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On the table
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Hot dishes and glasses can leave unsightly marks on your tables, so make stylish wood-and-leather mats to protect it.
Hot dishes and glasses can leave unsightly marks on your tables, so why not make stylish wood-and-leather mats and coasters to protect it.

You will need:

  • 22mm pine
    – twelve 15 x 250mm slats (for the mat)
    – sixteen 15 x 100mm slats (for the coasters)
  • 6m x 3mm-wide leather thong
  • tape measure
  • set-square
  • pencil
  • drill and 3mm drill bit
  • sanding machine or sandpaper
  • wood stain and paintbrush
  • craft knife
  • saw

    Get started:

    Drilling:

  • Measure and mark 50mm from both ends of all 250mm slats. Centre the marks on the 15mm-wide sides.

    Do the same on the 100mm slats, 25mm from both ends and centred on the 15mm sides. Drill 3mm holes right through the slats.

  • Sand all the pieces of wood – the smoother they are, the neater the result will be.

  • Stain all the wood – we chose an embuia colour – and leave to dry. If one coat is not dark enough, apply another coat.

    Table mat:
    Cut two lengths of thong, each 1.3m long. Knot one end of a thong and thread the other end through a hole in one 250mm slat.

    Knot the second thong and thread through the other hole in the same slat. Push the slat firmly against the knots and knot the thongs again to keep the slat in position.

    Thread another slat onto the thongs and knot them again. Repeat until all the slats are in position. Finish with a knot. Trim the thongs to neaten the ends.

    Coasters:
    Cut two lengths of thong for each coaster.

    Make the coasters in the same way as the table mat, using four 100mm slats for each coaster.

    Makes one large table mat and four coasters.

    Value tips:

  • Make the mats bigger or smaller to suit your purposes. Adjust the length of the slats and the thongs according to your own measurements.
  • Vary the colour of the wood and the thongs for effect. Whitewashed slats and light-coloured leather is very attractive.
  • Instead of knotting the leather between the slats, thread large wooden beads onto the leather between the slats for a different look.

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