazy-susan bearing, rated 100 lb or more
- Wood glue (Titebond II or III)
- 8 × #8 pan-head screws: ½" (S4S) or ⅝" (S2S)
- 4 felt or rubber pads
- Sandpaper 120 / 180 / 220
- Food-safe finish: mineral oil or board oil
Tools
- Saw for crosscuts (mitre saw or circular saw with a speed square)
- Jigsaw or band saw (or a router with a circle jig)
- Drill/driver, countersink bit, pilot bits
- ¾" drill bit
- 4 bar clamps, 18" or longer
- Random-orbit sander or sanding block
- S2S only: jointer, straight-line rip jig or hand plane
S4S or S2S? S4S boards arrive flat and square on all four sides — cut and build. S2S boards have rough edges you straighten first, and finish ⅞" thick instead of ¾". No jointer? Choose S4S.
Our sizing assumptions: ⅛" per saw cut · S4S boards 23½"/47½" long with ¼" to square an end, 4" wide, ¾" thick · S2S boards trimmed ½" each end and ¼" off each rough edge (3½" clean), ⅞" thick · sizes drawn for the narrowest board in the pack. Wider boards give you a bigger offcut or a wider part — never a shortage.
Step-by-Step
S4S Lumber Pack
Surfaced 4 sides — no jointing
- 1 Sort the boards. Boards 1–4 make the round top. Board 5 makes the square base. Lay out boards 1–4 side by side and pick the order that looks best.
- 2 Crosscut the parts. Cut one 16½" piece from each of boards 1–4. Cut two 8" pieces from board 5.
- 3 Glue up the top and base. Edge-glue the 4 top pieces into a 16½" × 16" panel, and the 2 base pieces into a 8" × 8" square. Keep the faces level. Clamp, scrape the squeeze-out once rubbery, and leave both overnight.
- 4 Flatten and lay out the circle. Scrape and sand the seams flat. Draw corner-to-corner lines to find the centre of the top. Make a trammel from a scrap strip: a small nail at one end and a pencil hole 8" away. Draw a 16" circle.
- 5 Cut the circle. Saw just outside the line with a jigsaw or band saw, then sand to the line. A router on a circle jig gives the cleanest edge — take ¼" deep passes.
- 6 Sand. Round the top edge with a ¼" roundover bit or sandpaper. Sand the top and base 120 → 180 → 220. Knock the sharp corners off the base.
- 7 Drill the access hole. Centre the 6" bearing on the base and trace it. Turn the top plate of the bearing until one of its screw holes sits over the base, mark it, and drill a ¾" hole through the base there.
- 8 Fix the bearing to the base. Pre-drill and drive #8 × ½" pan-head screws through the bottom plate of the bearing into the base.
- 9 Fix the top. Lay the top face down. Centre the base on it, bearing side down. Spin the base until the access hole lines up with a top-plate hole. Pre-drill and drive a #8 × ½" screw through the hole into the top. Turn the base a quarter turn and repeat for all 4 holes. These short screws stop well short of the top surface.
- 10 Finish. Flood the top and base with mineral oil or board oil, wait 20 minutes and wipe off. Repeat 2–3 times. Stick 4 felt or rubber pads under the base corners.
S2S Lumber Pack
Surfaced 2 sides — straighten edges first
- 1 Prep the boards. Trim ½" off each end to remove any end checks. Joint one edge straight, then rip the other edge parallel (¼" off each rough edge is our planning allowance). S2S boards finish ⅞" thick, so screws and some sizes change — use the sizes in this column.
- 2 Sort the boards. Boards 1–4 make the round top. Board 5 makes the square base. Lay out boards 1–4 side by side and pick the order that looks best.
- 3 Crosscut the parts. Cut one 16½" piece from each of boards 1–4. Cut two 8" pieces from board 5.
- 4 Glue up the top and base. Edge-glue the 4 top pieces into a 16½" × 14" panel, and the 2 base pieces into a 8" × 7" square. Keep the faces level. Clamp, scrape the squeeze-out once rubbery, and leave both overnight.
- 5 Flatten and lay out the circle. Scrape and sand the seams flat. Draw corner-to-corner lines to find the centre of the top. Make a trammel from a scrap strip: a small nail at one end and a pencil hole 7" away. Draw a 14" circle.
- 6 Cut the circle. Saw just outside the line with a jigsaw or band saw, then sand to the line. A router on a circle jig gives the cleanest edge — take ¼" deep passes.
- 7 Sand. Round the top edge with a ¼" roundover bit or sandpaper. Sand the top and base 120 → 180 → 220. Knock the sharp corners off the base.
- 8 Drill the access hole. Centre the 6" bearing on the base and trace it. Turn the top plate of the bearing until one of its screw holes sits over the base, mark it, and drill a ¾" hole through the base there.
- 9 Fix the bearing to the base. Pre-drill and drive #8 × ⅝" pan-head screws through the bottom plate of the bearing into the base.
- 10 Fix the top. Lay the top face down. Centre the base on it, bearing side down. Spin the base until the access hole lines up with a top-plate hole. Pre-drill and drive a #8 × ⅝" screw through the hole into the top. Turn the base a quarter turn and repeat for all 4 holes. These short screws stop well short of the top surface.
- 11 Finish. Flood the top and base with mineral oil or board oil, wait 20 minutes and wipe off. Repeat 2–3 times. Stick 4 felt or rubber pads under the base corners.
Why the access hole? Once the bearing is on the base, its top-plate screw holes are hidden under the base. The ¾" hole lets you reach each one from below, one at a time, as you turn the base.
Why such short screws? The top is under 1" thick. A screw that is too long pokes through the serving surface. Short pan-head screws grip well and stay hidden.
Why does grain direction matter? Wood swells and shrinks across its grain, not along it. Every glue joint in this plan joins parts whose grain runs the same way, so nothing fights the seasons.
Make It Yours
- Stripes: alternate walnut and maple pieces in the top.
- Raised rim: rout a shallow ⅛" bead around the edge so olives don't roll off.
- Coasters: the four 6" offcuts from boards 1–4 make a matching coaster set.
Safety and Care
- Wear eye and hearing protection. Use a push stick for every rip under 4" wide.
- Clamp the panel to the bench before cutting the circle. Keep both hands clear of the jigsaw blade.
- Pre-drill every screw — hardwoods split without a pilot hole.
- Wear a dust mask when cutting and sanding, especially exotics (padauk, purpleheart, sapele).
Frequently Asked Questions
Not for S4S boards — they arrive flat and square on all four sides. S2S boards need their edges straightened: a jointer, a table saw with a straight-line jig, or a hand plane all work. No jointer? Choose the S4S pack.
Yes, once finished with mineral oil or board oil. Walnut, maple, cherry, oak, sapele, padauk and purpleheart are all fine for serving food. Skip aromatic cedar for anything that touches food. Wear a dust mask when cutting exotics.
We don't recommend it. Knife marks scar the top, and the spinning top moves while you cut. Use a cutting board, then serve on the lazy Susan.
The bearing is rated 100 lb or more, far more than a loaded table. Keep heavy items near the centre so it spins smoothly.
About 6" off the end of boards 1–4 and about 7" off board 5 — enough for 4 coasters. Cutting the square panel round also turns about 22% of the top into scraps; our yield counts the square blank.
Yes. A 4ft pack makes two lazy Susans: crosscut every board in half first, then follow this plan twice.
