If you are going to display the Lazy Susan (i. e. on a kitchen table or counter), measure the dimensions of that surface instead. There is no “correct” size for a Lazy Susan. So long as it suits your need and fits where you want to store it, it’ll work just fine. Get a rough estimate for the diameter of the Lazy Susan using your measuring tape.
You can truncate this process and speed things up by simply buying pre-cut circular boards. You can also cut boards into a square using a circular saw or jigsaw if you have a small woodworking shop and you have wood lying around. Most Lazy Susans that sit inside of a cabinet are 12–20 inches (30–51 cm) in diameter. It depends on the size of the cabinet, though. There are no universal Lazy Susan blueprints. Make sure that your boards are slightly wider than the diameter you’re imagining for your Lazy Susan. If your cabinet is 18 inches (46 cm) deep and wide, you might get boards that are 20 by 20 inches (51 by 51 cm).
The side you just drew on will be the underside of the top platform. The center is important because your two boards will need to meet at the center if your Lazy Susan is going to spin freely without wobble.
This is going to be a key part of your jig—an easy-to-make device that makes it easy to cut perfect circles with a straight-blade saw. You do not need to be “scientific” when it comes to the measurements. So long as the strip is longer than the radius of your Lazy Susan and the groove you cut matches the radius, it’ll work.
If you do accidentally drive the nail all the way through the board, don’t throw it out! You can patch the hole when you’re done, and the hole should still work for your jig. Rotate the strip around your board. Notice how the nail anchors it in place? This is your jig! You can now use the end of the strip as a guide for your saw.
Use machine screws to attach the guide to the jigsaw (this is what the screw slots are for). You can also free-hand your cut if you aren’t worried about your circle being perfectly round. You can also use a plunge or trim router if you prefer. [7] X Research source If you have a really small circular saw, you could probably get away with using that as well. If you have a router, you can buy a special circle-cutting jig like this one from Milescraft to easily cut circles.
The bigger you make the base of your platform, the more stable the Lazy Susan will be. However, the more noticeable the base is, the less “aesthetically pleasing” your Lazy Susan will be.
For the best possible finish, do this multiple times using increasingly finer sandpaper. You might start with 200-grit sandpaper, then move to 600-grit, and finish with 1600-grit sandpaper. If you’re using MDF or plywood, heat-activated wood edging (or iron edging) can give the edges a more professional look. It’s generally pretty hard to sand these materials without chipping them.
These brackets (also known as bearings) can be kind of tough to find in a big box construction supply store. This bracket from DSMTECH is perfect, although any similar bracket will work. There is one alternative here. There’s a circular bracket out there with rubber on it. You can use this if you want to take the Lazy Susan apart in the future—just put one panel on top of the other and you’re done! It won’t be nearly as stable, though.
This might be a little confusing at first, so take your time and try to imagine how this works. The part of the bracket with one set of holes will go on the underside of the larger platform, while the bracket with two sets of holes will go on the smaller platform.
Still a little lost here? Hold the smaller platform on top of the reference points you drove and rotate the smaller platform until you can see each of those points. That’s how you’ll drill the top side into the bracket. The size of the holes doesn’t matter so long as you have enough room to see what you’re doing on the other side when the two boards are stacked together.
You can use either set of holes on the bracket depending on the size of your screws. The screws you use depend on the thickness of the board. For 1 in (2. 5 cm) thick boards, use 1⁄2 in (1. 3 cm) wood screws.
Your Lazy Susan should now work! Give it a spin to see how it feels. If it’s a little wobbly, make sure all of your screws are tight and secure.
These non-slip furniture pads from X-Protector are perfect for the job. You can stain or paint the Lazy Susan if you’d like to give it some texture, color, or personality!
