How to Build a Sand Tray

Bring the beach into your home, classroom or program by building a sand tray. Sand trays encourage people of all ages to touch, sift, pour, push and mold. Sand play is an ice breaker that can spark quiet, introverted children and adults to share thoughts and emotions without fear. Sand play also encourages people with sensory integration challenges to give and receive touch. Sand tables can even be used as party games, in place of water-based games such as apple bobbing.

Things You'll Need

• 2 pieces 1/2-inch by 2-inch stock lumber, 3 feet long
• 2 pieces 1/2-inch by 2-inch stock lumber, 2 feet long
• Table saw with miter fence
• Carpenters' glue
• Power drill, 1/8-inch diameter, countersink and 1/2-inch diameter bit
• Screwdriver
• 1 box 3/4-inch screws, 1/4-inch diameter
• 1/8-inch thick plywood underlay, 2 feet by 3 feet
• 4 pieces 2-inch by 4-inch stock lumber, 2 feet long
• 8 carriage bolts, 1/2-inch diameter
• 16 fender washers, 1/2-inch diameter holes
• 8 lock washers
• 8 acorn nuts
• 1/2-inch diameter socket wrench
• Sandpaper
• Clear acrylic wood treatment
• Sand or other sand-like substitutes

Instructions

1. Miter each end of all the 1-inch by 2-inch stock lumber pieces to a 45 degree angle along the 2-inch edge. These four pieces will create the table top frame. Mitering, according to William Fairham, is "...where two pieces of wood are beveled away so as to fit each other... the timber is cut so that the joint is at 45 degrees to the face, and the two pieces, when placed together, form an angle of 90 degrees."

2. Apply carpenters' glue along the 2-inch mitered edges of each piece of 1-inch by 2-inch stock wood. Position the four pieces to form a rectangle. Press the corners together to make a firm glue bond. Wipe away any excess glue and allow to dry overnight.

3. Drill eight pilot holes through the short sides of the table top frame, in pairs 1.5 vertical inches apart, into the long sides, using a 1/8-inch diameter bit. Countersink all holes. "Some timbers, especially when cut into narrow or thin strips, are prone to splitting when nailed or screwed. Pilot hole and countersinking prevent this happening," according to an article on DIYDoctor. Insert screws into each hole and tighten until the heads of the screws rest flush with the wood.

4. Apply carpenters' glue to the 1/2-inch edge all around the table top.

5. Position the 2-feet by 3-feet piece of 1/8-inch thick plywood underlay so that it is flush with all four sides of the table top frame. Press firmly to make a tight bond between the underlay and the frame. Wipe away any excess glue and allow to dry overnight.

6. Drill 1/8-inch diameter pilot holes every two inches around the 1/2-inch edge of the table top frame, through the underlay and into the frame, beginning in the corner closest to your right. Countersink all holes. Insert screws and tighten until their heads are flush with the underlay.

7. Drill two 1/2-inch diameter holes 1.5 inches apart vertically, 2 inches from each end of each long side of the table top. Drill two matching holes in one end of each piece of 2-inch by 4-inch stock lumber, through the 4-inch face. the 2-inch by 4-inch stock lumber will be the legs of the sand table.

8. Position the legs against the table top. Place a fender washer on each carriage bolt. Insert the 1/2-inch diameter carriage bolts through the table frame and into the legs. Add a second fender washer and lock washer and cap the bolts with acorn nuts.

9. Sand entire table and legs. Apply clear acrylic wood treatment and allow to dry. Repeat wood treatment three times.

10. Fill the table with sand or other sand-like substitutes such as seed corn, rice, river pebbles, dried beans or bird seed.

References

• Sawdust Making: The Mitered Joint
• DIY Doctor: Countersinking and Pilot Holes